We are honored to share the latest scores from Owen Bargreen, the new Washington Wine editor at Vinous. Wine Critic Owen Bargreen is a certified sommelier and has reviewed thousands of wines from around the world. He has traveled extensively throughout the wine regions of Washington, Oregon, and California, as well as Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley in France, Spain, Italy and Germany.
“The utterly fabulous 2020 Blanc Chaleur Estate white wine is a sensational blend of 73% Sauvignon Blanc with the remainder Sémillon. The Sémillon really seems to be showing a lot here, contributing banana and melon alongside wet stone and lemon blossom that all mingle in the glass. The palate shows good freshness and weight as well as a great sense of elegance and minerality. The length adds to the enjoyment. This is up there with the best editions of this wine that I have tasted over the past 20 years.” (Owen Bargreen, 94)
“The 2020 Roussanne is a beautiful new wine by the talented DeLille winemaking team and director of winemaking Jason Gorski. The nose evokes fantastic range, from banana and honeydew melon to starfruit and damp earth underpinnings. The palate is fresh, vibrant and beautifully textured. The weight really entices as layers of melon and Yakima cherry mingle with minerals and earthy tones on the palate. Gorgeous now, this has a long way to go.” (Owen Bargreen, 93)
“The 2020 Rosé from DeLille Cellars blends 52% Mourvèdre and 43% Grenache with a splash of Cinsault. The nose is wonderfully earthy and rounded out with melon, citrus blossom and watermelon tones, and the mouthfeel of the wine is seriously good. This is refreshing rosé with bright red fruits that shows a great sense of weight and length. Gratifying to drink now, it also has some cellaring potential.” (Owen Bargreen, 93)
“Sourced from an old block in the Bacchus vineyard that has since been removed, the 2020 Riesling Sagemoor Dionysus is a one-of-a-kind, Trocken-style wine that shows petrol and yellow florals on the nose along with shades of Japanese pear. The palate has great tension, a wonderful sense of minerality and just a kiss of sweetness.” (Owen Bargreen, 92)
“The 2019 Métier is a gorgeous blend of 42% Grenache and Mourvèdre (36%) with smaller parts Syrah and Cinsault. The garrigue notes are gorgeous, and bright red cherry and cigar box tones mingle with black olive on the nose. The palate shows good freshness, a soft mouthfeel and a light dusting of salinity. Layers of ripe red and dark fruits parade with stony and earthy tones, sagebrush and creosote. This just fantastic Rhône-inspired wine for the price.” (Owen Bargreen, 93)
“Sourced from one of the great sites in the Dundee Hills, the 2019 Pinot Noir De Ponte Vineyard exudes class with its soft mouthfeel and layers of pretty red fruits, red rose petals and citrus rind accents. Medium-bodied, showing good length, this is best enjoyed over the next 8-10 years.” (Owen Bargreen, 92)
“Presenting a pretty guava and red fruit profile, the 2019 Pinot Noir Lonesome Rock Ranch shows lighter viscosity and a silky mouthfeel once on the palate. Minerals and light damp earthy tones add to the enjoyment. This excellent cool-vintage effort is best consumed over the next eight years.” (Owen Bargreen, 92)
“The 2018 Shaw Vineyard is beautifully evolved even at the three-year mark. Aromatically quite complex, it displays really good range, from sagebrush and sandalwood tones to blackberry and huckleberry tones. The soft texture grabs your attention as the wine effortlessly glides across the midpalate, delivering plenty of espresso bean, blueberry compote, tar and black licorice flavors. Complex and delicious to savor now, this has another 20 years ahead of it.” (Owen Bargreen, 96)
“Silky, elegant and very well-balanced, the 2018 Lot 3 is a sensational Cabernet Sauvignon that is only starting to hit its stride. On the nose, it takes on layers of iodine alongside blackberry, tar, mocha and baking spices that all evolve in the glass. The palate is silky, plush and seamless with gratifying freshness and viscosity. Black and blue fruits collide with minerals and scorched earth tones on the palate. Enjoy this scintillating bottling over the next 15 years.” (Owen Bargreen, 96)
