Lots of higher-end WA wines this week:
2013 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series Washington
Mike's wine. Very tobacco-y, with fine-grained tannins. Fortunately lacks the overt sweetness that has plagued earlier ripe vintages like the 05.
2007 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Red Mountain Red Bordeaux Blend
Outstanding and seductive nose of maturing cabernet with bing cherry, tobacco and herbs. The alcohol I complained about two years ago is gone, everything's integrated. At peak and should cruise here for a few years.
2002 DeLille Cellars Harrison Hill Yakima Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
Great maroon color. Good nose of blackberry, red fruit leather, old books and cherry pipe tobacco. Fantastic, lingering finish. A fine showing.
2014 Dynasty Cellars Malbec Walla Walla Valley
(Barrel sample) Not usually a malbec fan, but Dynasty owner/winemaker Peter Osvaldyk has a deft hand with this grape and produces a wine of cabernet-like intensity and elegance. In this sample, the blue fruit and violets on this wine are absolutely magical. Should go into bottle (a year from now--yes, he ages his wines in barrel three years) with more structure than the '12 or '13. I'll be waiting!
2013 DeLille Cellars D2 Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
D2 is a consistent top performer in the under-$50 WA cab race. and this vintage is good. Concentrated blackberry fruit with coffee and tobacco notes.
2012 Doyenne (Delille Cellars) Aix Red Mountain Syrah-Cabernet blend
This blend is about 50/50 syrah and cabernet sauvignon. Large on the palate, the syrah brings vibrance and the cabernet adds tannins and elegance on the finish. Btw, Delille is going to kill the Doyenne name this year and all the Rhone wines will be bottled as Delille Cellars.
2014 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc Columbia Valley Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend
Motz nailed it. Rich yet precise, big and generous on the palate, this semillon/sauv blanc blend captures the essence of high-end white Bordeaux in Washington. Best I've had from this estate.
2000 Woodward Canyon Merlot Walla Walla Valley
Brownish; a shade or two past peak but nonetheless elegant in its maturity.