Washington

Country: US / Scarlet Lake Variety: Syrah Washington Winery: Coeur d’Alene / Washington Vanilla, coconut and baking-spice aromas are out in front of dark fruit. The cranberry and cherry flavors show vibrancy, with fruit and barrel flavors lingering on the long finish.

Country: US / Reserve Cherry Street Variety: Red Blend Washington Winery: Canoe Ridge / Horse Heaven Hills An unusual blend of Syrah, Merlot, Grenache and Cinsault, this wine offers fruit-forward aromas of raspberry and plum that lead to plump fruit flavors, with lightly astringent tannins providing support.

Country: US / Variety: Malbec Washington Winery: Mercer Canyons / Horse Heaven Hills Aromas of baking spice, herb, vanilla, wood spice and cherry lead to lightly sweet fruit flavors. The oak is overwhelming, making the variety hard to find.

Country: US / Terroir Fries Vineyard Variety: Viognier Washington Winery: Hogue / Wahluke Slope Aromas of mandarin orange, peach and herb are followed by lightly styled, off-dry drinking but still well-balanced fruit flavors. It goes down easy.

Country: US / Variety: Red Blend Washington Winery: Six Prong / Columbia Valley (WA) Tannic and tight, this shows some reductive scents of tar and rubber. Smoky cassis and strong herbal notes lead into a quick finish with some bitterness. Two bottles tasted.

Country: US / The Norseman Variety: Red Blend Washington Winery: Page Cellars / Red Mountain A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot, The Norseman—named for a vintage airplane—mostly masks its fruit in a wash of earth, herb, stem and tannin.

Country: US / Black Dot Variety: Red Blend Washington Winery: Domaine Pouillon / Horse Heaven Hills This is a nonvintage blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault. Well on its way to maturity, it’s an easy-drinking quaffer, with a hint of bitterness on the finish.

Country: US / Boushey Vineyard Sirocco Blanc Variety: White Blend Washington Winery: McCrea / Yakima Valley Among McCrea’s Rhône-inspired white wines, this is the most complete and complex. It’s rich and dense, with honeycomb, lychee, lemon rind, pineapple and lots of stone—lovely and lingering. It seems to gain strength as it rolls through a sensational […]

Country: US / Sémillon-Sauvignon-Muscadelle Variety: Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc Washington Winery: Buty / Columbia Valley (WA) Beautifully floral, fragrant and evocative, with lush and complex aromas of honeycomb, cracker and citrus, carrying into the mouth with rich, bright, detailed flavors. Stone and mineral elements are woven throughout, and the barrel fermentation adds hints of toast.

Country: US / Columbia Rediviva Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah Washington Winery: Buty / Horse Heaven Hills This first estate-grown bottling of Rediviva is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Syrah. Amazing aromatic complexity grabs you and leads you into the dark interior of the wine, a riot of red and black fruits, moist earth, smoke, anise, herb […]

Country: US / Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon Washington Winery: Quilceda Creek / Columbia Valley (WA) The 2006 flagship Cabernet from Quilceda Creek is a massive wine that has just begun to emerge from its slumber. When first released the wine seemed to have entered a dumb phase, but six months later it responds to decanting and […]

Country: US / Royal City Variety: Syrah Washington Winery: Charles Smith / Columbia Valley (WA) Green olive, green stem and fresh herb aromas are at the fore, with cured meat, peat, smoke and mineral notes close behind. The palate offers dense fruit and savory flavors that command attention, with smoked meat notes that just won’t […]