2006 Pomum Cellars Tinto – $23 @ Winery

Rating: 4

We brought this bottle up to Gaudi last night (home of truly transcendent paella marinera) to help celebrate my mom’s retirement and my completion of grad school.

Big, ripe, sweet nose of dark cherries, with hints of tobacco, earth, and dark chocolate. This is round and rich, especially on entry, but the acid and tannins are much more prominent than I remember from previous tastings, and they balance the initial blast of sweet cherry fruit. The taste moves from red fruit to plums and finishes with grainy, espressoey, drying tannins. This was good a few months ago but has achieved a new level of power and deliciousness with time in the bottle. Highly recommended as an example of the exciting potential Tempranillo has in Washington. 80% Tempranillo; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

2005 Long Shadows Syrah Sequel – $30 @ Winebid.com

Earlier this week, I had one final evening class to finish up my grad program, and I was looking for a wine that would be waiting for me when I got home, ready to envelop me in its warm embrace. After perusing my CellarTracker inventory, I settled on the Sequel. Other tasting notes made it sound like the kind of rich, celebratory wine I was looking for, and at 14.7% alcohol, it looked like more of a cocktail wine than a dinner wine. In my case, it served as a digestif.

Rating: 4

Beautiful, evolving nose: first blackberry liqueur and grilled bread with butter; then bacon and smoke; then cocoa and funk, moving towards briney olives. Moderate acid and medium-low tannins. This is what a well-made, well-integrated, high-octane Syrah smells and tastes like, with oak as a supporting actor and not playing the lead role.

Long Shadows is a project brought to life by Allen Shoup, former CEO of Ste Michelle Estates. His vision has been to bring established, world-class winemakers to the northwest, to make wine with the best fruit Washington has to offer. Sequel is the Syrah project, and the consulting winemaker is John Duval. Duval made his name in Australia with Penfolds, but after stepping down in 2002, he was looking for his next great challenge. The “sequel” to his life’s work has been his collaboration with Long Shadows, and he has made Sequel since the 2003 vintage.

This normally retails in the $55 range, so when it showed up on Winebid for $30, I pounced. That, as it turns out, was a good decision.

2007 Trust Cellars Cabernet Franc Rosé – $16 @ Cellar 46

Rating: 4

As a warmup to last week’s blind Cab tasting, we cracked open this rosé with a year of bottle age under its belt. And lo and behold; it’s drinking great!

Compellingly musky nose of melon, hay, and green peppers. Bright, juicy palate with strawberries, orange creamsicles, and green apple candy. But it’s the finish, filled with spicy, poblano peppers, that seals the deal for me. Fantastic!

Blind Tasting: Cabernet Sauvignon

Once Full Pull is up and running, blind tastings will be a regular part of the business, so I decided to call this the last official Swordfern Blind Tasting. We went out in style, drinking an impressive lineup of Cabs, including 3 from Washington and 1 from California:

2005 Moon Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve – $40 @ Retail

Rating: 3

Big nose of purple fruit and grape jelly. On the palate, more purple fruit, peaches, and a nice citrus component. Moderate acid, low tannins, and a spicy kick to the finish. 79% Cab along with Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.

2005 Basel Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Pheasant Run Vineyard – $20 @ Cellar 46

Rating: 4

Massive nose that starts out with dark chocolate and plums. With time, notes of damp earth, tobacco, and black olives emerge. Bright red fruit and lots of chocolate on the palate. The tannins have the gritty texture, and some of the flavor, of biting into banana skin. Very interesting bottle that was still evolving as we finished it off, and at the price I paid, wonderful QPR. 100% Cab, and I believe this was made by Trey Busch before he left Basel to form Sleight of Hand.

2006 Dusted Valley Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon – $26 @ Winery

Rating: 4

Much more tropical nose than the other three: part pina colada, part orange-mango nantucket nectar (a great beverage in its own right). Also the lightest-bodied of the lineup and the freshest fruit profile (raspberries and peaches). Cocoa and spice on the finish of this nicely-balanced wine. 100% Cab.

2005 Boudreaux Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon – $50 @ Winery

Rating: 4

My favorite of the night. Lovely, medicinal nose that brings dark cherries and berries screaming up out of the glass, along with cola and caramel notes. Generous, fascinating palate with waves of flavors: dark-chocolate-covered cherries, tropical fruits, Dr. Pepper, brambly blackberries, baking spices. Grainy-tannins, medium-low acid, and a lingering finish. My preference is usually for high-acid, leaner wines, but this is a good reminder to me that an occasional bottle like this, which is so rich and brings so much pleasure, is worth savoring. 80% Cab; the rest Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Sangiovese. That’s 7 varietals, from 10 vineyards, aged in 5 different types of oak. Before I die, I want to attend blending trials with Rob Newsome.

2005 Moon Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

2005 Beresan Stone River – $35 @ Cellar 46

Rating: 4

Fresh and compelling nose of dark fruit and soy, with background notes of coffee and purple flowers. Wonderfully plush mouthfeel, and the fruit here is so bright and fresh: loads of cranberries and pomegranate along with cedar notes. Long, mouthwatering finish of cinnamon and red fruit.

I picked this up after reading about it at Washington Wine Report, and I was not disappointed. This delicious blend of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah, 25% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc is mostly estate fruit, with a dash of Pepper Bridge Syrah added to the mix.