Our 11th Year !

$75

2005

$65

WA 92 (6/2008): The 2005 Feather is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon cuvee made by Randy Dunn of Napa Valley fame. The wine was sourced from three vineyards and aged for 22 months in 90% new French oak. The nose gives up aromas of toasty oak, scorched earth, Asian spices, black currant, and blackberry. Firm and structured on the palate, there are layers of fruit and enough tannin to evolve for another 4-6 years. The wine will be at its best from 2014 to 2030. Long Shadows is the brainchild of Alan Shoup, longtime CEO of Chateau Ste-Michelle. It is a consortium of seven different labels, each with its own star winemaker who has a 25% share in the brand. The concept is that each is dedicated to producing a single Columbia Valley wine representing a ‘best of type’ that reflects the winemaker’s signature style. For the second straight year, every wine in this portfolio has achieved an Outstanding rating. For this, the credit goes to Alan Shoup who put it all together.

2006

$65

WA 93 (10/2009): The 2006 Feather is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon cuvee made by Randy Dunn of Napa Valley fame. The wine was sourced from several prime vineyards and aged for 22 months in new French oak. The nose gives up aromas of toasty oak, scorched earth, Asian spices, black currant, and blackberry. Firm and structured yet elegant on the palate, there are layers of fruit and enough tannin to evolve for another 4-6 years. The wine will be at its best from 2013 to 2026.

2007

$75

WA 93 (8/2010): The 2007 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon (100%) is produced by Randy Dunn. It is a multi-regional blend of Cabernet with the Dionysus and Weinbau Vineyards as the principal sources. It was aged for 22 months in 90% new French oak. Deep purple-colored, it exhibits a classy bouquet of pain grille, pencil lead, earth notes, violets, and black currant. Supple and layered on the palate, it displays enough underlying structure to evolve for 5-6 years. With outstanding volume and grip, it will offer a drinking window extending from 2015 to 2027.

2008

$55

WA 92 (8/2011): The 2008 Feather is a multi-regional 100% Cabernet Sauvignon made by Randy Dunn of Napa Valley renown. Sandalwood, licorice, dark chocolate, Asian spices, and black currant aromas set the stage for a tight, structured, well-balanced wine that requires another 4-5 years to fully unwind. This lengthy effort should see its 20th birthday in peak condition.

2010

Feather Cabernet Sauvignon (1.5 L)

$65

WA 94 (6/2013): Showing the most sweet fruit and oak of the lineup, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Feather is made by Randy Dunn of Dunn Vineyards in Napa Valley. A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that spends 22 months in 100% French oak, it is loaded with sweet black raspberry jam, creme de cassis, charred toast and crushed flower-like nuances that flow to a full-bodied, voluptuously textured Cabernet that builds in tannin and depth with air. Gorgeously pure and seamless, it needs 3-4 years in the cellar and will evolve gracefully for 12-15 years. Drink now-2025.

VM 91+ (11/2013): Good bright ruby. Medicinal, extremely primary aromas of cassis, blueberry and musky dusty spices. Creamy and deep but youthfully closed, showing strong medicinal reserve to the black fruit, licorice and graphite flavors. A painfully backward 2010, very tight and tannic today and in need of extended cellaring. A classic Randy Dunn cabernet. Stephen Tanzer.

2010

$130

2012

Feather Cabernet Sauvignon (1.5 L)

$65

WA 95 (6/2015): Up there with the Pedestal release in term of quality, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Feather is made by Randy Dunn of Dunn Vineyards in Napa Valley. It’s always a 100% Cabernet and in 2012, offers sensational notes of sweet black cherry and cassis fruit, tobacco leaf, graphite and lead pencil shavings. Deep, concentration, rich and tannic, it needs 4-5 years of cellaring, but will evolve nicely through 2032.

VM 93+ (11/2015): (14.4% alcohol; 3.86 pH; winemaker Randy Dunn added back a bit of stems for more structure): Deep ruby-red. Pure, varietally accurate aromas and flavors of cassis, bitter chocolate, violet and dried herbs. Wonderfully smooth, pliant and suave but with terrific penetration too; really fills the mouth with perfume. Spreads out horizontally to saturate the palate, with the huge, building tannins in perfect harmony with the wine's fruit. Splendid tannin management here. Stephen Tanzer.

2018

$135

JD 95 (5/2021): The classic 2018 Feather (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) comes from the Weinbau and Wallula Vineyards and spent 22 months in 90% new French oak. It has a wonderfully pure nose of crème de cassis, new saddle leather, dried flowers, and tobacco that carries to a medium to full-bodied, seamless Cabernet with a wonderful sense of purity, balance, and elegance, all while bringing plenty of fruit and structure. I actually like it today, yet it has enough tannins to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and should be long lived. (Drink between 2023-2038)

2005

$50

WA 94 (6/2008): The 2005 Pedestal features the peripatetic Michel Rolland. His wine is 80% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Cabernet Franc aged for 22 months in 85% new French oak. Deep crimson-colored, it offers an enticing perfume of toasty new oak, pencil lead, spice box, clove, allspice, red currants and black cherry. Seamless on the palate, the wine has gobs of ripe, savory flavors, well-concealed tannin, excellent aging potential, and a long, pure finish. It will provide much pleasure between 2012 and 2025.

VM 91+ (11/2008): Michel Rolland's project, consisting of 80% merlot, 13% cabernet sauvignon and 7% cabernet franc) Bright ruby. Aromas of blackberry, cocoa powder and flowers. Lush, smooth dark fruit flavors are complemented by sexy sweet oak tones. I love this dense, fat wine's restrained sweetness, its almost medicinal reserve, and its slow-mounting finish. Highly concentrated but still youthfully tight today and in need of time to resolve its substantial tannins. Vinification featured a good percentage of whole berries. Stephen Tanzer.

