2008 2008 Pedestal

The 2008 release is made up of 81% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it was aged for 22 months in 85% new French oak. It reveals a nose of cedar, Asian spices, incense, cassis, and black currant. Structured and savory on the palate with spicy black fruit flavors, it has the balance to evolve gracefully for 2-3 years and will offer prime drinking from 2013 to 2023.

Good bright ruby-red. Sexy burnished red currant, minerals and flowers on the nose, complicated by chocolate and graphite. Lush, ripe and broad, with layered flavors of cassis, black cherry and licorice. Large-scaled, dense and airy, and not at all overly sweet. Finishes very long, with broad, dusty tannins and excellent structure. This really echoes on the aftertaste. A very successful and sophisticated Washington Merlot made under the direction of Michel Rolland. Perhaps the best vintage to date for this bottling.

Firm in texture, with a moderate grip of tannins surrounding dark berry, black currant and licorice flavors, lingering gently and persistently. One sip demands another.