Sitting across from Justin Wylie, he couldn’t help but smile when talking about his 2021 reds. “2021 wines are really good and we are now in Vegas” he said. Vegas meaning Wylie had secured his wine in one of the city’s great restaurant, Jean-Georges.
An outstanding winery on the south side of the Walla Walla Valley, Va Piano, or ‘go quietly’ 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. His property is beautiful and is inspired by the villas of Tuscany as it is truly one of the most relaxing spots to sit wine with in the valley.
Justin is extremely down to earth and speaks from his vast experience in the industry. The new 2021 wines were the best that I have tasted. I adored the 2021 Va Piano ‘Estate’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 94) which was silky and rich with a smooth mouthfeel. Even better is the downright killer 2021 Va Piano ‘DuBurul Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 96) which is the finest wine I have tasted from this estate. Deep and brooding, loaded with richness, texture and tension, this will easily be a 20 year wine. Learn more about these fantastic wines at http://www.vapianovineyards.com Here are the great new release wines by Va Piano.
2022 Va Piano ‘Chelle den Mille Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc- Stored in all concrete eggs, the 2022 ‘Chelle den Mille Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc comes from this slightly cooler site outside of the town of Prosser. The nose is rich with honeydew melon and baking spices alongside shades of starfruit and mango. The palate is plush and refined with a silky texture. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2022 Va Piano ‘Celilo Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Coming from this outstanding site on Underwood Mountain, the ‘Celilo Vineyard’ Chardonnay was stored in only 20% new French oak with the remainder concrete prior to bottling. Right away this delivers alluring salted pear and Macadamia nut on the nose alongside green melon and shades of juicy nectarine. The palate is rich and layered with a stunning finish, viscosity and verve. This is going to age so gracefully. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2021 Va Piano ‘Ox’ Red Wine- Only 20 dollars retail, the 2021 ‘Ox’ is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. The palate is soft and refined with a silky texture and good sense of weight. With good structure and earthy tones, with dense blackberry and black currant fruit flavors, this is delicious stuff that is a killer glass pour. Drink 2024-2030- 91
2021 Va Piano ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Coming from mostly estate fruit, the 2021 Va Piano ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon was stored in 35% new French oak before bottling. The nose is fantastic with red beind. ed herbs and shades of loamy soils alongside coffee ground notes. The palate is beautifully textured with good weight and focus. A beautiful bottling, this will cellar well for another fifteen years to come. Drink 2024-2038- 93
2021 Va Piano ‘Estate’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This 2021 ‘Estate’ Cabernet Sauvignon is nearly 100% varietal with the remainder Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wine was stored in 65% new French oak before bottling. This is very silky and refined on the palate with good weight and richness. Espresso ground mingle well with loamy soils and chocolate on there palate. Drink 2024-2040- 94
2021 Va Piano ‘Rosebud Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This wine combines 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Coming from vines planted back in 1980, this was stored in roughly 90% new French oak before bottling. The nose is very expressive with coffee grounds, cocoa nibs, black currants and shades of sagebrush. The palate is plush and refined with a silky texture and generous mouthfeel. Silky tannins greet you with a gorgeous core of black fruits that mingle well with black licorice and Turkish coffee notes. Drink 2025-2045- 95
2021 Va Piano ‘DuBrul Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Coming from this site planted in 1980, the wine was stored in 90% new French oak before bottling. 100% varietal, this offers black tea and exotic spices that mingle well with shades of dark chocolate shavings and loamy soils. The palate is soft and refined with a silky texture. Concentrated and refined with a beautiful core of red and dark fruits, with refined tannins, this is a gorgeous effort that is going to be a long-ager. Drink 2025-2050- 96