This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Quilceda Creek
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon
Bright medium ruby to the rim. Very ripe aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice pastille, bitter chocolate, cocoa powder and minerals, lifted by a note of lavender; just this side of liqueur-like. Dense, sweet, silky and firm, with wonderfully suave, dense flavors of dark berries, bitter chocolate and violet dominating. This savory wine finishes with a slowly building whiplash of flavor and the sophisticated seamless tannins to support a long evolution and graceful evolution in bottle. I still give the edge to the 2016 for its energy and lift, but this very deep, youthfully medicinal wine is potentially great as well. Real nobility of texture here (it saturates every square millimeter of the palate) and outstanding palate-staining length. Lots to come! (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago
Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen
Eroica Columbia Valley Riesling 2018
Bright, light yellow. Gingery Granny Smith apple, lime and minerals on the nose, plus a whiff of orange blossom. Round on entry, then sappy, supple and intense in the middle palate, showing enticing mineral and spicy lift to its very pure citrus fruit and apple flavors. There's substantial residual sugar (16.9 grams per liter) here but brisk balancing acidity (8.6 g/l). The element of saline minerality carries through on the long aftertaste, titillating the taste buds. This, too, is a steal for the price and pretty irresistible right now. And that's almost a shame, as this Riesling has a track record of gaining in interest with cellaring. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago
Tenet Wines
The Pundit Columbia Valley Syrah 2017
Full ruby-red. Aromas of kirsch, licorice pastille, espresso and dark chocolate are complemented by a whiff of smoked meat. Almost shockingly fat and ripe on the palate, offering mouthfilling flavors of black fruits, licorice, spices and dried herbs. This plush, sweet Syrah has just enough acidity to maintain its shape. Finishes with ripe, smooth tannins and a note of licorice. An element of savory complexity prevents this almost jammy wine from coming off as heavy. A seriously hedonistic wine that's hard to fault at its gentle price. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago
Leonetti Cellar
Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Bright, saturated medium ruby. Captivating aromas of cassis, blackberry, graphite, licorice, exotic spices and lavender convey an impression of medicinal reserve. Enters the mouth thick, utterly seamless and suave, displaying alluring sweetness to its dark berry, bitter chocolate and spice flavors. This wonderfully rich yet juicy 2017 Cabernet finishes with broad, refined tannins that are already in balance with the wine's fruit. Just this side of voluptuous, this beauty may not have the sheer verve of the '16 but it will offer earlier fireworks. Very long and vinous on the palate-saturating aftertaste, with the tannins coating the entire palate and front teeth. The wine's spicy complexity should contribute to its early appeal but it would be a shame not to hold this Cabernet for at least a few years. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago
Cayuse Vineyards
Impulsivo Walla Walla Valley Tempranillo 2017
Bright medium red-ruby. Savory scents of dark raspberry, roasted meat and spices. Thick and savory yet alive on entry, with cherry and red and darker berry flavors framed and lifted by spices and minerals. I find more energy and inner-mouth aromatic lift here than the 2016 showed a year ago but also a seductive plushness in the middle palate. On the full side of medium-bodied but not a bit heavy. I'd love to put this in a blind tasting of top Ribera del Duero wines; it would stand out for its texture and complexity, not to mention its outstanding rising length. Boasts a powerful tannic spine but wonderfully fine-grained and edge-free. A great American Tempranillo with the structure to age: I'd love to revisit this wine in ten years. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago
Sleight Of Hand Cellars
Levitation Syrah 2017
Full ruby-red. Alluring aromas of blackberry, olive tapenade, bacon fat, sage and black pepper. Concentrated, densely packed and quite suave, communicating a restrained sweetness to its flavors of blackberry, boysenberry, spices, licorice and minerals. This shows more personality--at least today--than Sleight of Hand's Bordeaux blends, as well as the concentration and balance to evolve slowly and gracefully in bottle. Finishes savory, firmly tannic and long, with serious energy and no dryness. An excellent Syrah without any excesses. (made with 10% whole clusters; fermented and aged in concrete tanks and large-format barrels, including 27% new puncheons) (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago
Horsepower Vineyards
Sur Echalas Vineyard Grenache 2017
Moderately saturated medium red. Dark raspberry, flowers, iron, red cherry and smoked meat on the alluring nose. Dense, rich, mouthcoating wine with an attractive balance of red berries, smoked meat and wild herbs. A very savory style: less fruity than the Cayuse version but boasting a thicker, longer, sweeter finish than the No Girls Grenache from the same stable. Possesses strong material to buffer its tannins. Finishes broad and quite long, with a suggestion of nutty richness. (13.5% alcohol) (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago
Horsepower Vineyards
Sur Echalas Vineyard Syrah 2017
Bright dark red. Very pure, varietally accurate aromas of raspberry, smoked meat, black olive tapenade, herbs and minerals. Enters the mouth saline and intense, then strong soil-driven olive tapenade, dark raspberry and smoked meat take over the palate. This concentrated, salty wine boasts impressive thickness but also just enough fresh balancing fruit to leaven its high-pH feel. No shortage of sweetness here. Finishes with a firm dusting of tannins, lingering pepper, meat and smoke notes and no rough edges. (13.6% alcohol) (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago
Cayuse Vineyards
Armada Vineyard Syrah 2017
Bright red-ruby. Dark scents of blackberry, black pepper, violet and smoked meat; blacker than the 2016. Intense, penetrating, juicy and tight, offering a faint citrus peel accent to its flavors of dark berries, minerals, violet, pepper and animal fur. Boasts lovely density and concentration without weight, thanks to an impression of harmonious acidity and high notes of violet and minerals. This beauty carries its firm core of dark berry fruit through a firm, rising, suavely tannic, savory back end, saturating the palate without leaving any impression of weight. A superb showing: this Syrah wine can be tasted with great pleasure today but should gain in complexity and pliancy with another four or five years of cellaring. I love the balance of salinity, gaminess, fruit and minerality. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago
Delectable Wine
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Bright ruby-red. Inky aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice, bitter chocolate and graphite. Dense, minerally, sweet and deep, with inky black fruit flavors dominating in the early going. Finishes with broad but surprisingly suave tannins and excellent length. Sweeter than the 2018 version and likely to give pleasure earlier. Here the tannins are plusher and riper but the finish shows a bit of alcoholic warmth (this is the only one of these reds that admits to 15% on the label). (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago