Wine & Spirits - August 2017 - 82

NORTH AMERICAN NEW RELEASES
90 | Walter Scott

$50

2015 Willamette Valley Freedom Hill
Pinot Noir ^ A plush interpretation of Freedom Hill, this wine smells like cherry preserves with an umami hint of shiitake mushroom in the background. The flavors are
chewy, dense and brooding, with a rasher of
oak driving the finish. Very young; for the
cellar. (325 cases)
449878

88 | St. Innocent

$26

2015 Willamette Valley Villages Cuvée
Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^ Dark and savory
when first poured, there's a scent of violets
and railroad tie in this youthful red. It's lean
and needs time in the cellar for the fruit to
emerge; then serve with pan-seared duck
breast. (2,916 cases)
449854

87 | RouteStock

86 | Marion-Field

$16

2014 Willamette Valley The Harrison
Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^ Scents of Christmas-nutmeg, cinnamon and red cherry-
mark this modest, well-priced pinot. The flavors are darker, more like black raspberry,
with a spicy thrust of tannins. (148 cases)

WA S H I N GT O N W HIT E S
SAUVIGNON BLANC
450104

86 | Hogue

2016 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc
(Best Buy) ^ A taut sauvignon with greenapple scents, this angular white has top notes
of mint and gooseberries. Chill it well for the
cocktail hour.

VIOGNIER
449627

89 | Gramercy Cellars

$22

2016 Columbia Valley Viognier (Best Buy) ^
Pretty and lifted, with a scent of cling-peach
wedges spritzed with lemon, this viognier
is lighter on its feet than most. Its driving
acidity and a phenolic grip on the finish lend
complexity and length. Serve it with crab
cakes. (242 cases)

WINE & SPIRITS

CABERNET FRANC
449418

91 | Armstrong Family

$32

2014 Yakima Valley Dineen Vineyard
Fronk Cabernet Franc ^ The cooler vineyards of the Yakima Valley have proven to
be quite hospitable to aromatic versions of
cabernet franc, like this one with its pretty
floral perfume of plum blossoms, a high tone
and dark fruit flavors touched by a note of
mace or clove. Suave stuff for roast chicken.
(143 cases)

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

$23

2015 Willamette Valley 99W Pinot Noir
(Best Buy) ^ This well-priced pinot has a warm
cherry scent tinged by sleek oak flavors. The
texture, while oak driven at present, has a
mild cherry succulence. (2,000 cases)
449477

WA SHINGTON REDS

AUGUST 2017

449795

93 | Mark Ryan Winery

$58

2014 Red Mountain Dead Horse Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ This powerful and powerfully
tannic wine remains light on its feet, leading with dark carob-like scents that brighten
into red fruit with some air. Its flavors remain
dark and focused, given to fig and black
plum, but despite its obvious density its texture remains sleek and dynamic, the tannins
firm but polished, ready for a bo ssam feast.
(1,670 cases)
449847

92 | Gorman

$42

90 | Fidelitas

$60

90 | Gamache

$50

2014 Horse Heaven Hills Zephyr Ridge
Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This is like a Red
Mountain wine in a Horse Heaven disguise,
its scents heavy and coffee'd, the black plum
flavors enveloping and wildly concentrated.
The tannins are mostly fruit derived, though,
and they have a palpable freshness that lifts
the finish and calls for something succulent,
like herbed roast chicken. (225 cases)
450153
2014 Red Mountain Quintessence Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This relatively
new vineyard on Red Mountain, where planting commenced in 2010, is already proving to
be a high-powered source for cabernet fruit
for the region. Charlie Hoppes uses the fruit
to harness a spicy scent of mocha and nutmeg, along with a black-cherry essence. The
wine's flavors are dark and mouthfilling, the
tannins possessing a jaw-clenching grip for
braised beef. (528 cases)
449999
2013 Columbia Valley Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ Broad and intensely dark, with
a scent of cherry and vine bark, this wine's
potent density is its best feature. The flavors
are like black cherry laced with ink, and the
tannins feel weighty but fine in the mouth,
leaving a lasting impression, for skirt steak
drizzled with chimichurri. (218 cases)

CABERNET-FAMILY BLENDS

$50

2014 Red Mountain The Bully Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ Dense and concentrated, this is
obtuse at first; my original note read, "probably a good wine in there." And there was, a
youthful wine bound in oak that, with air,
eases into the background, giving its dark
blueberry and cassis flavors a chance to come
front and center. Cellar it to serve later with
beef. (525 cases)
449846

91 | Gorman

91 | Swiftwater Cellars

$80

2014 Red Mountain The Albatross
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ^ The scents
of spiced coffee and carob hint at a cabernet
of impressive depth. So it's a surprise (and
maybe a relief) to discover how light-footed
and nimble the wine's texture is, carrying
that density with a salty, acid-driven movement. (150 cases)
450119

449919

94 | DeLille Cellars

$48

2014 Columbia Valley D2 Red Wine ^ Merlot leads in this elegant, Bordeaux-inspired
red; cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc
fill out the blend. Its initial scents are savory:
cedar and tobacco leaf; the flavors more
given to spiced cherry and plum-merlotdriven in their nimble, succulent, light-toned
fruit. As is the acidity, the wine pulsing and
vibrant, a clean expression of Bordeaux varieties to serve with steak.

http://www.markryanwinery.com/ http://www.delillecellars.com/product/14-D2?pageID=FC0A959A-B3B3-CC52-D910-3FB13DB70637&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=12&

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2017