Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Similar to the straight Cabernet release, the 2013 Walla Walla Reserve has even more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend and is 81% Cabernet, 11% Petit Verdot and 8% Merlot. It does nicely in the vintage and has beautiful purity and elegant as well as textbook Cabernet notes of cassis, toasted spice, graphite, scorched earth and hints of chocolate. A touch fresher and more focused than the Cabernet Sauvignon release, this beautiful concentrated, impeccably balanced 2013 will need 4-5 years of cellaring and have 20-25 years of overall longevity.
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Vinous
Sour cherries, red plums, hints of flowery underbrush and animal tones define the 2013 Red Wine Reserve. Round and supple, this impresses with its ripe fruits and mineral tones. Juicy acidity works to maintain an energetic feel. It tapers off long and spicy, leaving tart blackberry and dusty inner florals to mingle with adolescent tannins and a hint of mint. There is a bit of brett on the 2013, yet it provides a pleasantly rustic edginess to the wine. The 2013 is just entering its drinking window.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot and 8% Merlot, coming from Seven Hills, Loess and Mill Creek Upland vineyards. Light aromas of toast, barrel tones, flowers, licorice and dark fruit are followed by earth and other savory flavors that are light but still show weight and density.
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Wine Spectator
Focused and expressive, wrapping the blackberry, currant and floral notes in powdery tannins. The flavors flow into a long and pointed finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best after 2018. 1,102 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.