Few in the Northwest are as talented and as imaginative as winemaking brothers-in-law Chad Johnson and Corey Braunel. They named this relentless GSM-style blend of Syrah (65%), Grenache (18%), Mourvèdre (8%) and Petite Sirah by blending the location of their two tasting rooms – Walla Walla and Woodinville. A snootful of aromas range from blueberry, boysenberry, blackberry and plum, joined by lightly roasted coffee, milk chocolate, cobble stone and gaminess. Delicious flavors of blue fruit are shoveled on top of black pepper and black olive with lovely complexity. The influence of Petite Sirah adds just a bit of tension to the finish of blackberry acidity. This wine is sold out at the winery, but a bottle or two could well be available at a quality wine retailer.
Rating: Outstanding
Production: 175 cases
Alcohol: 14.9%
Thank you for not using a numeric point scale. When I rate wines, I find it hard to tell people the difference between a 87 and an 88 point wine, and would the consumer be able to tell? These number are also subjective. Different professional wine tasters rate wines differently. Some give wines with more fruit higher numbers than others who may give wines with less fruit and more tannic structure (red wine) a higher rating. When I review a wine, I describe it as you do, then leave a final comment such as an outstanding wine, or elegant. I think that giving people this info should be enough for them to decide whether the wine sounds like something they would like to buy and enjoy. Congratulations on not pegging a wine with a number.
Thanks, Karl.
We’ve been reviewing wines since the late ’90s. We started out using the 100-point scale but quickly abandoned it after getting solid feedback from winery folks who said, “You can do better.” They’ve been pleased with our system through the years.
Andy