In years past, when America wanted to put its best up against the greats of Bordeaux, the first (and often last) stop was the Napa Valley. Not anymore. These days, Washington State demands inclusion in that conversation.
The Columbia Valley is hardly an outlier but a region that has proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that it can do “Bordeaux” varieties as well as anyone. The problem, oftentimes, is pricing: There’s lots of beautifully polished, expressive red wine out there, but in Napa Valley especially, you’re going to pay for it. That’s why Buty’s “Conner Lee Vineyard” Merlot-Cabernet Franc blend made such a huge impression on the SommSelect team: You simply don’t find wines of this magnitude for $42 very often. As in Napa, we expect great concentration and voluptuous texture from Washington State Bordeaux Blends, and this one checks both boxes, incorporating Merlot and Cabernet Franc from a historic vineyard on the famed Wahluke Slope—one of the Grand Crus of the Columbia Valley. As the weather starts to cool, the timing is perfect for this bottle, and it’s ready to go. Let’s pull some corks!
Nina Buty founded her namesake winery in Walla Walla in 2000, enlisting the help of legendary consulting winemaker Zelma Long and her husband, viticulturist Phil Freese. In addition to Buty’s estate vineyard in Walla Walla, called “Rockgarden” (which Freese helped plant in the early aughts), Buty has developed strong relationships with top growers throughout Washington State, including Josh Lawrence and Tom Merkle, the new owners of the “Conner Lee Vineyard” on the Columbia Valley’s famed Wahluke Slope. This is one of Washington State’s true heirloom vineyards, first planted in the early 1980s and currently supplying fruit to more than 60 wineries statewide. Situated at about 1,100 feet elevation in soils of sandy loam—the Wahluke Slope being a large deposit of marine sediments from the Missoula Floods of the Pleistocene Era—this 150-acre site is rightly celebrated for its “Bordeaux” varieties above all else. As stated right on the front label, today’s wine is comprised of 59% Merlot and 41% Cabernet Franc, giving it a decidedly “Right Bank” personality.
The gentle slope and full southern exposure of the Conner Lee Vineyard, combined with its well-draining sandy soils, enables both the Merlot and Cabernet Franc to reach perfect ripeness without becoming overblown. It’s an almost desert-like environment, with large diurnal temperature shifts that help to preserve acidity in the grapes. Today’s 2016 is silky, deeply concentrated, and ready to drink, without feeling unduly heavy or sweet. In the glass, it’s a deep, not-quite-opaque ruby-purple moving to magenta at the rim, with a heady nose of black plum, currants, blueberry, cranberry, mocha, coffee grounds, dusty earth, and a hint of bay leaf. Full-bodied and silky-smooth, it delivers a subtle note of toffee and vanilla on the finish from aging in a mix of new and used French oak barrels from the Taransaud cooperage. Unlike a lot of wines in this genre, the goal here doesn’t seem to be sheer mass but rather a well-modulated balance of richness and drinkability. Rather than construct it to be a “show wine” designed to garner huge scores from the critics, Buty and team crafted it to be a wine of pleasure—one you can enjoy drinking both now and 10+ years from now. Decant it about 30 minutes before serving in large Bordeaux stems at 60 degrees, and be sure to pair it with some food; while it is no shrinking violet, neither will it show its best as a “cocktail wine” to be sipped on its own. Try the attached braised short ribs recipe to bring out the best in this bottle—there are lots of complementary flavors to work with here! Enjoy!
