Our 11th Year !

$51

2007

Bel Canto Red Mtn. Cara Mia Vyd. Proprietary Blend (1.5 L)

$51

VM 94 (12/2009): (62% cabernet franc, 31% merlot and 7% petit verdot) Good full red with ruby highlights. Knockout nose combines sappy black cherry, redcurrant, black tea, mocha and rose petal. Wonderfully intense but light on its feet, with enticing floral lift and outstanding verve to the red berry and brown spice flavors. Quite horizontal on the back but without any impression of weight. Finishes with very refined tannins and lovely lavender lift and persistence. A great showing-and all the more remarkable considering that Ben Smith and Gaye McNutt's vineyard on Red Mountain was only planted in 2004. There are any number of powerhouse Bordeaux blends being made in Washington today, but very few wines with this degree of class. Stephen Tanzer.

2008

Signed Bottle

$100

WA 91 (12/2012): The 2008 Cara Mia Vineyard Bel Canto – with 25% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot blended into its Cabernet Franc – features mint chocolate, cassis, and an alluring amalgam of Chenin-like quince and flowers on a silken palate, finishing with soothing persistence if not quite the complexity or mineral dimension of the couple of best Cadence releases I tasted. Still, this is very pure-fruited; lovely in its gentle way; yet possessed of subtly vibratory energy, and might well acquire additional complexity over the next half dozen or so years.

2009

Bel Canto Red Mtn. Cara Mia Vyd. Proprietary Blend (1.5 L)

$100

VM 94 (12/2011): (80% cabernet franc, 10% merlot and 10% petit verdot): Bright ruby-red. Highly aromatic nose offers black fruits, licorice, bitter chocolate and Christmas spices. Then almost shockingly velvety on the palate, with an insinuating sweetness to the deep black fruit and violet flavors. Finishes spicy, violety and very long, with broad, building tannins that saturate the entire mouth. These wines are awfully impressive in the context of the vintage and seem set for a slow and graceful evolution in bottle. Stephen Tanzer.

2010

Bel Canto Red Mtn. Cara Mia Vyd. Proprietary Blend (1.5 L)

$55

VM 94 (12/2012): (77% cabernet franc, 15% merlot and 8% petit verdot): Good medium red. Stunning high-pitched perfume of strawberry, cherry, rose petal and pepper. Then dense, round, thick and seamless, with highly concentrated flavors of red berries, flowers and spices. Manages to be wonderfully silky and taut at the same time, thick yet weightless from start to very long finish. This wonderfully perfumed wine displays even sweeter tannins than the Ciel du Cheval bottling. It may not be quite as velvety as the outstanding 2009 version but it offers great aromatic character and energy and is a superb reflection of its cooler year. I look forward to revisiting this beauty in six or seven years. Stephen Tanzer.

2010

$100

2011

Bel Canto Red Mtn. Cara Mia Vyd. Proprietary Blend (1.5 L)

$100

VM 94+ (12/2014): (84% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 8% petit verdot; this and the Camerata were aged in 50% new French oak): Bright ruby-red. Exhilarating floral lift to the aromas of redcurrant and nutty oak; very Cabernet Franc. Perfectly integrated acidity energizes this somewhat muscular yet ultimately very suave wine, with the redcurrant and cherry flavors complicated by flowers, dusty dried herbs and minerals. Great subtle density here. Finishes with outstanding length and lift, harmonious smooth tannins, and a building sweetness to its floral perfume. This remarkably classy cab franc-based wine should evolve gracefully over the next 10 to 15 years. Stephen Tanzer.

2012

$59

WA 95 (6/2015): I think the most approachable in the lineup, the 2012 Bel Canto has a complex, perfumed style in its dried flowers, dried spices, vanilla and black cherry and black raspberry-like fruit profile. A blend of 84% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot that spent 20 months in 50% new French oak, it’s full-bodied, concentrated and structured on the palate, yet has perfect balance and a great texture. Few in the US are doing Cabernet Franc better this, and I suspect it will hold nicely for 15-20 years.

