2013 Cadence Ciel du Cheval Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain (6/7/2026)
P&P. A very structured CdC, as the tannins at 13 years in are as formidable as when this was young. Good purity of violet notes and roses, a hybrid of sweet blackberry / cassis fruit, the formentioned tannins and a closing note of unsweetened baking chocolate. Very fresh. My last bottle, but if I was holding I would drink over the next 2 - 3 years so the fruit doesn’t get overpowered. (93 points)
Nice note, Dale. I love the floral nose that some aged Cadence wines can develop. Somewhat related, I was at the offsite and found a bottle of 2010 Cadence Camerata that wasn’t in my CT inventory. That’s always nice!
Had a 2010 Clos de Betz over the weekend that was lovely. This was in its peak window but will cruise for another decade I’d wager, even though it’s almost 60% Merlot.
That’s positive! I had a 2011 a month or so back that was pretty meh, mostly dead. I’d be lying if I said I kept track of the vintage characteristics between 2010 and 2011.
I’ve had the 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 vintages of Clos de Betz. All consumed between 2015-2025.
Going in, for this wine in particular:
I would have expected 2008 to be my favorite, followed by 2010, 2011, 2009, and 2006.
In hindsight, 2010 was by far my favorite in hindsight, followed by 2006, 2011, 2009, 2008. (I wondered if the sole 2008 bottle I had was an outlier and had something off, but there was no TCA, etc. Just boring.)
All that said, 2010 is among my favorite WA vintages overall. I know many disagree (including some professional reviewers) and I think in part (as usual) it comes down to personal preference. I just think the wines have aged well, and were never too big to begin with. 2009 yielded some very big wines for many producers.
2010 yielded a cool, wet spring in WA, but for my tastes that ended up being a good thing.
2011 was even colder/harsher with a late freeze which affected some sites/fruit, which I think made it a more challenging year for winemakers.
2023 Lobo Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
Very nice wine, not decanted. The reason I first bought this is because Lobo Hills is one of the few WA wineries that bottle a healthy amount of wine in these 375ml bottles (L’Ecole No. 41 is the other) and when all you want is a healthy glass for you and your spouse, I absolutely love these little guys. Beyond the fact that the price was good, this is great wine. I sure wish more would bottle in 375s.
2006 Betz Family Bésoleil - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (6/27/2026)
Against all odds this was not only still alive, but very much in fine form. The Besoleil Grenache note was full on bing cherry, but not overly sweet or syrupy - but a clear cut candied quality that was very appealing. The trademark Betz tarry note is felt mid palate, and closes fresh and true. Color me very surprised!
2018 Cayuse Flying Pig - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (7/4/2026)
Decanted 3 hrs. Always a treat and with the FP, it has the capacity to be the star of the Cayuse release in a given year. Since this is the first 18 I have had, I can’t proclaim that status, but I can state this was excellent. As with most young C/Merlot blends, the CF shines early, roasted poblano, green tobacco, stalky, and then the plummy flesh of the merlot kicks in mid palate, and a long elegant, mineral driven finish. I can say without hesitation this will easily coast to its 20th birthday. (95 points)
North Star winery has s closing the tasting room!!,
Opened a 15 cab franc from in misery.
‘Merf’ their winemaker was let go too.
An early lingering death I think for NS.
Too bad and many fond memories at their tasting room and blending experience.
15 CF has dark cherry earth and cola with a bit of wood on the finish. Drinking nicely now but will consume the remaining bottles by next June.
2025 Pursued by Bear Blushing Bear - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (7/5/2026)
You do pay a few extra bucks to drink Kyle MacLachlan’s wines, but they are pretty damn well made across the board - and this rose was excellent. Provençal in style, the palest of pink salmon color, the strawberry fruit has a real urgency in getting the mineral and acid traits to shine. Are there thousands of cheaper roses out there of coarse, but i have no problem paying $28 for this patio sipper as well as a versatile food partner. (91 points)
2023 Kobayashi Winery Viognier WeatherEye Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain (7/5/2026)
In a word: Serious. Decanted 2hrs as I find it is exceedingly beneficial to give Travis’s young whites some airtime to acclimate. Interesting in that it smelled and tasted less like stone fruit than past vintages and more green apple, not Riesling like, it was hard to describe but that is how it came across. Once you hit the mid palate, the fruit is an afterthought as a great wave of mineral goodness crashes and hits all corners of the mouth. Viscous, oily back end texture is not for everyone (I’m talking about you Wife - love of my life!!!) but it sure as hell works for me. I just adored this last night. (94 points)
CT rumors of the 2001 Woodward Canyon Old Vines’ demise have been greatly exaggerated. This was a $35 WineBid pickup and was clearly well-stored – perfect cork and a high fill. Exploding with blue and black fruit upon opening, still tannic but with lots of leathery, earthy tertiary development. Maybe some bottle variation led to the last several CT reviews saying this wine was over the hill, but to my palate this bottle was awesome and right in the zone.
Just searched for Woodward canyon and your post came up on top.
I can’t believe the power left in this ‘97. Starting to get a hint of stewed fruit, but some primary fruit and sheer power of this wine remains. Still tannins. Nice acid. Very minimal bricking starting, but otherwise look at the color. Fairly balanced at 29 years young. First bottle from this producer. I am impressed.
That’s awesome man. I have a post upthread somewhere about the '98 WC Old Vines Cab and I had a similar experience. Couldn’t believe how good it was. I know @Brandon_R won’t appreciate me reiterating this ( ), but these wines are crazy underrated and a steal on the secondary market. I’ve got an '07 and an '11 on deck, will report back when I pop them.
This was a total serendipitous find, from a collector’s old storage locker. I knew nothing about it, but looked it up on cellar tracker and it had good scores and basically took a flyer. I did not see your post or check on here before I bought it. I only checked on here after I tried it to see if anyone had mentioned the winery.
I initially did not plan to decant it for air, I just filtered it straight out of the bottle, but then, given the power of the thing, decided it better to decant. My wife and I drank it over at least 3 hours and it held up just fine in the decanter until the last drop.
I also picked up a ‘98 Old Vines Cab when I bought the ‘97, which I haven’t tried yet. You’re making me look forward to it. Bought it for under the original pricetag of $44.99. I put this in the category of “sometimes you get lucky.” The random finds to me are all part of the fun.
1998 was a much better vintage in WA than 1997…unlike CA where it was panned, WA had a warm year and good balance…1999 if you find it is a hypothetical combo of 97 and 98.
