Written by: Tim Fish | Wine Spectator
April 11, 2022
Tasting Highlights’ wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors’ most recent scores and notes to WineSpectator.com members.
Thanks to the bountiful waters of the Columbia River and an abundance of sunshine, Washington is one of the most dynamic growing regions in the United States. What’s more, the state’s 19 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)—18 of which are situated east of the Cascade Mountains in Columbia Valley—are laced with an array of advantageous soils. It’s a combination of factors that makes Washington a unique place to produce wine. That’s the takeaway from this week’s selection of new releases, which includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and blends, all notching 90 points or more on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale.
The Wade family has farmed in Wenatchee Valley in northern Columbia Valley for 100 years, but it wasn’t until 1998 that Mike and Karen Wade planted Riverbend Vineyard in what would later become the Wahluke Slope AVA. The Wades’ Fielding Hills label launched with the 2000 vintage, and the latest release, the 2018 Tribute, is a handsome blend of Merlot with accents of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. It shows red currant, mocha and spice flavors, finishing with fine-grained tannins.
Grapes from the Wahluke Slope are often blended into big Columbia Valley bottlings. But, like the Wades, Luke winemaker Thomas Vogele is convinced the region has a bright future of its own. That’s hard to argue with after you’ve tasted Luke’s 2019 Merlot, which captures the winery’s style: vibrant and elegantly structured with red currant and toasty spice notes. Furthermore, it’s varietally correct and reasonably priced at $25.
Pendulum is part of the stable of wineries owned by regional company Precept Wines, and offers plenty of bang for the buck. Its Cabernet Sauvignon sources are Alder Ridge Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills and Canyon Vineyard Ranch in Yakima Valley. Winemaker John Freeman puts the grapes to good use, aging the wine 11 months in American and French oak, 30 percent of which was new. This has yielded an expressive red with black cherry and spice notes.
DUNHAM
Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley XXIV 2018
Score: 90 | $50
WS review: Tightly focused and appealing for the straightforward structure and expressive cherry and tobacco flavors, which finish with refined tannins. Drink now through 2028. 1,588 cases made.—T.F.
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