What we have is another in an increasingly long series that
demonstrates rather notably my fondness for blends and another example that the
state of Washington is really truly starting to come into its own as a
wine-producing region. It’s not going to overtake California in hearts and
minds anytime soon, but there are some very strong entries coming out of there,
particularly the Columbia Valley, which is, if not already, soon to be a very
recognizable name and they deserve the recognition for making some very fine
wines.
This is a very complex and somewhat busy blend, with no less
than 8 different varietals making their way into concoction, which is then aged
for slightly over a year. This barrel-aging imparts a very nice degree of
smoothness to things, though there is a very distinctive note of bitterness and
a definite bite, just to keep things from being too cozy. It all works together
very nicely in this well-balanced act, though any of the elements less than
10%, perhaps even higher, are going to be difficult to pick out as individual
elements.
This is also another on the slightly heavier side and the
slightly fruitier side, particularly aimed at the berry side of things, but
more on the darker, so blackberry (this is also a very dark wine), currant and
plum. It is quite good-tasting and has a pleasant mouth feel, but the finish is
truly wondrous, at once all of the grace notes, but still retaining a very high
degree of sippability. It’s definitely not a slugging wine, though. The fairly
high tannins will make that a somewhat unpleasant proposition.
Where this comes in at price point makes it a very good
choice for a backup wine. While not as budget-friendly as Dark Horse or as
tasty as some of the HSC’s other favorites, it will do very well for almost any
occasion, such as house-warming or pairing nicely with a very wide variety of
foods. For me, it’s not enough to break into my usual stable, but I could see
bottles showing up here and there. I’ve never seen it on SPA, so I’m going to
leave this as a Mixed.
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