91
points
GraEagle 2006 Cabernet Franc (Walla Walla Valley (WA))
-
$30
Herbal, peppery, tannic and slightly green, but very flavorful and interesting. Green coffee bean flavors are pure varietal; the tannins are tight and compact, with penetrating flavors. The fruit is dark, dense and very compact; the herbal flavors are there, but so is the ripeness, the smoke, the roasted earth and the chocolate.
— P.G.
(8/1/2009)
89
points
GraEagle 2006 Red Wing Red (Walla Walla Valley (WA))
-
$25
Nicholas Cole Cellars is the winery, and the grapes in this Bordeaux blend are essentially all estate, except for a little Canoe Ridge Merlot. This is substantial, herbal, with plenty of juicy red fruit and a leafy, earthy sub-text. Dark, exotic, tangy and still youthfully sharp, this needs breathing time to soften up and open out.
— P.G.
(8/1/2009)
88
points
GraEagle 2003 Red Wing (Columbia Valley (WA))
-
$22
From Nicholas Cole Cellars, this Merlot (74%), Cab Franc (15%), Cabernet Sauvignon (11%) blend is sourced from Klipsun, Champoux, Seven Hills and DuBrul vineyards. That’s great fruit. It’s a plummy wine with a raisiny edge that hints at early oxidation, and it’s already showing some brick orange at the rim. Soft to the point of being a bit soapy in the mouth, it…
— P.G.
(6/1/2006)