5. DeLille Cellars 2011 Four Flags Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $65
Longtime DeLille winemaker and partner Chris Upchurch used four vineyards on famed Red Mountain to craft one of his finest wines to date. The grapes come from Klipsun, Ciel du Cheval, Grand Ciel and Upchurch. Grand Ciel is DeLille’s estate vineyard adjacent to Ciel du Cheval, and Upchurch is owned by Chris, who also makes tiny lots of wine under his name. This opens with classic aromas of black pepper, spicy black currant, ripe plum and dark chocolate, followed by flavors of minerality, graphite, blackberry and black olive. It’s all backed with youthfully assertive tannins that will help this age gracefully for a decade or more. This won a double gold medal at the Great Northwest Wine Competition and also was The Seattle Times 2014 wine of the year.
Production: 1,000 cases
Alcohol: 14.2%
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