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Manage Subscriptions1997 Seven Hills Winery Merlot Seven Hills Vineyard
Merlot
- USA
- Washington
- Columbia Valley
- Walla Walla Valley
Community Tasting Notes 8
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OregonLoafer Likes this wine:
March 16, 2018 - This bottle is drinking surprisingly young. That’s not necessarily a positive thing, because the other three bottles I’ve had have exhibited an intoxicating perfumed quality that comes from extended bottle age. This is sort of in a dumb phase, in a way. Well crafted, well integrated, everything is good but it lacks the special character that other bottles have had.
As the adage goes, as this age there are no great wines, only great bottles. This one was solid but not special. I may have to head to Wizer’s to find some more...
Nonetheless, I’d advise drinking now based on the other bottles I’ve had over the last few years. It’s lovely but won’t get better and may start declining. -
jshearer Likes this wine: 88 points
May 18, 2017 - Smells good. Leathery/tobacco and dark cherry. Flavors pleasant but not particularly interesting. Surprisingly tannic in the mouth. I would guess a younger wine blind, but I don't think it's going to improve.
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OregonLoafer Likes this wine: 92 points
January 12, 2017 - Consumed with dry-aged NY strip steak and shiitake pan sauce; currently sipping it by itself.
A beautiful wine at its peak. The nose has a bottomless depth. This is why people swirl wine: it opens a door to a gas-lit room that's all wood paneling and spider webs, where long ago people burned copious amounts of incense in pursuit of some more righteous state of mind.
On that palate it's the tactile embodiment of its opaque purple color, fine tannins coating your mouth after you have swallowed, tempting your tongue to probe your mouth for any remaining bits.
This wine is a moss-covered old building, but its structure is still strong. It won't benefit from any more age but I don't get the sense that it's on its way out. Drink up, but I'm sure there's another couple years of life here. I bought three bottles and have one left - I'll be drinking the last in 2017. -
OregonLoafer Likes this wine: 89 points
August 14, 2016 - Very good and drinking well! Surprisingly youthful. Still energy there. Some dried fruit showing, and this wine definitely has some age on it, but I was afraid it might be over the hill. Far from it. I have two more bottles, and I don't feel compelled to drink up.
I am writing this a few days after drinking it to celebrate the conclusion of an arduous week-long backpacking trip with my hiking compatriots. I consider this score pretty conservative and may have scored it higher if I had scored it while drinking it. -
hdchappy wrote: 92 points
May 28, 2011 - Same as before.
Pro Reviews 1
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By Stephen Tanzer
September/October 1999, IWC Issue #86 (link)(Seven Hills Winery Merlot Seven Hills Vineyard Walla Walla) Subscribe to see review text.
Wine Definition
- Vintage 1997
- Type Red
- Producer Seven Hills Winery
- Varietal Merlot
- Designation n/a
- Vineyard Seven Hills Vineyard
- Country USA
- Region Washington
- SubRegion Columbia Valley
- Appellation Walla Walla Valley
Community Holdings
- Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
- In Cellars 6 (25%)
- Consumed 18 (75%)
Food Pairing
Who Likes This Wine
More About This Wine
Articles
- ProducerSeven Hills Winery
- VarietyMerlot
- CountryUSA
- RegionWashington
- SubRegionColumbia Valley
- AppellationWalla Walla Valley
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- Wine1997 Seven Hills Winery Merlot Seven Hills Vineyard (add)
- FamilySeven Hills Winery Merlot Seven Hills Vineyard (add)
- ProducerSeven Hills Winery
- VarietalMerlot
- VineyardSeven Hills Vineyard (add)
- CountryUSA
- RegionWashington
- SubRegionColumbia Valley
- AppellationWalla Walla Valley