Winemaker Notes
Even though this was a warm vintage, Two Blondes is a cooler site, and this blend shows off this terroir in comparison to our other blends from warmer sites.
Blend: 60% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another finest to date is the 2016 Two Blondes Vineyard, which is 60% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Malbec, all aged 18 months in 25% new barrels. This full-bodied, incredibly elegant red offers a great perfume of leafy herbs, tobacco, dark earth, and cassis. It shows remarkable purity and elegance (the hallmark of the vintage), a terrific mid-palate, and a great finish. This is a sensational Yakima Valley Bordeaux blend that needs 3-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for two decades.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 60% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 16 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Malbec, the 2016 Two Blondes Vineyard is mainly red-fruited with a core of softer expressions, more delicate than the other red bottlings in the range. The florals and spices are elevated here with velvety, ripe red fruits on the medium to full-bodied palate, with a fresh, tart line that runs through the center and on to the finish. The wine has a long, delicate finish that wears its finesse seductively and pleasingly. Yum!
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.
As the first recognized wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest, Yakima Valley is centrally located within Washington’s vast Columbia Valley. The region also includes Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, Otis Vineyard, planted in 1957, and Harrison Hill Vineyard, planted in 1963. Yakima Valley contains three smaller sub-regions: Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Snipes Mountain and is ideal for both red and white wine production. In fact, Yakima Valley is Washington’s most diverse region, boasting more than 40 different grape varieties over about one hundred miles.
The cooler parts of the valley are home to almost half of the Chardonnay and Riesling produced in the state! Both are made in a wide range of styles depending on the conditions of the vineyard site.
But its warmer locations yield a large proportion of Washington’s best Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finest Yakima Valley reds are jam-packed full of red cherry, currant, raspberry or blackberry fruit, as well as cocoa, herb, spice and savory notes, and exhibit a supple texture, great body, focus and length.