2016 Andrew Will Red Blend Two Blondes Vyd Yakima Valley Washington

JD95 Another finest to date is the 2016 Two Blondes Vineyard, which is 60% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Malbec, all aged 18 months in 25% new barrels. This full-bodied, incredibly elegant red offers a great perfume of leafy herbs, tobacco, dark earth, and cassis. It shows remarkable purity and elegance (the hallmark of the vintage), a terrific mid-palate, and a great finish. This is a sensational Yakima Valley Bordeaux blend that needs 3-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for two decades.
Estate Notes: This has a higher percentage of Merlot then typical in this blend because it was a great vintage for this varietal. When we create this blend, we do not have a set formula, we are looking for the wine that best shows off the vineyard for that vintage. Merlot is an early ripening grape and when the conditions and timing are right, you can get ample phenolic ripeness while maintaining freshness and elegance. Even though this was a warm vintage, Two Blondes is a cooler site, and this blend shows off this terroir in comparison to our other blends from warmer sites. The 2016 Vintage in Washington State started out quick during the spring, but in early June the weather returned to normal and thus lead to a start date of September 12th for picking. Harvest continued until October 25th with Cabernet Sauvignon from Two Blondes vineyard coming in. Right away we saw the high potential of the fruit and how this vintage would end up being another great vintage for us.
60% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec. Aged 18 months (25% New French Oak, 75% Neutral French Oak). 582 cases produced