One of the great wineries on the south side of the Walla Walla Valley, Va Piano, or ‘go slowly’ in Italian, was started by Walla Walla native Justin Wylie. Va Piano has the luxury of sourcing from some of the top vineyards in the state including the DuBrul, Stoney Vine, and Les Collines Vineyards. Justin’s first first commercial crush in the fall of 2003 and soon later Va Piano was born. He has seen the valley grow and his winery production has expanded considerably as well.
Justin is down to earth and a downright awesome guy to chat wine with. His new wines were beautiful across the board, all coming from the 2017 vintage which saw slightly more moderate weather but still goes down as a warm vintage in Washington, particularly compared to the most recent 2019 vintage. His 2017 Va Piano ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Syrah (WWB, 92) has wonderful depth and smoky tones, with a soft mouthfeel. This is seriously good stuff for the price. The best wine I tried was the scintillating 2017 Va Piano ‘Stoney Vine Vineyard’ Syrah (WWB, 94) which showing amazing range and elegance from this very special vineyard in the Walla Walla Rocks AVA. Learn more about these fantastic wines at http://www.vapianovineyards.com Here are the great new release wines by Va Piano.
2017 Va Piano ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Syrah- Smoky and savory tones round out this expressive nose. The palate is medium to full-bodied and shows wonderful earthy elegance with a deep core of red and dark fruits. The long finish lingers as this seriously good Syrah will cellar well for the next seven to ten years. Drink 2020-2027- 92
2017 Va Piano Cabernet Sauvignon- This shows off beautiful sagebrush and black licorice tones on the nose. The palate has medium tannins with a wonderfully ripe core of blackberry cobbler, mocha and tar flavors. The texture is soft and generous, making this beautiful wine truly sing. If enjoying in its youth, be sure to give it an hour in the decanter for the tannins to soften. Drink 2020-2030- 91
2017 Va Piano ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Deeply perfumed once in the glass, the 2017 Va Piano ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon shows off a rich core of dark fruits with suggestions of mocha and damp earth tones that all mingle on the bouquet. The palate has a wonderful sense of elegance and verve, with a silky texture. Fantastic to enjoy in its youth, this great new Cabernet Sauvignon will cellar well for a decade or more. Drink 2020-2032- 92
2017 Va Piano ‘Uniti’ Red Wine- A Right Bank style of wine made by the talented Justin Wylie, the 2017 ‘Uniti’ shows lovely sagebrush and red bell pepper tones that mingle with the ripe dark fruits on this expressive nose. The palate is silky smooth, reveling in medium to full-bodied red and dark fruit flavors with black tea and milk chocolate undertones. This is seriously good in its youth and will continue to evolve well for a decade or more. Drink 2020-2032- 92
2017 Va Piano ‘Stoney Vine Vineyard’ Syrah- One of the great vineyards in the Walla Walla Rocks AVA, the Stoney Vine Vineyard sells fruit to some of the state’s most esteemed wineries. Right away you are captivated with the Umami tones that mingle with bulls blood, green olive tapenade and red cherry candy aromatics that all meld together in the glass. The seamless texture of the wine truly entices as bright red fruits and citrus rind tones meld with shades of horse manure, green olives and exotic spices. Absolutely sensational right now, the 2017 ‘Stoney Vine Vineyard’ Syrah will cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2020-2030- 94
2017 Va Piano ‘Les Collines Vineyard’ Syrah- The 2017 Va Piano ‘Les Collines Vineyard’ Syrah is a gorgeous effort by the talented Justin Wylie. The nose shows great aromatic range from shades of white pepper and sagebrush that combine with the bright red and dark fruits. The palate has wonderful freshness and verve, with a soft, generous mouthfeel. With marvelous length, the finish lingers exceedingly long on the tongue. Drink 2020-2030- 93
2017 Va Piano ‘Eritage Vineyard’ Syrah- It is only fitting that Justin Wylie make wine from one of his investments in the Walla Walla Valley, the Eritage Vineyard, which is not so far from downtown Walla Walla amongst miles of wheat fields. The nose shows generous dark fruits that mingle with the lovely spicy and earthy undertones. Soft and generous, a deep core of red and dark fruits greet you on the palate, with very light tannins and a slight veil of salinity. Gorgeous now, the 2017 ‘Eritage Vineyard’ Syrah will have a long life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2030- 92
2017 Va Piano ‘Portteus Vineyard’ Syrah- Dense, and decadent, the 2017 Va Piano ‘Portteus Vineyard’ Syrah is an impressive effort. A deep core of red and dark fruits mingle with sagebrush and chocolate fudge flavors on the palate. Mineral-driven, and showing ample finesse, the 2017 Va Piano ‘Portteus Vineyard’ Syrah will cellar well for the next decade. Drink 2020-2027- 92
2017 Va Piano ‘DuBrul Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Winemaker Justin Wylie is one of the few people who can source from this esteemed vineyard in the Yakima Valley. A rich core of black cherry cordial and black tea mingle together aromatically with sagebrush and thyme undertones. The palate is almost weightless and highly elegant with medium tannins and medium to full-bodied dark fruit flavors that mingle with the lovely chocolate and spicy undertones. Generous and showing great length, the 2017 Va Piano ‘DuBrul Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon will have a long life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2033- 93
2017 Va Piano ‘Scooteney Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This Red Mountain AVA Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon shows intense graphite and Turkish coffee aromatics that meld with the ripe wild blackberry cordial tones on this expressive nose. The palate has good freshness and richness with full-bodied blackberry and black cherry flavors with espresso bean and sagebrush accents. Seriously good now, the 2017 Va Piano ‘Scooteney Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon will cellar well for decades. Drink 2020-2033- 93
2017 Va Piano ‘Rosebud Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Located on the Wahluke Slope, the Rosebud Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon opens with tar and mocha tones that mingle with the ripe blackberry compote and damp earth undertones that take shape in the glass. Rich and layered, with light tannins, the blackberry cobbler, mocha, creosote and anise flavors all come together marvelously in the glass. Generous, with great length, the 2017 Va Piano ‘Rosebudl Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon will cellar well for the next fifteen years. Drink 2020-2033- 93