-Big Red's Collector's Case - December 2010 - Royal City
Starred * wines are sold out except in this case
Once a year we offer these incredible cases - we have a couple of each, and they always go in a matter of minutes to customers who get our emails,
so SIGN UP NOW!
1 bottle
*Charles Smith Royal City Syrah 07 $180
Wine Advocate 99 points!
1 bottle
*Owen Roe Red Willow Chapel Block Syrah 08 $80
Wine Spectator 97 points!
1 bottle
Owen Roe Red Willow 1973 Block Cabernet 08 $70
Highly Recommended by Avalon
1 bottle
*Cayuse En Chamberlin 08 $105
Previous vintage Wine Advocate 98 points!
1 bottle
Andrew Will Sorella 07 $67
Wine Advocate 96 points!
1 bottle
Andrew Will Champoux 07 $60
Wine Advocate 95 points!
1 bottle
*Betz La Cote Rousse 08 $60
Wine Spectator 95 points!
2 bottles
*Tyrus Evan Walla Walla Syrah 07 $40
Wine Spectator 95 points!
1 bottle
Fielding Hills Cab 08 $43
Wine Enthusiast 95 points!
1 bottle
Reynvaan The Contender 08 $60
Viticultural and wine consultant is Christophe Baron of Cayuse
1 bottle
*Owen Roe Slide Mountain Cab Franc 04 $90
Owen Roe Library Selection
Starred * wines are sold out except in this case
*Owen Roe Red Willow Chapel Block Syrah 08 $80
Wine Spectator 97 points!
"Warm, inviting and impressive for the purity of its plum, blackberry and currant fruit, sailing easily over a bed of fine tannins, finishing silky and seamless, with hints of espresso and violet. This has extraordinary balance and finesse without sacrificing an ounce of power. Drink now through 2016. From Washington. - H.S. From the Chapel Block of Red Willow Vineyard, just over the hill from the block used to make Owen Roe's Red Willow Cab.
Super-limited: only 360 cases made. Intense and mouth-filling. Peppered bacon, black fruits, crushed violets, vanilla bean and five spice stain your tongue while they caress it. Even with its viscous, fleshy nature, the Chapel Block retains freshness and finishes with integrated tannins. - Marcus
The Red Willow Cab was an Avalon Club Selection - Northwest Big Reds Club
Owen Roe Red Willow 1973 Block Cabernet 08 $70
Highly Recommended by Avalon
Sill available for purchase as of 12-8-2010. From the same Red Willow Vineyard as the Wine Spectator 97 point Owen Roe Chapel Block Syrah. We consider it as good as the Syrah, and recommend it highly. This wine is going to be a star, and now is the time to get to know about it, and to start collecting a vertical.
Velvety and mouth-coating is only the beginning (and actually, it begins with the nose!). Sweet cedar and pipe tobacco show in the aromas and reappear on the finish. Cassis and dark cherry, caramel oak, a hint of eucalyptus builds weight from the front to back of your palate. A melange of spices fans out on the finish and melds with fruit so lush it conceals the almost-hidden structure.
This is fascinating Cabernet - complex and intricate at the time of release, and it should live long - and prosper - in your cellar. Highly recommended and on its way to stardom.
*Charles Smith Royal City Syrah 07 $180
Wine Advocate 99 points!
The 2007 Royal City Syrah Stone Ridge Vineyard (4 barrels were produced) was made with 100% whole clusters. An inky purple/black in color, it deals out aromas of mineral, truffle, espresso, licorice, lavender, incense, and blueberry. Super complex, suave and debonair on the palate, this is a lengthy, concentrated, impeccably balanced, complete Syrah that will benefit from a decade of cellaring but is almost too addictive to resist now. Those with willpower who are able to delay gratification will be well rewarded for cellaring this beauty for a decade or more. - Jay Miller, Wine Advocate
*Cayuse En Chamberlin 08 $105
Previous vintage Wine Advocate 98 points
A cult of personality seems to have developed in Washington over the past couple of years. Whenever the name Christophe is mentioned, everyone immediately knows of whom you are talking. The man himself, Christophe Baron, continues to find new and interesting things to do. His latest vineyard project is well underway on hillsides not far from his present location. His estate, just on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla AVA, consists of five small but distinct vineyards (41 acres in total – with more on the way). Syrah and the Bordeaux varietals are the principal focus but some of the finest parcels of Tempranillo and Grenache grown in the USA are on this estate. Unfortunately, there will be no more varietally bottled Viognier which will now be used only as a blending grape. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and much of the estate is planted on rootstock to prepare for the day when phylloxera works its way through Walla Walla. The wines are all fermented with indigenous yeasts and bottled unfined and unfiltered. - Jay Miller, Wine Advocate
Andrew Will Sorella 07 $67
Wine Advocate 96 points!
