For lovers of top class Washington wine, we share one of the greats out of Walla Walla today. Sleight of Hand has tasting rooms both in SoDO and in the south end of Walla Walla. What was originally a very limited production winery, Sleight of Hand has grown exponentially since first being founded back in 2007. Trey Busch as well as Jerry and Sandy Solomon focused on producing wines from top sites like StoneyVine and Upland as well as WeatherEye and Lewis Vineyards. Keith Johnson joined the team in 2011 and has been a revelation as their production winemaker. Keith oversees the winery on a daily basis, and during harvest, while Trey and Jerry are in the vineyards making picking decisions, he is managing our harvest team, making sure everything is being taken care of in the cellar. Keith also makes some amazing wines under his Devium label that are definitely worth looking into.
The new wines come from the warm 2021 vintage. They are arguably the finest wines that I have tasted from this house. Do not miss out on the scintillating 2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah (OB, 96) which is up there with the finest edition of this wine ever made. ’Learn more about this outstanding winery at http://www.sofhcellars.com Here are the awesome new release wines from Sleight of Hand.
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘Rebel Rebel’ White Wine- A seriously good new wine to the SOH portfolio, the 2021 ‘Rebel Rebel’ comes from the stony Elevation Vineyard located in the North Fork of the Walla Walla River. Mostly Roussanne (70%) with the remainder Marsanne, the offers a generous texture once on the mouth. Layers of honeydew melon, salted cashew nut, wet stone and ripe peaches all marvelously combine on the palate. Don’t serve this beauty too cold so you can revel in the full range of flavors and aromatics. Drink 2023-2031- 94
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Sorceress Reserve’ Grenache- This has been a standout Grenache wine made by the Sleight of Hand winemaking team. The latest version of ‘The Sorceress’ blends manly comes from the WeatherEye (41%) and Upland Vineyards (37%). The Grenache underwent roughly 50% whole cluster fermentation. Once on the nose this takes on fantastic aromatic range from fresh guava and blood orange zest alongside shades of loamy soils, yarrow and red rose petals. The palate is fresh and viscous with tremendous weight, verve and texture. You are met with a thrilling array of red fruit flavors alongside kumquat zest, salty soils and exotic spices. For my palate this is the finest edition of ‘The Sorceress’ done yet. Enjoy this seductive wine now and over the next eight plus years. Drink 2023-20231- 95
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘Levitation Reserve’ Syrah- A beautiful Syrah made in this warm vintage, the outstanding 2021 ’Levitation’ was sourced from mostly the Lewis Vineyard (74%) with the remainder coming from the high-elevation Les Collines Vineyard. The aromatics are intense and heady with purple rose petals, black currants, wet granite and shades of tar and iodine that all march in unison. The palate is flinty and exotic with fantastic freshness, weight and texture. This is a total knockout wine that will cellar well for another ten plus years to come Drink 2023-2035- 95
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘Off He Goes’ Syrah- Another new wine to the lineup, the 2021 ‘Off He Goes’ is a beautiful tribute to winemaker Eric Dunham of Dunham Cellars fame. Entirely sourced from the Les Collines Vineyard, this is exceedingly inky in the glass, showing stony and herbal aromatics that meld well with iron, violets, steak tartare and heady dark fruits. The incredible aromatic range brings you back to the glass for more enjoyment. On the mouth this is soft and inviting with a seamless texture and fantastic underlying sense of verve. Stony, savory and full of life, enjoy this incredible wine now and over the next ten plus years to come. Give it an hour of air if consuming in its full-throttle youth. Drink 2023-2035- 96
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- A follow up to the really good 2020 edition, the 2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah was sourced from the famed Stoney Vine Vineyard in the Walla Walla Rocks District. For my palate this is up there with the 2018 as the finest edition ever made of this wine. Soft, sultry and seamless on the mouth, this greets you with a literal cornucopia of flavors, while maintaining bright underlying finesse. Black olive tapenade, wet gravel, mortadella, black raspberry, black truffle shavings and bulls blood flavors all marvelously combine with blood orange zest accents. This is simply a marvelous, warm vintage wine that is already expressing itself in all its splendor. Hail hail to the stones! Drink 2023-2031- 96
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘Spiders From Mars’ Syrah- The 2021 ‘Spiders From Mars’ is the finest edition of this wine that I have tasted. This Syrah is sourced from the from the broken basalt-laden ‘Ziggy Stardust Block’ at the Elevation Vineyard. This beauty was stored for 20 months in French oak barrels, and displays a dizzying aromatic range from volcanic ash to potpourri, beef drippings, Kalamata olives and shades of boysenberry pie. The flavors are just as good, as the bright acidity and soft mouthfeel really drive this forward. This is irresistible stuff to consume in its youth with its bright red fruits, citrus rind and floral notes and savory/salty/stony underpinnings. Drink 2023-2031- 96
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘The Funkadelic’ Syrah- Always a bigger style of the Rocks District, the 2021 ‘The Funkadelic’ Syrah was stored for 20 months in French oak before bottling. Only 90 cases made. Showing off its deep hue in the glass, this shows excellent power and finesse — your iron fist in a velvet glove. Tar and anise flavors combine with black licorice, allspice dusted bacon, wet stone and shades of Hoisin sauce with plenty of exotic spices on the palate. Finishing long with garrigue and stony notes, this is a masterpiece by the winemaking team of Trey Busch, Jerry Solomon and Keith Johnson. Enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2023-2033- 96