The Williams family’s three generations of vintners work proudly with more than 240 acres of vineyards across Washington’s most famous growing region, including prime sites Heart of the Hill and Kiona Estate on Red Mountain. Decades of visionary work afford them the luxury of working with all six Bordeaux varieties for this Meritage-style effort, a high-end blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (52%), Merlot (35%), Petit Verdot (3%), Cabernet Franc (2%) and Carménère. A barrel program of 80 percent new oak, a split of French and American, creates aromas of light toast with black currant, blackberry, rose petal and fresh-cut cedar. There’s sweetness to the ripe fruit that leads with plum and blackberry in front of substantial yet smooth tannins. Red currant acidity, baking spices and savory notes of porcini mushroom are capped by the finish of Chukar Cherry. Kiona has established a reputation for producing some of Washington’s longest-lived reds, and this latest Reserve seems poised to carry on that legacy.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 1,020 cases
Alcohol: 14.5%
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