Thanks for the feedback gents. Kris, do give it a try if you manage to find it, would like to hear your thoughts.
I left half the bottle overnight and will revisit today.
2014 Reynvaan Syrah Foothills Reserve - olive dominated upon opening, but was balanced by some black fruit and some savory nuances after a couple of hours of air - not overly funky at all. IMHO not the best vintage of Foothills, but very pleasant nonetheless. Cheers!
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Travelling in Dallas and found a gem on a wine list…
2008 K Vintners Royal City Syrah loaded with dark fruit, black olives, and smoked meats, with fully resolved tannins and a long finish. Epic example of aged WA Syrah at its finest.
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Yes, the K Vintners Royal City syrah is on par with Washingtons best. An annual pre-release (much cheaper than release price) must buy in our house.
Tried these two over the weekend, really good wines that really spoke of their origins:
2012 K Vintners Klein vineyard (41% merlot, 30% cab sauv, 29% cab franc). Walla Walla AVA
Dark medium. This was great from the opening and never let up. The aromatics are savory as hell and seemed to reflect a lot of cab franc character matching well with WW aromatics. It’s beautifully balanced, with extraction and ripeness well restrained, and still complex and generous. Served blind I’m 100% confident the AFWE crowd would love this. If you find a bottle you won’t be disappointed and I wish I had more bottles to follow over many years. 4 (out of 5).
This wine is now bottled under the Wines of Substance label.
2014 Va Piano syrah Stoney Vine Vineyard. Walla Walla Vly AVA.
Dark medium. Delivers plenty on the nose early and often. Effusive raspberry, cherry, olive, pepper, briary, and unmistakable WW rocks melange. I’ll say the nose on this is really generous and complex and the list could go on and on. While the wine is a pleasure to drink, it’s a little better on the nose than the palate the later of which dropped off a little more quickly than I’d like. 4- (out of 5).
Va Piano was another really good wine club membership that was victim to my running out of storage space. Their black label syrahs come from various Washington vineyards that when tasted side-by-side are a great study in how well syrah reflects terroir. Their estate vineyard wines are terrific too.
Stoney Vine vineyard is a source for other syrahs I like a great deal including WT Vintners and the Sleight of Hand winery Psychedelic bottling, the latter being my favorite from this source.
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2014 La Rata:
Ruby red in color. 14.2% ABV. 53% Grenache, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Syrah. Savory nose of red fruits, olive brine, smoke and flowers. Medium body with perfect acidity. Rich and concentrated. Cherries, bacon fat, olives and minerals on the palate. The finish is very long and smooth. The Grenache really stands out here and the Rocks District footprint is ever present. Best over the next 2-4 years.
My rating: 95 points.
Full review and winery information on Zinfandel Chronicles - 2014 La Rata - Bottle Notes | Zinfandel Chronicles
Tom
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I had my first Upchurch cab - the 2013 - a few weeks ago. It was terrific. Have to find more.
Couple more this past week at dinner at 2120 in Seattle.
Seven Hills Walla Walla Valley Merlot 2015 comes from the Seven Hills Vineyard and the original block of Merlot planted in 1982, great nose of chocolate, herbs, black raspberry and dark plums. Has a rich, but balanced palate. Really excellent value Merlot and Merlot with character.
K Vintners The Deal Syrah 2018 comes from the Wahluke Slope and Sundance Vineyard. Definitely shows the more linear side of WA Syrah, with redder fruits to go with darker fruit, brighter acid, pepper, spice, while still being very WA Syrah in size. Excellent withbfood, in this case, grilled octopus.
Reynvaan In the Rocks 2018 tonight was stunning. I usually like my Syrah with a bit more age, but these are perfect right now!
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I enjoyed the 2018 Januik Red Wine last night. Dinking very nicely and it is < $20 a bottle.
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Last night we went big, 2005 Cayuse Bionic Frog - lived up to its reputation, in a perfect drinking window, all the funk, olive, brine and more. However The age is apparent, it evolved quickly over the next hour.
We were not done, next up 2010 Reynvaan Stonessence. One of our absolute favorite wines and a favorite vintage. This too was is an absolutely perfect place.
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2017 Kevin White Winery Reserve - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley (6/23/2022)
Brother’s Last Night in Town (3 Day Wine Review World Headquarters, Minneapolis, MN): Day 1: Another hit tune from Kevin White. While not at Reynvaan In The Rocks Level it is worthy at the price point. Dark cherries, minerals, spice, menthol, dust and earth. Medium plus finish and tasty. Solid effort. 92 points (92 points)
2018 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah In the Rocks - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (6/23/2022)
Brother’s Last Night in Town (3 Day Wine Review World Headquarters, Minneapolis, MN): Day 1: This wine is on par with anything Cayuse is doing and I love Cayuse. White pepper, black olives, roasted meats, spice, dark fruits, minerals, stone and mild smoke. Super complex and super long finish. This is a top wine of the year candidate. 96 points (96 points)
2010 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah In the Rocks - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (6/23/2022)
Brother’s Last Night in Town (3 Day Wine Review World Headquarters, Minneapolis, MN): Day 1: Hour decant and much better than the pop and pour. White pepper, roasted meat, spice, underbrush, violets and minerals. This has been one of the better Syrah’s in relationship to price in a while. For sure drink these up soon however as this is not as good as the last bottle a little bit ago. 94 points (94 points)
2016 L’Ecole No. 41 Perigee Estate Seven Hills Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (6/20/2022)
Another good showing. Blueberries, minerals, menthol, earth and bitter chocolate. Medium plus finish. Should age through 2030. (92 points)
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Love the Reynvaan wines!
