Deep garnet red color greets you when pouring a glass of this wine. The aromatics need a little air to open up and reveal themselves. Dark red fruit is wrapped in chocolate and oak with a touch of toast. Flavors and aromas combine for a delicious drinking experience.
2018 was another magical year here in Washington. We had lots of sunshine. It was a warm vintage, but things cooled off at just the right time. A mild spring followed a mellow winter setting us up for a great start to the growing season. A few rains helped early season growth and things were looking great as we headed into the summer. It was another year we had to deal with some fires, first up in Canada, then it seemed like everywhere. The smoke didn't impact our fruit, but it did linger making it bothersome for a few weeks. In the end the smoke helped mitigate what would have been some very hot days, kind of helping us out in a way. The red wines from this vintage are already tasting great and should age well.
2018 was an amazing growing vintage and our Spanish varietals thrived. The Graciano is always one of the most impressive looking varietals in the vineyard when harvest time arrives. The clusters are big and juicy, we end up cutting them in half to control tonnage. The fruit flavors mix with an earth note that can be reminiscent of tea and sweet tobacco leaf. The tannins add length and texture to the mouth feel. I love making this wine and couldn’t help but add a little Tempranillo to balance the profile and add a little extra layer of complexity. This wine drinks well not but needs time to truly blossom.
