It was exactly two years since I first tasted the Liminal lineup. For those who know me, I am crazy for novel terroir in wines — simply an unabashed terroir junkie. Over the course of two years Liminal have become one of the premier producers of Washington, sourcing all wines from the hallowed ‘WeatherEye Vineyard’ (https://www.weathereyevineyard.com) one of the famed sites in Washington State viticulture. The vineyard itself is perched on the windswept ridgeline of Red Mountain in Washington State and is planted to 30 acres of Rhône, Bordeaux, and Spanish varieties. Quite diverse, the vineyard ranges from 950’ to 1410’ of elevation, and has extreme slopes and soils ranging from dune sand to fractured bedrock basalt. The talented Ryan Johnson serves as vineyard manager, having previously managed the esteemed Ciel du Cheval Vineyard for 15 years. Ryan farms this vineyard meticulously and wines from this site have a very wild appearance from the sagebrush, rabbitbrush and yarrow as well as many other native plants that can be found amongst the vines.
The goal for Liminal was to showcase wines from this special site, utilizing the talents of Chris Peterson. Owners Peterson and Marty Taucher have been very bullish on this site. It was a year ago that I first tasted their Liminal Cabernet Sauvignon out of barrel. I didn’t; score the wine but I was absolutely blown away.
The new wines come from the 2020 vintage which has been one that has shown mixed results throughout Washington. These are amongst the finest wines that I have tasted thus far from this vintage. I am enamored by the dense and beautifully textured 2020 Liminal ‘WeatherEye Vineyard’ Viognier (OB, 95) which will live on for at least another eight years. Don’t sleep on the novel and intense 2020 Liminal ‘WeatherEye Vineyard’ Grenache (OB, 96) which displays a wonderful underlying acidity and mind-bending range, jam-packed with a great core of red and dark fruits. The best wine I tried, which is amongst the finest wines I have tasted from this vintage, the 2018 Liminal ‘Block 47’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 98) borders perfection and is absolutely scintillating in its full-throttle style. Very heady and intense, with a great mineral backbone, this beauty will surely live on for decades.The vision behind these wines is just incredible. Don’t sleep on these beauties. Learn more at https://www.liminalwine.com Here are the beautiful new wines by Liminal Wines.
2020 Liminal ‘WeatherEye Vineyard’ Viognier- The gorgeous and also very generous 2020 Liminal ‘WeatherEye Vineyard’ Viognier offers sweet honeysuckle, lychee, and roasted pineapple with suggestions oof ripe cantaloupe on the nose. The palate is very fresh and lively, with serious texture. The underlying salinity is truly outstanding here, as is the lip-smacking acidity that flows through the core of the Viognier. With more air this shows even wilder components of yarrow and white rose water. Enjoy at a slightly warmer temperature to take in the thrilling set of flavors and aromatics. Drink 2022-2030- 95
2020 Liminal ‘WeatherEye Vineyard GSM’ Red Wine- The 2020 Liminal ‘WeatherEye Vineyard GSM’ Red Wine blends 46% Grenache with smaller parts Syrah and Mourvèdre. The wine has a lot to admire with the immediately gratifying aromatics of red currants and potpourri with white pepper dusted bacon. The palate is dense and chewy with serious depth and concentration, with a light dusting of salinity and great veil of tension throughout the drinking experience. Very salty and savory, this is seriously good stuff that is built to age. Give this an hour of air prior to enjoying. Drink 2022-2034- 95
2020 Liminal Grenache- The 2020 Liminal Grenache is sourced from a .9 acre bush vine Grenache parcel at the top of the Northern slope on Red Mountain. This location produces very small, concentrated berries. The palate is rich and viscous with serious concentration and underlying finesse. The richness once on the mouth and its color is truly novel considering the varietal. Layers of bulls blood, iodine, white pepper, orange rind and generous red and dark fruits all parade on the palate. This is very gratifying and heady wine that will easily cellar for another decade — but is nearly impossible to put down in its full-throttle youth. Give this an hour of air prior to savoring. Drink 2022-2034- 96
2020 Liminal ‘High Canyon’ Syrah- Very intense, the outstanding 2020 Liminal ‘High Canyon’ Syrah comes from a site near the Viognier block at the WeatherEye Vineyard. Winemaker Chris Peterson chose to co-ferment the 2020 ‘High Canyon’ Syrah with 3% Viognier in a concrete egg. Right away this shows off violets with tar, tobacco leaf and blackberry cordial on the nose. There is the faintest high-toned honeysuckle notes from the Viognier that adds to the enjoyment. The palate is rich and deep, with light tannins that frame the core of hedonistic dark fruits, scorched earth and graphite undertones. This is nothing short of unbelievably good. Drink 2022-2036- 97
2020 Liminal ‘Block 16’ Syrah- Coming from a steep, northern facing slope at the WeatherEye Vineyard, the 100% varietal ’Block 16’ Syrah was stored in 25% new French oak before bottling. Immediately this shows off bulls blood aromas with saline drenched charcuterie and dense dark fruits. The palate is very savory and salty, with a terrific mouthfeel and great depth and character. Gorgeous in its full-throttle youth, this will easily go for another decade. Drink 2022-2035- 96
2020 Liminal Cabernet Franc- Coming from a super steep block in the WeatherEye Vineyard, the 2020 Liminal Cabernet Franc is one of the great wines of its kind in Washington State. This reveals stunning aromas of black rose petals and violets with red bell pepper, fresh sage, blackberry compote and mocha tones. The palate is rich and viscous with a light salinity. Beautifully textured, with great length, there is nothing quite like this in Washington State. Give this two hours in the decanter before enjoying. Drink 2022-2038- 95
2020 Liminal ‘Block 47’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The final number in this stunning lineup, the 2020 Liminal Cabernet Sauvignon is a masterclass that was sourced from a lower elevation block which is a one acre site, southwest facing with tight spacing in the WeatherEye Vineyard. The underlying acidity and salty of the character really make this sing. Very concentrated with huckleberry, Turkish coffee, dark chocolate shavings and black florals, this is singular, one of a kind wine that is already beautifully evolved. Get your hands on this beauty if you can and be sure to give it plenty of air prior to enjoyment. Drink 2022-2042- 98