The 2007 Frederick Cabernet Sauvignon Blend is made up of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot aged for 21 months in 62% new French oak. Purple/black in color, it sports an enticing perfume of pain grille, pencil lead, violets, espresso, black currant, and blackberry. Full-bodied, dense, and youthful, it requires another 3-4 years of cellaring. It will offer prime drinking from 2015 to 2032. 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. The 2007 vintage was stellar in eastern Washington as reflected in Spring Valley’s newest collection. www.springvalleyvineyard.com

Spring Valley wines have never been shy and retiring, but here the alcohol – 15.2% – seems to quickly mute the textural subtleties. Though it suggests a panoply of red and black fruits in the nose, the palate is a wash of coffee, toast, tannin and alcohol. The flavors get muddy and the alcohol strips the wine of its terroir. ——P.G.(12/31/2010)—— 87