Columbia Winery Red Willow Syrah 2000

Fine berry fruit with notes of spice, pepper, and smoke. Elegant, smooth palate with excellent length of finish.

The most celebrated red-wine vineyard in Washington, Red Willow lies in the remote northwestern corner of the Yakima Valley Appellation. Mt. Adams' 1200-foot peak and the Cascade foothills rise to the west. There are no other vineyards within 20 miles. It is a fairly warm site (mid-region 2 on the old UC Davis scale). At high elevations, 1100 to 1300 feet, Red Willow has complex soil formations and steep hillsides. Owner Mike Sauer has developed the 120 acres of land with sensitivity and respect for soil and slope. The basic land-form is a peninsula of land jutting out from the south-facing Ahtanum Ridge. The south slope of this peninsula formation drops down into a saddle that runs southward to rise upwards to a small hill. There are east, west, and south-facing vineyards and these are divided into 40 small blocks of great red varieties, including seven terroirs of Syrah. All these form a rich blending palette for Columbia's winemaker David Lake. A fine vintage. The grapes ripened slowly in a cooler year and had plenty of hang time to develop their character. Fine berry fruit with notes of spice, pepper, and smoke. Elegant, smooth palate with excellent length of finish.