2005

$60

2006

$60

WA 94 (10/2009): The 2006 Pedestal features Michel Rolland who was at Long Shadows on the day of my tasting to do some blending. His wine is 86% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec aged for 22 months in 85% new French oak. Purple-colored, it offers an alluring bouquet of sandalwood, pencil lead, spice box, incense, black currants, and black cherry. Seamless on the palate, this plush wine has layers of ripe, savory flavors, well-concealed tannin, excellent aging potential, and a 60-second finish. It will provide much pleasure between 2013 and 2026.

VM 91 (11/2009): (Michel Rolland's blend, consisting of 86% merlot, 8% cabernet sauvignon, 4% petit verdot and 2% malbec; aged in 85% new oak) Good bright ruby-red. Sweet, creamy aromas of redcurrant and sexy sandalwood. Fat, rich and sweet, with a ripeness verging on overripe. The wine's big tannins initially overwhelmed the merlot character, but this big, broad, distinctly New World wine showed increasing fruit flavor with extended aeration. Finishes with broad, serious tannins that call for patience.

2007

$70

WA 94 (8/2010): The 2007 Pedestal Merlot is the project of Michel Rolland. This latest release is composed of 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot aged for 20 months in 80% new French oak. It reveals a fragrant nose of sandalwood, incense, sage, cinnamon, black cherry, and black currant. Elegant on the palate despite its ample size, it is loaded with succulent fruit set off by enough ripe tannin to support an additional 3-4 years of cellaring. It will deliver prime drinking from 2013 to 2027.

VM 92 (12/2010): (Michel Rolland's wine) Sweet aromas of raspberry, redcurrant and flowers. Plump, ripe and dry, with a pliant, layered texture to the flavors of raspberry, chocolate, tobacco and loam. Very merlot. I like the combination of sweet mid-palate fruit and the classically dry, broad finish.

2008

$60

2009

$60

VM 92 (12/2012): (83% merlot, 12% cabernet sauvignon and 5% malbec): Bright ruby-red. Very ripe aromas of black cherry, melted licorice and minerals. Sweet, ripe and strong, with a distinctly sappy quality to its black cherry and sexy oak flavors. This struck me as more masculine than the 2008 version and every bit as fresh--and in need of longer bottle aging. Finishes classically dry and long, with solid backbone.

2009

Pedestal Merlot (1.5 L)

$125

2010

Pedestal Merlot (1.5 L)

$150

WA 94 (6/2013): A big, rich Merlot that’s made by famed Bordeaux consultant Michel Rolland, the 2010 Merlot Pedestal (81% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon) offers knockout aromas and flavors of creme de cassis, black raspberry, crushed flowers, licorice and big minerality to go with a medium to full-bodied, supple and sexy palate that firms up beautifully on the finish. There’s big fruit here, yet overall, it remains perfectly balanced and has sound underlying tannic structure. Give it 3-4 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following decade or more. Drink now-2020.

2011

Pedestal Merlot (1.5 L)

$125

WA 94 (6/2014): Made by Michel Rolland, the Merlot-dominated 2011 Pedestal incorporates a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and gives up ripe, full-throttle aromas and flavors of plum liqueur, licorice, smoked herbs and hints of background meatiness to go with a full-bodied, up-front, layered and downright sexy feel in the mouth. Showing good concentration and an already delicious style, enjoy bottles over the coming decade or so.

2005

$65

WA 91 (6/2008): The 2005 Pirouette features winemakers Agustin Huneeus and Philippe Melka. It is composed of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 14% Syrah, 5% Malbec, and 4% Cabernet Franc aged for 22 months in 75% new French oak. Saturated purple in color, it offers aromas of wood smoke, earth notes, spice box, plum, black currant, and blueberry. The wine is seamless upon entry but a bit short in the finish. Perhaps a few years of bottle aging will fill it out.

2006

$59

VM 92 (12/2009): ( this joint project of Agustin Huneeus, Sr. and Philippe Melka is a blend of 54% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot, 15% petit verdot, 6% cab franc and 5% syrah) Good deep ruby-red. Very ripe aromas of dark raspberry, mocha and spices, with a sweetness from the Taransaud barrels. Broad and sweet in the mouth: I would have guessed this had some residual sugar but I suspect the wine's glyceral quality is largely due to the fact that much of it was fermented in 400-liter barrels with native yeasts. Finishes with big, chewy tannins that build with air without losing their essential suavity. This wine, as well as the Chester Kidder, spends up to 42 days on its skins. Stephen Tanzer.

2007

Pirouette Red Wine (1.5 L)

$59

WA 93+ (8/2010): The 2007 Pirouette is produced by Agustin Huneeus, Sr. and Philippe Melka. It is a Bordeaux-style blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc with the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec. It was aged in 70% new French oak for 22 months. Medium purple in color, it sports an incipiently complex nose of Asian spices, incense, violets, mineral, black currant, and blackberry. This leads to a medium to full-bodied, mouth-filling wine with ample ripe tannin, excellent balance, and 4-6 years of aging potential. Drink this pleasure-bent offering from 2014 to 2027.

2008

$125

WA 93 (8/2011): The 2008 Pirouette is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc with the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec aged for 22 months in 70% new French oak. The wine was made by Agustin Hunneus, Sr,.and Philippe Melka. It offer slightly sweeter fruit and more complexity than the 100% varietal Dunn offering. Spicy, rich, and nicely proportioned, it will evolve for 2-3 years and provide prime drinking from 2013 to 2023.

2009