Sustainably grown and thoughtfully produced. That’s how Washington State’s King Estate Winery makes wine. King’s estate vineyard in Willamette Valley is the largest certified biodynamic vineyard in North America. When King sources from other regions in Washington state, as they have for today’s wine sourced from Walla Walla, they ensure the partner vineyard owners are like-minded with an eye on sustainable viticultural practices.
The 93-point 2013 King Estate North by Northwest Syrah is from the winery’s North by Northwest collection that celebrates the unique characteristics of the Pacific Northwest. First introduced in 2005, the goal of this sub-label is to create unique, high-quality wines with grapes from the best regions of Walla Walla Valley (and Columbia Valley).
Walla Walla is known for producing excellent Syrah. The region’s rocky soils provide the ample heat absorbency Syrah needs to produce a wine with power, structure, and ageability—notice this is 2013. It spent 21 months in 32% new French oak before bottling. Aged for 9 years now, it's at the perfect time to open, and it’s drinking beautifully. 2013 was a good year for the region. This vintage was awarded 92 points by Vinous, stating that the wines show "structure and balance."
Along with its 93 points, Wine Spectator notes the wine is “focused and deftly wrought, with rich pomegranate, plum and blackberry flavors floating over superfine tannins.” Wine Enthusiast is impressed with the wine’s “aromas of vanilla, baking spice, herb, and dark fruit lead to tart, full cranberry, and cherry flavors.”
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