Buying Guide > All Wineries > K >

Kestrel Wines

Sort By:

Kestrel 2003 Co-fermented Syrah (Yakima Valley)

Price $38

Dark, plummy and very spicy, this excellent wine shows the lifted streak of citrus that seems to characterize Yakima Valley Syrahs. Penetrating and deep, its compact fruits are loaded with interesting citrus/floral highlights, and hints of exotic perfumes and powders. Long, seductive and exotic, finishing with a lick of sealing wax. — P.G. (6/1/2006)

Kestrel 1998 Old Vine Merlot (Yakima Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $50

“Old Vine” is not a phrase that crops up on many Washington wine labels, but here it is meaningful. The vineyard was planted in 1972; these are among the most venerable Merlot plantings in the state. Thick, rich red and black fruits are nicely set off in a spicy, toasty, seamless, palate-coating wine with rare complexity. Editors’ Choice. — P.G. (9/1/2002)

Kestrel 1998 Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley (WA))

Price $50

A harvest of just 2 tons/acre from 30-year-old vines created this gem, a lovely companion to the winery’s Old Vine Merlot. It’s fragrant and lush, a lively mix of mushroom, spice and gentle fruit. The nose rolls on into a textured, multilayered explosion, with generous and subtle flavors of preserves, leaf and spice. —P.G. — P.G. (9/1/2002)

Kestrel 2004 Viognier (Yakima Valley)

Price $20

Planted in 1999, the estate Viognier is ripening well, and Kestrel doesn’t hold back on the winemaking. Barrel fermented and left sur lie for nine months, this is exceptionally rich and buttery. It skates along the edge of volatility, but the intense flavors of lemon, lime, pineapple and tropical fruits make this irresistible. — P.G. (5/1/2007)

Kestrel 2005 Estate Viognier (Yakima Valley)

Price $20

The winery does well with this wine, which once again seems to carry all the right stuff, a pleasing mix of lime and grapefruit, Meyer lemon and meringue, nuanced with ginger spice. Full and long-lasting, it is one of the richest Viogniers in the state. — P.G. (11/1/2007)

Kestrel 2002 Vintners Old Vine Estate Merlot (Yakima Valley)

Price $50

Dark, almost black cherry colored, this is an authoritative wine with concentrated layers of red and black fruits. It’s thick through the midpalate, then swings into an interesting, minty, lifted, citrusy finish. Spicy and tart, with real meat on its bones. — P.G. (6/1/2006)

Kestrel 2006 Estate Viognier (Yakima Valley)

Online Exclusive

Price $20

Kestrel has Viognier dialed in, and this excellent follow-up to the 2005 is right up the same alley, vibrant with citrus oil, gin and tonic, lime and grapefruit. It’s racy and slick, and it slides down quite easily with a finishing kick that invites the next glass. — P.G. (12/1/2007)

Kestrel 2003 Estate Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon (Yakima Valley)

Price $50

Though I was not partial to the winery’s 2002 Cab, this new vintage is moving in the right direction. It’s still a very dry, austere, somewhat chalky enterprise, and the color and mouthfeel suggest that a little less extraction might bring out more of the elegance that is missing. But it is a firm, authoritative Cabernet, with just a splash of Malbec, that offers… — P.G. (5/1/2007)

2009 Coghlan Diopside

While the texture of this Pinot is silky and light, it’s dramatic in…

(Sponsored)