Even better is the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard, perhaps eastern Washington’s finest site for this varietal. Purple/black in color, it sends up a soaring nose of pain grille, pencil lead, espresso, licorice, violets, black currant, and blackberry. Full-bodied, dense, smooth-textured, layered, and plush, the tannins and oak are totally integrated, and there is at least 7-8 years of aging potential. Give this large-scaled offering 5-7 years of cellaring, and drink it through 2032. All Mike Januik does is make good wine, year after year, without a lot of fanfare or glitz. Tel. (425) 481-5502; www.januikwinery.com

8 This includes grapes from Block One (the 1972 planting) and several other more recent plantings at Champoux; essentially this is pure Cabernet Sauvignon. It smells like a fine Bordeaux, still very young and tight, with well-defined layers of flavor. Black cherry, cassis, lead pencil, smoke and baking spices are tightly stacked and particularly apparent in the aromas. Give this one a decade or more in the cellar; if you are drinking now, decant for at least two hours.——P.G.(2/1/2011)—— 95