2011 Cayuse Syrah Bionic Frog, USA, Washington, Walla Walla, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2011
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$288.00USD

One of the best Syrahs being made anywhere. Purple in color with a slight ruby hue, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, slight burnt rubber, black olives, black pepper and slight bacon fat.  Full bodied.  Velvety texture.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, lots of black raspberry fruit with some black olive notes and char.  Deep and complex.  Light tannins.  Long finish.  This is just getting near maturity.  It drinks great on its own and would work well with beef stew or chili.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

2014 Seven Hills Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley, Washington, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
87
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$24.00USD

This is from Washington state.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight spice and dark chocolate with a bit of char.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, lots of black cherry fruit with some underlying char.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  This should be drunk in the next few years.  It will work nicely with roasted chicken.  

2018 Owen Roe Red Wine Yakima Valley, USA, Washington, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$30.00USD

This is a blend of 49% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Malbec.  Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black cherries, cherries, slight floral/perfume note.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has nice black cherry and cherry fruit.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks well with lighter tannins.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  It will also work with food.  Grilled ribs or burgers would be a nice choice.  

2016 L'Ecole No. 41 Estate Ferguson Vineyard, USA, Washington, Walla Walla, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$54.00USD

This is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Malbec from a single vineyard in Washington.  Purple in color, a bit flat and opaque.  The nose is nice with black cherries, cherries, spice, tobacco and slight cedar.  Full bodied.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, cherries with underlying spice.  Long finish.  A bitter cherry note on the finish.  This still seems to need some time or air; maybe a few more years.  It should improve and then drink well for another seven to ten after that.  It drinks well on its own and would work well

2018 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$28.00USD

This producer makes wine in Oregon, New Zealand, and for Bordeaux varietals, in Washington.  It is a lighter styled Cab that makes for easy drinking.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is tight at first but opens to show dust, cherries and black cherries.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is clean with cassis and a slight sweetness to it.  Moderate finish.  It would work better with food.  Roasted chicken would be a nice choice.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

2016 J. Bookwalter Conflict Conner-Lee Vineyard, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

This is a blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 48% merlot and 2% malbec.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with cassis, cherries and an herbal note that a friend called pickle juice.  I found it more like sage.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has some cassis and some cherries.  Moderate depth.  Shorter finish.  It's a nice wine if not profound.  It probably would be better with some food.  Roasted chicken or duck would work well.  Drink over the next five years.  

2017 Lobo Hills Right Bank Blend, USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$20.00USD

This is mostly Merlot with  18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc.  This is a very accessible and easy to drink wine that has nice ripeness to it.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, chocolate and a slight char.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Easy to drink.  Moderate depth. Nice texture.  Cassis and black cherries.  Nice finish.  This drinks great on its own and would work well with foods with a tangy/sweet BBQ sauce.  Drink over the next few years.  

2015 Basel Cellars Merriment, USA, Washington, Walla Walla, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

This is a blend of 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 25% Malbec, and 12% Cabernet Franc.  Medium deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with cassis, cherries, spice, slight tobacco and slight milk chocolate.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, cassis with some black cherries with underlying spice and slight char.  This drinks nicely on its own but will work better with food.  Lamb stew would be a nice choice.  Drink over the next five to seven  years.  

2016 Secret Squirrel Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$25.00USD

In a recent tasting of Washington wines, this was the groups Wine Of The Night.  Pretty impressive for a wine that was purchased for $20.  It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cedar, plums, cassis and dark chocolate.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Some depth and complexity.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, lots of cassis, some black cherries and a bit of char and ash.  Tasty.  This is drinking well now and is the kind of wine that would be popular at a party.  It drinks well on its own and would be a nice choice with burgers, ribs

2018 J. Bookwalter Conflict, USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
90
Grade: 
Current Price: 
$40.00USD

A blend of 60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petite Verdot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with cassis and baking spice.  With air some coffee notes emerge.  On the palate, this is ripe and sweet cassis fruit.  Seems like a touch of residual sugar.  Also some spices. Nice finish.  It drinks well on its own but might be harder to match food.  A nice wine to sip on its own by the fire this winter.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

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