Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Grenache and Syrah are the mainstays here, with a splash of Mourvèdre completing the Third Man blend. For the first time, Uplands contributes some of the fruit. It's immensely fragrant, fruity, peppery and rich with flavors of strawberry, raspberry, cherry and plum. There is nothing simple here; scents and flavors compound and linger, and the more you look, the more you find. Editors' Choice.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 55% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre, the 2011 The Third Man is medium-bodied, rich and fleshy on the palate, with a full, seamless profile that stays graceful and lively. Giving up notions of spice, herbs de Provence, kirsch, black cherry and dried herbs, it is distinctly Rhone like and will deliver plenty of pleasure over the coming 5 to 7 years.
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Wine & Spirits
A dark and meaty blend of grenache (55 percent), syrah (40 percent) and mourvedre, this wine is all black cherry and smoke, with a mocha background that takes on a carob-like fruitiness with air. Its texture is attractively chewy and dense, the smokiness persisting to the finish, making it ideal for a slab of meat off the grill.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
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.