Wine Reviews

93

Double Canyon 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, WA ($30)

Suede-lined tannins elevate the experience of melting dark chocolate, fennel, graphite, and Worcestershire sauce. Juicy boysenberry is a mid-palate stunner, rich and generous to the finish. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon with some Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Petite Sirah, aged for 10 months in mostly American oak, from vineyards in Walla Walla and Horse Heaven Hills AVAs.

98

Dylan’s Ghost 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley ($130)

Velvet-lined, charismatic red with licorice, dried violets, and umami. Bold with a regal presence, supple tannins unfolding gracefully. Sumptuous black fruit enters mid-point drenched in sweet soil.

96

Echolands 2023 Cabernet Franc, Blue Mountain Vineyard, Walla Walla, WA ($62)

Produced by Master of Wine/Master Sommelier Doug Frost and Winemaker Brian Rudin, this single vineyard Cab Franc opens with a field of lavender and herbs which converge for a dense, spicy profile. A ruby crown of red fruits and red tea holds resinous notes of fresh thyme and bay leaf. Tannins are present but not brazen, displaying the wine’s confident tone of black pepper steeped in mineral-rich soil.

95

Echolands 2023 Merlot, Seven Hills Vineyard, Walla Walla, WA ($62)

Campfire woodsy notes, espresso, and dark, shadowed black fruit envelop the palate with poise and determination. The wine possesses a muscular presence, with great structure from a pedigreed site. Aged 18 months in new and neutral oak.

94

Echolands 2024 Grenache, Rivière Galets Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, WA ($40)

With fractional amounts of Syrah and Cinsault, this Grenache has a texture of a billowy, goose down pillow, arriving on the palate as a whisper. Notes of cinnamon rhubarb, tomato leaf, red licorice, and orange peel demonstrate a distinct style with a thread of mineral dust and a herbaceous lift.

96

Echolands 2024 Riesling, Frenchman Hills Vineyard Block 1, Royal Slope AVA, WA ($48)

Aged 10 months in concrete egg, oak oval cask, and stainless steel tank, this beauty is from Master of Wine/Master Sommelier Doug Frost and Winemaker Brian Rudin. Crunchy acidity offers up a fresh, crisp white with on-going aromas and flavors of pear blossom, vanilla-laced pineapple, and hibiscus. Scintillating opulence, with kiwi and apple skating on an ice rink of glossy minerality.

94

Edmond de Rothschild 2025 Rimapere Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand ($25)

Rimapere translates as “five arrows” in Maori, which is a tribute to the Rothschild’s family emblem. This regeneratively farmed single-vineyard white offers up striking aromas of minerality and green pineapple. Succulent, focused, and crisp, with a flood of just-squeezed grapefruit, leesy lime blossom, and laurel. Exquisitely balanced.

92

Edmundo 2025 Red Blend, Mendoza, Argentina ($12)

A luscious blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Syrah, and 15% Malbec. Notes of dark chocolate, boysenberry, and almond cedar are deliciously expressive. Acidity adds esprit, with a finish of licorice and soy sauce.