Andrew Wills' flagship wine is called Sorella; the 2007 Sorella, sourced entirely from the Champoux Vineyard, one of Washington's finest sites, is made up of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot. Aromas of toasty oak, espresso, Asian spices, incense, black currant, and blackberry lead to a firmly structured wine with impeccable balance and serious aging potential. This pleasure-bent offering will offer a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2032, perhaps longer. - Jay Miller, Wine Advocate
Andrew Will Champoux 07 $60
Wine Advocate 95 points!
The 2007 Champoux Vineyard is a bit more deeply colored. A blend of 52% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Petit Verdot, it is also denser, richer, more plush, and longer in the finish. Give it 4-6 years of additional cellaring and drink it from 2014 to 2027.
*Betz La Cote Rousse 08 $60
Wine Spectator 95 points!
Supple and open-textured, with a gorgeous array of dark plum, currant and blackberry fruit sailing through the full-throated finish. Not at all heavy, just exuberant. The finish lasts and lasts. Drink now through 2017. 565 cases made. - H.S.
*Tyrus Evan Walla Walla Syrah 07 $40
Wine Spectator 95 points!
Ripe, round and generous with its plum, currant and cherry fruit, this is brushed by tar, cola and decaying leaf notes before the fruit emerges on the finish to linger beautifully against grippy tannins. Every sip shows a different facet. Best from 2012 through 2020. 382 cases made. - H.S.
Fielding Hills Cab 08 $43
Wine Enthusiast 95 points!
f you can only try one of the Fielding wines, this is it. You might argue that the Syrah shows the uniqueness of his vineyard more strongly, but the Cabernet is his most refined and sophisticated. Mike balances this big wine on the head of a pin - it's that well made. If you wanted to show friends the essence of Washington Cab, this should be one of your top choices, and it is certainly the best priced.
Paul Gregutt, who has followed this winery since their inception, says it well: "Though the blend includes small portions of other grapes - 9% Syrah, 3% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc - this really champions the essential character of great Washington Cabernet Sauvignon. Its core fruit is supple and compact cassis and black cherry, with a spicy top that resonates well into the finish. Concentrated and beautifully proportioned". - Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast
Fielding Hills' highest rated wine, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is also one of Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Wines of 2010.
Reynvaan The Contender 08 $60
Viticultural and wine consultant is Christophe Baron of Cayuse
Taking the gloves off! The fattest and most savory of Reynvaan wines, also with more structure on the back end. Still, The Contender shows a nimble side that's accessible and plush. Darker plum and currant spar with blue and black berry in a ring decorated with smoke, cocoa, meat, and iron. - Marcus
Reynvaan Family Vineyards' first vintage was 2007. All of the fruit is from their Walla Walla estate vineyards, planted by them from scratch. The principal reason for the current and future success of the venture is that their viticultural and wine consultant is Christophe Baron of Cayuse. This is the only other winery that Baron works with, and that says all you need to know. - Jay Miller, Wine Advocate
*Owen Roe Slide Mountain Cab Franc 04 $90
Owen Roe Library Selection
Back in 2005, this exciting wine announced the emergence of the Slide Mountain Vineyard in Washington State as one of Yakima's most promising. The 127 cases were made with David's careful attention to detail. You know how good Cab Franc can be when the grapes are perfect and the wine is made with care. Marcus recently tasted the the 04 Slide Mountain Cab Franc at the winery - it is drinking beautifully.
