1 • 2005 Woodward Canyon Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon, $79
Columbia Valley, Washington
We often think of ourselves as California’s wine-growing baby brother, but this cab—made with fruit from 36-year-old Champoux vineyard—proves we’re no longer the new kid in town.
Taste Flavors of anise, black cherry, and cassis.
Sip tip Drink on your birthday in 2020, and enjoy flavors and scents that have emerged in both you and the wine.
Cellar life 15+
2 • 2004 Eyrie Reserve Pinot Noir, $60
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Eyrie’s David “Papa Pinot” Lett was Oregon’s first grower to plant notoriously finicky pinot noir grapes.
Taste Layer upon layer of light spices and ripe red cherries.
Sip tip Uncork it in nine years, to toast 50 years of Oregon-grown pinots.
Cellar life 10+
3 • 2004 Cristom Vineyards Signature Cuvée Pinot Noir, $100
Willamette Valley, Oregon
The Signature Cuvée spends two years on oak yet still expresses pinot’s ethereal delicacy in the glass.
Taste Berry flavors, firm acidity, and light, near-feminine tannins.
Sip tip When your preteen son comes of age, use this wine to teach him what a varietally correct pinot tastes like.
Cellar life 10+
4 • 2006 Leonetti Cellars Merlot, $65
Columbia Valley, Washington
Leonetti makes the case for Washington merlots with this thoroughly modern bottle.
Taste Rich tannins, firm acidity, pure essence of herbs and plum, and perfectly integrated oak flavors.
Sip tip By your 10th wedding anniversary in 2018, this blend will have grown as complex as your relationship.
Cellar life 10+
5 • 2005 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Cabernet Sauvignon–Merlot, $72
Yakima Valley, Washington
Here’s a wine that gives Bordeaux’s best bottles a run for their money.
Taste Plush textures, concentrated ripe black cherry flavors, lurking layers of complexity, and fine-grained tannins.
Sip tip In two, maybe three decades, uncork this bottle to christen your new summerhouse on the moon (we can’t guarantee it will survive the trip).
Cellar life 15+
6 • 2006 Brick House Les Dijonnais Pinot Noir, $49
Ribbon Ridge, Oregon
Brick House owner Doug Tunnell left a job as a CBS foreign correspondent in the Middle East for a more relaxing existence along Ribbon Ridge, where he grows some of the Northwest’s best organic and biodynamic grapes.
Taste Multiple layers of rich, red raspberry flavors.
Sip tip While this wine will mature with age, its flavors already linger much longer than most Oregon pinots.
Cellar life 10+
7 • 2005 Leonetti Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon–Petit Verdot–Merlot, $125
Walla Walla, Washington
In the 1980s, founder Gary Figgins made Leonetti one of the best Northwest wineries, and it has only gotten better since son Chris took the reins.
Taste Ripe fruit flavors: plums, blackberries, and blueberries.
Sip tip Pour Dad a glass on Father’s Day 2015; this wine will age nicely in the cellar.
Cellar life 10+
8 • 2006 St. Innocent White Rose Vineyard Pinot Noir, $48
Dundee Hills, Oregon
It takes a skilled winemaker like St. Innocent’s Mark Vlossak (not to mention the perfect amount of oak and very ripe fruit) to create a bottle as stunning as this one.
Taste Red berries and floral scents.
Sip tip Open when you’re cooking up a rich dish, like mushroom lasagna or lamb chops.
Cellar life 10+
9 • 2005 Betz Père de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon–Merlot-Malbec–Petit Verdot, $55
Columbia Valley, Washington
The “père” in question is vintner Bob Betz, whose disciplined approach to raising and fermenting grapes is reflected in every sip.
Taste Concentrated flavors of lightly spiced black currant, soft rich tannins, and that penetrating plushness that defines Washington reds.
Sip tip Take a tip from ever-patient Bob Betz and hold off a few years. This wine was built for the cellar.
Cellar life 15+
10 • 2006 Argyle Spirithouse Pinot Noir, $70
Dundee Hills, Oregon
Insiders call former Texan Rollin Soles “Oregon’s hardest-working winemaker”—taste the fruits of his labor in this extremely light-colored pinot.
Taste Full, long flavors; heavy palate.
Sip tip Stick to drinking low-calorie red wines and you won’t gain nearly as much weight as this pinot’s palate will over the next four to five years.
Cellar life 15+
Published: September 2008
