Best Buy! Precept’s stake in The Benches as well as two Tri-City vineyards — Goose Ridge and Reed — along with Willard Farms in the Yakima Valley play roles in the well-presented Syrah-based blend with Merlot (42%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (7%). The program of 25% new French oak for 13 months makes for aromas of black cherry, plum and blueberry with chocolate, vanilla, filbert skins and horehound. It’s a smooth drink of dark purple fruit, backed by a structure that pushes pomegranate acidity ahead of blueberry seed tannin. That structure and the price point make it an ideal foil for lean cuts of beef such as New York strip or London broil.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 2,000 cases
Alcohol: 13.5%
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