Winery - Brian Carter Cellars
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The tart acidity of Sangiovese, along with its spicy cranberry, red currant and lean red berry flavors are buttressed with the addition of 27% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah. It tastes very young despite its extended bottle age. Definitely a wine for acid lovers, it rounds out in the mouth with light flavors of hazelnut and mocha.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is the winery’s core Bordeaux blend (“étalon” means “stallion” in French), and it delivers firm, full, even fleshy flavors. All five Bordeaux varieties are included in the blend. A ripe though not quite voluptuous style, it shows the fruit well with a solid presence and nice, firm structure. Polished but still youthful, it takes the new oak in stride and should continue to evolve nicely over the next decade.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The blend is 60-40 Grenache-Syrah, and the name comes from French slang for something that is luxurious, really chic. Sappy, grapy, nicely lifted and vivacious, this is a beautiful mix of fruits in a spectrum from watermelon to strawberry to red plum to raspberry and pie cherry. There’s plenty of acid and just a whiff of pepper from the Syrah.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Compact and chewy, with clearly delineated Bordeaux style and character. Cassis and black cherry fruit; stiff, earthy tannins, good length and fine aging potential. The acids and tannins are in good proportion, and the fruit is not overtaken with new oak, but there is enough (40%) to frame it with some sweet spices.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is an outlier in the Brian Carter lineup of Euro-style blends, a single vineyard, pure varietal Cabernet. As such, it drills down deeply into the character of Washington terroir as captured in a Cab-friendly site, the Stone Tree Vineyard in the heart of the Wahluke Slope AVA. Dark, deep, concentrated, smoky, with tendrils of earth and rock reaching all the way through the tart and tannic finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The extra time has helped to unwrap what must have been an exceedingly compact wine, but it still needs to be decanted and/or cellared further. The black fruits are subservient to the dense, tarry tannins. Everything is ripe, but ripe as fine Bordeaux is ripe, with earth and bark and herb still prominent.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Always a fine value, it’s even better now with a price drop to $15. Ten different grapes are included, yet the wine has focus and style. Black fruits are wrapped in earthy, herbal tannins, with good length and grip. No reason this couldn’t stand up to a grilled flank steak.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Aromatic, rich and dry, this wine was fermented in used Chardonnay barrels and given extended lees contact. This is a creamy, leesy, rich wine, a very stylish blend that captures the citrusy Viognier, the floral Riesling and the rich, ripe, peachy Roussanne.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This Bordeaux blend sends up lovely, mixed scents of perfectly blended fruits, light toast, light herb and earth. The oak is a nice accent to the firm, well-structured core. It’s still youthful and tight, and will require some decanting and breathing time to reveal itself fully. The blend is slightly more than half Cabernet Sauvignon, the rest Merlot, Cab Franc and a splash of Petit Verdot.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This super Tuscan styled Tuttorosso includes 27% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Syrah. It captures the Sangio character, the tangy acids, the plummy fruit, the hints of leaf and fennel, and beefs up the natural thinness of the grape with the Cab and Syrah. So the wine gains some weight and muscle, keeps its balance, and checks in at just 13.7% alcohol. It’s a lovely effort.
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