“The classy 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Ciel is a deep, hedonistic bottling by DeLille Cellars. Creosote and baking spices mingle with a rich core of dark fruits and salty undertones on the palate. The veil of tension, the rich mouthfeel and the impressive length all make this beautiful wine sing. Try to give it an hour of air if consuming in its vibrant youth.” (Owen Bargreen, 95)
“The 2018 Harrison Hill is a gorgeous effort by Jason Gorski and his DeLille Cellars winemaking team. Black florals combine with red cherry, black berry cobbler and suggestions of Asian spices on the nose. The palate is rich, viscous and elegant, with refined tannins holding everything in place. Enjoy this outstanding new wine over the next 15-plus years.” (Owen Bargreen, 95)
“Showing more tar and scorched earth tones than the Harrison Hill, the 2018 Chaleur Estate presents an exotic bouquet of Arabica bean mingled with blue and black fruits and loamy soil undertones. The palate is elegant and silky, as refined tannins caress the layers of boysenberry, black cherry cordial and spice box. Gorgeous now, but this has a long way to go.” (Owen Bargreen, 95)
Sold out! View the 2019 vintage here
“Already quite nicely evolved, the 2018 Four Flags evokes black tea, exotic spice and chocolate aromas alongside a great wall of dark fruits. Full-bodied and intense, with sagebrush and scorched earth undertones, this is drinking beautifully right now and will continue to cellar well for another 15 years – or more!” (Owen Bargreen, 94)
“Fresh and vibrant, the 2018 Marguerite is a special barrel-selection Sauvignon Blanc sourced from Block 5 in the Sagemoor vineyard, with vines dating back to 1972, and crafted from wine stored in cigar barrels. It’s quite rich and intense, providing smoky and stony undertones alongside a silky texture, wonderful orchard fruits and serious viscosity.” (Owen Bargreen, 94)
“The 2018 Red Wine Red Willow is a silky, elegant wine that blends 57% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon. On the nose, it offers florals combined with sagebrush, blackberry compote and black licorice underpinnings. Fresh, vibrant and silky-smooth on the attack, this seamlessly glides throughout the drinking experience. Highly refined yet showing good weight, this outstanding Left Bank-inspired red blend will satisfy for at least another decade to come.” (Owen Bargreen, 94)
“The 2018 Syrah Grand Ciel is a beautifully textured wine that is already wonderfully evolved. Rich anise, espresso bean, blueberry pie and smoky minerals all combine on the palate, along with shades of smoked brisket. Fantastic now in its fresh, rich youth, this has another decade of life in front of it.” (Owen Bargreen, 94)
Sold out! View the 2019 vintage
“The beautiful 2018 Syrah Signature includes a touch of Viognier (2%). It’s very fresh and somewhat hedonistic with its massive dark fruit profile, and layers of dark chocolate shavings, black tea and exotic spices all add to the intrigue. This has the stuffing and finesse to last at least another decade.” (Owen Bargreen, 94)
“The Merlot-dominant (88%) 2018 Le Colosse is an outstanding Yakima Valley bottling. Sagebrush, black cherry compote and shades of Earl Grey tea all dominate the nose. Fresh and beautifully textured, the wine delivers a great core of dark fruits with coffee ground and menthol undertones.” (Owen Bargreen, 93)
“The 2018 Minuit blends 70% Malbec with the reminder Cabernet Sauvignon. It exudes class, offering blackberry and black tea tones that meld with the serious combination of tension and weight, and finishes exceedingly long. While highly gratifying to enjoy now, this has at least a decade of life ahead of it.” (Owen Bargreen, 93)
Sold out! View the 2019 vintage here
“The 2018 D2 exudes class with dense layers of toasty oak that connect with black cherry cough syrup, blackberry compote, mocha and tar, all marching in unison in the glass. The palate is dense, chewy and full of life. Downright delicious flavors of black tea and blackberry pie and shades of menthol and coffee grounds combine with a great sense of tension and light tannins. Enjoy this fantastic new wine over the next decade or more.” (Owen Bargreen, 93)
“The 2018 Doyenne is already beautifully evolved at the three-year-mark. A Provençale-style blend of 61% Syrah and 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, it delivers plenty of viscosity and weight on the palate. Fresh and beautifully textured, with black cherry, black olive tapenade, boysenberry and loamy soil notes, this is an outstanding effort that will continue to impress over the next decade.” (Owen Bargreen, 93)
