Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The producer’s take on the Left Bank, the 2022 Camaspelo is dominant in Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Merlot, some Tempranillo. The latter is the secret weapon, adding structure on the midpalate and underlying power, while the wine stays elegantly balanced and highly refined. Supple tannins support light-bodied layers of crème de cassis, black cherry, and cigar box, just a hint of gravelly, grippy texture.
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James Suckling
A cabernet sauvignon–based blend with some merlot and just a dash of tempranillo, this offers an attractive dark-fruited nose with hints of crushed walnuts, bay leaves, blackcurrant bush and wet stones. The palate is framed and tight yet finely textured, showing a juicy flow of fruit underneath a firm and chewy tannin structure. Long and tightly wound. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try in 2028.
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Vinous
The 2022 Camaspelo wafts up with a darkly floral blend of peppery dried flowers, graphite and sage, giving way to crushed blackberries. It is lifted and cool-toned with silken textures offset by a saturation of ripe red and black fruits, further complicated by crunchy minerals toward the close. Tannic, chewy and long, the 2022 tapers off with youthful tension and a tart twang as hints of licorice fade.
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Wine Spectator
Supple and elegantly structured, with lilting black and red currant flavors accented by coffee bean and licorice as this takes on richness toward refined tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2033.
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.
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.