Two weeks ago, I went to Woodinville to taste some wines from wineries I had never tried. One of these wineries was Refuge & Prospect. I immediately fell in love with their wines. I liked them so much that I was there again this week to ensure that my impressions were not a fluke. Upon tasting them a second time, I was not disappointed. These wines were simply fantastic and I cannot recommend them enough. In each visit, I tasted their seven wines. My favorites were their only white wine, As Above, and their Cabernet Franc, Hallowed Ground. Below are some tasting notes and impressions for each wine:
2008 As Above – This wine is 80% Chardonnay, 16% Sauvignon Blanc, and 4% Viognier from the Yakima Valley. According to the winemaker, Jason Baldwin, the wine was originally too acidic. The acidity has subsided to give way to what is, in my opinion, one of the best white wines that I have had from Washington State. I have tasted this wine four times over the last two weeks and every time I am amazed. On the nose, this wine is quite aromatic. Initially, I get a lot of freshness, maybe some steely components, some grassiness, some green apples or maybe slightly sweet citrus, and some peach. The palate is quite similar to the nose. In particular, I got crispiness, peaches, apples, and some tropical fruits after some exposure to air. I also noted some slight floral components and maybe some apricots (Viognier). The acidity is also still quite noticeable and the wine will likely age for another few years beautifully. Sadly, I believe that there is very little of this wine left (if any). If you can find some, do not hesitate to buy it. (Price paid: 16$ or 10$ by the case)
2008 Seeing Red – I did not write any notes for this wine. The impression that I remember having is that this was a good introductory red wine that should go quite well with food. (Price: 14$ or 10$ by the case)
2010 Into the Void – This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc from Weinbau and Dineen Vineyards. Again, I unfortunately did not write any notes for this wine. I believe that the price for this was 25$. Although I did not write notes, this was a very beautiful wine especially when you consider the price.
2012 Ver Sacrum – This wine is a rosé of Cabernet Franc from Two Blondes Vineyard. My initial reaction to this wine was one of surprise. The nose is very peculiar. It was not something that I was used to. Perhaps I need to try more Cabernet Franc rosé. The nose was dominated by what I could only describe as dry hay. Perhaps if I left this wine open for a while it would give way to more fruit but in the tasting room, dry hay is mostly all I got. I could also smell (albeit very faintly) some red fruits (strawberry?), some dried herbs (cannot put my finger on what herb exactly though), and some slight floral notes. The palate was very similar to the nose in that it was dominated by some dry straw or hay. Overall, this was the wine that I least enjoyed during the whole tasting experience. (Price 16$)
2012 Hallowed Ground – This wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Malbec from the Two Blondes Vineyard and was aged for 17 months in 25% new French oak. Much like As Above, this wine was a beauty! On the nose I immediately got some fruit. First impressions were blackcurrant, although I think that after a while in the glass, these evolve into cherries. The wine has a tad of greenness (as we would expect from Cab Franc) with some minerality (maybe pencil shavings). There was also a very slight hint of vanilla. The tannins were soft and there was a good amount of acidity. Similar to the nose, on the palate I got a good amount of dark fruit (not excessively so though). There is also a slight minerality that comes through. Overall, this was a great wine that I would not hesitate to buy. This was my favorite red wine of the tasting. (Price 36$)
2012 Mortal Remains - This wine is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Malbec, and 5% Cabernet Franc from the Two Blondes Vineyard and was aged for 17 months in 80% new French oak. On the nose you can immediately tell that this wine has had more new oak than the others because you are hit with more vanilla than the other wines (though it is not overbearing). I also got some cassis and it was more prominent than in the Hallowed Ground. It also had a bit of a cigar box/tobacco/cedar component to it. On the palate, the kind of smokiness that I describe in the nose comes through. You also get some crème de cassis. The tannins are very present and so the wine could benefit from a few years in the cellar. The finish was a little shorter than I would have hoped (medium). This wine is not as intense on the palate as it is on the nose. Overall this was a very good wine. (Price 38$)
2012 Dark Arts - This wine is a blend of 54% Merlot, 19% Malbec, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Cabernet Franc from the Two Blondes and Connor Lee Vineyards and was aged for 17 months in 40% new French oak. The nose for this wine was not as intoxicating as for some of the others. Perhaps it needed more air to fully develop. On the nose I could detect some nuts, some plums, and a slight floral element (violets?). The palate was similar to the nose and I could not detect much more. The tannins were present but not overly so. The length was medium. Overall, I think that this wine is not ready and will greatly benefit from additional time in the bottle before trying again. (Price 42$)
