Northstar’s 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon – unblended with other cepages, and sourced from Cold Creek and southern Walla Walla Anna Marie Vineyard – delivers a juicier, more engaging, and more intriguing account of itself than does its 2009 successor. Blueberry and cassis mingle with mint and bay, black tea and arbor vitae, and are further tinged with the piquancy and crunchy tartness of berry seeds as well as a suggestion of crushed stone. Just over half the barrels for this were new and one-quarter were American, but the subtle hints of vanilla and caramel that result are nicely integrated and the finish juicily sustained. It promises to be worth following for several more years. Part of the Ste. Michelle family, Walla Walla-based Northstar has been focused for two decades on showcasing Merlot. “There’s still not a lot of top-quality Merlot to play with,” notes winemaker David Merfeld apropos options to source this grape from Walla Walla vineyards other than his estate. That the fashion for Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhone varieties to which this shortage testifies shortchanges Merlot’s Washington potential, is clearly a matter of faith at Ste. Michelle, which has in recent years planted more, including on Northstar’s home property, whose first vines went in just over a decade ago at the time that their imposing production facilities were being built. “I’m proud to be known as Mr. Merlot,” quips Merfeld – a protegee of Jed Steele, whose vision (along with that of Alan Shoup) was behind the origination of Northstar – “and I’m glad we stayed the course” even when this grape’s sheer ubiquity threatened to undermine the project of producing world class wine from it. Fruit sources for Northstar remain diverse, and their range of bottlings has expanded to include many non-Merlots. Active fermentation here is generally not longer than a week, and may finish in barrel depending on the lot. I had the opportunity to barrel-taste several components from the extremely late-harvested 2011 season, finding sap and energetic promise, though in some instances also the seeds of potential sweet-tart bifurcation. Tel. (509) 525-6100