2014 Andrew Will Red Champoux Vineyard
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Tasting notes
A little more fresh and lively than the Ciel du Cheval, the 2014 Champoux has sensational purity in its lifted bouquet of cassis, black raspberries, violets and spring flowers. There's a touch of graphite that develops with time in the glass, and the wine has fine, polished tannin and an elegant, silky texture. It doesn't have the heft of the Ciel du Cheval but shines for its purity and elegance. I was able to taste both the 2014s and 2015s from Vashon Island-based Andrew Will, which is run by Chris Camarda. As always, Chris releases two appellation blends (Esploso and Sorella) and a bevy of single vineyard blends from some of the top sites in Washington State (Champoux, Ciel du Cheval, Mays’ Discovery, and Two Blondes. Readers looking for classic, age-worthy Bordeaux blends from the United States can’t go wrong here and these wines continue to fly too far under the radar. Give these a try!
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
More fresh and lively than the Ciel du Cheval, the 2014 Champoux Vineyard has sensational purity in its lifted bouquet of cassis, black raspberries, violets and spring flowers. There's a touch of graphite that develops with time in the glass; it has fine, polished tannin and an elegant, silky texture. It doesn't have the heft of the Ciel du Cheval but shines for its purity and elegance.
Bright ruby-red. Slightly porty, high-toned aromas of black cherry, dark raspberry, mocha and licorice. Plush, tactile and deep; hints of superripe fruit are enlivened by a mineral quality and supported by serious firm tannins that spread out horizontally to saturate the palate. This boasts a very fine-grained texture and good energy and structure but needs time to unwind and to absorb its finishing acidity. Quite long. Still, I'm not wild about the suggestion of nutty superripeness.