A Walla Walla mainstay that was first created in 2000, Buty’s strong lineup of wines continue to impress. A visit to their Walla Walla airport area tasting room impressed. Winery owner Nina Buty is a fellow Whitman grad and has taken 100% of the controlling ownership of Buty. Being a mother and a winery owner is not an easy task, but based on my recent tasting Nina is performing exceptionally well. The range of my scores given to the wines were 92-94, which is exceptionally rare for all of a winery’s releases to fall in that range. The biggest wine was a compelling blend from the rocks area, the 2012 ‘Redviva of the Stones.’ This impressive bottling was rich and viscous with great terroir, Walla Walla rocks character and minerality. The white wines from Buty also impressed, as they typically do each year. Bordeaux style white wines are sometimes difficult to masterfully craft in Washington, but Buty makes one of the state’s best in their ‘White.’ The wine is smooth and has a wonderful range of fruit and secondary flavors. A major theme with the Buty offerings is the terroir and structure. These wines have the structure to pair beautifully with a variety of foods. It is no surprise that many Buty bottlings are being poured at great Seattle area restaurants, as I have noticed an increase of these wines on top wine lists in the past five years. Check these great wines out at great Northwest wine shops like Esquin and Met Market, as well as Total Wines. #buty
2014 Buty White- This Bordeaux style white wine begins with aromas of gardenia, lemongrass and pear. There is a lithe texture and mouthfeel to this smooth blend. This silky wine has flavors of cut grass, Meyer lemon and pear. This delicious blend is hard to resist right now. The structure suggests this will have a long life. Drink 2016-2025- 92
2014 Buty ‘Conor Lee Vineyard’ Chardonnay- This rich and viscous Chard begins with aromas of pear, golden delicious apple and oak. There is a rich and silky mouthfeel, leading to flavors of brioche, Japanese pear and minerals. Simply delicious wine that is one of the best of its kind in the state. Drink 2016-2023- 93
2013 Buty ‘Conor Lee Vineyard’ Merlot/Cabernet Franc- This wine is a blend of 61% Merlot with the rest Cabernet Franc. This has rich aromas of sagebrush, dill, red cherry and blackberry. This leads to flavors reminiscent of red cherry, anise, dill, and raspberry in this feminine style red wine. There is a wonderful structure here. Drink 2015-2025- 93
2013 Buty ‘Rockgarden Estate’ – This wine is a blend of 75% Mouvedre and the rest Syrah and Grenache, coming from their Rockgarden vineyard. This begins with aromas of gravel, red cherry and smoked meats with white pepper. There are flavors of red cherry, smoked meats, wet stone and cranberry in this lithe and mineral driven red. Drink 2015-2025- 92
2012 Buty ‘Columbia Valley Redviva’- This wine is a blend of 84% Cabernet with the rest Syrah. They mentioned that this is the highest percentage of Cab ever used in the blend. The wine has aromas of milk chocolate, black cherry and black olive. This leads to flavors of blackberry, mocha and anise. This is dense and delicious juice that is hard to resist right now. Drink 2015-2025- 93
2012 Buty ‘Redviva of the Stones’- This fascinating blend is comprised of 79% Syrah, 13% Cabernet and the rest Mouvedre. The wine has aroms of green olive, black pepper, smoked meats and blackberry. This leads to delicious flavors of wet stone, anise, blueberry and blackberry. There is a silky mouthfeel and a long finish. What a wonderful bottling. Drink 2015-2025- 94