Wine Ratings

wines

More gamy, bloody and meaty than the Sur Echalas Vineyard Syrah, the 2012 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard is a full-bodied, elegant, concentrated and structured effort that gives up complex notes of savory dark fruits, beef blood, dried herbs, pepper and olives. It’s another incredible Syrah that needs short-term cellaring, but will have two decades of evolution.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPAn aromatic tour de force, this perfumed wine offers hypnotic notes of flowers, green olive, asparagus, sea breeze, mineral, peat, smoke flowers and an earthy funk, showing layers of complexity. The palate’s lithe frame belies the richness of the smoke, fire pit and grilled meat flavors that linger.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WESupple and expressive, with plum and currant flavors and stony overtones combining with hints of black olive and white pepper, adding depth to a distinctive profile on a medium-weight frame that punches above its weight. The deft balance plays against nubby tannins. Drink now through 2025. 463 cases made. Wine Spectator | 95 WS(14.1% alcohol; as with the Echalas Vineyard, the Tribe is cultivated with draft horses): Dark ruby. Aromas of black cherry, liquefied lamb tartare, paprika and black licorice, plus a note of medicinal reserve. Hugely sweet and concentrated but carrying a good bit of unabsorbed CO2 and showing less finesse today than the Cayuse Syrah bottlings from the 2012 vintage. Inky and primary, with strong underlying minerality. This is distinctly Brune while the Echalas Syrah is more Blonde. Finishes with substantial ripe tannins and a slight bitter edge that will require cellaring.Vinous Media | 93+ VM

Dark, robust and juicy in the glass, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is still firm with generous oak essence on the nose with elements of Chambord, plum reduction and blackberry jus. Full-bodied, the palate offers a juicy, fruit-forward expression with an intense weight and volume for Cabernet, which evolves to show elevated alcohol across the mid-palate. The wine continues to offer a hedonistic and pleasurable expression and shows the first signs of the wine going from young, vibrant and juicy to matured, tertiary and elegant. I would drink this over the next few months or keep it in the cellar for another four years before opening.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPA classic wine from this estate, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon gives up tons of lead pencil shavings, toasted bread, sweet black currants, and graphite in a pedal-to-the-metal, rich, locked and loaded style. Possessing no hard edges, full-bodied, richness, no weight and a killer finish, this tour de force in Washington State Cabernet will drink brilliantly for another two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDPolished, focused and generous, with red plum and cherry flavors in an elegant package, framed with fine tannins. A savory, meaty note runs through this at a subterranean level. Lingers beautifully. Drink now through 2028. 4,125 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS(15.2% alcohol): Bright, deep, dark ruby. Penetrating aromas of dark berries, violet, minerals and fruity tropical dark chocolate. Boasts outstanding intensity without any rough edges, showing superb thrust and grip to its youthfully powerful flavors of blueberry, minerals and spices. Finishes with huge tannins that dust the front teeth without coming off as dry. The pH here is around 4.0, according to Paul Golitzin, but this spectacular young Cabernet boasts plenty of energy and is likely to be long-lived.Vinous Media | 95+ VMAll Cabernet from Champoux, Klipsun, Palengat and Wallula vineyards, this wine offers aromas of blackberry, incense, blueberry, pencil lead and barrel spices. On the palate, it’s tightly wound with black fruit flavors and a firm backbone of tannins. The oak is primary right now. It needs extended time in the cellar to show itself fully, and will be best from 2022–2030.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE