Sleight of Hand

With Trey Busch at the helm, Sleight of Hand has thrived into one of the outstanding Washington wineries. There are few wineries in the state that produce such a consistently excellent range of wines. I recently caught up with Trey at his SoDo tasting room, located adjacent to Rotie Cellars and we ran through the outstanding new lineup of Washington wines. Trey founded Sleight of Hand in 2007 along with two other partners, Jerry and Sandy Solomon. The winery focuses on both estate and non-estate fruit and has slowly been increasing production since the winery’s inception. Trey (a fellow Pearl Jam fan) is a downright awesome, down to earth guy that has attained great success in a relatively short amount of time. Their production winemaker, Keith Johnson, is highly talented. 

Look for the 2015 Sleight of Hand ‘The Magician’ (WWB, 91) which shows wonderful tension despite the obvious heat of the vintage. Even better is an awesome value, the 2015 Sleight of Hand 'The Conjurer' Red Wine (WWB, 92) which shows wonderful richness and depth. Learn more about this outstanding winery at http://www.sofhcellars.com Here are the great new release wines from Sleight of Hand.

2015 Sleight of Hand ‘The Magician’ Riesling- Sourced from the Evergreen Vineyard, this wine begins with aromatics of Gravenstein apple, nutmeg, and green papaya. The acidity is wonderful and cuts through the mid-palate. Flavors of green apple, white peach and a touch of mango with wet rock impress. Drink 2017-2022- 91

2014 Sleight of Hand ‘Enchanteress’ Chardonnay- Sourced from the French Creek Vineyard, this Wente Clone planting was first planted in 1980. The wine was aged in neutral French oak for 10 months and was aged on the lees. The wine has butterscotch, New York apple and vanilla cream aromatics. The mouthfeel is plush and silky smooth. This shows off vanilla cream, wild mushroom, and Bosc pear flavors that sit alongside some nice acidity. Drink 2017-2027- 92

2015 Sleight of Hand ‘The Conjurer’ Red Wine- Sourced from the Columbia Valley, this wine was aged in 23% new French oak for 11 months prior to bottling. This begins with aromatics of black forest cake, prune and blackberry pie. The wine is downright delicious and displays a ton of ripe red and black fruit flavors that connect with a nice mineral backbone. With a touch of cloves towards the back end, this wine impresses. Drink 2017-2025- 92

2014 Sleiight of Hand ‘Archimage’ Red Wine- The wine was aged in 33% new French oak for 20 months prior to bottling. It is a silky blend of 53% Cabernet Franc and 47% Merlot. This wine begins with aromatics of milk chocolate, black cherry preserves and suggestions of wild blackberry pie. This is lithe while maintaining wonderful mid-palate weight and mouthfeel. There are ripe flavors of milk chocolate, black cherry preserves and suggestions of roasted dates. This has wonderful range and texture as it is another outstanding effort from Sleight of Hand. Drink 2017-2027- 92

2014 Sleight of Hand ‘Illusionist’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The wine is silky blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot. The wine was aged in 350% new French oak for 20 months prior to bottling and is sourced from the Blue Mountain and Phinney Hill Vineyards. This deep colored Cabernet begins with aromas of crushed mint, sagebrush, creme de cassis, mocha and black cherry cough syrup. The plush mouthfeel is gorgeous. This shows off black tea, blackberry pie, milk chocolate and sagebrush flavors that sit alongside some nice tension. Drink 2017-2027- 93

2014 Sleight of Hand ‘Levitation’ Syrah- Sourced from the Lewis, Les Collines and Stony Vine Vineyards, this wine begins with aromatics of horse manure, black tea, mint and suggestions of black olive as the wine shows its savory side. The salinity of the wine is really lovely as this deftly shows off its layers. Green olive, black tea, orange rind, red cherry and black raspberry flavors impress. Mouthwatering acidity finishes this great wine. Drink 2017-2027- 93

2015 Sleight of Hand ‘Levitation’ Syrah- This wine begins with aromas of black tea, blackberry pie and huckleberry sauce. Poised and rich, this shows off blackberry pie, mocha and black tea flavors that sit alongside some wonderful salinity and acidity. This is another outstanding release by Sleight of Hand. Drink 2017-2027- 92

2015 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- This gorgeous Syrah was aged in 30% new French oak for 14 months prior to bottling and underwent 50% whole cluster fermentation. This begins with aromas of peat moss, horse manure, black truffle and suggestions of blood orange rind with red cherry. The flavor range is gorgeous with red cherry, smoked pork shoulder, orange zest, and wet rock flavors that sit alongside some nice tension. Smooth and polished, this delicious effort will cellar well for another decade. Drink 2017-2027- 93