Wine & Spirits - October 2019 - 90

US NEW RELEASES
WASHINGTON WHI TE

held in suspension by a chipped-rock minerality. It's all potential at present, burled up
in oak scents, needing some cellar time and
a decanter before serving with duck breast.
(230 cases) -P.J.C.
517406

91 | Walter Scott

518064

$65

2017 Eola-Amity Hills Seven Springs
Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Raj Parr and Sashi
Moorman dole out a single acre's worth of
fruit to Walter Scott for this bottling. It has
the spiced-earth accents typical of Seven
Springs, adorning an elegant, reticent cherry
scent. The flavors stress structure more than
fruit at present, with fine tannins giving the
red fruit a shy, chewy succulence. It's lean
and on point for duck. (275 cases) -P.J.C.
518041

90 | Geodesy

$80

2017 Eola-Amity Hills Eola Springs Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Oak leads the charge in this
spicy red, smelling of warm cherries, caramel and Christmas spices. The flavors are
ripe and satisfying, the oak guiding the wine
with a firm intensity. Cellar it to let the fruit
come forward before serving with Cornish
game hens. (143 cases) -P.J.C.
518040

90 | J. Christopher

$40

2016 Dundee Hills Dundee Hills Cuvée
Pinot Noir ^ This cuvée is sourced from Bella
Vida, a 26-acre site with multiple clones and
aspects. This has plenty of red cherry fruit
in its scents, with some foresty elements
lining its maraschino sharpness. The wine is
lean and mouthwatering, with a mushroom
umami feel to the tannins that lends it
complexity and depth. (150 cases) -P.J.C.

517879

90 | Maison L'Envoyé

$20

2017 Willamette Valley Straight Shooter
Pinot Noir ^ With a piecrust-lees scent and
flavors of cherry pie, this wine has a nervous
energy in its acidity, and light, firm tannins
that will make a good foil for braised rabbit.
517948

90 | Resonance

$35

2017 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ^ Scents
of dark plum and black cherry have a mild
earthy, silty bass note. The flavors are pulled
taut, delivered with a sleek cherry-lozenge
clarity and energy. (3,275 cases) -P.J.C.
517957ake?)

90 | Rose & Arrow

$120

2017 Dundee Hills The Black Walnut
Worden Hill Pinot Noir ^ Worden Hill is a
rocky lens of decomposing basalt. It yielded
a savory wine in 2017, mildly smoky, with
scents of briar and sod framing dark flavors
of cherry and plum. The wine feels both
heady and dusty, its saturated fruit character
infused with a mineral slurry that adds
structure and grip. (205 cases) -P.J.C.
517404

90 | Walter Scott

$55

2017 Ribbon Ridge Sequitur Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ From a sedimentary site in the
Ribbon Ridge district, this wine leads with
dark scents of smoke and black-cherry
cola. The flavors are red fruited and sleek,
with notes of lees and lavender that lend
complexity. It's a stalwart pinot for smoked
chicken. (90 cases) -P.J.C.

517878

90 | Maison L'Envoyé

$30

2017 Willamette Valley Two Messengers
Pinot Noir ^ A lush scent of warm, crushed
strawberries is framed by a bit of tobacco
savor. The flavors are sleek, with plenty of
fruit and freshness, the finish slightly smoky
and firmly tannic; for duck confit.

90

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2019

518086

89 | Lange

$25

2017 Willamette Valley Classique Pinot
Noir (Best Buy) ^ Sweet-and-sour cherry
notes lead in this old-school Willamette
pinot, with aromas of tanbark and burnished wood. It has the tannins to stand up
to smoked salmon. (2,500 cases) -P.J.C.

91 | aMaurice Cellars

$35

91 | aMaurice Cellars

$35

90 | Amavi

$24

2018 Walla Walla Valley Boushey Vineyard
Marsanne ^ Anna Schafer is adept at teasing
out charm in marsanne and roussanne, wines
that carry weight but also retain more acidity
in Washington than they tend to in California. This marsanne is fresh and bright, with
scents of white cherry and orange blossom,
with a sleek texture and a finish that gathers
like a bouquet of white-petaled flowers. (145
cases) -P.J.C.
518062
2018 Walla Walla Valley Sparrow Viognier ^
Light and sleek, with a Meyer-lemon scent
and flavors that deepen with air to hint at
tropical fruit, this viognier has an irresistible
liveliness. Its flavors walk the line between
apple, lemon and white peach, its richness
conveyed by soft acidity. (261 cases) -P.J.C.
517984
2018 Walla Walla Valley Semillon ^ Bright
with aromas of quince and golden apple, this
wheaty white has a waxy texture and a leesy
savor. The orange-zest bite will cut through
fried chicken. (1,300 cases) -P.J.C.

WASHINGTON RED
BORDEAUX-VARIETY BLENDS
518067

93 | aMaurice Cellars

$40

92 | Andrew Will

$74

2016 Columbia Valley Artist Series Paterson Blend ^ Anna Schafer's Bordeaux inspired
wines, like Paterson, a new blend of about
half-cabernet with the remainder cabernet
franc and merlot, are exceedingly feminine in
a world of lumbering Washington cab-based
blends. It's floral, for starters, leading with
scents of violets and bergamot that line the
dark berry flavors, a tobacco savor hinting at
fruit sources from Walla Walla (the estate).
The texture is exceedingly relaxed and elegant, generous yet structured, ready for a
tenderloin. (605 cases) -P.J.C.
518125
2014 Horse Heaven Hills Champoux
Vineyard ^ Andrew Will's classic wine from
Champoux, a blend of merlot with cabernet sauvignon, franc and malbec, is showing
its age with a tawny sheen. Tobacco, horsehide, dried orange peel and plum scent the
mouthfilling dried-fig sweetness. Its succulent texture will pair well with braised beef.
(724 cases) -P.J.C.
517880
https://www.maisonlenvoye.com/wines/Pinot-Noir/Straight-Shooter-Pinot-Noir https://www.maisonlenvoye.com/wines/Pinot-Noir/Two-Messengers https://store.langewinery.com/Shop/Pinot-Noir
Wine & Spirits - October 2019

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