Kitsap Peninsula winemaker Dr. Brian Petersen cleverly hints at his Right Bank Bordeaux approach by naming this Meritage-style bottling as “Starboard,” and using it as an homage to the fastest passenger steamer servicing the Seattle-Tacoma route in the early 1900s. He draws from Beightol-farmed Double Canyon Vineyard along Phinny Hill for the Merlot (59%), the Cabernet Sauvignon (17%) and the Petit Verdot (8%) while his Cabernet Franc came off Dineen Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. It’s broadly shouldered yet remarkably rich in its theme of dark blue fruit, toast and vanilla bourbon. There’s opulence to the flavors of macerated black cherry and elderberry, backed by some intoxicating chai spice in the finish.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 150 cases
Alcohol: 14.1%
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