Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Cote Bonneville will be released in April, 2009. It has everything that the 2004 has and more. It is a more structured effort and will benefit from 6-8 years of cellaring. If you don’t know about this winery, it’s time to get it in gear.
Rating: 95+ -
Wine Enthusiast
Graceful and aromatic, this 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot is the top end wine from the estate-grown DuBrul vineyard. It has both elegance and intensity, and expresses power without falling prey to over-ripeness, excessive oak or other tricks of the trade. It captures the fruit and earth and herb of the Bordeaux grapes, tossing in hints of graphite and cedar and smoke. A wine that demands your attention, and warrants your applause.
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Wine Spectator
Polished, focused and juicy, with bright red fruit flavors that mingle appealingly with hints of chocolate and cherry as the finish lingers expressively on a refined frame. There's an elegance to this, and a depth that only becomes apparent with successive sips. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
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.