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Matthews 2011 Reserve, Columbia Valley, $70
Walla Walla winemaker Aryn Morell takes this Meritage-style wine down a dark and brooding path, starting with a 21-month program of 100 percent new French oak. It serves this opulent blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), Merlot (13%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Malbec from two Red Mountain sites — the Hedges family’s Bell’Villa and Corliss Estates’ Red Mountain Vineyard — along with Stillwater Creek. Complex aromas of chalkboard dust, plum, black currant and vanilla also include hints of candela leaf tobacco, menthol and toast. Intense and bold fruit awaits on the palate, featuring Bing cherry, Marionberry and plum. There’s plenty of structure and a long life ahead.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 200 cases
Alcohol: 13.5%
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