2008 K Vintners Ovide en Cerise Vineyard

The 2008 Ovide en Cerise was sourced from a Cayuse vineyard. The wine is a co-fermented blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Syrah. Toasty oak, violets, Asian spices, and assorted black and blue fruits lead to a full-flavored, complex, plush wine that will continue to blossom for several more years. I met up with Charles at his new wine bar in Walla Walla before we drove out to the winery in his 1949 Cadillac, a picture of which is on the web-site (not the deluxe model like my grandfather used to drive). It is always a highlight of my annual trip to Washington because in addition to the tasting, you get a performance but, after all is said and done, when it comes to making wine, Charles Smith is all business. He knows where the vineyards are, he believes in amazingly low yields, and in the winery he is a non-interventionist. All of the following wines were made with native ferments and were bottled without fining or filtration. Tel. (509) 526-5230; www.kvintners.com