2003 De Lille Cellars Harrison Hill
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Tasting notes
Another baking hot year, the 2003 Harrison Hill is surprisingly elegant and finesse-driven and doesn't show any of the hallmark traits of a hot year. Made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and a splash of Petit Verdot, this medium to full-bodied, polished and impeccably balanced effort has classic Bordeaux-like characteristics of black currants, licorice, tons of peppery spice and graphite. Drink it over the coming decade.
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Pierre Rovani
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(a Bordeaux blend that comes almost entirely from a single Yakima Valley vineyard that assistant winemaker Chris Peterson says is the second oldest in the state after Otis Vineyard) Aromas of redcurrant, mulberry, cherry, cured tobacco, herbs and underbrush. Round on entry, then ripe, nuanced and quite dry in the middle, with a restraint to the red fruit and mineral flavors. This is a bit dominated today by its firm spine, and yet there's no hardness here. The pH of this wine (3.75 in '03) is always lower than that of the Chaleur Estate bottling, notes Peterson.
Waxy blackberries are found in the aromatic profile of the top-flight 2003 Harrison Hill. As with the 2002 Harrison Hill as well as the 2003 and 2002 Chaleur Estate reds (give or take one percentage point here or there), this is an assemblage of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. A sensual, complex wine marrying power and elegance, it reveals a satin-textured, medium to full-bodied core of spicy blackberries. Rich, supple (yet structured for aging), and bursting with flavor, this effort also boasts an immensely long, fruit-filled finish. Projected maturity: now-2022. Tel. (425) 489-0544; www.delillecellars.com