2019 Hard Row to Hoe 'Whole Picture' Pet-Nat, Lake Chelan WA
From 100% Cab Franc, a grape this winery does so well in all forms from it's perch on the northeast side of Washington's beautiful Lake Chelan, an area described to us when we visited as a place "that used to be a boating destination with wine, but has turned into a wine destination with boats". Pretty apt. And a pretty wine: perfectly dry and balanced fruit, persistent petillance, great finish. Their 'Whole Picture' series is something relatively new, an attempt to distinguish their serious wines from the lower tier of funny names of the winery's former whorehouse past. The wines are so good they do deserve to be taken seriously, but the label's a disaster. Small white print on a dark beige latte-coffee background, and very hard to read. But the wine's great.
2019 Domaine Cherrier Père et fils Sancerre La Croix Poignant Sauvignon Blanc
Light citrus, grass and minerals, a nice wine but too delicate. There's just not enough There there.
2013 Hunt McKay Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli Vineyards Rutherford
Made by Mike Trujillo of Karl Lawrence fame from one of the most distinctive vineyards in Napa Valley, Morisoli. If you don't recognize the name that's understandable--this was only made in 2 or 3 vintages. Decanted for an hour (should have been three+), very concentrated black cherry/blueberry fruit and dark chocolate with substantial tannins are a throwback to the kind of wine built for the long haul in Napa back in the 70's, many of which are still drinking well today. Though it has, at age 8, just reached the point where it can be coaxed into drinkability, it's best days are years away still. Peak is probably 2030+.
2013 Quilceda Creek CVR Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
M's bottle. I owned, and drank, two of these some time ago which was clearly too soon judging by this excellent bottle which reminded me how sophisticated and engaging this wine can be. That's really not a surprise from one of Washington's best wineries and best recent vintages, but I personally haven't had great luck with the CVRs. They seem very inconsistent which of course, should be expected: it's the kitchen sink blend of everything declassified from the premium bottlings. An '09 CVR another friend opened a few months ago was a clunker, a sloth of overripe unfiltered fruit with the low-acid flavor of spent coffee grounds and powdery tannins. Not a wine I'd ever want again. This, I'd stand in line for.