As I pulled up to the southside winery location, I was immediately greeted by Dusted Valley founders, brothers in law Chad Johnson and Corey Braunel. This was a long time coming as we would taste through some older wines and also talk football as it was NFL Draft day. All wines were under screw cap which was a long conversation about how well wines under screw cap tend to age. A perfect example is Argyle wines that now even show well from the 2000 vintage. For years Dusted Valley has focused on sustainable practices, low (or modest) yields and minimalistic winemaking. An example of that is the screw cap which is fully recyclable and uses considerably less waste than other enclosure products.
We spent a significant time talking Packers football, as Chad Johnson and Corey Braunel are avid fans that try to head back for games at Lambeau Field. We definitely had a few surprises along the way, most notably tasting through the 2008 Dusted Valley Viognier (OB, 92) which was remarkably fresh and beautifully textured. Dusted Valley might produce a very wide range of wines but they have a strong following for their Syrahs and GSM style wines. I loved the 2011 Dusted Valley “Squirrel Tooth Alice’ Red Wine (OB, 92) which is one of the best GSM style wines from this tough, very vintage that I have tasted recently. This wine had awesome flavor density. In general I was shocked how well the 2011 wines from Dusted Valley showed. The best wine I tried was the outstanding 2010 ‘Tall Tales’ Syrah (OB, 94) which comes from the Stoney Vine Vineyard in the Rocks District. This had the wonderful umami and briny character that you expect from this region. Learn more about this great Walla Walla winery at https://www.dustedvalley.com and here are my reviews on some of the older wines from Dusted Valley.
2008 Dusted Valley Viognier- Coming from the Kestrel View Vineyard, the 2008 Viognier was stored in all neural oak before bottling. Right away this delivers bright peach and kiwi notes on the nose alongside shades of walnut. The palate is super fresh considering its age. Beautiful textured, this is fantastic to enjoy now. Drink 2024-2029- 92
2011 Dusted Valley ‘Stone Tree Vineyard’ Grenache- The 2011 Dusted Valley ‘Stone Tree Vineyard’ Grenache has 24% Syrah blended in. Right way this delivers a soft mouthfeel with red currants alongside Christmas spice and orange peel notes. Smooth and soft, enjoy now. Drink 2024-2028- 91
2010 Dusted Valley ‘Squirrel Tooth Alice’ Red Wine- The beautiful 2010 Dusted Valley ‘Squirrel Tooth Alice’ Red Wine was stored in only 10% new French oak before bottling. This shows good richness and finesse with wild blackberry and black tea notes alongside coopiums minerals. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2011 Dusted Valley ‘Squirrel Tooth Alice’ Red Wine- The delightful 2011 Dusted Valley ‘Squirrel Tooth Alice’ Red Wine combines 60% Mourvèdre with the remainder Grenache shows good stuffing considering the vintage. On the nose this shows black raspberry and black tea notes alongside coffee grounds. All from Red Mountain, you can see this really helped the richness here. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2010 Dusted Valley ‘Wallywood’ Red Wine- The 2010 ‘Wallywood’ combines 65% Syrah with the reindeer Grenache, Mourvèdre, Petit Sirah and a dash of Viognier. Very elegant on the mouth, this delivers black raspberry, balsamic vinegar and chocolate notes with shades of sagebrush. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2011 Dusted Valley ‘Wallywood’ Red Wine- The 2011 ‘Wallywood’ Red Wine combines 50% Syrah and the remainder Mourvèdre (40%) with the remainder Petite Sirah. Right away on the palate black currants and tar notes combine with pencil lead and milk chocolate. Considering the vintage this is seriously good. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2010 Dusted Valley ‘Stone Tree Vineyard’ Mourvèdre- The outstanding 2010 Dusted Valley ‘Stone Tree Vineyard’ Mourvèdre has some Petite Sirah and Grenache blended in. Very fresh and lithe with a polished texture, this offers black plum and iodine alongside pencil lead on the palate, with green herbal accents. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2011 Dusted Valley ‘Stone Tree Vineyard’ Mourvedre- The intriguing 2011 Dusted Valley ‘Stone Tree Vineyard’ Mourvedre has 10% Syrah blended in. This offers more green notes aromatically alongside dark raspberry tones. The palate does not come off at all green, showing milk chocolate, red currants and crushed mint notes. Drink 2024-2030- 91
2010 Dusted Valley ‘Stained Tooth’ Syrah- This comes from a range of sites throughout the Columbia Valley including Stone Tree and Stoney Vine Vineyards. Very savory, this shows some light Rocks character with its wet stone notes alongside green olives, tobacco and slime drenched boysenberry flavors. This is showing serious stability. Drink 2024-2031- 93
2011 Dusted Valley ‘Stained Tooth’ Syrah- 100% varietal, this offers savory herbs alongside wet stone, burnt orange and salty soil character on the palate, alongside medium bodied dark fruits. Enjoy now. Drink 2024-2030- 91
2010 Dusted Valley ‘Tall Tales’ Syrah- The 2010 Dusted Valley ‘Tall Tales’ Syrah is a beautiful showing from this cooler vintage. On the nose this offers green olive tapenade, briny notes alongside ash and black currants. The palate is medium bodied and very fresh with a smooth texture. Savory and delicious, enjoy now. Drink 2024-2030- 94
2010 Dusted Valley ‘Rachis’ Syrah- The really good 2010 Dusted Valley ‘Rachis’ Syrah impresses in this cold vintage. Tar and tobacco leaf combine with shades of dark currants and boysenberry tones. Soft and approachable with a smooth texture, this is really good to enjoy now. Drink this beautiful wine now. Drink 2024-2028- 92
2010 Dusted Valley Petite Sirah- The outstanding 2010 Dusted Valley Petite Sirah is very inky in the glass. 10% Syrah is blended in, as this offers pencil lead and black curates alongside mocha tones on the palate. Rich and viscous, this is a beautiful wine that still has a way to go. Drink 2024-2031- 93
2011 Dusted Valley Petite Sirah- Also very inky in the glass, the 2011 Dusted Valley is a beautiful wine coming from this challenging vintage. Tar and black currant cordial alongside grippy tannins and dark chocolate shavings all combine on the palate. Drink 2024-2029- 92