2013

$59

WA 93+ (6/2016): One of the reserve wines from Ben Smith, the 2013 Bel Canto is a fabulous blend of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Merlot that saw just under two years in 50% new French oak. It shows the lengthy elevage on the bouquet with a spicy, ripe, incense, dried flowers and currants driven style that shows a hint of evolution at first, yet continues to gain freshness and purity with time in the glass. This gives way to a complex, layered red that has fabulous mid-palate depth, building, ripe tannin and a big finish. Even with the slightly evolved style, this beauty will age gracefully. Give bottles 3-4 years and plan on drinking through 2030.

2014

Bel Canto Red Mtn. Cara Mia Vyd. Proprietary Blend (1.5 L)

$40

WA 96 (6/2018): The 2014 Bel Canto is also showing very well indeed with a few years of bottle age, opening in the decanter and glass with notes of cassis, cigar wrapper, loamy soil, pencil shavings and black truffle. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and deep, with beautifully suave structuring tannins and a deep core of concentrated fruit. The finish is long, complex and finely delineated. While this elegant, Bordelais-styled blend is already drinking well, I suspect it still has two decades of life and evolution ahead of it.

2014

$119

2006

$55

VM 91 (12/2008): (94% cabernet sauvignon and 6% cabernet franc) Initially withdrawn nose reveals musky plum, dark cherry and herbs with aeration. Lush in texture, with a silky sweetness; boasts good juicy acidity yet comes off as a tad chunky today. Perhaps best today on the rising finish, which shows a penetrating quality. Entirely from the three-year-old Cara Mia estate vineyard and not showing the depth or complexity of a wine from older vines. Stephen Tanzer.

2007

Camerata Cara Mia Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon (1.5 L)

$55

VM 92+ (12/2009): (85% cabernet sauvignon with 5% each cab franc, merlot and petit verdot; aged in 50% new barriques, mostly Taransaud) Good deep red-ruby color. Cassis, black cherry, licorice and mint on the nose, with a lavender topnote. Plush, layered and sweet, with dense but vibrant flavors of brambly berries and graphite and attractive floral lift. Very cabernet, and in need of at least a couple of years to absorb its slightly dusty, serious tannins. The crop level here was below 2.2 tons per acre, according to winemaker/co-owner Ben Smith. Stephen Tanzer.

2008

Signed Bottle

$110

VM 93 (3/2023): The 2008 Camerata Cara Mia Vineyard lifts from the glass with an intense burst of medicinal cherry and cloves balanced to a hint of animal musk and a lifting whiff of mint. It's seamlessly silky and refined, casting notes of dried cherries and plums across the palate while taking on pleasant inner earth tones toward the close. The 2008 leaves adolescent tannins to linger, along with blackberries and mentholated herbal tones that keep the style wildly fresh. What a beauty this is today, and still slowly climbing to maturity. (Drink between 2023-2030) Eric Guido.

2009

Camerata Cara Mia Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon (1.5 L)

$110

VM 92+ (12/2011): (73% cabernet sauvignon and 9% each cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot): Bright ruby-red. Claret-like aromas of currant, red cherry, flowers, minerals, licorice, cola and menthol. Juicy, spicy and pliant, with a silky texture and a medicinal reserve to the crushed cassis and spicecake flavors. Finishes with serious but sweet tannins and a wave of fruit. I might have guessed Saint-Julien in a blind tasting. Stephen Tanzer.

2010

$40

WA 93 (6/2023): Ben’s Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend from his estate vineyard, the 2010 Camerata Cara Mia Vineyard, checks in at 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and then equal parts Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Perfumed and complex aromatically, with plenty of blackberry, blueberry, violets and resinous herb qualities on the nose, it is beautifully constructed on the palate with a layered, rich texture, juicy acidity and ripe tannin that emerges on the finish. While the most structured and firm of Ben’s 2010s, it still dishes out plenty of pleasure even now. Enjoy bottles over the coming decade. Drink now-2024.

2012

Camerata Cara Mia Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon (1.5 L)

$55

WA 95 (6/2015): Sensational stuff, the 2012 Camerata (91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc) is big, burly effort that offers classic Red Mountain structure and depth. Giving up lots of black cherry, crushed rocks, dried violets and graphite, it is savory, powerful and concentrated on the palate. It needs 4-5 years of cellaring and will hold for two decades after that.

2012

$110

2013

$55

WA 94 (6/2016): A significantly different blend from the 2012, which was over 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2013 Camerata checks in as 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot, which like the Bel Canto spent 23 months in 50% new French oak. Possessing a fabulous bouquet of black currants, toasted spice, licorice and wild herbs, this full-bodied 2013 is concentrated, incredibly elegant and textured, with ripe tannin and a balanced, layered style that will evolve gracefully. It should be at its best from 2020-2033.

