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Naoi Cailini Oga 2017 Reserve Carménère, Washington State, $105

By on April 20, 2020
naoi cailini oga carmenere label - Naoi Cailini Oga 2017 Reserve Carménère, Washington State, $105

Columbia Valley real estate agent/artist Nancy Thurston, whose Grape Series of water colors had a show at the Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center, turned her love of wine in a remarkable vineyard that’s devoted to the lost red Bordeaux variety Carménère. She’s named her club-only project as Naoi Cailini Óga — a Gaelic phrase that translates to “nine young maidens” as a tribute to her eight sisters — and early on she hired Walla Walla winemaker David Stephenson. This bottling reflects fourth-leaf fruit from the vines she planted across her 6-acre estate not far from the Horse Heaven Hills south of Kennewick, Wash. For Carm lovers, there’s a lot to like with its typicity of herbaecous notes of bell pepper and fresh dill backed by delicate red fruit and a deft touch from French oak. Refined tannins and a responsible level of alcohol allow for the food-friendly finish that bring in a slice of cherry pie.

Rating: Excellent

Alcohol: 12.7%

Winery website

About Great Northwest Wine

Articles authored by Great Northwest Wine are co-authored by Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue. In most cases, these are wine reviews that are judged blind by the Great Northwest Wine tasting panel.

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