Best Buy! A prime example of Precept Wine’s success as the Northwest wine industry enters its Roaring 20’s can be found in its Pendulum program. Two years ago, Wine Spectator ranked the Pendulum 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon ($19) at No. 82 on its Top 100 list. This fall, the magazine placed the Pendulum 2018 Cab on its 100 Top Values. Waterbrook winemaker John Freeman oversees this program, and for his latest Red Wine he pulled from historic Sagemoor vines as well as Browne Estate in the Walla Walla Valley and Canyon Vineyard Ranch in the Yakima Valley. It is Bordeaux-driven with Merlot (39%), Petit Verdot (19%), Cabernet Sauvignon (17%) and Malbec (10%), yet Rhône reds Syrah and Petite Sirah play small but not insignificant roles. Blue fruit aromas are joined by vanilla, light toast and crushed walnut. There’s richness to the structure of dark blue fruit, frontal-yet-medium tannins and a juicy finish of blueberry with salted chocolate caramels. Look for these bargain wines Fred Meyer, Safeway and QFC markets in the Northwest as well as select Costco warehouses.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 11,276 cases
Alcohol: 14%
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