Sax man Art McIntosh, when not making wine in the Lewis-Clark Valley, performs in a jazz company that plays throughout the Northwest – including wineries in the Walla Walla Valley. That horn work helped him gain access to this Counoise from Forgotten Hills Vineyard, a site in the foothills of the Blue Mountains that might be best known for Syrah from the likes of Rhône supporters Gramercy and Waters. There’s a sweet note of baking spice that opens the aromatics, which lead to black currant, black plum and blackberry with a whiff of licorice, too. The flavor profile carries a rich and creamy baseline with more of those dark purple fruit tones. Medium tannins, ample acidity and a finish of allspice make this quite a quaffer at the McIntosh family’s Lewiston, Idaho, tasting room.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 100 cases
Alcohol: 12.7%
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