Wine & Spirits - August 2018 - 80

US NEW RELEASES
91 | L'Ecole No 41

RIESLING

$55

2015 Walla Walla Valley Perigee Seven
Hills Vineyard ^ "Tobacco drenched in red
wine" is how one taster described this Seven
Hills blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot,
cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot.
Indeed, it's so savory, with notes of cedar,
tobacco and anise, that the plum-sauce and
cassis notes took a day to arrive. It's a mouthful, the flavors as dark and deep as balsamic
syrup, the tobacco-like tannins acting as a
vise on the tongue; for a ribeye. (1,425 cases)

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
512195

93 | Canoe Ridge

511806

92 | Chateau Ste. Michelle &
Dr. Loosen
$22

2016 Columbia Valley Eroica Riesling ^ In
its camellia and fruit blossom scents and its
mildly tropical expression of pear and apple
flavors, the 2016 Eroica may not be the most
complex riesling you'll taste this year, but in
its succulence and juicy purity, it may be the
most satisfying, channeling a dose of lambent Eastern Washington sunshine.
512220

88 | Pacific Rim

$12

2016 Columbia Valley J Riesling (Best
Buy) ^ Light, simple and pure, with a scent of
pineapple rind and flavors of spiced apple,
this wine is zippy and half-dry, a steal for $12.
512061

85 | Washington Hills

$11

2016 Columbia Valley Medium Sweet Riesling (Best Buy) ^ Well-made, more medium
dry than sweet, this leads with a wheaty lees
note and scents of ripe pineapple. The flavors are juicy and fresh, with good acidity for
Thai-spiced prawns. (4,000 cases)

$42

2015 Horse Heaven Hills Limited Edition
The Benches Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Rather
than focusing on power in this cabernet,
Haydn Mouat has captured the pretty side of
The Benches, the vast, dramatic Columbiariverside vineyard once known as Wallula.
The wine leads with flowers and fruit, a leafy,
floral burst of violets and black-cherry scents
introducing the dark and suave flavors. The
tannins feel lifted, sprinkled with fines herbes;
for rosemary roasted lamb. (108 cases)

GRENACHE
511761

90 | Gramercy Cellars

$36

2015 Columbia Valley The Third Man
Grenache ^ Bright and exuberantly redfruited, this grenache leads with strawberry
and cherry notes but gives little more than a
mild crunchiness to the texture. After a day,
it relaxes, the strawberry component taking
on a sunnier disposition, poised for barbecue. (380 cases)

MERLOT

WA S H I N GT O N RE D
BORDEAUX-VARIET Y BLEND
511902

92 | L'Ecole No 41

$65

2015 Walla Walla Valley Ferguson Vineyard ^ This represents the fifth vintage of Ferguson, a cabernet-based blend from L'Ecole's
dramatic basalt-laden, wind-whipped vineyard above Seven Hills. The 2015 feels somewhat cooler than past vintages, still savory in
its cedar and cigar-wrapper scents, and spice
notes of cardamom and capsicum; but there's
a leafy quality to the plum flavors that lends
itself to the texture as well, creating a more
elegant feel to the tannins. Ready to drink
now, it will age beautifully, and you'd be
advised to cellar at least a few bottles to taste
in five years, ten years, twenty. (1,275 cases)
511900
80

WINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2018

87 | Bridgman

$16

2016 Columbia Valley Merlot (Best Buy) ^ A
carob-and-mocha thrust of oak flavor adorns
this wine's black-plum fruit. It's chewy and
dense, and well priced for late-summer sausage fests. (1,508 cases)

MOURVEDRE
511760

91 | Gramercy Cellars

$42

2015 Columbia Valley L'Idiot du Village Mourvedre ^ Gramercy's Idiot comes
from Alder Ridge and Olsen, and this year
includes five percent carignan in the mix.
It's all smoked ham and strawberries at first
go, giving way to a more demonstrative fruit
note with air. The tannins feel not so much
massive as intensely focused, driving the
wine with a satisfying, linear persistence. For
near anything off the grill. (513 cases)

RED BLEND
512154

88 | Canoe Ridge

$22

2015 Horse Heaven Hills The Explorer
(Best Buy) ^ Syrah dominates this blend from
Horse Heaven, with cabernet sauvignon and
cabernet franc. It's grippy and firm, with a
chocolatey richness that fills out the dried
plum flavors. For bacon-wrapped steak.
(5,000 cases)

SYRAH
511759

93 | Gramercy Cellars

$54

88 | Bridgman

$16

2015 Walla Walla Valley The Deuce Syrah ^
Based on syrah from Les Collines, this vintage of The Deuce adds a bit of fruit from
Forgotten Hills, Greg Harrington's newly
acquired vineyard down the road. As dark
as it seems on first pass, with its scents of
olive and ash and licorice root, it feels bright
and nimble, the whole-cluster element (85
percent) broadening the texture and leaving behind a peppery spice. Still youthful,
it would be brilliant with lamb shoulder, or
cellar it to further its complexity. (664 cases)
512084
2016 Columbia Valley Syrah (Best Buy) ^
Dark and plummy, with a sweet carob scent,
this has a chewy, balanced succulence. Well
priced for steak. (1,232 cases) n

511904

90 | L'Ecole No 41

$25

2015 Columbia Valley Merlot (Best Buy) ^
Foresty and even a touch meaty, this merlot
has a black-cherry core of flavor that's deep
and satisfying; cedar and redwood tips give
the wine a subtly savory finish. It's a complex
merlot for rosemary roast chicken.
512082

https://www.ste-michelle.com/our-wines/tiers/eroica http://wineshop.lecole.com/2015-merlot---columbia-valley-750-ml-p510.aspx

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2018