2015 DeLille Cellars Métier Red
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Tasting notes
Checking in as a blend of 38% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre, with balance mostly Syrah (there’s tiny amount of Cinsault), the 2015 Metier Red Blend sports a ruby, semi-opaque color as well as Southern Rhône like notes of blackberries, peppery herbs, licorice, and earth. It’s medium-bodied, rounded, and textured, with loads of charm. Drink it anytime over the coming 7-8 years. Owner/Winemaker Chris Upchurch compared the 2015s from Washington State to the 2009s from Bordeaux, and given the sweltering heat in 2015, I understand the comparison. However, the 2015s come across as more focused and classic in style, in part, I suspect to the vines shutting down throughout the summer and I think the true phenolics actually lag the 2012s, 2014s, and 2016s. These wines are concentrated, have notable purity, and building tannin. They’re going to benefit from short-term cellaring. As usual, I tasted the barrel samples during my visit at the estate and the bottled wines at my office in Colorado.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Bright, dark red. Brambly red berries, crushed cherry, spices and hints of smoked meat and herbs on the nose. Plush, sappy and utterly seamless, conveying a creaminess of texture to the flavors of dried red berries, cherry and tree bark firmed by underlying minerality. Really terrific flavor intensity here without any heaviness or phenolic roughness. The pH is "3.8 at the most," according to winemaker Chris Upchurch, and the very long finish is lifted by a pungent note of pomegranate.
Released under the Columbia Valley AVA in 2015 due to the inclusion of fruit from the Stone Tree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, the 2015 Metier checks in as a blend of 38% Grenache, 38% Mourvèdre, 21% Syrah and 3% Cinsault. This medium to full-bodied, opulent, sweetly fruited beauty offers up tons of darker berry fruits, licorice and roasted herb-like aromas and flavors. It’s a pleasure-bent beauty geared for drinking over the coming 5-7 years.