This is a friendly wine. Immediately appealing, the somewhat confected nose offers up straightforward red licorice characters as well as an intensely Walla Walla character: bright, forward fruit with just a twinge of brambly dust. Over time, some other flavors arise; these remind me somewhat of baked blackberry jam and old leather-bound books.Tannins sneak up immediately upon tasting the wine, however, and come to dominate the finish entirely, setting up an odd dynamic between the fruity plushness and the somewhat inert tannins. Then, suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, nervy acidity rears up to finish it all off, leaving you with a still-puckery mouthful of tannin, harsh acid at the back of the mouth, and yet that same delicious fruitiness sailing on at the front of it all. It’s disjointed as hell, but I have to admit that I like it quite a bit for what it is.After a long weekend in Walla Walla a couple of years back tasting any number of perfectly decent, flawless, boring, expensive wines, this one really stood out for having a sense of character. Is it a great wine? No. But is it itself? Yes, and I’m grateful for that.Sadly, it looks like the winery is no more these days. Roger & Cheryl – thank you for a wonderfully idiosyncratic bottle of wine, and I hope you’re doing well.Bunchgrass Winery
Price: $30
Closure: Cork
Nice note. I really identify with what you’re saying here. The aesthetics of wine remain, in my opinion, poorly articulated. What makes a wine beautiful, or fascinating, or offputting? There’s a powerfully anti-intellectual thread running through a lot of the discussion around wine, but I know you and I know what you’re getting at with this note.
Hey Guys
IMHO Aesthetics in general remain poorly articulated, let alone in wine. This is being addressed well on the Full Pour but I don’t think aesthetics of any kind will open themselves up for our prying mind to any full extent…maybe part of the enjoyment of constantly exploring them?
The “anti-intellectual thing” is hard for me to comment on because you both know eachother well whereas all I have to work with is disembodied text. Sometimes though, maybe I’m guilty of it. When I’m a bit tired or rundown I often think, to hell with attempts to understand, just pour the wine into your mouth and enjoy it 🙂
Have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend, the both of you.
Just found your site while trying to find some info on the Bunchgrass ’03 Cabernet that my wife and I are enjoying.
We are preparing dinner for friends, listening to “Venus and Mars” by McCartney, and thinking it doesn’t get much better than this. Wine is a communal thing, meant to be experienced while enjoying the life in which we lead. If I think too much about the wine, I forget that it is just wine.
We miss the Cockerline’s. They made a hell of wine.