• N.V. Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs [Carneros, California, USA]
  Pale salmon color. Simple and yeasty with a hint of dirty sweatsock on the nose.

• 1995 DeLille Cellars D2 [Washington, USA] 87 pts.
  This shows very light color with some bricking. Balanced and elegant with a hint of mushroom, this has a lot less power than modern D2's. I was fairly surprised at how advanced this wine was.
  
• 1998 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate [Red Mountain, Washington, USA] 90 pts.
  Very deep color. On the nose this shows a spicy note with cedar and asian spice. On the palate this shows very nice structure but is still black and hard, fairly closed. This is not very forgiving right now and could use a lot more decanting. I saved a glass for an extra half-hour, and this really opened up rather nicely. This is a wine that still needs a ton of decanting to show well.

• 1992 Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon David Lake Signature Series Red Willow Vineyard [Yakima Valley, Washington, USA] 88 pts.
  See through like a lightweight Pinot. Minty and high pitched on the nose with some mineral. On the palate this shows iron and cranberry, sweet and tart, with searing, almost burning acidity that hurts the roof of your mouth. Despite that, I found it to be an interesting wine.
  
• 2000 Northstar Merlot [Columbia Valley, Washington, USA] 80 pts.
  I was quite critical of this wine at the tasting. On the nose I smelled a huge pile of wood with grape jelly and some violet. On the palate this shows chocolate and vanilla but is a bit spineless and lacking in acidity. It does show reasonable structure, but on the whole I found this to be far too wooded and out of balance as a consequence.
  
• 2000 Stella Maris Red Wine [Columbia Valley, Washington, USA] 84 pts.
  The nose is extremely reticent with a bare hint of cassis and roasted plum. The palate is chocolately and shows more cassis. The wine is nicely balanced overall, not huge but quite approachable albeit somewhat simple.

• 1998 Cadence Tapteil [Red Mountain, Washington, USA] 88 pts.
  The nose shows a hint of cedar and some spice. The palate is initially soft yet with lively acidity and still quite tannic. The doesn't show the depth of the 2000 and 2001 Cadence Tapteil, but it is an elegant wine.
  
• 2000 Cadence Tapteil [Red Mountain, Washington, USA] 93 pts.
  This was my wine of the night. The nose shows licorice and a faint medicinal element. The palate is remarkable: structured, dynamic, very juicy and vibrant. The fruit here is very pure with cassis yet showing stunning layering and complexity. Long and delicious on the finish.
  
• 2001 Cadence Tapteil [Red Mountain, Washington, USA] 91 pts.
  This is much more grapey and floral than the 2000. The structure here is unreal. Lots of licorice and cassis, very pure. This is fairly tightly wound and a bit painful right now, but there is a lot of upside. 91++

• 2000 Baer Winery Ursa [Washington, USA] 89 pts.
  200 cases produced, all from Alder Ridge. Wow, this is driving and pure with very impressive acidity and structure, showing a tart cranberry character. This is very linear yet pure, clean and powerful.
  
• 2001 Baer Winery Ursa [Washington, USA] 90 pts.
  397 cases produced. Compared to the 2000 this is a bit more spicy and shows a bit more wood with a hint of maple syrup on the palate. This is very nicely balanced with no rough edges.
  
• 2002 Baer Winery Ursa [Washington, USA] 92 pts.
  This was a cask sample which Lance Baer brought. This seems to show a higher percentage of Cabernet Franc with a bit of tea leaf or green tobacco on the nose. On the palate this is quite sweet and expressive again showing some brown sugar, very pure and balanced. Like the prior two Baer wines, I found this to be very compact and laser focused.

• 1992 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon [Columbia Valley, Washington, USA] 84 pts.
  Dill and bell pepper pervade the nose. The palate is herbal and nicely smooth and resolved yet also somewhat dilute. This tasted a bit over the hill.
  
• 1998 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve [Walla Walla Valley, Washington, USA] 90 pts.
  I brought this wine. This was prototypical Leonetti, lavishly oaked, spicy, jammy with a lush and velvety blanket of fruit that envelops your palate. These wines are not really to my taste, but this was certainly an interesting example.
  
• 2000 Leonetti Cellar Reserve [Walla Walla Valley, Washington, USA] 88 pts.
  I brought this bottle. Cheddary, spicy and showing absolutely over the top wood treatment that unfortunately backed up by mush less lavish fruit than the 1998 CS Reserve. It simply doesn't hold its wood as well, and while it will show better once it settles down I don't think it holds the same intrigue.

• 2000 Leonetti Cellar Merlot [Columbia Valley, Washington, USA] 85 pts.
  The nose shows sawdust and graham cracker with vanilla and spicy oak on the palate. Not very interesting.
  
