One of the iconic brands in Washington wine, K Vintners was founded by Washington wine pioneer Charles Smith. This larger than life man has received incredible acclaim for his wines over the years created an amazing place to taste his wines in south Seattle in the Georgetown district, his iconic Jet City tasting room, literally next door to Boeing Field. Brennan Leighton and Charles craft some incredible wines for K Vintners. Brennan also produces some amazing wine of his own under his own label, ‘B. Leighton.’
Known for world class Syrah, the superb 2016 K Vintners ‘Royal City’ Syrah landed on my Top 100 last year. The new releases by K Vintners were impressive bottlings. Look for the awesome 2017 K Vintners ‘Rock Garden’ Syrah (WWB, 94) which shows an amazing vein of stony character and seriously good range, with Umami that you love from the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA. Just as good was the scintillating new 2017 K Vintners ‘The Boy’ Grenache (WWB, 94) which has marvelous tension and a pillowy texture. L Learn more about these outstanding new wines https://winesofsubstance.com Here are the great new wines by K Vintners.
2019 K Vintners ‘Phil Lane Vineyard’ Rose- Sourced from the Phil Lane Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley, this Syrah Rose has damp earth tones that combine with smoky minerals and shades of red currants that all build in the glass. The soft texture really entices as layers of guava and red cherry candy mingle with citrus rind and melon tones on the palate. Complex and downright delicious, with a long finish, this gorgeous new release will cellar well for the next seven years, picking up nutty and earthy tones as it cellars. Drink 2020-2025- 92
2017 K Vintners ‘The Boy’ Grenache- The 2017 ‘The Boy’ Grenache is a gorgeous new wine from the talented winemaking team at K Vintners. Intense aromatics greet you, as the range is seriously good from red cherry candy to green olive tapenade with wet stone and guava and orange rind tones on this expressive bouquet. The palate has a silky texture with layers of bright red fruits with shades of wet stone, damp earth, green olive, Umami and white truffle tones. Fresh and beautifully textured, enjoy this great wine over the next seven plus years. Drink 2020-2027- 94
2017 K Vintners ‘Rockgarden Vineyard’ Syrah- Pure terroir, the 2017 ‘Rockgarden Estate’ has shades of Hoisin sauce and Umami tones with green peppercorns and wild blackberry puree on this expressive nose. The palate is plush and shows a voluptuous texture. Layers of black fruits mingle with white pepper, Umami, black truffle shavings and a great sense of salinity. This has a soft, inviting texture and finishes long with shades of blackberry, creosote and minerals. Drink 2020-2027- 94
2017 K Vintners ‘Guido’ Sangiovese- The 2017 ‘Guido’ Sangiovese has nice fresh herbs that mingle with red cherry and cran-orange tones on this expressive nose. The palate has layers of toasty oak that wrap around a core of red fruits with cirrus rind and damp earth undertones. Richly textured, this is delicious wine to be enjoyed over the next seven plus years. Drink 2020-2027- 92
2017 K Vintners ‘The Creator’ Red Wine- A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (75%) with the remainder Syrah, ‘The Creator’ was sourced from the ‘Powerline Vineyard’ which is located south of downtown Walla Walla. The herbal undertones meld nicely with the rich dark fruits and milk chocolate tones on the nose. The palate has good verve and freshness with medium to full bodied red and dark fruits. Beautifully textured, with a light dusting of slainity, this beautiful wine will cellar well for the next ten plus years. Drink 2020-2030- 93