Private Tasting: 2006 Washington Red Blends
By Kori ~ February 8th, 2010
Washington State produces many excellent wines from many different grape varieties. There is much debate as to which red wine Washington does best. Some say Syrah, others Merlot, and others red Bordeaux-style blends. Recently, we had what turned out to be a Washington red blends showdown in one of our private tasting dinners pitting the 2006 Saviah Cellars Une Vallee Red Wine against the 2006 Mackay Duck Press Red. We thought both wines were excellent but gave a slight edge to the Saviah Une Vallee. Both wines paired well with Mom’s dinner of mixed green salad, beef tenderloin steaks, baked sweet potatoes, stir-fried broccoli, carrots, and snap peas, and topped off by razzleberry pie with ice cream. For a more complete description of how we set up these private tastings, please refer to How We Taste.
Saviah Cellars (our Best Washington Winery of 2009) is a family-owned winery located south of downtown Walla Walla, Washington, near the Oregon state line. Founded in 2000 by winemaker Rich Funk and his wife Anita, Saviah Cellars currently produces about 9,500 cases per year. The name Saviah is a family name from Anita’s great-grandmother. This classic Left Bank Bordeaux-style red blend is a consistent performer for Saviah Cellars from vintage to vintage.
The Duck Press Red is produced and bottled for Mackay Restaurants by Alexandria Nicole Cellars. Founded in 2004 by winemaker Jarrod Boyle and his wife Ali, Alexandria Nicole Cellars is located on their 243-acre estate vineyard, Destiny Ridge Vineyard, in the Horse Heaven Hills overlooking the Columbia River. They also have tasting rooms in Prosser and Woodinville as well. All of the fruit for the Duck Press Red comes from Destiny Ridge Vineyard. A friend who is a member of Alexandria Nicole’s wine club gave us this wine so we decided to put it into our private tasting lineup against a proven favorite.
This was an excellent tasting. Both wines are also good values that are worth a try if you see them at your local wine shop or restaurant.
2006 Saviah Cellars Une Vallee Red Wine (Walla Walla Valley, Washington): 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. Deep, dark purple in color. Very aromatic with leather and burnt wood aromas. Fruit-forward with red and black fruits and spice coming through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied and lively with medium tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $32
2006 Mackay Duck Press Red (Destiny Ridge Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills, Washington): 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 14% Malbec, and 10% Petit Verdot. Deep, dark purple with aromas of oak, new leather, and vanilla. Black fruit flavors, especially blackberries, dominate the palate. Medium to full-bodied and lively with medium tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $32
Filed under: American Wine, Red Wine, Washington State Wine, Wines Over $25

Wine Peeps is an independent wine blog dedicated to helping you get the most bang for your buck in wine. We do this through blind tastings of wine from around the world and calculations of 


This week’s Wine Word of the Week is frizzante.
When I first saw this book, When the Rivers Ran Red: An Amazing Story of Courage and Triumph in America’s Wine Country, on the shelf of my local Barnes and Noble, I knew I had to buy it, not for the great title, but for the last name of the author, Vivienne Sosnowski. When you have a rather uncommon last name as I do, Sosnowy, Sosnowski seemed like she could be a close relative. Unfortunately, after a little research into the family tree, I don’t believe Ms. Sosnowski is a relative, but her book intrigued me nonetheless.
Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the
One family tradition that has emerged in recent years is to make
I was excited to learn that one of my favorite winemakers, John Duval, was the winemaker for this 1996 Penfolds Grange. John Duval is one of the most famous winemakers in Australia and around the world. He spent 16 years as the chief winemaker for
One of our resolutions for the New Year is to explore more wines from around the world. Since we live in Washington State and often drink wines from Washington State, we want to make sure that we continue to hone our knowledge of the entire world of wine and maintain well-rounded palates in order to make us even more objective when we evaluate wines from Washington State. As a result, we have put together a Wine Peeps Tasting Group which includes what we think is an excellent peer group of knowledgeable wine lovers to taste, share, and learn more about wine together. Unlike our monthly
Tempranillo is not particularly a fruit-driven wine, often showing aromas and flavors of wood and leather up front. Given this flavor profile, Tempranillo wines often seem older than they actually are. Taking its name from the Spanish word “temprano” which means early, Tempranillo tends to ripen early.
For years, I’ve had friends tell me that they can’t find the great Washington State wines that I tell them about where they live. So with the help of
This week’s Wine Word of the Week is enology.
For years we’ve had wine marketing folks trying to dream up the best way to package and present wine: eye-catching labels, heavy bottles, then light bottles in an effort to be more “green,” and different shaped bottles to catch your attention. However, in all of the above, the basic package was still a glass wine bottle. Today, alternative wine packaging is everywhere.