• 1990 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Hills Reserve [Walla Walla Valley, Washington, USA] 89 pts.
  The nose shows mint and gunflint with a surprising old world character that hints at Bordeaux?!? On the palate this is more earthy than I have ever seen from a Leonetti with a brooding personality. Darn, this is pretty nice.
  
• 1987 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon [Columbia Valley, Washington, USA] 88 pts.
  The nose shows some barnyard, mint and black olive, a nice nose of aged Cabernet. On the palate this is very sweet fruit, pure and somewhat simple, a nicely aged Cabernet that is perhaps a bit past peak yet still interesting.

• 1994 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series #3 [Columbia Valley, Washington, USA] 88 pts.
  This shows some bell pepper and is spicy and herbal with a lot of wood still showing. The palate is fairly sweet with cassis and cranberry, also beautifully mature. There is nothing mindblowing here, just a solid and nicely aged Cabernet.
  
• 1996 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series #5 [Columbia Valley, Washington, USA] 84 pts.
  This wine is very tannic and harsh with lots of black olive on the nose and some barnyard and earthy character on the palate. Not as interesting as the other Woodward Cabs at the tasting.
  
• 1996 Andrew Will Sorella [Washington, USA]
  What happened here? This was perhaps my biggest disappointment of the tasting. Stewed tomato, black cherry and stewed, overripe fruit is all I could get on the nose and palate. I'm hoping this was a cooked bottle.

• 1998 Andrew Will Merlot Klipsun Vineyard [Red Mountain, Washington, USA] 90 pts.
  Lots of black fruit on the nose. On the palate this is very brooding with juicy blackberry and loads of structure. I really enjoy this wine.
  
• 1998 Andrew Will Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Hills Vineyard [Walla Walla Valley, Washington, USA] 80 pts.
  Somewhat harsh and astringent with runaway acidity. Another bad bottle?
  
• 1999 Andrew Will Sorella [Washington, USA] 86 pts.
  Another disappointing Andrew Will, bummer! This shows very heavy volatility on the nose with some violet and lots of nasal lift. The palate is very lush, juicy and pretty with nicely balanced acidity. However, that VA really detracts from the wine. A very disappointing showing for a highly rated (WA94) wine.

• 1997 Woodward Canyon Orange Muscat [Columbia Valley, Washington, USA]
  I was ready to hate this, as I tend to find most Muscat cloying, but this was fairly vibrant with nice, light orange, very pretty and refreshing. Very well done!
  
• 1999 Jackson Estate Riesling Botrytis [Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand]
  I was also ready to hate this, but it was surprisingly tasty! The nose is thick with botrytis, and the palate is vibrant and refreshing, albeit not to the degree one finds in a German Riesling. Quite admirable.
  
• 1998 Darting Forster Schnepfenflug Huxelrebe Beerenauslese [Pfalz, Germany]
  AP# 5 160 346 032 99. Deep color. The palate shows caramelized sugar and honey, very impressive and enjoyable. Yummy!
  
• 2001 Château Doisy-Védrines [Barsac, Bordeaux, France]
  The nose reeks of shower curtain and new car smell with really obvious vinyl and plether smells. The palate features very aggressive acid with pure, sweet honey. I found this to be very vibrant and pretty.
  
• 1998 Far Niente Dolce [California, USA]
  Roasted sugar, a bit clumsy and monolithic. With some air this did open up a bit, but it never showed much vibrancy or poise.
  
• N.V. Yalumba Muscat Museum Release [Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia]
  Orange, chocolate, prunes and fruitcake. I really struggle with these thick and sticky dessert wines. Not my preferred drink.
  
• 1997 Bodegas Gutiérrez de la Vega Alicante Casta Diva Cosecha Miel [Alicante, Valencia, Spain]
  Wow, this stuff reminded me very much of orange degreaser products which I have used to clean grease from bicycle chains. This was harsh and citric with very little charm. Yuck!

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Great notes, Eric. I have two questions.

Do you think it's a mistake to open a bottle of the '01 Doisy-Vedrines now? I was thinking of taking one to an offline next week.

Have you ever had a good Northstar wine? I haven't. Sadly, the best I've had was the 2000 Merlot. Horrible QPRs, imo.

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Thanks for posting these notes here, Eric. I'll follow the others on EBob.

Was this the "top shelf WA's" I missed? I am disappointed at your scores. Oh well. In the past, I used to find the Wills disjointed, but have been pleased in (very) recent years. I think the Cadence has rocked since day ONE ('98). No Ciel du Cheval? Shucks. I'm also on board with Lance. Anxious for the next release.

No Ross "Andrew" Michels?

The Northstar does not surprise me.

BTW -- we had a '95 DeLille Chaleur in December and it was beautiful.

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Great notes Eric. I've been very pleased with the wines I've purchased from Cadence. Alas they are long gone because they are hard wines to get out of the NW.

I'm a bit surpised at the AW Sorella showings. I have some of the 2000 and have been holding but maybe it's just taking up cellar space??

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