Today we share one of the great boutique spots on Red Mountain. For many years now Liberty Lake has been producing some excellent wines from the Red Mountain AVA. The tasting room originally opened its doors in 2007 with the release of its 2005 vintage produced by original owners Doug and Shelly Smith. Mark and Sarah Lathrop took over the operation in January 2016 with the intent of focusing on full-bodied red wines.
The owners met back in 2005 at Eastern Washington University’s MBA program and they both found a love of wine together. The new wines were very good from the 2020 vintage. They come off clean and bright from this challenging year. The wines are also exceedingly well-priced and exude value. Check out the awesome new 2020 Tahija Sangiovese (OB, 91) which is an awesome wine made by Liberty Lake Cellars that has bright red fruits with a smooth mouthfeel. Even more impressive is the 2020 Liberty Lake Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 92) which is dense and chewy coming from the Scooteney Flats Vineyard. Learn more about this exciting winery at http://www.libertylakewinecellars.com Here are the new wines by Liberty Lake.
2020 Tahija Sangiovese- Coming from the Candy Mountain Vineyard, this 2020 Sangiovese offers a soft mouthfeel with excellent texture. Layers of cranberry and orange peel combine with shades of white pepper and wet stone alongside sour cherry on the palate.This comes off clean, as this is best enjoyed over the next seven years to come. Drink 2024-2031- 91
2020 Liberty Lake Cabernet Franc- The 2020 Cabernet Franc has 15% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. This is a strong showing in a tough vintage. Stored in 57% new French oak, this offers good weight with boysenberry and tar flavors alongside black tea and exotic spices on the palate. Study and soft on the mouth, enjoy this delicious and generous wine now and over the next seven years to come. Drink 2024-2031- 92
2020 Liberty Lake Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2020 Liberty Lake Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from the Sooteney Flats Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA. This limited production wine (182 cases) was stored in nearly all (87%) new French oak before bottling. This comes off round and generous on the mouth, showing tobacco leaf, scorched earth, milk chocolate and rich dark fruit flavors. This is really good stuff. Drink 2024-2031- 92