Had guests over for Cowboy Steak, new potatoes with fresh garlic and herbs, corn and green beans. Started with two whites and a bowl of marinated olives and carrots, plus a plate of sliced raw kohlrabi spritzed with white vinegar and salt:
2021 Margerum M5 White Los Olivos District White Blend
Pale light straw in color. Full, forward & attractive nose of white grapefruit, lemons, limes and floral notes but more importantly minerals, wet stones & a hint of lemongrass. On the palate, same with emphasis on Lithe with a very good concentration of zesty, ripe (but not overripe) fruit flavors of lemons, limes, pears and white nectarine, and more minerals. Lingering crisp finish. A blend of about 50% Grenache Blanc with the rest Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier & Picpoul Blanc. Oh, and only 13.2% alcohol. A cellar singleton I picked up to add diversity to my cellar (I like the suprise of an occasional one-off where I have no idea what to expect) and because I always like Doug Margerum's whites. Loved this so much I ordered more yesterday.
2020 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Darker, more golden in color than previous bottles, also more concentrated which is not, actually, a positive development. Feels like its aging out.
2009 Rasa Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Plus One Kiona Vineyard Red Mountain
Heady leathery nose on dark cherry and plum fruit with tobacco and even a little graphite (not a typical WA thing). Excellent body and balance with resolved tannins. At peak in the best way possible and a superb example of what can happen with Red Mountain fruit. Blind, I might have guessed California. One of the best WA reds I've had in a long while.
2016 Sleight of Hand The Archimage Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend Walla Walla
Decanted for two hours. Though open enough to drink, compared to the glorious RASA above, this wine's in an awkward place showing raw and rustic top notes and none of the elegant resonance I remember from younger bottles. Let them sleep.