Winemaker Notes
This single-vineyard Bordeaux blend presents intense and brooding aromas of juicy dark fruit, earth, rose petals, fresh tobacco, and dark chocolate with subtle hints of graphite and dried herbs. The palate is adorned with flavors of wild blackberry, mocha, and nutmeg supported by elegantly structured tannins concluding with a robust, balanced finish.
Blend: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 12% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Opulent black fruit and lavish oak spices combine seamlessly in this luxurious, velvety Bordeaux-style red blend. Fine-grained tannins cradle blackcurrant, black cherry, cinnamon and a hint of oak char for a full, complex expression. 54% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot, 12% malbec and 3% cabernet franc. Best from 2028.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard is a similar blend and checks in as 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 12% Malbec, and 3% Cabernet Franc. It’s more inward and tighter, with some obvious oak as well as beautiful cassis and currant fruits that give way to more graphite, tobacco, and crushed stone-like minerality. It's medium to full-bodied, has terrific purity, and a layered, focused mouthfeel that will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age. It shows the ripe yet not heavy style of the vintage beautifully.
Rating: 94+ -
Decanter
The Apogee is wholly sourced from the Pepperbridge Vineyard in Walla Walla. It is Cabernet dominant, and the 2021 iteration shows a natural elegance in the aromatics. Violets, smoky clove and white pepper frame redolent black berry fruits, crushed stone and mint alight from the glass. The palate is red-fruited and characteristically spicy. White and black peppercorn notes play nicely with hints of desert scrub, dried wild anise, and red and black bramble fruits. The acidity is nice and lifted, and the structure hints at the longevity for which this wine was built.
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Wine Enthusiast
One of Washington's iconic wines, the latest vintage of Apogee does not disappoint. Its blueberry popsicle and saddle leather aromas meld with notes of pepper and pencil lead in heady fashion. This Cabernet Sauvignon-driven blend tastes like a black currant and elderberry pie served with bittersweet dark chocolate, all backed by sturdy tannins and crisp acidity.
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Wine Spectator
Tightly focused and sturdy of build, this offers black currant and tobacco notes, with an appealing mineral earthiness that builds tension toward broad-shouldered tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2032. 1,400 cases made.
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.