Needs time to soften up its somewhat aggressive tannins, but it has structure in spades. The aromas are pure varietal—violets and red fruits—and the fruit flavors are young and tart, suggesting watermelon, strawberry and wild raspberry. The tannins are ripe but still a bit sharp, and there is a classic finish of roasted coffee that seems more from the grape than the barrels. The purest possible expression of Cabernet Franc from an exceptional site.——P.G.(5/1/2009)—— 89

This retains just a hint of green to the finish, but it more than compensates by being single vineyard, single varietal—the most pure and true expression of terroir. There is no place to hide in such a wine, and this is stripped naked. The fruit leans to tart blueberry, wrapped in leaf and a bit of stem; tannins are chewy and the finish is light but complex, showing soy, smoke, tar and leaf.——P.G.(3/1/2008)—— 89

Pure Cab Franc entirely from Walla Walla Valley fruit; in fact this is the winery’s only Walla Walla Valley wine of the vintage. It’s a good effort under the difficult growing conditions of the vintage, in which all the estate fruit was from secondary buds. Flavors of bell pepper, toast and coffee dominate; this will benefit from a year or two more in bottle. ——P.G.(3/1/2007)—— 87