(Mostly) Washington State Wine Night
Tasted March 15, 2020 by SMHalps with 82 views
Introduction
Wine night with friends were we had 1 White Burgundy, followed by 5 red Washington State wines. All the reds were opened, but not decanted for at least 45 minutes before pouring. Except the Tenor, which was originally a back up wine, that we decided late in the meal to open up after all. We all had 3 glasses, so once the white was finished, we had as many as 3 reds at a time to taste and compare, while we ate our dinners.
All the red wines were rated between 93 and 95 points by the Wine Advocate and had scores between 91.2 and 92.6 on cellartracker. The original purchase prices of the reds ranged from $35 to $70.
Flight 1 (1 note)
Flight 2 (4 notes)
All of these wines were opened, but not decanted at least 45 minutes prior to pouring. The Andrew Will which is 52% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot, had the least Cabernet Sauvignon of all the wines. It was also the oldest wine of the tasting, and the highest rated by both WA and Cellartracker.
Red
2007 Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills
Part of a Washington State red wine night. Still concentrated, with a nice acidity. Not as heavy as the other Champoux wines we had alongside it, as this had more Cab Fran and less Cab Sauvignon than the other wines. Really enjoyable. More than 4 1/2 years since I first tried this vintage, its still going strong.
Red
2013 Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
Part of a red wine Washington State wine tasting. Probably my favorite wine of the night, either that or the 2007 Andrew Will Champoux. It was the most expensive wine of the night, and I hope I'm not being influenced by that. It was also the youngest. Long finish, medium almost edging into full bodied teritory.
Red
2012 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills
Part of a red wine Washington State tasting. Not quite my favorite of the night, but close. I have always liked this vintage from Januik. Full bodied, long finish.
Flight 3 (1 note)
The only wine that was not open for an extended period of time, we popped 'n poured it. It was the least expensive wine of the tasting.
Red
2012 Tenor 1:1
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
The last wine of a Washington State red wine tasting. The least expensive wine of the night, and therefore the best QPR of all the wines. Everyone enjoyed it. And for some, it may have been their wine of the night. For me, it was a hair behind the Betz and Andrew Will. I don't think Tenor does blends anymore, which is too bad, as this was very enjoyable. The notes say it spent 21 months in 100% new oak, but it doesn't taste overoaked.
Closing
My closing impression...Washington State is making some great wines! Really, not a lot of difference in my enjoyment between any of these wines. The surprises being the Tenor wine, and maybe the Andrew Will, which had the least Cabernet Sauvignon (19%) of the group, with all the other reds having at least 84% Cabernet Sauvignon.
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