Winemaker Notes
Aromas of black cherry, berry and dark chocolate fuse with smooth notes of vanilla and spice. Rich and balanced on the palate, this wine finishes with long, lingering flavors of cocoa, black fruits, and vanilla.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Red Table Wine is composed of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. It also spent 27 months in new French and American oak. The 2005 vintage contains more Red Mountain fruit which may be why it is more structured and powerful; it's also the case that 2005 is a superior vintage. The wine is purple-colored with notes of wood smoke, mineral, spice box, black currant and blackberry. On the palate, it is full-bodied and layered with the tannins well concealed. Reminiscent of a top level Pauillac, it will evolve for 5-7 years and provide pleasure through 2030.
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Wine Spectator
Supple, generous, long and distinctive for is spicy, smoky blackberry, cherry and plum flavors, expanding beautifully on the long, expressive finish. Has impressive persistence. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2009 through 2015. 7,000 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 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.