Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Warm and generous, this is a lush and satisfying wine with ripe cherry notes and a hint of wood. The juicy flavors on the palate darken to a blueberry note, the tannins firm but not overbearing. The finish hints at a mild note of rosemary. Impressive stuff, for rosemary'd lamb chops.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Taptiel Vineyard is composed of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Cabernet Franc, and 11% Merlot aged in 40% new French oak for 18 months. Aromas of mineral, damp earth, herbs, sage, cassis and black currant lead to a medium to full-bodied wine with incipient complexity. Savory, smooth-textured, well-balanced, and with enough structure to evolve for 3-4 years, this firm, lengthy offering will be in its prime from 2013 to 2027.
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Wine Spectator
Dark, dense and chewy with tannins, not heavy but packed with black cherry, licorice, black pepper and roasted meat flavors, lingering on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Best from 2011 through 2017. 440 cases made.
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.