Had another couple over for dinner on Sunday, and Bob's good friend Jim brought another one of those bottles from the root cellar under his mother's house where his father stored wine, and from which we've had many an interesting specimen from the Washington wine scene's earliest days. It was never intended that the wines outlive Jim's father. But life doesn't always follow the script, so the dwindling collection is now a precious reminder of a parent who left too soon and Jim's mom doles out a few bottles each time Jim makes the 300 mile trip south to visit. What's especially interesting about these wines is that they were made and purchased in a time when vines were young and winemaking reputations even younger, so none of the wines could have been predicted, but for Jim's father's obviously excellent palate, to survive the long haul they've now travelled. Of the two dozen or so I'd estimate we've tried, a few have been tired though not one yet has been a complete dumper, and some have exceeded reasonable expectations. Which is exactly what the 1988 Kiona Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, Taptiel Vineyard, Jim brought on Sunday did. I opened the bottle off in a corner by myself so I could test it alone and decide where it would fit best into our meal, and I'll admit my expectations were somewhat low. Kiona isn't known today for producing long-lived wines, and even wineries like Quilceda Creek and Woodward Canyon who do have that kind of rep would be lucky to have any 22 year old bottle not be, at the very least, tired. But tired this wasn't; we removed a pristeen cork, and inside was one of the best wines Jim has ever brought. I immediately pulled my own wine off the duck liver pate course so the Kiona could have the spotlight to itself. Vibrant reddish purple color, great cabernet nose. On the palate, dark berry fruit that's still evolving, a bit of new shoe leather, and an overall good tone from more than adequate acidity and soft tannins. Also, an astonishly long finish. Excellent for any domestic wine this age but among Washington wines? Just outstanding.
With the roast duck, I paired two Washington syrahs from the vintage of the year we moved here. The 2003 Long Shadows 'Sequel' syrah, made by former Penfolds Grange winemaker John Duval, was up first. Where a few years ago this was a chubby, dense black fruit shake, the wine has shed weight in a good way and shows warm, velvety red fruit and a nice meaty thing. Low acid, silky tannins; classy and easy to drink but overall simpler than I expected it to be. Not sure I'd bet on these for a longer haul vs. drinking them in the next year or two.
An interesting counterpoint was the next wine, the 2003 DeLille 'Doyenne' Syrah. With their Bordeaux blend Chaleur, DeLille manages to go after and nail French wine attributes in a way no other Washington winery succeeds at, and to my surprise they managed it with this syrah, too. Very spicey and complex, Cornas-like, with dark red fruits, violets, herbs and bacon. My only bottle, and I'm dismayed to realize how oustanding this is. I only bought the one out of curiosity, but not being a big syrah fan I didn't expect to want more. I've only found this kind of profile once before in this state, in syrahs from Dunham's Frenchtown vineyard (as compared to the heavier Lewis, which they bottle separately). Really, really impressive.