Few could have gotten into the vineyards that helped Michael Ruhland and Matías Kúsulas to achieve immediate acclaim for their young Valo project. Conner Lee, a comparatively cooler site near the Columbia Basin town of Othello, Wash., was planted in 1980 under the auspices of the late Walter Clore, and this bottling represents the vineyard’s second vintage under the ownership of growers Josh Lawrence and Tom Merkle. It’s a straight-forward blend inspired by the Right Bank in Bordeaux — Merlot (50%) and Cabernet Franc (50%). Their winemaking allows for a nose of cherry, strawberry, moist fruitcake and a dusting of cocoa powder. The palate is well-balanced with ripe red berries and white pepper, plus a pinch of clay. Its sinewy tannins and the pedigree of the vineyard bode well for the cellar, but in the short term it can benefit from a little stretching before drinking. This earned a gold medal and best-of-class acclaim last fall at the Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition, a judging staged on behalf of wine merchants in Hood River, Ore. Valo wines are poured at the Vancouver Waterfront Development and upriver in the Columbia Gorge town of Bingen, which is across from Hood River, Ore.
Rating: 94 points / best of class / gold medal / Outstanding!
Production: 200 cases
Alcohol: 14.1%
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