Winemaker Notes
A blend of the best lots from Mill Creek Upland, Seven Hills and Loess vineyards, this Cab-dominated blend also includes 12% Petit Verdot, 11% Malbec and 2% Merlot. It's quite slick on the palate, with good texture from well-integrated tannins. The fruit is dark and brooding - black cherry and wild blackberry - with a hint of rose, smoke and cedar.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Reserve is composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot, and 9% Cabernet Franc aged for 23 months in new and seasoned French oak. Deep purple colored, it displays aromas of pain grille, earth notes, espresso, violets, black currant, and blackberry. Dense and rich on the palate with restraint and elegance, this lengthy effort will reward 5-7 years of patience from those who buy it.
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Vinous
The 2007 Red Wine Reserve is dark and inward upon opening, with earthy herbal tones and ashen stone giving way to mentholated black cherry. This is juicy and unexpectedly fresh with crisp red fruits and a sweet inner herbal flourish, showing its maturity through its soft and open-knit textures. This tapers off with a slight vegetal edge, yet pleasingly so, leaving nuances of tart berry and clove. The 2007 is in a beautiful place right now, rich and intense, showcasing the warmth of the vintage, yet mouthwatering all the same.
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.