Washington

• Columbia Valley
• Horse Heaven Hills
• Red Mountain
• Wahluke Slope
• Walla Walla
• Yakima Valley

In just a few short years of production the Canvasback Cabernet Sauvignon has become one of the de facto wines from the Red Mountain AVA in Washington state. Having reviewed this wine from multiple vintages, there is a clear consistency to its quality. Like most Cabernet you will find the requisite black cherry, blueberry, blackberry notes, but this adds huckleberry, boysenberry into the mix along with dusty tannins and a light mocha quality. But Red Mountain fruit also offers an earthiness and minerality with richer fruit.

Served blind.  Always a favorite, it seems this has come down in price over the years and is now an excellent value.  Light golden in color with some slight silvery hues, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with an outdoorsy/hay quality.  Also minerality and slight lemon/citrus notes.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Nice texture.  On the palate, lemons with slight grapefruits.  Slightly clipped finish.  This drinks great on its own and is very food friendly.  It will go well with Thai food.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 2% Petite Verdot from Washington state.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, char and slight dark chocolate.  Full bodied.  Silky tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, cassis, slight chocolate and a bit of spice.  Some minty and bitter cherry notes on the finish.  There is some depth here and it may improve a bit with short term cellaring.  It is nice on its own, but seemed better with food.  Of course, a burger would do, but it worked great with Felafel.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is a blend of  54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 14% Syrah, 3% Petite Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Malbec from Washington State.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice; dusty with black raspberries, plums, spice, slight black cherries and a hint of vanilla.  Soft texture with medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries, cassis with underlying spice and slight char.  Long finish.  This is an easy drinking red that has some backbone and depth.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  Very nice on its own, this will work great with a brisket out

From Washington state, this comes in at 13.2%abv.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemon/lime, minerality and a touch of grassiness.  Medium bodied with a nice, slightly oily texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, limes with a slight gooseberry note and underlying minerality.  Long finish.  Overall, a very nice Sauvignon Blanc for a very fair price.  This is lovely on its own and will work nicely with lighter foods.  A great choice with a fruit salad for lunch.  

This is one of the best values in wine.  It is basically a blend of the better barrels that didn't make it into the varietal or vineyard designated wines.  In fact, the Sineann Red Table Wine (also a great value) gets the wine that didn't make it into the Abondante.

This is made from Syrah grown in Washington state, shipped cold to northeast Ohio where it is vinified.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight black raspberries, cloves, spice, slight burnt rubber (not a bad thing), and some chocolate.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is cooler climate in style.  Boysenberries, char and slight chocolate.  Good acidity.  Moderate finish.  This is nice on its own but really begging for food.  It would work very well with Turkish food (for the adventurous).  Drink over the

The grapes are grown in Washington and shipped (34F) to northeast Ohio where the wines are made.  12% abv. Light golden in color.  The nose is interesting with nice minerality along with a slight chamomile note and peaches.  Medium bodied.  Dry.  On the palate, the minerality comes thru along with a bit of lemon peel.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now on its own and should be quite food friendly.  A nice match would be Thai food.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

A nice take on a Washington state Syrah.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose has black cherries, cloves, black pepper and char.  Medium tannins.  Plenty of depth.  On the palate, black cherries with underlying minerality and char.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is still on the younger side but should drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  A nice choice with Beef Stew.  

This is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc from Washington.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, cedar and spice.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is a big, ripe wine (especially for Walla Walla) but there is some depth.  Black cherries, some cassis and cedar notes.  This drinks well now and should continue for another ten to fifteen years.  It drinks very well on its own but should work well with food to go with the ripeness (i.e. Duck a L'Orange).