Winemaker Notes
Blend: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A wine that I think rivals the 2007 Sorella, the 2012 Sorella comes all from the Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA and is made from 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc. Aged 18 months in 35% new French oak, it has smoking notes of blackcurrants, black raspberry, toasted bread and spice-box to go with a full-bodied, awesomely concentration, yet layered, balanced profile on the palate. There’s a lot of tannin here, so short-term cellaring is advised. This beauty will have 2-3 decades of longevity and will stand toe-to-toe with some of the greatest Bordeaux blends out there.
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Wine & Spirits
The Sorella 2012 blend is two-thirds cabernet sauvignon, the vines close to 40 years old; the balance is merlot and cabernet franc. The flavors are dense and dark, vibrant cassis and black plum dusted with a fine powdered mineral glaze, the cabernet as much a feeling as a flavor. Everything is guided by a firm textural line, lean, refined, as elegant as a tailored suit, the finish firm and nimble at once. It’s cabernet at its most effortless.
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Decanter
From the Champoux Vineyard planted to 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, this Medoc blend exhibits the expected cassis nose with tobacco-leaf hints and marvelous depth and structure on the palate. Still fresh, with complexity to come.
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Wine Spectator
Crisp in texture, with good density to the black cherry, red plum, roasted meat and spice flavors, coming together deftly on the refined, elegant finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2017 through 2024.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.