All wines served blind.
NV Ensemble Cellars Release Number Eight Walla Walla Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
Mine. Dark black and blue fruits with powdery tannins; and not as good as Margot's bottle was back in 2016.
1997 Mount Baker Cabernet Sauvignon Red Yakima Valley
Considering the source (a tiny winery at the base of Mt. Baker on the west side of the Cascades, now defunct), this was shockingly good. Those of us who remember the winery remember often liking the wines, and this is proof that we weren't wrong. Randy, wherever you are, we were thinking about you!
1988 Patrick M. Paul Vineyards Cabernet Franc Columbia Valley
So this was wine #20, and all I wrote down was "spicy". Must have been a lot more drinkable than David Cooper's bottles or I'd have said more even if not feeling especially verbose by this point.
2017 Prospice Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Quintessence Vineyard Red Mountain
Perfumey, complex oak, sweet violets, black fruit: I thought it more likely to be petit verdot than cabernet. Quite engaging; I'll bet the remains were killer the next day.
2005 Kirkland Signature Syrah Columbia Valley
Kirkland was bottling wine back in early 2000's? Who knew! Reportedly made for Costco by the esteemed Bob Betz, and at 15 years old despite copious oak it's still a winner.
2018 Savage Grace Wines Côt Dineen Vineyard Rattlesnake Hills
Gabe's. Carbonic Bazooka bubble gum flavors, doesn't seem finished. Gabe loves it, but carbonic doesn't work for me.
2019 The Walls Vineyards Stanley Groovy Red Mountain Red Blend
Lance's. Medium body, spicy, complex, doesn't taste like anything else we've had (this was wine #15) and we were all loving it. No wonder--touriga nacional and other port grapes. Delish.
2019 Kevin White Winery La Fraternité Yakima Valley Red Rhone Blend
Very light body, Beaujolais-ish body but sweeter and simpler than a Bojo would be. Did not enjoy.
2015 W. T. Vintners Rhône Blend Boushey Yakima Valley Red Rhone Blend
Dark fruit, peppery, Flintstones vitamins, yeast additive/doctored. Sweet and boring, lacks a sense of place.
2002 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Washington
Inky and a tad reductive due to the vintage, big and deep. A poster wine for Parkerization (or what you had to do to win 100 points). I enjoyed this but it reminded me why I quit buying QC during those years.
2018 Rasa Vineyards Syrah Human[e] Estate Vineyard Walla Walla Valley
Green olive, bacon fat, bay leaf, dark berry fruit. Ethereal in the glass. Very sorry I didn't order this when I had the opportunity.
2007 Olsen Estates Syrah Heritage Yakima Valley
My bottle. Big hit of vitamin B6 on the nose, very full bodied, sweet, 14.8% abv shows but somehow it manages to put on the brakes before being too, too much. Surprisingly good acidity helps.
2004 Buty Syrah Special Cuvée Cailloux Vineyard Walla Walla Valley
Funky, Rocks fruit, black currant and tar, modest brett but perfectly so, sexy,
2000 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Columbia Valley
My bottle. Lots of discussion at the table about this one: was it corked or was that just pyrazines? Eventually had to admit: though mild, the TCA was there.
2013 DeLille Cellars Harrison Hill Yakima Valley Snipes Mountain Red Bordeaux Blend
Excellent. Of course, HH always is, but this one's really having a moment right now. Cabbish, lots of graphite and spice, leave's nothing on the table but nothing's overdone. Pure class.
2021 Syncline Rosé Horse Heaven Hills Rosé Blend
Pretty pale pink, delicate and balanced.
2017 Côte Bonneville Chardonnay DuBrul Vineyard Yakima Valley
Mine. Dark straw gold, mildly hazy (unfiltered--yay!) with unusual and intriguing spices not typical to chardonnay, like cinnamon. Modest acidity. Showed really well.
2020 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc Columbia Valley Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend
Complex, elegant, with tons of depth. A gorgeous vintage for this Washington state icon.
2021 Devison Vintners Sauvignon Blanc Evergreen Vineyard Columbia Valley
Lemony, lean, minerally, shy. Love this winery, but I struggled to enjoy this.