Columbia Valley. 368 cases produced. Inky purple red, medium-Hugh pigment extraction. Blackberry and floral aromas. Cherry blackberry flavors on initial pour. Light to moderate astringency on finish. White pepper aftertaste with a hint of tobacco leaf and eucalyptus. — 5 months ago
Purple to garnet red, moderate pigment extraction, very good clarity. Leather, wood and blackberry notes in nose. Blackberry, cherry flavors with length, raspberry on finish. Good balance, acid a tad above the ethanol but nicely so, some unresolved fine-grained seed tannins on initial pour with moderate skin astringency. I’m liking this one after 30 minutes, and wishing I’d bought more. 425 cases made. A solid version for WA state cab fans — 2 months ago
Revisiting vintage. Columbia Valley, 367 cases made and alas, my last bottle. Graphite and white pepper notes remain in mouth, fruit takes more time to emerge. A day later, plum and cherry fruit leather flavors, muted, emerge. Any fresh blueberry flavors in earlier pourings are gone. An interesting wine but quite different now. — 5 months ago
Been awhile since I had one of these; the label looks promising: 38/28/21/7/6 blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, aged in used oak, 325 cases made. Dark garnet red, very good clarity, moderate to high pigment extraction. Blackberry, raspberry and butter aromas, red fruit flavors, followed later by a note of tobacco and cooked vegetable, quite rounded mouthfeel, soft, not much tannin expression initially. Mint, wintergreen and white pepper aftertaste. A light skin astringency emerges after 30 minutes. A decent flavor-dense, almost syrupy red table wine, balanced perfectly for whatever hearty winter dishes you are consuming. Roasted root veggies and cheese or red meat entrees seem the best match to me at the moment. — 6 months ago
New vintage, 722 cases made. Label promotes the wine as “fresh, lively, and dry”. Orange, red and pink in color, sparkling clarity; label notes that bentonite clay was used for “clarity and stability”. Nice to see such transparency (with no pun intended); honesty and disclosure are worthy goals here. A touch of sulfite and funk in the nose initially, this blows off later. Tutti frutti flavors, but mostly cherry, good acid, mercifully dry. Strawberry lemon finish with slight skin astringency. Tasty and true to varietal. — 2 months ago
Tudor Vineyards. Last bottle of this vintage, two months since my last tasting. Dusky, burnt orange hue, sparkling clarity. Quite autumnal looking in its packaging. Orchard fruit aromas, citrus and orchard fruit flavors with a solid skin tannin layer to it. Pears, apples and tasty. This one has held up well to storage. Shame it’s the last one I’ve saved, a winner of an orange wine. Very well crafted. — 5 months ago
David Shaw
Owner of a Rhonely Heart Rosé, Yakima Valley. Cherry red, excellent clarity. Cherry in nose, strawberry and cherry in mouth, slight skin astringency in finish. Cherry, strawberry and lemon aftertaste. 74/26 blend of Mourvèdre and Grenache, barrel fermented, 104 cases made. An assertive dry rosé, fruity and varietally expressive. Not a quaffer but great with food, like spinach tortellini and garlicky lemon tahini hummus. — 3 days ago