2015 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate

Offering up aromas of cassis, menthol, loamy soil and cherries, the 2015 Chaleur Estate is medium to full-bodied, rich and chewy, with a nice core of fruit but rather assertive, chewy tannins that might equally easily be derived from barrel or seeds. I suspect this will always be rather firm and tannic, but I wouldn't bet against it mellowing with time. It's a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

While I always think of the Harrison Hill release as the Margaux in the lineup, the Chaleur is much more Pauillac/Saint Julien in style. The 2015 Chaleur Estate checks in as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. It’s a full-bodied, deep, concentrated effort that offers terrific cassis and black cherry fruits, graphite, scorched earth, licorice, and crushed rock-like minerality. Like all the 2015s from Delille, it has an elegant, pure, focused style and is beautifully balanced. Owner/Winemaker Chris Upchurch compared the 2015s from Washington State to the 2009s from Bordeaux, and given the sweltering heat in 2015, I understand the comparison. However, the 2015s come across as more focused and classic in style, in part, I suspect to the vines shutting down throughout the summer and I think the true phenolics actually lag the 2012s, 2014s, and 2016s. These wines are concentrated, have notable purity, and building tannin. They’re going to benefit from short-term cellaring. As usual, I tasted the barrel samples during my visit at the estate and the bottled wines at my office in Colorado.