A few years back I wrote that Travis Allen is one of the great up and coming winemakers in Washington State. Based on his track record of past releases, I would say that he has firmly cemented himself as one of the state’s great winemakers. A nurse-anesthetist by trade, Allen has taken the Washington wine scene by storm with his unique, single vineyard bottlings that are made in very small quantities. These wines are highly poised, showing incredible finesse and terroir.
Allen relies on famed Rhone stalwart Yves Gangloff as his consultant. His new wines are nothing short of extraordinary. Years ago when I first met Allen I was immediately intrigued by his confidence and wine knowledge. And my initial intrigue came not only from my background as a wine journalist but as a clinical psychologist. When I tasted these two new white wines I am reminded by what Allen mentioned when we first met. ‘There are too many people doing the same thing in Washington,’ Allen said with conviction. ‘I want to do something different.’ Learn more at https://kobayashiwinery.com Without further adieu, here are my reviews of the nothing short of scintillating new wines by Kobayashi winery.
2019 Kobayashi ‘WeatherEye Vineyard’ Viognier- One of the most exciting spots to grow grapes, located on a high elevation, northern facing site on Red Mountain, the ‘WeatherEye Vineyard’ is carefully maintained by former Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Manager Ryan Johnson. Showing better range at a warmer temperature, right away the layers of honeysuckle and ripe banana offer intrigue, mingling with orange blossom and Japanese pear tones that all take shape in the glass. The palate is beautifully textured as this wine effortlessly glides across the mid-palate. Silky smooth throughout the drinking experience, the 2019 ‘WeatherEye Vineyard’ delivers ripe white peach, salted Macadamia nut, starfruit, vanilla cream and papaya tones, giving this an exotic edge. The weight and finesse is extraordinary here as this beautiful wine is absolutely gorgeous to savor in its youth and will provide drinking enjoyment for another eight to ten years. Drink-2020-2028- 95
2019 Kobayashi ‘Boushey Vineyard’ Marsanne- The 2019 ‘Boushey Vineyard’ Marsanne is nothing short of an insanely good effort by superstar winemaker Travis Allen. Aged in new French Oak as well as used French Acacia wood barrels and needing a one hour decant to be fully expressive, once aroused this takes the lead with layers of lychee and cinnamon infused baked apple tones that combine with roasted pineapple and nutty undertones on this gratifying bouquet. The palate is sinfully good, with a silky texture, rich mouthfeel and bright beam of acidity that provides exquisite balance. Rich buttercream tones combine with damp earth, honeydew melon, Pazazz apple and copious minerals on the palate. While showing plenty of weight, this is extremely light on its feet, this deftly walks the tightrope giving this a very Hermitage Blanc feel. Utterly sensational in its youth, this will cellar well for a decade or more to come. Drink 2020-2030- 96