Round Table: Walla Walla, Pt. 2

Among all the wines we brought back from Walla Walla, there were just a few Merlots, but boy were they worth talking about. Keep checking back, because in Part 3 of this Round Table, we’ll take a look at Cabernet Sauvignon, and in Part 4, we’ll look at the many Syrah’s Walla Walla wineries are turning out.

The Merlots

Pepper Bridge Winery
2006 Merlot
92% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc
Walla Walla Valley
$50

From the nose to the palate, the Pepper Bridge Merlot is like the freckle-faced adolescent girl who suddenly stuns the schoolyard boys at her own debutante ball. On the nose, the Merlot brings red rope licorice, sandy mineral notes and a heat worthy of a day on the beach building sandcastles. On the palate, though, it proves to be silky, sexy and confident—trading flip-flops and a pail for high heels and a rhinestone encrusted clutch. With dark fruits and spice, and a mysterious intensity, this PYT (pretty young thing) is sure to be turning heads for a long time to come.

James Leigh Cellars
Spofford Station 2004 Merlot
Walla Walla Valley
$40

On the nose, the Spofford Station Merlot by JLC Cellars recalls a well-worn overstuffed chair in a mahogany lined library. That funk that comes from a lived-in room, worn carpets, dust on picture frames and stories imbedded in the walls. On the palate, it offers a rich juiciness up front, followed by stemmy notes like bitters in cocktails. Pull a book off the shelf, put on your smoking jacket, settle in to that faithful chair, and imbibe.

Basel Cellars Estate Winery
2006 Estate Merlot
Walla Walla Valley
$28

The Estate Merlot offers an exotically complex nose of fennel, anise, lavender and cocoa. On the palate, it doesn’t disappoint. With layer after layer of dark fruits, spices and a finish of baker’s chocolate, it’s as entertaining as it is tasty. While still bit tannic on the finish, this wine will settle down and integrate over time, bringing all of its varied characteristics and experiences into a cohesive philosophical manifesto as it reaches maturity. Like James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, drinking the Basel Merlot now will give you an even greater appreciation for what this wine will become.