Washington is blessed with a seemingly infinite number of excellent family wineries. As I wrote last year, Dusted Valley has been upping their game in producing a more consistent range of wines. Simply put, I have not had one of their wines that I scored under 90 points in the past several years. It takes a lot of work to reach that level of consistency. These are wines that you want to sit with, whether you are dissecting their aromatic or flavor range, or simply enjoying their hedonistic qualities. I reviewed these wines last night and one thing I came back to was the level of consistency in terms of mouthfeel, texture, and flavor profiles. These are wines that show really good varietal character.
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. I absolutely loved the 2016 Dusted Valley ‘Columbia Valley’ Malbec (WWB, 92) which has wonderful varietal typicity with its rich dark fruits and chocolate tones. The best wine I tried was their 2017 Dusted Valley ‘Tall Tales’ Syrah (WWB, 93) which is sourced from the famed Stoney Vine Vineyard. I absolutely love the range of this wine as the texture also really impresses. Learn more about these beautiful new wines at https://www.dustedvalley.com Here are the great new wines by Dusted Valley.
2017 Dusted Valley ‘Wallywood’ Red Wine- The 2017 ‘Wallywood’ Red Wine is a blend of largely Mourvedre (70%) with 25% Syrah and 5% Petit Sirah. The aromatics really entice as black tea, black olive tapenade and shades of blackberry cobbler all combine with the earthy and smoky tones. The palate is soft and generous, showing off rich black fruit flavors that mingle with chocolate and the wonderfully soft texture. Drink 2019-2025- 91
2016 Dusted Valley ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon by Dusted Valley is a terrific effort from this warm vintage in the Columbia Valley. On the nose this immediately appeals with its rich blackberry and black cherry with pipe tobacco aromas that all take their shape in the glass. The palate shows rich dark fruit flavors with the lovely earthy undertones. Moderately tannic, if enjoying in its youth be sure to give this burly Cabernet Sauvignon at least a one hour decant. Drink 2019-2025- 91
2016 Dusted Valley ‘Columbia Valley’ Malbec- A glass-staining purple color, the 2016 Malbec has a touch of Petit Verdot (5%) blended in. Menthol and black cherry with shades of tar aromatics all combine nicely on the nose. The palate has a soft texture that mingles with the rich dark fruit favors with dark chocolate shavings and suggestions of sagebrush on the palate. Fantastic in its youth, this will cellar well for at least another decade. Drink 2019-2029- 92
2016 Dusted Valley ‘BFM Dionysus Vineyard’ Merlot- The ‘BFM’ is sourced from 40 year old vines in the Dionysus Vineyard. Showing off its deep hue in the glass, the ‘BFM’ opens with intense black tea, black olive tapenade, and Turkish coffee aromatics that all mingle together in the glass. The palate is plush, delivering a soft and inviting texture. Soft tannins line rich red and dark fruits with cocoa powder and sagebrush flavors. This is seriously good now and will continue to evolve well for at least another fifteen years. Drink 2019-2032- 92
2017 Dusted Valley ‘Tall Tales’ Syrah- Sourced from the esteemed ‘Stoney Vine Vineyard’ in the Walla Walla Rocks AVA, the 2017 ‘Tall Tales’ Syrah begins with lovely stony undertones that mingle with the green olive tapenade, bacon fat, cigar ash and clove aromatics that all marvelously combine in the glass. The texture imparted is seriously good as is the flavor range from Satsuma orange zest to ripe red cherry to shades of Umami, bulls blood and sweet pipe tobacco. Delicious now, this will continue to evolve well over the next eight to ten years — but why wait? Drink 2019-2026- 93