Walla Walla winemaker John Freeman is well into his second decade at one of Washington state’s iconic brands, and he’s got his reserve Malbec program dialed in. Precept estate property Canyon Ranch Vineyard and the greatly underrated Doval Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope combine for this extraordinary example that opens with fragrant oak and nice toastiness in the nose with black cherry juice and blackberry backed by fresh caramel corn, black licorice, pepper and black olive. Inside, it’s rich, round and bright as dark cherry and black currant flavors lead to a smooth midpalate with mild tannins and pleasing acidity. Dark chocolate and black olive create nice length and breadth to the finish. And fortunately, they’ve nearly doubled production of this from the previous two vintages. Suggested pairings include char-broiled steak topped with portabella mushrooms, cheese ravioli with tomato sauce or barbecued ribs.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 2,785 cases
Alcohol: 14.1%
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