Winemaker Notes
66% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc & 1% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a revelation. The complex and site-specific aromas suggest wild herb, lavender, lemon verbena and black olive. The tannins are supple and ripe, with no green edge at all. The fruit combines mineral-soaked black cherry, sweet raspberry compote, and deep cassis. A marvelous wine, dense, detailed and seductive.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Conflict Conner Lee Vineyard consists of 66% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Medium purple in color, it sports an aromatic array of balsam wood, spice box, violets, incense, black currant, and blackberry. Medium to full-bodied with plenty of concentration, this tasty effort will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring and has a drinking window extending from 2013 to 2027.
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.