
In a recent blind tasting, I included (among a range of about a dozen wines) three that covered a broad spectrum of prices but were comparable in that they were all Columbia Valley Cabernets or Cab-dominated Bordeaux blends. The results were quite interesting.
The first wine was the 2010 Soos Creek Sundance Red Wine. It’s the value-priced red in the Soos Creek lineup, and though it’s often a good deal, in this new vintage it’s a great deal. A Bordeaux-style blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc, it has a full array of plum, cherry, cassis and chocolate flavors, lightly leavened with a dash of herb. Tannins are dusty and detailed, and the wine has the stuffing to age over the next half decade or more.
The second wine was the 2010 L’Ecole No 41 Pepper Bridge Vineyard Apogee. This wine, made since 1993 by this founding Walla Walla vintner, is also a Cabernet-dominated, Bordeaux-style blend. In this vintage it was quite smooth and forward, with a mix of red and blue fruits. Buoyed by juicy acidity, it seemed almost to float across the palate, light and approachable.
The third wine was a ringer of sorts. The 2007 XIX Echo West Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is from a vineyard in eastern Oregon’s small slice of the Columbia Valley. Almost six years old and only recently released, XIX comes with a celebrity backer (ex-NFL star Keyshawn Johnson), an immense bottle, and a fancy website.