The 2006 Frederick Cabernet Sauvignon Blend is made up of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec. It spent 21 months in French oak, 54% new. A saturated purple color, it displays an aromatic array of balsam wood, cinnamon, allspice, violets, black currant, and blackberry. On the palate this full-bodied, large-scaled wine is more structured but less polished than the Uriah cuvee. It has plenty of ripe fruit, good balance, and 2-3 years of aging potential. This lengthy effort will drink well from 2012 to 2026. Spring Valley Vineyard produces wine from 100% estate-grown fruit, a relative rarity in Washington. The winery is owned by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates but the Derby family from whom they purchased the brand continues to own the vineyards. Tel. (509) 337-6915; www.springvalleyvineyard.com

The Frederick is Spring Valley’s Bordeaux blend and it would be nice to see Spring Valley turn it down a bit and bring back some of the toasted grain nuances that set it apart from the rest of the Walla Walla AVA. Instead, this piles on the sweet, jammy black fruit and new oak, and blows past the terroir.——P.G.(9/1/2009)—— 88