Tamarack Cellars 2009 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Reserve Red (Red Mountain)

Country: US / Washington
Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend
Winery: Tamarack Cellars / Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Reserve

Richly aromatic, on the strength of the nose alone this could pass for something from Napa’s Rutherford Bench. The blue and purple fruit notes and dusty tannins all say California, but the laser-like definition, minerality and natural acidity prove it’s Washington fruit all the way. Strikingly dense and complex, with decades of life ahead.