2016 K Vintners Vintners Roma River Rock Vintners Vineyard

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Syrah, the 2016 Roma River Rock Vineyard opens with a freshness that allows for the juiciness of the Cabernet to be lifted by the Syrah. The wine is bold and juicy on the palate, with good concentration and showing a touch of oak and chocolate-covered blackberries with notes of tree bark and blackcurrants, finishing long. This wine will drink well for at least a decade. Only 752 cases made.

A ripe dark-berry nose that offers a very rich array of iodine and inky aromas with black-fruit paste and distinctive cabernet leafiness. The palate is very deep and weighty with ripe black-cherry and black-olive flavors, framed in fresh, sappy tannins. A blend of 80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% syrah. Try from 2022.

The 2016 Roma (80/20 Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) has a singular style in its olive, tobacco, baking spice, and chocolate-laced aromas. This carries to a deeply colored wine that has full-bodied richness, beautiful blackcurrant fruit, building richness, and a great finish. It’s an exotic wine from this team to drink over the coming 10-15 years. This is another formidable lineup from Charles Smith and Brennon Leighton, who have recently moved their winemaking facility from Walla Walla to just outside of Seattle. All of the pure Bordeaux variety blends/releases have been moved to the Wine of Substance label (also reviewed in this report), and the K Vintners label is reserved for Rhône variety releases. By and large, these are all not destemmed and brought mostly in neutral puncheons. As I’ve said in the past, these are the real deal and are brilliant wines.