Winemaker Notes
This single-vineyard Bordeaux blend presents intense aromas of black currant, fresh tobacco, rose petals, cocoa, and earth with subtle hints of graphite and spearmint. Flavors of mocha, nutmeg, and thyme are featured prominently on the elegantly structured frame. The palate is adorned with wild blackberry, baking spices, and fine-grained tannins that carry through to a robust and perfectly balanced finish.
Blend: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 12% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a gorgeous nose of blackcurrants, sandalwood, cloves, violets, cracked pepper and black raspberries. It’s full-bodied, beautifully balanced and structured, with a firm, solid tannin frame and waves of black fruit and spice. Vibrant backbone of acidity. Firm and compact. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 12% malbec and 4% cabernet franc.”
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the Bordeaux varietal releases, the 2020 Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard checks in as 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 12% Malbec, and the rest Cabernet Franc. Its ruby/plum color is followed by a beautiful wine offering medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of red and black currants, dried tobacco, loamy earth, and lead pencil shavings. Balanced, layered, and elegant on the palate, it has terrific tannins, a great mid-palate, and a great finish. It's a beautiful, elegant, seamless wine from this estate with tons to love. It's going to evolve for 15 years or more.
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Decanter
From the Walla Walla Seven Hills Vineyards, aromatics of rose petals, smoked cedar plank and bay leaf frame red berry notes. The palate is amply structured and drills down on red fruits, savoury anise fresh herbs and stone-driven minerals.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard blends 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 12% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Franc. The nose is generously layered with fresh and complex aromas, featuring graphite, pencil shavings, spiced cherry compote, mocha and spiced cinnamon. At the same time, herbal notes and dusty plums subtly release from the glass. Full-bodied and with 14.5% alcohol, the palate offers complexity and layers, showcasing bitter dark chocolate, blackberry skin and fine-grained tannins. The wine ends with a firm and succulent finish. Rating: 93+
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Vinous
Shades of violet and lavender give way to ancient stones and orange-tinged blackberries as the 2020 Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard blossoms in the glass. This splashes across the palate with a refined blend of dark red and blue fruits, while a strong undercurrent of minerality adds a tactile edge toward the close. A mass of tart wild berry concentration mingles with grippy tannins, leaving the mouth watering for more. The 2020 finishes potent—structured for a long and steady evolution.
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Wine Spectator
This handsome red is deftly structured, offering appealing black cherry, stony mineral and black tea flavors that build richness toward big but refined tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2031. 1,200 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
This Cabernet Sauvignon-driven blend saw time in 100% French oak, 40% new. Muddled mint and dark raspberry aromas are joined by tiny notes of balsa and seared steak. Grippy tannins make for a chewy texture while supporting blackberry, espresso and crème brulée flavors.
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.
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.