One of the great winery projects in Washington, Passing Time has a beautiful story that was many years in the making. More than a decade ago two NFL Quarterbacks, Hall of Famer Dan Marino and Washington Husky legend, Damon Huard, were both playing for the Miami Dolphins. Damon and Dan talked about someday about owning a winery together and they finally made that dream a reality.
Through Marino and Huard would sample top wines of the world together, but they were struck with how many great wines were being made in Washington — for a highly reasonable price. They remained friends and eventually started their winery in Woodinville, with the 2012 vintage being their first wines made. Since that time they have achieved great national acclaim for their wines and I have been impressed with these wines since they were first released.
It was a brilliant idea to hire Chris Peterson to serve as their winemaker, as he is one of the great winemakers in Washington State. Chris was the first graduate of Walla Walla Community College’s Enology and Viticulture program and and spent eight years at DeLille training under eminent winemaker Chris Upchurch. Peterson has crafted some beautiful new wines, none more so than his 2017 Passing Time ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 95) which is a silky wine that has tremendous verve and richness. This is one for the cellar. Even better is their new reserve bottling, the 2017 Passing Time ‘1311 Block’ Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 96) which is amongst the best Cabernet Sauvignons from Washington that I have reviewed over the past year. Learn more about these beautiful wines at http://www.passingtime.com Here are my reviews of the gorgeous new wines by Passing Time.
2017 Passing Time ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2017 Passing Time ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a gorgeous wine that combines fruit sourced from the Seven Hills and Pepper Bridge Vineyards. Needing a one hour decant to fully evolve in the glass, the ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon slowly begins to unveil layers of creme de cassis, mocha, tar and shades of anise that all mingle together in unison. The palate has great freshness and verve, with a silky mouthfeel. While obviously deep and rich, the wine conveys a marvelous sense of elegance, as deep dark fruits collide with minerals, sagebrush and milk chocolate tones on the palate. Highly refined, this fantastic bottling by superstar winemaker Chris Peterson will have a very long life ahead of it. Be sure to give this a long, 1-2 hour decant, if enjoying in its nascent phase. Drink 2021-2040- 94
2017 Passing Time ‘Horse Heaven Hills’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2017 ‘Horse Heaven Hills’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a thrilling blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller portions Merlot (7%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). Right away you are greeted with the fresh sage and milk chocolate tones that connect with the deep core of dark fruits on this expressive nose. The palate is silky smooth, showing a delightful mouthfeel that entices. Black licorice and spice box flavors mingle with suggestions of Black Forest Cake and black olive tapenade, offering a light beam of salinity across the mid-palate. Rich and generous, with a strong acid backbone, this wine delights in its youth and will provide drinking enjoyment for decades to come. Drink 2021-2040- 95
2017 Passing Time ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2017 ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a gorgeous new bottling by Passing Time. Nearly all sourced from the Klipsun and Red Mountain Vineyards, the wine opens with intense exotic spices that meld with shades of black tea, blackberry compote and mocha, with creosote undertones on this beautiful bouquet. Dense, showing light tannins and a soft mouthfeel, the wine unveils layers of dark fruits that collide with tar, damp earth and a wonderful sense of minerality. A complete wine, the ‘Red Mountain’ bottling is showing beautifully now and will continue to evolve for at least two more decades. Be sure to give this at least a one hour decant if enjoying in its youth. Drink 2021-2040- 95
2017 Passing Time ‘Block 1311’ Cabernet Sauvignon- I had the great pleasure to host Damon Huard and Passing Time as part of my Third Annual Critic’s Choice of Washington Event. Towards the end of the event, Damon took me aside and had me try one of his wines blind. I was honestly completely floored by what he poured for me, the 2017 ‘Block 1311’ named after Passing Time founders Dan Marino and Damon Huard. The ‘Block 1311’ is a masterpiece by superstar winemaker Chris Peterson that was sourced from the esteemed Wallula Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills,. Right out of the gate this wine shows incredible finesse, with a seamless quality that gracefully glides across the mid-palate. Generous, with serious length, the wine shows off a massive core of dark fruits with beautiful Asian spice notes, as well as creosote and Turkish coffee tones. Simply stunning in its youth, the ‘1311’ will have an exceedingly long life ahead of it. Drink 2022-2045- 96