2016 Andrew Will Red Blend Champoux Vyd Horse Heaven Hills Washington

WSI95 JD97 One of the finest examples of this cuvée I’ve tasted is the 2016 Champoux Vineyard, which comes from one of the top terroirs in the state and is in the slightly cooler Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The blend in 2016 is 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet Franc, all aged 18 months in just 25% new French oak. Young, full-bodied, and primordial, it has incredible potential but is going to need 4-5 years of bottle age. Thrilling notes of blueberries, cassis, lead pencil shavings, and bouquet garni all define the bouquet and it has remarkable purity and elegance. It picks up more floral and high-toned notes with time in the glass and is a brilliant bottle of wine that will keep for 2-3 decades.
Estate Notes: We make the Champoux blend not just because we are such big fans of the vineyard, but because of the way that Merlot and Cabernet Franc shine from this site. This wine is the alter ego to Sorella. We almost always craft this wine with a nod towards a majority Cab Franc or Merlot in this case. This wine allows us to show the full range of Champoux Vineyard. The 2016 Vintage in Washington State started out quick during the spring, but in early June the weather returned to normal and thus lead to a start date of September 12th for picking. Harvest continued until October 25th with Cabernet Sauvignon from Two Blondes vineyard coming in. Right away we saw the high potential of the fruit and how this vintage would end up being another great vintage for us. 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc. Average Age of Vines: 40. Aged for 8 months (25% New French Oak, 75% Neutral French Oak). 600 cases produced.