This is a very special bottling.

Washington state makes some excellent Merlots and "Right Bank" blends.  This is another case in point.  The wine is a blend of 55% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Cabernet Franc.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is classic and enticing.  Black cherries, cassis, bell pepper, chocolate, and spice.  Nice texture.  Great balance.  On the palate, at age eleven, this is showing a nice maturity.  perhaps just on the younger side of fully mature.  Complex and layered with flavors of cherries, black cherries, milk chocolate, and underlying earthiness and char.  Long

This is a lovely Washington Cabernet (from an Oregon producer).  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dust and a slight minty note.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has cassis, bell pepper and slight tobacco notes.  Some depth.  Still young but showing some evolution.  Nice finish.  This is a more traditional (not extracted) Cabernet that seems to speak of place.   It will improve with a bit of cellaring.  Drink over the next ten years.  

From the Oregon producer comes an interesting GSM blend out of Washington.  The wine is aged ten and though still in the marketplace, the winery has closed it doors for retirement.  It is a blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre.  The color was quite light (about the same as their light colored Pinot), ruby, clear and bright.  The nose has some cherries with a touch of spice.  Light to medium bodied.  On the palate, there is some depth and complexity.  Cherry and earth.  Moderate finish.  I would have liked to taste this in its youth as I suspect its a bit past prime.  It was ha

This is a lighter, more elegant style of Pinot that is not often seen (even in Burgundy) these days.  Light ruby  in color, clear and vibrant.  The nose is great with sour cherries, dusty attic, and spice.  Really nice semi-velvety texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, cherries and some sour cherries.  Clean.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own, but would be better with food.  A Mushroom Quiche would work well.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

This winery has recently shut its doors, but there is still wine in the market.  The wine was brought up in a combination of used French oak and steel.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has nice minerality along with a touch of Meyer Lemon and pears.  Slightly oily texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, slight lemons along with almonds.  Slightly bitter note on the finish.  This wine has shed its youth but is still drinking well.  Drink over the next year or two.  Nice on its own, this will work well with Thai food.  

This is a blend of 90% Chenin Blanc and 10% Malbec.  The name means "lower tongs" i.e. "panty remover" and the label a bit suggestive.  The wine itself is a pleasant, inexpensive sparkling wine from Argentina.  Light salmon pink in color, clear and bright with a frothy mousse.  The nose has strawberries with light cherries which carries thru to the palate.  Good acidity.  Easy drinking.  It seems like it would be very food friendly.  Fried chicken could be a good match.  

Nice to revisit this (it had been almost seven years).  This was a  great value back in the day ($20).  It really hasn't ddeveloped as much as hoped, but still a very good wine.  Light gold/green in color. The nose has green apples, and minerals. On the palate, this is dry. Some depth. The palate is more peach with some minerality.  Shorter finish.  No hurry but won't get better.  A nice wine with lighter foods or maybe some Szechuan.  

This is a blend of 65% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, and 5% Grenache.  I am a big fan of these wines and this one was no exception.  This is a big wine but it is starting to shed some of its youth.  Inky purple, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, plums, roasted meats, spice and slight chocolate note.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Deep.  Flavors of black raspberries, black cherries, slight chocolate and spice.  Great lush texture.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own and will work with some foods.  Cassoulet

Bouchaine has consistently made this wine and has consistently made it well. What sets this apart from many California rosé is that it straddles the line between fruit and acidity, allowing the wine to be a part of any meal. It offers strawberry, lemon-lime, resin, light apricot and loquat. There is also a slight tartness to it, a hint of green apple that helps define this as a multi layered wine. Since the wine sees no oak at all, the freshness, the brightness and the clean fruit shines through. 1,500 cases. ORIGIN: Napa Valley, Carneros. ALCOHOL: 13.5%