This is 75% Cabernet, 20% Merlot and 5% Syrah, all from the flagship estate vineyard. Compare with the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon and the stats are almost identical, so this must be a reserve-level selection from all new barrels. With all that new oak it's loaded with baking spices, thus giving it immediate appeal despite its long term aging potential. The dark fruits are typical from the Double D vineyard, and line up taut and polished alongside sharp, ripe and balancing tannins. This is a beautifully made wine which should be cellared for at least a few more years and could easily go into the mid-2030s. Very limited. 90 cases; 15%; $120 (Columbia Valley)

https://rockypondwinery.orderport.net/product-details/0710/2020-Tumbled-Granite-Red

One of a pair of outstanding entry-level blends from Rocky Pond, this is 54% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Malbec sourced from the estate vineyard. It's all Rocky Reach AVA but carries the more generic Columbia Valley designation. An unusual blend, this deftly amps up the power of the principal Merlot component while keeping the strength and detail of the other two grapes in focus. It's a fruit showcase loaded with black cherries and cassis, backed with the AVA's underlying minerality. The generous use of new French oak (50%) is kept in check while framing the wine perfectly. Given its youth this absolutely must be decanted for near term drinking or cellared for another couple of years. This wine was still drinking very well on the 4th day after first being opened. 550 cases; 14.8%; $46 (Columbia Valley)

https://rockypondwinery.orderport.net/product-details/0707/2020-11-Dams

This classic, stylish Walla Walla Cab is a six Bordeaux grape blend with Petit Verdot and Malbec the most significant non-Cabernet contributors. It's full-bodied and seamless, potently aromatic with dark notes of espresso, char, tobacco and dark chocolate. A half dozen vineyards contributed to the blend, but nine tenths of the wine comes from old blocks of Seven Hills and the McClellan Estate vineyards. Plenty was made so it should be easily found or purchase online. A very well-structured wine with a decade or more of aging potential it was still drinking quite nicely on the 4th day after first being opened. 1800 cases; 14.5%; $30 (Walla Walla)

https://www.sevenhillswinery.com/wines/walla-walla-valley-cabernet/

This luscious Syrah was sourced from Kiona's Ranch at the End of the Road vineyard on Red Mountain. It entices immediately with a rich, fruity fragrance. Loaded with blackberries, black cherries and cassis, this stellar effort adds varietally-specific streaks of bacon fat, espresso and cigar tobacco. The balance and depth are impressive, and suggest that this will develop nicely over the next half decade. 193 cases; 14%; $45 (Red Mountain)

http://www.libertylakewinecellars.com/our-wines

This value blend hits hard and fast with a big burst of herries and mint, vanilla and bourbon tea, tobacco and blueberry pie. The 2018 vintage was good from the start, and the extra bottle age only makes this wine better. The blend is 40% Syrah, 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from unnamed Washington state vineyards (likely Weinbau and Bacchus). Aged 10 months in one quarter new oak, at this price, it's a steal. 6000 cases; 13.5%; $15 (Columbia Valley)

https://kingestate.com/products/2018-next-columbia-valley-red-blend/

Principally Red Mountain Cabernet, with a small addition of Petit Verdot, this firm, polished wine explodes with cassis, dark chocolate, tobacco and a streak of vanilla. It's close to the winery's J|R|G Red in substance and style, but more focused on a purer evocation of Red Mountain Cabernet. The tannins are full and fleshy, ripe and polished, with just a touch of grit. This outstanding red should be decanted for at least an hour before serving. Drink now and through the mid-2030s. 207 cases; 14.2%; $50 (Columbia Valley)

https://www.pamplinfamilywinery.com/2018-cabernet-sauvignon/

It's not unusual to taste a Seven Hills Cab, but here's a slightly different twist from an Oregon winery. Tasting the three Pamplin 2018 Washington reds side-by-side you see a spectrum from a three variety to a two variety to a single variety wine. This is tight, focused, firm and concentrated. Flavors of cherry, cassis, lead pencil and a touch of char are front and center. No new French oak was used; half single use and half neutral barrels, allowing the quality of the defining fruit to be the star. Drink now and through the mid-2030s. 79 cases; 14.2%; $65 (Walla Walla)

https://www.pamplinfamilywinery.com/2018-cabernet-sauvignon-seven-hills-vineyard/

