Desert Wind

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Desert Wind 1997 Ruah Red (Columbia Valley (WA))

Price $50

The blend is 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc. It opens up softly, with fragrant, plummy fruit. Once tasted it turns firm to the point of tough, and the fruit seems constrained, or overpowered, by the rough, earthy tannins. — P.G. (12/31/2001)

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Desert Wind 2006 Sacagawea Vineyard Riesling (Columbia Valley (WA))

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Price $15

Substantial and ripe, the fruit here feels soft and round in the mouth, like a mix of peaches, apricots and tangerines. There is less depth than you would hope for, but the flavors are sweet and lingering, and it leaves an impression of citrus rind as it tails away. — P.G. (3/1/2008)

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Desert Wind 2011 Desert Wind Vineyard Viognier (Wahluke Slope)

Price $15

This wine brings all of this grape’s exuberance with notes of fresh flowers, peach and jasmine. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, it’s broad and full bodied with the alcohol poking through on the finish. — S.S. (6/1/2013)

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Desert Wind 1998 Desert Wind Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley (WA))

Price $20

This is very ripe, perhaps too ripe, with pruney, raisiny fruit, and a dead leaf, slightly decayed quality. It's easy to drink, forward and soft, with very dry tannins and a lot of herbs, tobacco and earth flavors. A style for immediate drinking with foods (steaks!) that need something to cut the fat. — P.G. (12/31/2001)

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Desert Wind 1999 Desert Wind Vineyard Merlot (Columbia Valley (WA))

Price $20

A new winery, owned by the Fries family of Dundee, Oregon, with a lovely ppackage and a new entry into the ever-expanding Washington Merlot sweepstakes. The wine is soft and chalky in the mouth, with flavors of berries and cream, but it feels increasingly disjointed and a bit manipulated as the finish wears on. — P.G. (12/31/2001)

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Desert Wind 2010 Ruah Red (Wahluke Slope)

Price $18

The cool 2010 vintage seems to have taken a toll on this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It’s distinctly herbal with dry, astringent tannins and the fruit unable to stand up to the oak. — S.S. (6/1/2013)

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Desert Wind 2002 Sémillon (Columbia Valley (WA))

Price $13

An aggressive, alcoholic wine, it shows unusual dark gold tones and smells of hay and oak barrels. Spicy, oaky and hot, its 14.5% alcohol is felt as a burning sensation all the way down the throat. — P.G. (9/1/2004)

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Desert Wind 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley (WA))

Price $13

Charred, horsey scents of burnt leather dominate the attack. This is a dark, tannic wine, chewy and mouth-scraping dry; inside is a core of black cherry fruit, but it’s overwhelmed by all the tar and smoke. — P.G. (9/1/2004)

Most Reviewed Designations

Bare Naked Desert Wind Vineyard Desert Wind Vineyard Bare Naked Desert Wind Vineyard Ruah Ruah Sacagawea Vineyard

Most Reviewed Varietals

Barbera Bordeaux-style Red Blend Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Merlot Red Blend Riesling Sémillon Syrah Viognier

2009 Monte Pinadillo Ciranza

Black fruit, raisin and minerally aromas combine to create a formidable…

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