One of Washington State’s great wine brands, WeatherEye Vineyard is the brainchild of Cameron Myhrvold, longtime advocate for the Washington Wine Industry. It was 20 years ago back in 2004 that Cam purchased this property based on an idea to grow grapes where no one had attempted before — on the top and north face of Red Mountain. Today most of the fruit is sold to 10 different wineries and a small portion is held back for WeatherEye Vineyard. The site is farmed by Ryan Johnson former vineyard manager at Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. Ryan also co-founded the Force Majeure Vineyard and has unparalleled knowledge of Red Mountain’s upper slopes. With WeatherEye he utilized everything in his 20 years of vineyard management experience to create a vineyard space that is unlike anything in the Pacific Northwest.
Winemaker Todd Alexander needs no introduction, formerly with Bryant Family before transforming the Force Majeure Vineyards program. I had the pleasure of tasting the recent wines with Todd and he made some incredible new wines from the 2022 vintage. — one that showed good warmth but also maintained excellent freshness. I am enamored by the new 2022 WeathereEye Vineyard Roussanne (OB, 97) which is arguably the finest Washington white wine that I have tasted in the last year. This is deep and concentrated stuff that has beautiful underlying finesse. . Rich, layered and polished with an unctuous texture, this beauty is absolutely singing right now. I was blown away with the new 2021 WeatherEye Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 99) which is definitely one of the finest Cabernet wines made in Washington. This held incredible weight and underlying finesse. Learn more about this famed property at https://www.weathereyevineyard.com/ and here are my reviews of the new WeatherEye Vineyard wines.
2022 WeatherEye Roussanne- The 2022 Roussanne was stored in 30% new French oak with the remainder amphora and neutral oak for 10 months before bottling. Bright honeydew melon fruits combine with honeycomb, lychee and pineapple notes on the nose. The texture is insanely good with good freshness and beautiful sense of weight. Finishing exceedingly long, this is a heady, dense and delicious Roussane bottling that is drinking marvelously right now. Drink 2024-2034- 97
2022 WeatherEye Marsanne- This 2022 Marsanne has 14% Roussanne blended in. Stored in 20% new French oak with the remainder stored in neutral and amphora prior to bottling. Marzipan and rich cantaloupe tones combine with Macadamia nut and lychee tones on the nose. The palate is plush and soft with a refined texture, as this deftly walks the tightrope between weight and underlying finesse. Drink 2024-2036- 97
2022 WeatherEye ‘L’Atomique’ White Wine- The 2022 ‘L’Atomique’ combines Viognier (36%) with 32% Roussanne and the remainder Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Marsanne. This was unfined and unfiltered. This is a massive white wine that is gorgeous to consume right now. Tangerine zest, lemon curd, almond paste and shades of mango all combine on the palate. Refined and deep, with serious concentration, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2024-2036- 97
2021 WeatherEye Grenache- The 2021 WeatherEye Grenache underwent 30% whole cluster fermentation. Stored in large format French oak for 18 months. This comes from several blocks of Grenache across the property. Soft, refined and plush, this delivers very concatenated red and dark fruit flavors alongside coffee grounds and sagebrush tones. Totally stunning and generous in its fleshy youth, enjoy now and over the next twelve years. Drink 2024-2036- 96
2021 WeatherEye Mourvedre- The 2021 Mourvèdre underwent 15% whole cluster fermentation. Stored in large format used French oak, this offers smoked meats and anise notes alongside black olives and rich dark fruits. This is really dense and delicious wine with plenty of nuance. Very herbal with loganberry, beef drippings and wild blackberry fruit flavors, alongside scorched earth, this is a gorgeous, generous effort that is drinking marvelously right now. Drink 2024-2036- 97
2021 WeatherEye Syrah- This deep, viscous and downright stunning 2021 Syrah has 3% Graciano blended in. Stored in all French oak (60% new) before bottling, this delivers heady aromatics of black currants, orange blossom, white pepper and venison drippings. The palate is incredibly tense and tension-filled with intense black and blue fruits alongside copious minerals and tar notes. Drink 2024-2038- 98
2021 WeatherEye ‘The Ravens Share’ Red Wine- The 2021 WeatherEye ‘The Ravens Share’ Red Wine combines Cabernet Franc (36%) with 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remainder Merlot. This is beautifully floral on the nose with dark rose petals alongside potpourri and garrigue notes alongside dark chocolate, creosote and shades of boysenberry liquor. The palate is ultra-refined and fresh with refined tannins and a pillowy texture. Light on its feet with serious weight and verve, this powerful wine is a total stunner that will drink well for decade to come. Drink 2024-2040- 99
2021 WeatherEye Cabernet Sauvignon- The stunning new 2021 WeatherEye Cabernet Sauvignon combines 5% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Stored in 75% new French oak barrels, this offers amazing texture, weight and underlying finesse. Deep and concentrated, with very concentrated black and blue fruit flavors, sweet pipe tobacco, with pencil lead and garrigue notes, this is going to be a really long-aging wine that is best enjoyed a year from now and over the next twenty years. Drink 2025-2050- 99