Harrison Hill
Rand Sealey
Review of Washington Wines January 2010
www.reviewofwashingtonwines.com
2006 DeLille Cellars Harrison Hill Red, Yakima Valley
Composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc from the second oldest vineyard in the state, plus 1% Petit Verdot, this is an outstanding, terroir-driven wine. It exhibits a lovely nose of cassis, raspberry and cherry with rose petal, lavender, cigar box and oriental incense scents. The palate is full and flavorful, silky yet robust, marked by mocha, anise, roast coffee, loamy earth and minerals on the back palate, gliding into a ripe, chewy, roasted berry and nut ripe tannin and toasty oak finish. Tasted side by side, I gave this an edge over the ’06 Chaleur Estate Red (now sold out). 19+/20 points.
Stephen Tanzer NOV/DEC 09
2006 DeLille Estate Harrison Hill Red Wine Yakima Valley
($75; the cabernet component here, which makes up about two-thirds of the wine, dates back to 1962) Good deep red-ruby. Currant, mocha and cedar on the expressive nose. Sweet, lush and wonderfully fine-grained, with cooler, sharply delineated flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cedar, wild herbs and leather: very cabernet. Sexy lavender and basil notes add nuance on the very broad back end, where the tannins are perfectly integrated with the wine's fruit. This was aged in 100% new Taransaud barriques. 93 Pts.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Closing Date: 10-31-09, Issue 185
2006 DeLille Cellars Harrison Hill Yakima Valley Red J.M. 92 Pts.
The 2006 Harrison Hill has essentially the same cépage as the Chaleur Estate but here the fruit is all from a single Yakima Valley Vineyard, the second oldest in Washington. Dark ruby-colored, it offers up a fragrant nose of wood, smoke, sage, mineral, incense, black currant, and blackberry. Smooth- textured, ripe, and savory on the palate, this intense effort will evolve for 3-5 more years and drink well through 2021.
Wine Enthusiast Magazine, November 2009
DeLille Cellars 2006 Harrison Hill Red Wine Red Blend (Yakima Valley)
The Harrison Hill vineyard has some of Washington’s oldest Cabernet vines, and offers a distinctive flavor profile within the Yakima Valley. Scents of violets and rose petals float above dark, wild berry fruit. It’s not sweet, yet is perfectly ripe, with polished tannins. As usual, this wine requires both cellaring and decanting to reveal itself fully. - P.G. 93 Pts.
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Gold - DeLille DeLille Harrison Hill 2006 Yakima Valley |
92 (+?) Pts. Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (2005 Vintage)
Medium red. Complex nose offers strawberry, tobacco, lavender and subtle herbal nuances. Lush, sweet and spicy, combining noteworthy breadth and good juicy definition. Finishes with sweet tannins and solid backbone for aging. This has an old-viney quality from a cabernet component dating back to 1962.
91 Pts. - Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast (2005 Vintage)
The Harrison Hill vineyard has some of Washington’s oldest cabernet vines. Here the blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 9 % Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot offers a distinctive flavor profile, clean, sharp and herbal, with an interesting, earthy note. Flavors mingle, beautifully, and carry through from the tart, tight-knit red fruit into the polished and lightly slatey tannins and a chewy, lightly peppery finish.
92 Pts. - Jay Miller, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2005 Vintage)
The 2005 Harrison Hill is sourced from a single Yakima Valley vineyard, the second oldest in the state. It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Petit Verdot and was aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak. This fragrant effort offers notes of pain grille, pencil lead, black currant jam and licorice. Seamless, ripe, and well-endowed, there is enough structure to support 2-3 years of further development in the bottle. This balanced, lengthy wine should be at its best from 2012 to 2020.-J.M.
94 Pts. - Jay Miller, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2004 Vintage)
The 2004 Harrison Hill comes from a single Yakima Valley vineyard, the second oldest in the state. The wine is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Dark ruby-colored, it exhibits a fragrant perfume of minerals, leather, pepper, cedar, cassis, black cherry, and black currants which jumps from the glass. Richly textured, the wine is supple and sweet on the palate with layers of complex flavors, well-concealed tannins, and a long, smooth finish. Give this seamless effort 3-4 years of further bottle age and drink it through 2024. The winery offered the 1994 Harrison Hill to demonstrate the aging potential of this wine. Exhibiting complexity, elegance, and power, it has the stuffing to continue its evolution for another 5-7 years.
91 Pts. - Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (2004 Vintage)
Good bright dark red. Claret-like aromas of redcurrant plum and nutty oak. Juicy minerally and fine grained, with lovely inner-mouth perfume and precision. A very stylish, suave wine, finishing with very smooth tannins and lingering notes of cocoa powder and graphite. Classy juice.
