Library Vintages

Cinsault is a minor player in the wines of the Southern Rhone, yet its contribution is a part of many appellations of Southern France. Washington has embraced the variety, albeit in a minor way: a few acres are scattered throughout the Columbia Valley. We’ve watched its performance here and tasted the results for a number of vintages, and it makes its debut as part of our Bésoleil blend in 2009. It brings freshness and suppleness to the 2009 vintage.

The 2009 Bésoleil is still Grenache dominant, with its black raspberry, strawberry preserves and spicy note taking center stage. Vibrant, intense and penetrating, the 2009 is less “new world” than the 2008, with mineral, sagebrush and olive playing supporting roles. The mouthfeel is polished and yet has ample grip to reward aging in the cellar.

Serve cool, 60-62°F. Best from 2013 through 2018

The heat we experienced in July and August built skin thickness and density, driving flavor and tannin development earlier than usual, and deepened color as well. The affects are clear in this year’s Syrah La Serenne: while it’s typically the softest and most approachable of our three Syrahs, the 2009 La Serenne is a blockbuster. Black red with a vibrant magenta edge, this vintage is “big” in every dimension and will probably live longer than many of the recent La Serenne vintages.

Blackberry, black cherry, liquid smoke and meat are the dominant flavors with a good measure of spice and blueberries in the background. There’s a full mouthfeel, with more tannin than typical, but without excess astringency, thanks to the specific Boushey Vineyard site we farm. As usual, this Syrah shows refinement and elegance, but this year they are backed up with power and a certain “wildness” that happens in this vineyard in warm years, reminiscent of the 2003 and 2005. It expresses itself mostly in the aroma, with crushed herb, iron and black olive notes.

Serve cool, 60-62°F. Best from 2013 through 2020

This year’s blend of Syrah La Côte Rousse is nearly equal portions of our two Red Mountain Syrah vineyard sources, Ciel du Cheval and Ranch at the End of the Road. Once again the synergy between these two sites and the four clones creates a blend of power, complexity and completeness.

The mid-season heat was a factor with these Red Mountain vineyards, as the berries can easily sunburn or become “heat affected” so that they never quite ripen right. We shade the clusters with the leaf canopy, especially on the western-facing side, to avoid these problems. It worked well, yielding small berries that actually needed very little hand-sorting. The result is a wine that’s the runner-up for blackest of the Syrahs (see La Côte Patriarche below!), with super density, yet an approachability that’s uncommon for this blend. Very sweet in the nose, with big black cherries, smoke, floral spice and an earthy/truffle note. This is Red Mountain at its best, with dimension yet elegance, packed black fruits, yet a creamy, plush impression.

Serve cool, 60-62°F. Best from 2014 through 2020

This gets the nod as the blackest of the 2009 Syrahs, with an impenetrable, dense core of color nearly to the very edge of the glass; swirl it and it coats the glass. This old Syrah planting at Red Willow Vineyard showed its stuff in 2009, creating a blend that’s somewhat a cross between the suppleness of La Serenne and power of La Côte Rousse. It makes sense: although Red Willow lies at the far west end of the Yakima Valley, nearer to the Cascade foothills, it’s warmer than the Boushey Vineyard (La Serenne) in the mid Yakima Valley, but not as hot as the vineyards on Red Mountain (La Côte Rousse).

The 2009 is deep, brooding and dense, a massive combination of fruit, earth and barrel. Yet it’s still seamless and plush. There’s a rich, silky entry and huge mid palate, with great grip and length in the finish. Its aroma is extraordinary, with profound black fruits, blueberries, Asian spice and black cherry candy. Smoked meat, game and a slight floral note round things out nicely.

There’s so much stuffing to this vintage of La Côte Patriarche that I’m hesitant to offer a drinking window. The Sauer family has been farming these vines since 1986 when they planted Washington’s first Syrah here: stories are still told of the earliest vintages (made by David Lake MW at the Columbia Winery) and how successfully they’ve aged over time. I haven’t tasted many of them, but I’m eager to track this wine as it matures over the next decade or more.

Serve cool, 60-62°F. Best from 2013 through 2022