I am a big fan of red wines, and I truly enjoy high quality, well made red wines.  A good red wine can improve the rest of your day and a great red wine can change your life.  If you can’t tell, I like red wine. Well, I just tasted a red blend that I must tell you about.

The bottle to which I speak is the 2006 Duck Press Red.  Duck Press Red is produced and bottled for Mackay Restaurants by the fine folks at Alexandria Nicole Cellars.  All great wines start with great vines and you can say that Alexandria Nicole Cellars started in the fall of 1998 when the first vines were planted at their Destiny Ridge Vineyard.  Once Ali and Jared Boyle realized the superior quality fruit being produced by their vineyard they decided to begin work on a winery.  It was not until 2004 when the state-of-the-art winery was constructed that Alexandria Nicole Cellars begin producing small lot, superior quality wines.

Quality

This bold red is sourced from 4 blocks from the Destiny Ridge Vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.  A barrel fermented blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 14% Malbec, 10%, Petit Verdot, this wine spent 4 months sur-lees and then was aged 22 months in new French Oak.

This is a powerful red wine with depth and layers at every step in the tasting experience.  The aromas were a menagerie of leather, chocolate and dark fruit. Tasting the wine brings layers of dark berry fruits like blackberry and blueberry followed by coffee, chocolate and leather.  The long finish concludes with highlights of vanilla with soft tannins that are easy on the palate.

This red blend can stand on its own but it really shines with food.  The Duck Press Red was a perfect complement to our barbecued leg of lamb, and would be an excellent choice with other red meats, wild game and hearty cheeses.

Value

As of this writing, I am sad to say that the Duck Press Red is sold out.  However, if you happen to be in Seattle, Tacoma or Portland the Duck Press Red might still be available in one of the Mackay Restaurants.  Founded in 2000 by Paul Mackay, Mackay Restaurants includes seven successful properties, each based on Paul’s original vision and designed to present guests with a unique, unparalleled service encounter.

That being said, the price of this wine was a nice value at $32.  Given the layered flavors and soft, long finish I would give it a value score of 120.

Final Score – 17:120

Alexandria Nicole Cellars shows us what’s possible from Washington – excellent quality wines that will only get better.  If you can find it, I highly recommend you purchase a bottle.  Cheers!