Walla Walla

From the same people who make Cayuse in Washington state.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives, roasted meat, and black pepper.  Very enticing.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is still young with medium to firm tannins.  Nice black raspberry fruit.  Big, but more youthful than a fruit bomb.  If served blind, I think I guess a young Cornas rather than Washington.  Nice finish.  I have no real experience to judge ageability of these wines, but it seems like it need another five years or so, and then should be good for ten or fifteen more. 

This has really opened nicely since I last tried it.  Still young, but delicious.  Perhaps the best wine from Washington that I have had.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, boysenberries, black cherries, black olives and tarragon.  No burnt rubber that sometimes shows up in Washington Syrah.  Full bodied.  On the palate, the black and purple fruits dominate.  Black pepper.  Slight black olive with underlying minerals/rocks.  Wonderful lush but fluid texture.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is still maturing and should be great drinking for t

Another top wine from Cayuse.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, burnt rubber (in a good way), black olives and iron.  What a great texture.  Juicy and velvety.  On the palate, the black raspberry dominates with some underlying minerality and a hint of funk/musk.  Long finish.  This is still young but chugging along.  It may still improve a bit over the next few years and then be good for another 15 after that.  

One of my favorite Washington Syrahs, the 2016 is right up there.  These are big Syrahs, especially for Washington, but they will come down with age.  inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black pepper and a slight floral (violets?) note.  Full bodied.  Wonderful, juicy texture.  Tons of black raspberry fruit on the palate with an underlying roasted herb note.

This is a Syrah from Washington state.  I am not up on my Washington vintages but I don't recall 2011 as being special.  Hopefully, this wine shows better in better vintages.  Purple in color.  The nose has some generic black fruit.  On the palate, there is some boysenberry.  Not much depth.  A bit bitter on the finish.  It seems like it might be a bit past its prime.  If you have any, hopefully it shows a bit better.  

Wow.  My first time trying this wine and it is spectacular.  Purple in color with a slight ruby rim.  The nose has toast, black raspberries and black pepper.  With air notes of soy sauce and black olives emerge.  Full bodied but this lovely silky but powerful texture.  On the palate, this has great boysenberry fruit with an underlying minerality.  It is deep and complex and persistent on the palate.  It is also delicious.  Long finish.  This will easily continue to improve for a decade and be good for another decade or two after that.  It worked great with a spicy pasta dish but would work

This is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Syrah from Cayuse Vineyard in Washington.  At eleven years from vintage it is rolling along just fine.  Pop and pour and it was drinking quite well.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black cherries, slight burnt rubber/iron and a bit of a slight green herbal note (tarragon?).  On the palate, this has a lovely texture.  Juicy, black raspberries, black cherries with slight char underneath.  Good finish.  Worked well with roasted mushrooms.  Should have another decade left if well stored but I doubt it

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with dusty black cherries.  A bit of an herbal streak On the palate, this has tart cherry fruit with underlying char and spice.  Nice depth.  A bit of heat on the finish.  This seems to be made in a bit riper style though it should continue to settle down as it matures.  It should be good for a couple of decades after that.  

Treasure Hunter wines have made a nice name for themselves buying excess juice that was not wanted and repackaging it and selling it at a lower price.  Some offerings are, of course, better than others.  This one is quite good.  It retails for around $20 which is an excellent value for a quality Washington sate Cabernet.  Purple in color.  The nose has nice cassis with leather and some cedar spice.  On the palate, this has nice Cassis fruit.  Some underlying spice.  Medium tannins.  Good finish.  Will work with heartier foods.  Very solid and actually, better than just solid.  

This is 97% Syrah with 3% viognier cofermented from the Powerline Vineyard.  This drinks in the style of the Northern Rhone but with a new world flair that works.  It should improve with a few years of cellaring.  Ruby in color, purple at the core.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives and a nice minerality lurking in the backround.  On the palate, this is softer in texture.  Nice black raspberry fruit, slight black pepper and underlying char.  Slight tannins that come out more with air.  Good finish.  This needs heartier foods but has the acidity to work well them.