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94 Pts. - Pierre Rovani, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2003 Vintage)
Waxy blackberries are found in the aromatic profile of the top-flight 2003 Harrison Hill. As with the 2002 Harrison Hill as well as the 2003 and 2002 Chaleur Estate reds (give or take one percentage point here or there), this is an assemblage of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. A sensual, complex wine marrying power and elegance, it reveals a satin-textured, medium to full-bodied core of spicy blackberries. Rich, supple (yet structured for aging), and bursting with flavor, this effort also boasts an immensely long, fruit-filled finish. Projected maturity: now - 2022.
93 Pts. - Lisa Minucci’s Spring 2007 Vintrust SOMMselection (2004 Vintage)
Made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot, with a sense of gravel or volcanic rock that is reminiscent of a young St.-Estephe wine. With its medium acid levels, this wine should be enjoyed relatively young.
Spring 2007- Sommelier Jesse Rodriguez, Grand del Mar Resort, San Diego, CA
92 Pts. - Harvey Steinman, Wine Spectator (2004 Vintage)
Sour cherry, rock and an almost delicate earthy quality define the entry. In the mouth it has a pleasing granularity, warmed by soft, sweet fruit, and it sits on its mid-palate flavors for a long, long time. Then, slowly, it fades into a tart, somewhat high-toned finish; hinting at wild berry, spicy plum and even a bit of tobacco.
Outstanding! Wine Press NW (2003 Vintage)
Off the second oldest vineyard in Washington State comes a Bordeaux blend worthy of such a heritage. Chris Upchurch invested time at this Sunnyside site and weaved Cab Sauv (65%), Merlot (25%), Cab Franc (9%) and Petit Verdot (1%) into a sinewy wine that opens with plums, pipe tobacco, cedar, spice and some gaminess. He showcases more fruit on the palate with plums, chocolate and strawberries, then the acidity adds to accents of cranberries and loganberries. Late tannins and white peppercorns arrive in the farewell.93 Pts. - Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast (2003 Vintage)
Apart from Columbia's Otis Cab, this is Yakima's (and Washington's) oldest Cabernet Vineyard. Newer plantings of Merlot and Cab Franc enhance the blend. The wine is marked by its finesse and exceptional grace. Silky and sensuous, it's a wine that warrants the old-fashioned term "breed"-suggesting mannered elegance. Cherry, bramble berry, plummy fruit and exotic spices light up the finish.
93+ Pts. - Pierre Rovani, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2002 Vintage)
The 2002 Harrison Hill, which sports a nose of spices, cedar, blackberries, and cassis, is silky-textured and medium to full-bodied. Incredibly pure, detailed flavors of cassis liqueur and blackberries are found in its broad character. Graceful yet muscular, this gorgeous effort also possesses a surprisingly long, angle-free finish. Drink it over the next 12-15 years.90 Pts. - Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (2002 Vintage)
Good deep red. Redcurrant, tobacco and nutty oak on the nose; showing more wood today than the Estate Red. Then fat, plush and round, with good creamy depth of plum, redcurrant and tobacco flavors. Finishes with a suggestion of leather. Offers a slightly smaller tannic structure than the Estate Red but shows surprising acidity. This is the most enjoyable set of red wine release from DeLille Cellars in many years, with sweeter fruit and more yielding texture than most wines from recent vintages here.
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93+ Pts. - Robert Parker's Wine Advocater (2001 Vintage)
The 2001 Harrison Hill bursts from the glass exhibiting candied blue berry scents. Its refined character harmoniously coats the taster's palate with jammy, candied blackberries, cassis, and black cherries. Medium-bodied, it has awesome mouth-feel, purity and length. Anticipated maturity; now-2016.
91 Pts. - Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast (2001 Vintage)
This single vineyard wine from DeLille is a rare evocation of old-vine, classic Washington fruit. Perfectly ripe, plummy fruit is backed with layers of iron and earth; the fruit has mixed elements of herb and tart.92 Pts. - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2000 Vintage)
The 2000 Harrison Hill reveals complex panoply of spices, herbs and ripe black fruits in its aromas as well as flavors. This refined, satin-textured beauty has terrific mouth-feel, wondrous balance, and a long seamless finish. Anticipated maturity: now-2015. Sporting a fresh, pure nose reminiscent of roasted eggplants immersed in blackberries, black cherries and fresh herbs.90 Pts. - Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator (2000 Vintage)
Smoky, earthy flavors predominate in this lean wine, offering ripe cherry, licorice and black pepper flavors that linger, framed with fine-grained tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2005-2012.Best new release and Wine of the Month, 5 stars - Outstanding Quality, a virtually perfect example - Decanter (1999 Vintage)
This is a small, independently owned family winery founded in 1992. The wine is aged in new French oak and not filtered. Wonderful combination of ripe fruit, leather and cigar box. Rich and creamy palate with ripe tannins, the oak is well integrated with spicy characters. A remarkable wine. Lay down.90 pts. - Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator (1999 Vintage)
Earthy, smoky and slightly gamy notes weave through this dark red, surrounding but not overpowering the ripe currant and berry fruit at the core. Needs time to settle down, but has years ahead of it. Cabernet blend. Best after 2003.