Winemaker Notes
Blend: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 8% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Crisp tannins underline the juicy black cherry, tobacco, spice and loamy earth flavors, mingling well as the finish persists expressively on a medium-weight frame. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Best from 2015 through 2021.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Along the same lines, the 2011 Protagonist is made from 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 8% Syrah, that spent 20 months, on lees, in 87% new French oak. Ripe, mouth filling and nicely concentrated, this medium to full-bodied beauty gives up rocking aromas and flavors of red and black fruits, toast, pencil shavings and hints of dusty minerality. Beautifully layered, with sweet tannin and impressive length, it’s a serious 2011 that will have 15 years or more of prime drinking.
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Wine Enthusiast
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot split the blend with 8% Syrah in addition. The opening scents are toasty and inviting, and the wine enters the palate smooth and agreeable, with pretty red fruits. There's a lick of licorice and then the flavors seem to lighten up and finish tart and astringent. But decant this and let it breathe, and the wine can surprise with its staying power.
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.