My visit to the Figgins tasting studio was quite nice. Calye, who greeted me, was very nice and ready for my appointment despite my earliness. The tasting starts off with a tour of their facility. The storage facility, which stores wine for Figgins, Doubleback, and Toil (maybe more, I am going off of memory), is located behind the tasting room. The tasting room itself is quite nice but feels more like a corporate boardroom than a tasting room. The tasting is their current release of the Figgins wine. One of the things that I really appreciated about this tasting experience was that the wine was served at the correct temperature. It is much easier to see the true potential/characteristics of a wine when served slightly cooler than room temperature. Hats off to Figgins for making sure that the wine is truly allowed to shine during their tastings. The following are my notes and impressions about this wine:
2011 Figgins Estate Red Wine – 2011 is a year that I really enjoyed for wines throughout Washington State. Since the year was a bit cooler, many of the wines struck what I think was a perfect balance between acidity and fruit. This wine was no exception. There was no doubt in my mind when I first tasted this wine that it was from WA State. However, it does have a lot of the characteristics of a Cabernet from Bordeaux. The color in the glass is deep red (but not quite purple). On the nose, I initially got the spiciness of freshly cracked black pepper, which was quite nice and not overbearing. I also got some crème de cassis (sumptuous), tobacco, a good amount of pencil shavings (minerality – lead), and a touch of savory herbs and dried violets. The palate had similar notes as the nose but with a bit more complexity. In particular, I got a touch of black tea, initially some dark fruits (blackberry, blackcurrants) which evolved into red fruits with some air, and a tiny bit of earth. The wine had medium to high acidity and was medium to full bodied with firm tannins. This wine is very enjoyable now but I will hold on to mine for a little while longer. That being said, if you have a good quantity of these wines in your cellar, with a one-hour decant, they are currently fantastic! For those looking for a score on this wine, I would give it a 93-94.
2011 Figgins Estate Red Wine – 2011 is a year that I really enjoyed for wines throughout Washington State. Since the year was a bit cooler, many of the wines struck what I think was a perfect balance between acidity and fruit. This wine was no exception. There was no doubt in my mind when I first tasted this wine that it was from WA State. However, it does have a lot of the characteristics of a Cabernet from Bordeaux. The color in the glass is deep red (but not quite purple). On the nose, I initially got the spiciness of freshly cracked black pepper, which was quite nice and not overbearing. I also got some crème de cassis (sumptuous), tobacco, a good amount of pencil shavings (minerality – lead), and a touch of savory herbs and dried violets. The palate had similar notes as the nose but with a bit more complexity. In particular, I got a touch of black tea, initially some dark fruits (blackberry, blackcurrants) which evolved into red fruits with some air, and a tiny bit of earth. The wine had medium to high acidity and was medium to full bodied with firm tannins. This wine is very enjoyable now but I will hold on to mine for a little while longer. That being said, if you have a good quantity of these wines in your cellar, with a one-hour decant, they are currently fantastic! For those looking for a score on this wine, I would give it a 93-94.