A day of Washington releases: Cadence, DeLille and Ross Andrew

Saturday was the official release day for a couple of Washington wineries (Cadence, DeLille) along with a sneak-preview tasting for another (Ross Andrew). These three wineries along with Betz and Quilceda are my favorite in Washington, so it was a nice afternoon of tasting.

Ben Smith and Gaye McNutt at Cadence Winery have to be among the nicest and most humble people making wine in the state, and I was eager to visit their winery for the first time. As with 2001, the 2002 lineup is very consistent and very strong in my opinion. A very pleasant surprise was running into Bob Betz and have him remember me from his recent release party. Bob is such an amazing ambassador for Washington wine and a terrifically nice guy for showing support to Ben & Gaye.

• 2002 Cadence Coda 86 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  This is a second label for Cadence that is meant to be fairly approachable. 43% Cabernet Franc, 29% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot from a variety of vineyards. The nose screams of blueberry and vanilla with some herbal influence. The palate is better, more serious, somewhat savory. Give this 6-12 months to burn off some sugar and then chug away.

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• 2002 Cadence Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. Mmm, this is very floral with some alcohol peeking out. The nose gets more interesting though showing coffee, leather and even some nuts, great nose! The palate shows exceptionally bright acid with smooth texture, very juicy, verging towards red fruits. It finishes out well with fine, dusty tannins coating the palate. A very nicely polished wine.

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• 2002 Cadence Klipsun Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  70% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Syrah, and 4% Petit Verdot. This was the least impressive of the main wines. Lots of coffee and blackberry. The tannins are surprisingly tame for this often ferocious vineyard.

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• 2002 Cadence Tapteil Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. This was easily my favorite wine of the 2002 Cadence lineup and of the day (as compared to 2002 DeLille and 2001 Ross Andrew). This is darker and more brooding than any of the other Cadence wines, somewhat closed in aromatically but with pure, powerful notes of cassis, this just says "Cabernet!" in a great way. The palate is the amazing part, HUGE structure, gripping, yet with loads of depth and fruit to back it up. The finish is long with dusty, noble tannins. I absolutely loved the grippy mouthfeel and dark, brooding personality of this wine, yummy!

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• 2002 Cadence Bel Canto 91 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  48% Cabernet Franc (Ciel du Cheval Vineyard), 48% Merlot (Tapteil Vineyard), and 4% Petit Verdot (Ciel du Cheval Vineyard). This is a reserve blend of Franc and Merlot. The nose assaults you with ripe plums and floral notes. On this palate this is dusty and powerful, remaining floral yet also quite spicy. This is much softer than the Tapteil yet still has plenty of tooth-coating tannin.

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The folks at DeLille Cellars always put together a nice release weekend. The Blanc, D2 and Doyenne are released in November, and the Harrison and Chaleur Red follow in February. As always, all five wines are poured.

• 2003 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc 82 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  58% Sauvignon Blanc and 42% Semillon. The more I taste the Chaleur Blanc, the more I realize that it is a wine I only want to taste at a meal. Even then, this is very, very heavily wooded. The nose assaults you with smoke and lemon creamsicle. The palate is round and spicy, but for me it is just way too much wood. I can't get past that.

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• 2002 DeLille Cellars Syrah Doyenne 88 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley

  98% Syrah and 2% Viognier. In 2002 the Doyenne has been rebranded as a separate winery, although it does mention in the fine print that it is produced and bottled at DeLille Cellars. In the future more Rhone wines will come from this Doyenne label, leaving the main DeLille brand to continue its focus on Bordeaux varietals. The nose on this wine explodes with blueberry liqueur, vanilla cookie (lots of oak), a nice note of Viognier inspired orange peel and a hint of tar. Despite the oakiness, the wine easily has the stuffing to soak this up and integrate it. This has a farily juicy entry and spreads out on the palate showing a polished Syrah, not oversweet or cough-syrupy, with lots of mineral underneath the ripe fruit. The oak shows up again on the finish with lots of caramel, and here it seems a little intrusive with slightly choppy tannins and a hint of alcoholic harshness. This is not quite an outstanding effort, but I hope it will integrate the wood and settle down into a nice Syrah.

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• 2002 DeLille Cellars D2 88 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  49% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Lots of reddish-black fruit on the nose with an intriguing note of ash. This has great mouthfeel with sweet fruit and a fairly bright overall impression. The finish is spicy with lots of coffee and mocha. A solid D2.

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• 2002 DeLille Cellars Harrison Hill 93 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley

  64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The Harrison Hill always seems to curl my toes on release, and the 2002 is no exception. Heady notes of cassis and mineral leap out of the glass, a very pure nose of Cabernet. This has gorgeous texture on entry with terrific balance and integration. Very juicy and ripe with a lot of stuffing to age and a long, seamless finish. Terrific wine, my favorite of the 2002 DeLille's.

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• 2002 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate 92 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, 86% from Red Mountain. This has an alluring nose that is arguably more complex than the Harrison Hill albeit less rambunctious. Blackberry, lead pencil and olive come wafting from the glass. The palate is glorious, spicy and seamless, absolutely delicious. This doesn't scream Cabernet like the Harrison does, and for that I liked it a bit less. That said, it has better balance and spice and may well be the better wine in the long run even though I like the Harrison a notch more right now.

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Ross Mickel is officially releasing the 2001 Ross Andrew on 11/14, but he was pre-pouring at McCarthy & Schiering. For $25 retail, you aren't going to do a lot better anywhere.

• 2001 Ross Andrew Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Ross has done it again. This is a juicy and elegant Cabernet with a lot going on. The nose is slightly leathery with cassis and olive. The palate shows lots of mineral notes and Cabernet character, a little understated (less wood, less extraction) than the DeLille and Cadence, but it is terrific nonetheless. I wonder if it is a bit closed right now. This is clean and well made, great job!

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