2014

Ciel du Cheval Vyd. Proprietary Blend (1.5 L)

$55

WA 94 (6/2017): I loved the 2014 Camerata, and this Red Mountain blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc is a blockbuster that readers should snatch up. Mulled currants, baking spice, dried earth and dried flower notes all emerge from this full-bodied, gorgeously pure and seamless red that has building tannin and a great, great finish. Give bottles 2-3 years of cellaring and enjoy over the following two decades.

2008

Signed Bottle

$80

VM 93+ (12/2010): (38% cabernet franc, 33% cabernet sauvignon, 17% petit verdot and 12% merlot) Bright medium-deep red. Cherry, raspberry, licorice and flowers on the nose, plus a hint of tobacco leaf; lightly medicinal in a Cheval Blanc way. Then juicy, pure and tightly wound, with superb depth of bright red berry and floral flavors supported by firm acidity and solid tannic structure. Plenty of density and sweetness here but also energetic and light on its feet. Spreads out impressively on the back end, with the tannins reaching the incisors. Seems tighter than the 2007 version at a similar stage and really calls for five years of cellaring, even if it could be enjoyed today with food. Proprietor/winemaker Ben Smith describes 2008 as "a compressed harvest and a structured vintage for us." He normally picks on the early side (the pH here is 3.68) but notes that this wine is just over 14% alcohol. These are some of Washington's most Bordeaux-like wines, and Cadence is now firmly in the top tier of the state's producers: recent vintages have brought sweeter fruit and greater density of material without any loss of structure or verve. Stephen Tanzer.

2014

Ciel du Cheval Vyd. Proprietary Blend

$35

WA 94 (6/2018): The 2014 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard offers up attractive aromas of cigar box, cassis fruit, loamy soil and espresso roast. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, with a juicy core of fruit and powdery structuring tannins that still need some time in the cellar to resolve. Beautifully balanced and incipiently complex, this should evolve for a long time to come. It's a blend of 33% Cabernet Franc, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot.

2008

Signed Bottle

$80

VM 92+ (12/2010): (50% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 20% cabernet franc) Good bright deep red. Wild, soil-driven aromas of cinnamon spice, fresh herbs, red licorice, iodine and sage. Then quite backward and firm in the mouth owing to its strong acid/tannin spine. The 2007 Tapteil was sweeter and silkier at the same stage, but this wine's subtle intensity, complexity and claret-like structure suggest it will ultimately merit an even higher score. Today the finish is a bit less sweet and the tannins less refined than the 2007 Ciel du Cheval. Stephen Tanzer.

2010

$80

VM 93+ (12/2012): (64% cabernet sauvignon, 22% cabernet franc and 14% merlot): Saturated, bright full red. A bit redder on the nose than the Ciel du Cheval bottling, with notes of raspberry and strawberry syrup accented by dusty minerality. Then fatter, richer and more powerful in the mouth, showing more breadth and texture than the Ciel but not quite the same floral cut. Concentrated red fruit and spice flavors are joined by earth tones on the long finish, which features strong, building tannins. Stephen Tanzer.

2011

$80

WA 94 (6/2014): More ripe, layered and textured, the 2011 Tapteil Vineyard is knockout stuff. Showing impressive black and blue fruits, wild herbs, underbrush and hints of flowers, it is full-bodied, concentrated and has plenty of sweet tannin and integrated acidity. Enjoy this beauty anytime over the coming decade or more.

2012

$80

VM 93+ (11/2015): Bright ruby-red. Red berries, cocoa powder and licorice on the nose. Tightly wound and youthfully imploded, conveying an impression of density without weight. Dark fruit and mineral flavors show terrific lift but are extremely backward in the early going. "Drink this with a big steak or hold it for four years," suggests Ben Smith, adding that the 1999 Tapteil is great right now. Finishes with a firm tannic spine and outstanding subtle length and lift. This wine was aged in 40% new oak and was racked a total of just three times. Incidentally, I also got an early look at the 2013 Tapteil, and that impressively intense wine may need even longer aging than the '12, due in part to its higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. (Drink between 2019-2029) Stephen Tanzer.

2014