Tasting Canvasback's Red Mountain Reds With Winemaker Brian Rudin
I first met Brian Rudin when he took over the winemaking reins at Middleton Family Wines (Cadaretta and Buried Cane) over a dozen years ago. That followed a steep learning curve that carried him quickly from the completion of the two year wine program at WWCC to a cellar rat position at L'Ecole to production manager at Alder Ridge, and ultimately planted him, beginning in 2014, as lead winemaker for Canvasback, the ambitious Washington project of Napa-based Duckhorn Wine Company.
On more than a few occasions we've had a chance to chat and taste together, most recently this past week when he brought a selection of current Canvasback releases to my home in Waitsburg. It was at the beginning of our meeting, as Rudin was methodically pulling corks and giving them a quick, professional sniff, that a truly remarkable moment occurred. He suddenly stopped, gave a quizzical look at the bottle, and passed the cork to me. Something seemed a little off.
TCA – a corked wine – was my immediate thought, but there was no trace of the telltale musty character that I could detect. Rudin agreed that cork seemed fine. He poured us each a taste of the wine. It too seemed fine to me – a rich, ripe Cabernet Franc. And yet...
After further consideration he grabbed a second bottle, opened it, and poured. "This is the wine I know" he said. He felt that the first bottle was just a little... somehow... not quite right. This fascinated me as I am generally very sensitive to TCA and still couldn't find a trace of it. I went back and forth between the two pours. Maybe I could taste a slight difference (the power of suggestion?) but honestly if I were served bottle number one in a restaurant I'd have given no thought to calling it flawed.
I set the 'corked' bottle aside and the tasting proceeded without further concerns. In fact Canvasback has gone exclusively to Diam corks in the most recent vintages in order to avert any such issues. Two days passed, and as I was retasting the Canvasback reds for the last time I went back to the 'corked' bottle to see if any recognizable trace of TCA had appeared. What I found startled me. The problem with the wine was not in the nose, nor in the mid-palate. It was in the finish, which, compared to the second bottle, was attenuated. It dropped off noticeably, damping the fruit, while the better bottle had a long, luxurious, cascading finish. It had taken three days for the distinction between the two bottles to become obvious.
I've only had that experience once before while tasting young wines with a winemaker. It has convinced me that even at virtually undetectable levels TCA can slightly mute the fruit and finish of a wine. The impact may be so slight that it takes the palate of a winemaker, someone who has tracked that wine from vineyard to vat to barrel to bottle and knows it intimately, to spot it as quickly as Brian had.
The man has an exceptional palate by any standard, and remains incredibly humble about it. But he did acknowledge this in our wide-ranging conversation. "I'm at the midpoint of my career" he explained. "My experience factor is starting to catch up and trump the enthusiasm factor. I can now say to myself 'I have seen this before, learned what not to do and how to do things right'."
Canvasback has been focused from the beginning on making red wines from some of the finest vineyards on Red Mountain. Grapes from Klipsun, Ciel du Cheval and Quintessence are featured, along with Longwinds, the estate vineyard planted just above Col Solare about a decade ago. Total production has climbed to just over 50,000 cases, though the vineyard selects and reserves are more limited.
The Walla Walla facility and tasting room south of town on JB George road only handles about 10% of the total production. The rest is done at rented space at Artifex and Walla Walla Wine Services. Most of what we tasted was from 2019; subsequent vintages (2020 and 2021) produced less wine at greater effort and expense. They were unusually challenging – 2020 due to wildfire smoke, and both from dealing with the restrictions of Covid.
Rudin says he recalls little of the actual crush – a "blackout period" that he attributes to the non-stop, grueling work done while coping with no daycare or school for the kids and a partial quarantine. But tasting the wines now he says "I go back and I think it's some of our best work. I'm really proud of the 2020 wines; it took a lot of work to make a little wine. It was challenging from every level. But it shouldn't matter whatever the vintage challenges are. It's our job to work around them and through them and put out the best wines we can."
The wines we tasted together are current releases from the past four vintages, including a splendid Riesling from the Royal Slope and a Rosé of Syrah that was a revelation. You may purchase them here.
