The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley is dark ruby-colored with a lovely perfume of pain grille, scorched earth, red currants, black currants, and blackberry liqueur. This is followed by a medium-bodied wine with a broad core of ripe, layered fruit, and good integration of oak, tannin, and acidity. It narrows out just a bit in the finish. Give it 3-4 years to round out and drink it through 2030. Tel. (509) 525-6502; www.pepperbridgewinery.com

Tight, elegant and showing less of the Merlot’s broad, up front fruit flavor, but it’s very well structured. The winery’s barrel regimen adds a lot of coffee grounds and dark chocolate. In a riper year such as this, the vineyard loses the herbal character; here the fruit is tight and acidic, clean and tasting of ripe berry and plum.——P.G.(5/1/2007)—— 91