2015 Darby le deuce

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Year Of The Deal, 4/23/2018

  (Darby Winery Le Deuce) Hello friends. We’re barely a quarter into 2018, and I’ve already christened it the year of the deal at Full Pull. I’m not sure what it is: that we’ve reached a critical mass where the word is out about the volumes of wine our list gobbles up; that a number of wineries have gotten backed up on vintages all at once; that consolidation in the distribution/wholesale channel has left more wineries looking to do direct deals. Probably it’s some of all three. Whatever the cause, I can tell you that we’re inundated in a way we haven’t been before. Consistently we’re being presented with double-take pricing, always with an eye towards moving oceans of juice. That combination – getting quick/significant cash flow and getting caught up on vintages – is catnip to astute winemakers, and we seem to be surrounded by astute winemakers of late. And of course the usual irony of the wine trade applies here: we get to access the wines at a discount, right as they are entering peak drinking window. Today we have a 2015 white three years past vintage and a 2013 red five years past vintage. Perfect. Both wines come from Darby English, a terrific winemaker and one of the early leading lights in what I consider the third wave of Woodinville wineries. The first wave was the old-schoolers – Ste Michelle and Columbia and Betz. The second wave included wineries like Mark Ryan (est. 1999), Ross Andrew (’99), and Gorman (’02). Darby made his first commercial vintage in 2005, and he has seen the Woodinville scene explode since then. Which is of course a blessing and a curse. A blessing because the foot traffic in Woodyworld has never been higher; and a curse because it’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle. Darby seems to have his production levels dialed in at this point, but he’s long on back vintages of a few excellent wines, and I’m thrilled that our list will be the happy recipients of that pair: Regular price: $25. TPU Discount: $10 (40% off). This was a huge surprise. When I saw the group of wines Darby was bringing to us, the 55/45 Viognier/Roussanne blend from the hottest vintage on record in Washington was, erm, not high on my list. These Rhone whites are often dodgy in an average year; in a hot year they can turn into true booze-monsters, completely bereft of acidity. So imagine my delight when this wine was absolutely delicious, and – better yet – balanced. It’s a testament to a winemaker with experience and confidence. The Viognier here comes from Stonetree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope; the Roussanne from Stillwater Creek, all fermented in puncheon. The nose begins with a mix of primary notes – peach, ginger, light Viognier floral tones – complicated by maturing savory complexities of smoky hay and raw almond. This has red-wine texture. It’s rich and satisfying (14.4% listed alc), with notable mid-palate heft and a dynamic sense of fruit impact. And yet, there is a sturdy spine of acidity still humming along, adding a sense of verve, and balancing and clarifying the yumball fruit. I’ve mentioned before the quick-turn dividends that a few years of bottle age will pay for white wines, and this is a fantastic example. Drink this up any time in the next two or three years and you’ll be handsomely rewarded.