Winemaker Notes
The wine is a deep purple red. The aromas are of plummy deep fruit and subtle oak spice. The palate is broad and plush, ripe and round.There are minerals and spice dancing below red and black fruit. Coda 2007's texture buries the tannins, but they are present, as well as enough acidity to keep the finish brisk and cleansing.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Cadence's value offering, the 2007 Coda, is a second label made from fruit declassified from the vineyard designated wines. It is a blend of 57% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 12% Petit Verdot aged for 14 months in 40% new French oak. It has an alluring bouquet of pain grille, pencil lead, violets, incense, and black currant. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied, sweetly-fruited wine with savory flavors, a smooth texture, and well-integrated oak. This balanced, intense effort will continue to blossom for another 2-3 years and deliver prime drinking from 2011 to 2019.
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 coveted source of top quality red grapes among premier Washington producers, the Red Mountain AVA is actually the smallest appellation in the state. As its name might suggest, it is actually neither a mountain nor is it composed of red earth. Instead the appellation is an anticline of the Yakima fold belt, a series of geologic folds that define a number of viticultural regions in the surrounding area. It is on the eastern edge of Yakima Valley with slopes facing southwest towards the Yakima River, ideal for the ripening of grapes. The area’s springtime proliferation of cheatgrass, which has a reddish color, actually gives the area the name, "Red" Mountain.
Red Mountain produces some of the most mineral-driven, tannic and age-worthy red wines of Washington and there are a few reasons for this. It is just about the hottest appellation with normal growing season temperatures commonly reaching above 90F. The soil is particularly poor in nutrients and has a high pH, which results in significantly smaller berry sizes compared to varietal norms. The low juice to skin ratio in smaller berries combined with the strong, dry summer winds, leads to higher tannin levels in Red Mountain grapes.
The most common red grape varieties here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, among others. Limited white varieties are grown, namely Sauvignon blanc.
The reds of the area tend to express dark black and blue fruit, deep concentration, complex textures, high levels of tannins and as previously noted, have good aging capabilities.