2004 Il Fascino Rosso, Columbia Valley, 70 cases $22
Excellent! Boeing Wine Club grad Larry Lindvig produces a very berry "Red Fascination" from Syrah (44%) and Petit Verdot (23%) from the Wahluke Slope's Gilbert Vineyard, Grenache (25%)
from Snipes Canyon in Prosser and a dose of Cab Sauv (8%) via the cooler Elephant Mountain near Yakima. Brownies coated with raspberry syrup is the lasting
image from this full-bodied and plush offering. (NW WinePress Spring 2008)
2004 Carnation Red, Oregon-Washington, 90 cases, $16
Excellent! Marechal Foch, a French hybrid, isn't the easiest wine to market, which may explain the proprietary name for this particular blend of Foch from Meridian Estate Vineyard in Silverton, OR., with Syrah (25%) off Gilbert Vineyards on Washington's Wahluke Slope. Descriptors include a nice hint of oak, smooth cherries, cola, violets, a bit of earthiness and racy acidity. Remarkable is the absence both of tannin or foxiness. (NW WinePress Spring 2008)
2005 Renaissance, Columbia Valley, 92 cases, $28
Outstanding! Blending baron Larry Lindvig has co-leaders on this uniquely Northwest release with Lemberger (37%) and Syrah (37%) sharing the top billing followed by Petit Verdot (12%) and Sangiovese (12%). Carter Vineyard gets credit for the Lembergr and Gilbert kicked in the Syrah and PV. Chukar cherries and a whiff of fresh herbs continue into a drink that's far from bashful. The chocolate and cherries drip into the finish(NW WinePress Spring 2008)
2005 Lemberger-Syrah, Columbia Valley, 75 cases $16
Excellent! Lemberger (75%)from Prosser's Carter Vineyards meshes nicely with Syrah from Gilbert Vineyards on the hot Wahluke Slope, and they elicit notes of raspberries, blackberries, currants and anise. Hershey's chocolate tannins and lots of acidity should make this a fine candidate for a slab of beef. (NW WinePress Spring 2008)
2005 Donatella, Columbia Valley, 85 cases, $26
Excellent! Larry Lindvig leads with Sangiovese (37%) from Snipes Canyon in this blend of Cab Sauv (25%) and Merlot (25%) off Elephant Mountain and Petit Verdot (13%) via Gilbert Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope: The Italian herbs in the nose and red fruit, bold acid focus of Montmorency and pie cherries show off the Sangio. In the back end, there's chocolate and black licorice.(NW WinePress Spring 2008)
2005 Tango Red Wine, Columbia Valley, 70 cases $24
Excellent! Larry Lindvig in rural Carnation continues to show himself to be one of the finest boutique red winemakers in Washington. And the sources prove it. He takes small lots of Malbec from Snipes Canyon and Destiny Ridge, combined with Cabernet Sauv (16%) from Elephant Mountain; and turns them into an array of jammy blackberries and blueberries, black pepper, leaf tobacco, and cocoa powder. (NW WinePress Spring 2008)
