Washington

• Columbia Valley
• Horse Heaven Hills
• Red Mountain
• Wahluke Slope
• Walla Walla
• Yakima Valley

This is quite good but needs a bit of cellar time to hit its potential.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, leather and slight white pepper.  It seems tight and tannic on the palate.  With air it has pretty sweet black raspberry fruit with some charred meat and an underlying mineral streak.  Good finish.  This has plenty of upside but if drinking before 2020, give it a nice decant.  

This is 97% Syrah with 3% viognier cofermented from the Powerline Vineyard.  This drinks in the style of the Northern Rhone but with a new world flair that works.  It should improve with a few years of cellaring.  Ruby in color, purple at the core.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives and a nice minerality lurking in the backround.  On the palate, this is softer in texture.  Nice black raspberry fruit, slight black pepper and underlying char.  Slight tannins that come out more with air.  Good finish.  This needs heartier foods but has the acidity to work well them.  

Stunning bottle of wine.  100% Syrah.  Ruby/purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, slight black pepper, a nice earthy note.  With air, some black olives emerge along with a nice mineral backbone.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Black raspberries, black licorice, and underlying char and minerals.  Medium tannins.  Long finish.  This is intense, and concentrated and will need a few years to really open up but it is drinking great today.  It needs hearty or spiced foods.  Fantastic with upside.  

Wine is subjective and this wine got some huge reviews from major critics.  I can't get quite that far.  This is a good wine though.  100% Grenache from Powerline Vineyard.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is cherry cough syrup but in a good way.  Not over the top.  Also some smoke and a bit of leather.  On the palate, the cherry cough syrup predominates.  That is to say, thick, slightly sweet, with alcohol.  There is some underlying char.  Warm on the finish.  One glass goes a long way and this would work by the fire on a cold night.  It might be a difficult food match.  YMMV.  

Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, black raspberries, and sandal wood.  Also an herbal note that was hard to describe.  A fellow taster said green olives and that is not too far off.  On the palate, the Syrah seem to dominate although this is an 80/20 blend of Cabernet and Syrah.  Black raspberries, an underlying char and some black olive notes.  A very nice texture although a bit soft.  The finish is a bit bitter black raspberry but not in a bad way.  Overall, an excellent wine.  It improved with air and more Cab notes seem to come out.  It will be interesting to see how this ages.  

This was quite good.  Not as big or expressive as expected.  In fact, it drinks very Northern Rhone-ish.   Purple in color.  On the nose there is black raspberries, slight bacon fat, slight violets and underlying minerality.  Nice texture.  Layers unwind in the glass.  Though still tight, there is a nice complexity with black raspberry fruit and crushed dusty rocks.  Nice acidity as well.  Should continue to improve for a while and be good for a couple of decades after that.  

Purple in color with ruby swirls.  This was tight but opened quickly to show black raspberries, slight roasted meats and a bit of pepper.  On the palate, this has a silky texture.  Black cherries.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  This is probably as good as this gets but should be nice drinking for five years.  At $25 retail, this is fairly priced.  Will work with medium and heavier foods.  

This is a great value for around $20.  Having had it in multiple vintages, it is very consistent.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is dusty with black raspberries, black pepper and some cedar.  A bit of roasted meat as well.  On the palate, this is big and fruity but there is also depth and complexity.  Bright acidity.  Good finish.  This will work with big or spicy foods.  It should last for 5 to 8 years but probably won't get better.  That's ok, it is really good today.  

Purple with ruby swirls.  The nose is tight on opening but reveals smoky black raspberries.  On the palate, this is sweet black raspberry fruit.  It has a nice complexity to it and is more "elegant" than a fruit bomb.  Drinking quite well, it will probably still improve with good cellaring.  Food friendly for most foods.  Nice finish.  It retails for around $60.

Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper and a burnt rubber note that is present (in a good way) in many Washington Syrahs.  On the palate, there is nice boysenberry fruit.  Layered but tight with fruit and crushed rocks.  There is an almost seamless texture to this wine that is really nice.  It will work with a wide variety of food and has a nice backbone of acidity to assist.  Good finish.  This competes with wines at twice the price.  Good now, it probably won't improve but should remain here for at least five and probably ten more years.