2008 As Above – This wine is 80% Chardonnay, 16% Sauvignon Blanc, and 4% Viognier from the Yakima Valley. According to the winemaker, Jason Baldwin, the wine was originally too acidic. The acidity has subsided to give way to what is, in my opinion, one of the best white wines that I have had from Washington State. I have tasted this wine four times over the last two weeks and every time I am amazed. On the nose, this wine is quite aromatic. Initially, I get a lot of freshness, maybe some steely components, some grassiness, some green apples or maybe slightly sweet citrus, and some peach. The palate is quite similar to the nose. In particular, I got crispiness, peaches, apples, and some tropical fruits after some exposure to air. I also noted some slight floral components and maybe some apricots (Viognier). The acidity is also still quite noticeable and the wine will likely age for another few years beautifully. Sadly, I believe that there is very little of this wine left (if any). If you can find some, do not hesitate to buy it. (Price paid: 16$ or 10$ by the case)
2008 Seeing Red – I did not write any notes for this wine. The impression that I remember having is that this was a good introductory red wine that should go quite well with food. (Price: 14$ or 10$ by the case)
2010 Into the Void – This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc from Weinbau and Dineen Vineyards. Again, I unfortunately did not write any notes for this wine. I believe that the price for this was 25$. Although I did not write notes, this was a very beautiful wine especially when you consider the price.
2012 Ver Sacrum – This wine is a rosé of Cabernet Franc from Two Blondes Vineyard. My initial reaction to this wine was one of surprise. The nose is very peculiar. It was not something that I was used to. Perhaps I need to try more Cabernet Franc rosé. The nose was dominated by what I could only describe as dry hay. Perhaps if I left this wine open for a while it would give way to more fruit but in the tasting room, dry hay is mostly all I got. I could also smell (albeit very faintly) some red fruits (strawberry?), some dried herbs (cannot put my finger on what herb exactly though), and some slight floral notes. The palate was very similar to the nose in that it was dominated by some dry straw or hay. Overall, this was the wine that I least enjoyed during the whole tasting experience. (Price 16$)
2012 Hallowed Ground – This wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Malbec from the Two Blondes Vineyard and was aged for 17 months in 25% new French oak. Much like As Above, this wine was a beauty! On the nose I immediately got some fruit. First impressions were blackcurrant, although I think that after a while in the glass, these evolve into cherries. The wine has a tad of greenness (as we would expect from Cab Franc) with some minerality (maybe pencil shavings). There was also a very slight hint of vanilla. The tannins were soft and there was a good amount of acidity. Similar to the nose, on the palate I got a good amount of dark fruit (not excessively so though). There is also a slight minerality that comes through. Overall, this was a great wine that I would not hesitate to buy. This was my favorite red wine of the tasting. (Price 36$)
2012 Mortal Remains - This wine is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Malbec, and 5% Cabernet Franc from the Two Blondes Vineyard and was aged for 17 months in 80% new French oak. On the nose you can immediately tell that this wine has had more new oak than the others because you are hit with more vanilla than the other wines (though it is not overbearing). I also got some cassis and it was more prominent than in the Hallowed Ground. It also had a bit of a cigar box/tobacco/cedar component to it. On the palate, the kind of smokiness that I describe in the nose comes through. You also get some crème de cassis. The tannins are very present and so the wine could benefit from a few years in the cellar. The finish was a little shorter than I would have hoped (medium). This wine is not as intense on the palate as it is on the nose. Overall this was a very good wine. (Price 38$)
2012 Dark Arts - This wine is a blend of 54% Merlot, 19% Malbec, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Cabernet Franc from the Two Blondes and Connor Lee Vineyards and was aged for 17 months in 40% new French oak. The nose for this wine was not as intoxicating as for some of the others. Perhaps it needed more air to fully develop. On the nose I could detect some nuts, some plums, and a slight floral element (violets?). The palate was similar to the nose and I could not detect much more. The tannins were present but not overly so. The length was medium. Overall, I think that this wine is not ready and will greatly benefit from additional time in the bottle before trying again. (Price 42$)