We’re not quite sure how Walla Walla Vintners pulled it off but this bottle proves beyond a doubt that premium Bordeaux blends and affordability are not mutually exclusive. For $25, few Cab-Merlot combos return such pedigreed results: Top appellation, sustainable vineyards, expensive French oak, long aging, and an extremely modest production makes for one of America’s most luxuriously balanced values. In our blind tasting, We guessed $40 to $50 retail but our jaws plummeted to the floor once the price was revealed. Replace “Walla Walla” with “Napa Valley” and you’re easily paying what we guessed, if not more, and there’s a high probability it wouldn’t outperform today’s exceptional red. The 2020 Red Blend is Merlot (52%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (16%) leads the charge here, with Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec rounding it out. 

In the glass, an opaque dark purple core is revealed with brilliant ruby hues. Powerful aromas start rolling out instantly so no harm, no foul if you choose to forgo a decant. It’s loaded to the brim with huckleberry, black raspberry liqueur, blue fruit, black cherry skin, plum pie, pepper, vanilla bean, mint, baking spice, and tobacco leaf, and the full-bodied palate isn’t short on descriptors either. This ‘18 is incredibly lush and hedonistic, bursting with soft layers of dark berry liqueur that are underpinned by hints of spice and savory earth. Although ridiculously delicious, I guarantee you’ll find more profoundness and complexity than one would think a $25 wine could deliver.