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2017 Kevin White Winery Syrah En Hommage - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley (7/2/2022)
Day 1: Wonderful on the pop and pour. Grilled steak, minerals, raspberries, mint, floral and pepper. This is in a wonderful place right now and probably will still age but if you have one enjoy now. 92 points
Day 2: Even more concentration than day 1. Grilled steak, charcoal, black pepper, dark fruits and earth. A hint of mint on the finish. This will age for a long time. 93 points
Recommendation: NO hurry to drink these but they are really good right now. (93 points)
2008 Dusted Valley Wallatage (34% cab franc, 33% malbec, 33% petit verdot), Walla Walla vly AVA.
A really nice surprise relatively late in the game here as this exceeded expectations significantly. Drank well over two nights and was a little better on day 2. First night there was more CF character but there was a lot more PV on the second night but it really spoke of all three varieties in their own way. Classic CF herbal fruit, malbec berry/pluminess, and PV violets were all going on and yet was nicely integrated. I tried two of these much younger and it is much better with 14 years on it for sure and it’s still young and energetic. Wish I had more. The name was a play on Walla Walla and was selected from best lots supposedly. 4 (out of 5).
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Crazy this thread only has 35 posts now 36 but I guess keeps the price down on the great Washington State Wines.
2017 K Vintners Syrah Milbrandt Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wahluke Slope (8/7/2022)
Day 1: First Washington State Syrah that has a distinct wood flavor on the pop and pour. Underneath it is spice, mulberries, smoke, dust, black pepper and roasted meats. No doubt this will blow off on the next glass.
As expected the oak influence blew off. In addition their is some really nice blue fruits on this wine. This is a real stunner of a wine for the price point of $30.00. 92+ points
Day 2: This is without a doubt the best Milbrandt I have tasted. Black pepper, mild funk, roasted meat, smoke, dark currants and floral notes. Medium plus finish. This is drinking really well right now. 93 points
Day 3: Very similar to day 2 and this wine has 8-10 years of life left. Nice black pepper finish and love the roasted meats element. 93 points
Recommendation: This is a wonderful value and if you like K buy this! (93 points)
2019 K Vintners Syrah The Deal Sundance Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wahluke Slope (7/30/2022)
Day 1: First bottle was corked but this one is better. This will need a full 3 days to open. Underbrush, fruit hiding, black pepper and earth. This is super tight and not revealing enough for a score at the present. Will revisit later today.
Day 1.5: Well, I wish this was more open but still tight. Underbrush, black pepper, floral and spice. Shorter finish than one would expect with a K wine. The 17 was not showing much on day 1 so we will see how it does day 2 and 3. This is not a pop and pour wine. 87 points
Day 2: No surprise that it is opening up more. Still not a great wine however. Underbrush, violets, stone, black pepper and red fruits. Still tight and not showing its true potential. Way to young at this stage. 89 points
Day 2.5: Now we are opening up. Rose petals, roasted meats, mild funk, black pepper, blueberries, mild smoke and dust. This is without a doubt the 2022 3 day wine review evolving wine candidate of the year. Medium plus finish and excellent. 92+ points
Day 3: Black pepper, roasted meats, spice, earth, game and floral notes. Picks up some tar on the finish. Medium plus. 92+ points
Recommendation: This wine is young and you should be rewarded drinking it after 2025. (92 points)
2017 Browne Family Vineyards Merlot - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (7/28/2022)
Day 1: Medium purple hue. Up front this needs a decant as the oak was heavy. Now very integrated. Cherry, earth, spice, rose petals, plum and menthol. This is a very well-made wine and even better is the price at $16.99. 92 points
Day 2: Not as intense as day 1 and showing less fruit but still tasty. Menthol, earth, cherry, wood and baking chocolate. Medium finish. 90 points
Recommendation: Drink on day 1 and decant for 30 minutes. Drink these over the next couple of years. (92 points)
I will start to cross post links to TN when I see them. Personally not really had wine in a while when life is hectic. Will make sure next one is WA!
Good plan! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
K&L has a bunch of the 2017 The Deal in stock for just under $30 if you are looking for something to drink now. Cheers!
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Actually, cleaned out Total Wine of the 17 Deal as they had it for $25 in Minneapolis. Literally it was the only “Deal” in the store as I hate shopping there and try to support local, independent shops.