2023 Orr Wines Old Vines Chenin Blanc - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (11/30/2025)
Been a while since I have had WA St’s most famous Chenin, and that is a gross negligence on my part. This was simply great. At once powerful and structured, but also simultaneously round and voluptuous, imparting lemony citrus and chalk, great acidity, and closing wake of flaky sea salt. Kept improving all night so I might sit on my 2nd bottle for a few years, i can see this improving. Excellent.
Sorry for replying to such an old thread. I’m not on the board much anymore, but my wife and I relocated to PT about 18 months ago from LA. If any OlyPen folks want to meet up, we’d be interested
Concur wholeheartedly with your Orr Chenin Blanc assessment. Absolute fantastic year after year and every time I drink one I’m reminded that I need to buy more. Terrific wine made by a terrific winemaker. Thanks for the reminder!
I hopped into the way-back machine with this cheap auction bottle and am sure glad I did! Kestrel was one of the first handful of wineries I started visiting way back when learning about wine. They always made great Syrah. This was a treat and a trip down memory lane.
2002 Kestrel Cabernet Sauvignon Signature Edition Old Vine - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley (11/30/2025)
Considering its age, the vineyard pedigree is showing. Alive and well at 23, this shows dark plum and a pleasing minty undertone. Not porty or sloppy at all. Really tasty.
Drank a 2018 Top Source Red Blend over three days this weekend. 60% syrah, 40% grenache. Not flawed, but certainly one of the weirder wines I’ve had. On day 1, the nose was just odd. Balsamic, leather, gristle, gamey fat cap. Palate was kinda gross, completely devoid of any fruit and weirdly, almost any other flavor other than a bitterness that lingered into a long, unpleasant finish. Decanted it, then bottled back up for 24 hours. Day 2, the nose was completely transformed into something kinda great?? Unmistakable lilies (!) and a spicy meatiness that was really fun. And it was jumping out of the glass! The palate had filled out a bit. Fruit was still MIA, but the bitterness was not so overpowering and it felt more like just austere. But still, one of those wines that’s a lot more fun to stick your nose in than actually sip on, so probably would not buy again. Day 3 the nose had lost its intensity and floralness and it was just meaty.
Anyways, an interesting experience. Surprised the pro reviewers were so positive on this wine given how weird it is. Quite polarizing reviews on cellartracker also. Anyone around here tried it? Also, what’s the deal with Top Source anyways, is she a negociant or a winemaker?
I have a few of the 2020 Columbia Valley Top Source that were Garagiste mystery wines.
The one I have opened was excellent.
Here is some background on the brand.
Pretty big news in WA as Wyckoff family has purchased Ste. Michelle and their portfolio of WA wines from Sycamore Partners who did them few favors selling off Stags Leap Wine Cellars and Col Solare while losing longtime agency partners like Feuillatte and Antinori all the while walking away from vineyard agreements in WA.
Very hopeful for this to help turn the tide in WA, although leaning into Chenin Blanc as a market leading white wine still causes me some pause vs. making world class Riesling and raising the bar on Chardonnay, and Sauv Blanc.
I saw that, Kris. I’m hoping like you that this is a good thing for the Washington wine industry. I know the family and their commitment to farming is encouraging. Scale isn’t always a bad thing and, in this case, I believe it’s a good thing given that the family is rooted (no pun intended) in Central Washington agriculture, not venture capital (although they’re not dummies and making money is clearly a goal).
I absolutely hated a bottle of this a few months ago, finding it overwhelming in its weight. While my perception of its weight is unchanged, it’s not bothering me tonight. This is packed full of Rocks District character on both the nose and palate with plenty of plush, juicy fruit to balance, but it reads slightly more savory than fruity tonight. Persistent and somewhat grippy finish with orange and pepper notes. I just purchased a 3 pack of the 2019 today and am expecting a more elegant expression, which I should enjoy even more.
Someone just posted a 98 (CT) on the 2022 Reserve vintage with a very detailed review…add your comments and am very interested. Appears 19 a 21 only Reserves available on site.