Canvasback 2021 Riesling – This is finished dry but slightly rounded out with a touch of residual sugar. It's sappy, sexy, racy and bright, with a tangy fruit core. The grapes are sourced from the Lawrence and Frenchman Hills vineyards in the Royal Slope AVA. About 60% of the wine was fermented and aged in 600 liter Austrian demi-muids, the rest in stainless. This has lovely layering and depth, with perfect proportions among fruit and acid, tension and breadth. It's finished with a screwcap for freshness and gentle aging. 400 cases; 12.8%; $32 (Royal Slope) 94/100
Canvasback 2022 Rosé of Syrah – It opens with dusty, cinnamon-scented aromas. Sourced from the Resurgent (formerly Wells) vineyard on the South Fork of the Walla Walla river at 1600 feet elevation. Rudin calls it "cool climate Rocks District" as it's a cobbled site whose waters once drained into that AVA. The cool climate means it gets extra hangtime without hitting high brix numbers. A pale copper shade, this delicious rosé expresses a side of Syrah rarely seen. Complex flavors meld white raspberries, blood orange, citrus and spice in a fleshy wine with exceptional depth and power. 420 cases; 12.8%; $34 (Walla Walla Valley) 93/100
Canvasback 2019 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Cabernet Franc – The seductive aromatics and mouthfeel struck me as showing a textural lushness akin to the renowned Rutherford dust. The palate is fleshy and dense, with compact layers of earth, punchy pyrazines, black tea, cedar, cassis, black cherry and peppery tannins. Sourced from a 1998 planting the blend includes 19% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's delicious already, and it should age beautifully for the next 20 years. 14.5%; $74 (Red Mountain) 94/100
Canvasback 2019 Longwinds Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – This estate vineyard was bare ground when first planted in 2014 just to the north of Col Solare. Oftentimes such young vines make more immediately accessible wines. This is built upon refined, almost silty tannins, with a textured mouthfeel. That said, finishing the wine in 91% new French oak means those barrel flavors tend to dominate with notes of char, coffee and clean earth. The fruit is tasty and light – strawberries and raspberries – but somewhat hidden behind the strong flavors from new barrels. This is a wine to drink over the next five years. 14.5%; $74 (Red Mountain) 92/100
Canvasback 2019 Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – The inclusion of 16% Malbec in the blend, winemaker Brian Rudin explains, binds the tannins in short chains which brings a more plush, supple character to the texture. This iconic vineyard, now owned by the Terlato family, is in the midst of a major revision as the old vines, many infected with leafroll virus, are not producing the yields required. This Cab is sourced from some of the oldest remaining blocks that date back to 1989. Though not as tannic as some Klipsun Cabs, it still feels stiff and tight. It's got the classic firmness and acid of Red Mountain reds, with iron and cassis, tobacco and cigar box highlights. 14.5%; $74 (Red Mountain) 93/100
Canvasback 2019 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – Sourced principally from 30-year-old vines, this blends in 9% Merlot – just enough to broaden out the palate a bit and cut through some of the earthy phenolics of pure Cabernet. Elegant and ageworthy, underscored with the power of old vine Red Mountain fruit, this beautifully balanced wine is a long way from its prime, so aerate or cellar for another half decade. 14.5%; $74 (Red Mountain) 94/100
Canvasback 2019 Grand Passage Cabernet Sauvignon – This is entirely sourced from Red Mountain's Quintessence vineyard. A mix of black berry fruits, bay leaf, cedar, a hint of botanicals, it's got good center palate concentration and a long, mouthcoating fade. This young wine is approachable now, but should have a long life ahead. For now it's tight, firm, dense, compact and absolutely classic Red Mountain Cab. With aggressive aeration its true colors show. 14.5%; $88 (Red Mountain) 95/100
Canvasback 2020 Red Heaven Vineyard Syrah – This is Washington Syrah at its finest – dense, granular, textured, deep and loaded with black fruits, black tea and black licorice. It's a potent, powerful wine, with rich, chalky tannins, yet it avoids the overloaded 15+% alcohol that can burn out the finish of some Syrahs. I'd give this a ten year life for prime drinking. 14.5%; $74 (Red Mountain) 94/100
Canvasback 2020 Funk Vineyard Syrah – The Funk vineyard (owned by Saviah's Rich Funk) captures the essence of Oregon's Rocks District AVA in a more elegant style than some of the more notorious sites. The Canvasback tasting room is practically in Saviah's backyard, so this matchup is a shared benefit between good friends. I can't say enough about how good this wine is. Pure Syrah, loaded with ripe black berries, powdery tannins, dusty spices and highlight scents of lavender and violets, it's the sort of wine that just demands attention and brings a smile. Big, bold and beautiful, it should drink nicely over the next decade. 14.5%; $74 (Walla Walla Valley) 96/100
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