Last night I ran through the great new Dusted Valley lineup with fellow Washington Wine Blog editor, Dr. Stephen Lee. My goal was to try two new release Washington wine lineups and compare notes on wines from each winery. One thing was apparent — the Dusted Valley wines were consistently better than the other winery in terms of tension, viscosity, mouthfeel and range. Not only were they better, each wine in the lineup scored 1-3 points higher, so in some cases they were considerably better. Dusted Valley have cemented themselves as a serious, consistently good producer of red and white wines particularly over the past five plus years.
Having been in the Washington wine industry for the past 13 years, Dusted Valley was founded by the Johnson and Braunel families who are originally from Wisconsin and have strong backgrounds in farming. They source from some of the great vineyards in Washington, including the Olsen Vineyard and Stoney Vine Vineyard.
Their new lineup of wines showed beautifully. Dusted Valley is quietly gaining a reputation for fantastic Chardonnay. Their new release, the 2016 Dusted Valley ‘Olsen Vineyard’ Chardonnay (WWB, 91) showed really good tension and a nice mouthfeel, with wonderful butterscotch flavors. I really enjoyed the 2015 Dusted Valley ‘BFM Dionysus Vineyard’ Red Wine (WWB, 92) which is soft and round from the large percentage of Merlot, as the wine shows really good mid-palate viscosity. One of the best Petite Sirah bottlings that I have sampled in the past year is their 2015 Dusted Valley ‘Stone Tree Vineyard’ Petite Sirah (WWB, 93). The wine is a massive beast that shows gobs of dark fruits with chocolate and blueberry tones being quite prominent. This wine is quite simply delicious. Learn more about these great wines at https://www.dustedvalley.com Here are the great new wines by Dusted Valley.
2016 Dusted Valley ‘Olsen Vineyard’’ Chardonnay- The Olsen Vineyard is an esteemed cooler site that grows great Chardonnay in the Yakima Valley. On the nose this turns heads with brioche, Meyer lemon creme brûlée and pineapple accents. The combination of mouthfeel and balance to the wine really impresses. Vanilla cream, butterscotch and Challah bread flavors all collide in the mouth, with good minerality. This has a really good sense of place as I can see this cellaring well over the next eight plus years. Drink 2018-2026- 91
2014 Dusted Valley ‘V.R. Special’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The ‘V.R. Special’ Cabernet Sauvignon has a gorgeous nose with rose petal, brandy soaked cherry, roasted figs and mocha that builds in the glass. The mouthfeel is lovely here as the silky texture coats the mid-palate. Creme de cassis, Turkish coffee, black currant and black cherry cordial flavors show good viscosity. While this is a touch hot, the balance and range is there. Drink 2018-2026- 92
2015 Dusted Valley ‘BFM Dionysus Vineyard’ Red Wine- The ‘BFM’ is a blend of 79% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. This shows off an inky color and begins with aromas of red cherry candy, sagebrush, and cherry tomato. The palate reveals a wonderfully plush mouthfeel. There is a decadent feel to the wine, showing rich black tea, blackberry cobbler, and black cherry flavors. This has the weight to cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Dusted Valley Malbec- This wine has 9% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. The nose has lovely chocolate and white pepper tones with blackberry cobbler shining brightly as well. The texture of this wine is lovely as this reveals black tea, dark chocolate shavings, coffee grounds and blueberry compote flavors. With medium tannins, the Malbec will age gracefully over the next decade. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Dusted Valley ‘Stone Tree Vineyard’ Petite Sirah- The Stone Tree Vineyard is gaining a serious reputation for this unusual varietal. This shows off an extremely deep core and opens with loganberry liquor, dark chocolate cake, and blueberry jelly flavors. The palate is deep, plush and downright seductive. There is not only a great tension in the wine but a thick and viscous voluptuous mouthfeel. While this is heady, the minerality to the wine provides good balance. This would make a monumental glass pour at a great steakhouse. Drink 2018-2030- 93