This blended red brings together grapes from a plenitude of Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, Rattlesnake Hills and Walla Walla Valley vineyards. It's principally Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Merlot and Petit Verdot. Though produced by an Oregon winery, it's classic Washington in style and focus. Chewy, chunky flavors of black cherry, cassis, tobacco, graphite and slate combine in a powerful wine that emulates Washington Bordeaux blends selling for considerably higher dollars. Though this is not an expensive wine, it includes grapes from such iconic sites as Klipsun, Seven Hills and Elephant Mountain, afforded extended aging in one quarter new oak. 1024 cases; 14.2%; $40 (Columbia Valley)

https://www.pamplinfamilywinery.com/2018-jrg-red-wine/

The Vireo reserve is 38% Syrah, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Aged 23 months in 70% new French oak, it's a silky, dark-fruited wine. It nicely showcases a Washington strong suit, which is the marrying of Syrah and Cabernet. Black fruits, black tea, tobacco, a hint of mint, espresso and more subtle highlights weave together seamlessly in this wine. Decant for drinking now; age up to a decade. 14.9%; $45 (Columbia Valley)

https://www.gooseridge.com/product/2018-Vireo

The grapes are from the Double River Vineyard once owned by now defunct Basel Cellars. "We were unable to source Viognier so this is 100% Syrah" writes winemaker John Derthick. Which suggests to me that the almost fetishistic co-fermentation of the two grapes which has taken over the hearts and minds of Walla Walla's Syrah winemakers may be a little over the top. This is pure Syrah – rich and loaded with black fruits, along with notes of coffee, chicory, graphite and baker's chocolate. Without the Viognier there is little citrus and none of the bitter phenolics, just lush and delicious fruit. 356 cases; 14.9%; $28 (Walla Walla Valley)

https://lujonwinecellars.com/product/2020-walla-walla-valley-syrah/

Malbec as a varietal wine is an outlier (except in Argentina) but bottles such as this should push it further into the spotlight here in the Northwest. All estate-grown, this is a well-ripened wine that loads the palate with rich flavors of cassis, black cherry, licorice, black tea and cocoa nibs. There's a touch of bourbon barrel and the alcohol is unabashedly high in the best old-school style. A small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon from the original 1975 block is mixed in the final blend.

372 cases; 15.3%; $40 (Red Mountain)

https://kionawine.com/retail

This is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon with a half dozen other varieties filling out the remaining 30%. It's the best of a potent 2018 lineup from Kiona, and it is aimed at showing what is special and particular to Red Mountain reds. This complex wine marries ripe berry/cherry/cassis fruit with smooth tannins dusted with cocoa and coffee grounds. It's ready to go and may be enjoyed immediately; then re-visited over the next five to ten years. Not that it can't age longer, but that's a surefire drinking window.

709 cases; 15%; $65 (Red Mountain)

https://kionawine.com/retail

This top tier reserve blends five Bordeaux grapes. Vineyards unknown. This gets 50% new oak and 22 months in barrel, yet the toasty flavors are already integrating into brambly fruits. There's a tangy snap to the raspberry and black cherry flavors, backed with citrusy flavors of orange and lime. The tannins are proportionate and provide a good landing place as the wine winds down. This will need more cellar time to show its best. NOTE: the website still lists the previous vintage. 15%; $85 (Walla Walla)

https://www.sevenhillswinery.com/wines/pentad/

A Syrah/Cab Franc/Cab Sauv blend, this is a low-cost look at a style often reserved for more expensive Washington reds. It's got ripe, dark fruit and tannin flavors, spiced up with the Syrah, and though still young it's in good drinkable condition. It finishes with some astringency, suggesting a burger as an optimal companion.

200 cases; 14.1%; $25 (Yakima Valley)

https://dineenvineyards.com/collections/our-collection/products/2020-vintners-blend-red-wine