Today we share a must read for lovers of Rock music and great Washington wine. Sleight of Hand is a beautiful Walla Walla-based winery and has tasting rooms also in SoDo (south Seattle) and Woodinville. The winery 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 incredible in their own right.
The new wines come from the slightly cooler 2022 vintage. This was a vintage that saw some variation across Washington wineries — however the new SOH releases really impressed. I adore the 2022 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah (OB, 96) which is not quite as dense as the ’21 but has even more nerve and poise. Learn more about this outstanding winery at http://www.sofhcellars.com Here are the awesome new release wines from Sleight of Hand.
2023 Sleight of Hand ‘The Magician’ Riesling- The 2023 ‘The Magician’ Riesling is golden in the glass, as a whiff of petrol hits you initially. Sourced from the Evergreen Vineyard in the Ancient Lakes AVA, this is made in the Trocken style, with baked apple and pear alongside stafruit and dense brioche notes on the palate, with a smooth mouthfeel. Really well-done, enjoy now and over the next eight years. Drink 2024-2032- 92
2023 Sleight of Hand ‘The Enchantress’ Chardonnay- The 2023 ‘The Enchantress’ comes from the 40 year old French Creek Vineyard. Stored in mainly neutral oak barrels, this delivers salted peach and Macadamia nut tones on the palate, alongside a smooth mouthfeel and bright underlying tension. Medium to full-bodied, this is another brilliant edition of this wine that is drinking marvelously in its youth. Drink 2025-2032- 93
2022 Sleight of Hand ‘The Spellbinder’ Red Wine- The 2022 ‘The Spellbinder’ was stored for ten months in neutral oak barrels prior to bottling. It is a juicy and delicious rendition of this Bordeaux-inspired blend, with red currants, damp soils, sagebrush and fresh thyme on the palate. Medium-bodied, enjoy now and over the next several years. Drink 2025-2031- 91
2022 Sleight of Hand ‘The Conjurer’ Red Wine- The 2022 ‘The Conjurer’ combines primarily Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark in the glass, this delivers a soft mouthfeel with cedar and tar notes that combine with espresso bean and suggestions of milk chocolate, with medium to full bodied dark fruits. Soft and approachable now, enjoy over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2025-2035- 92
2022 Sleight of Hand ‘The Illusionist’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The really good 2022 Sleight of Hand ‘The Illusionist’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a range of sites throughout Washington State and was stored in 55% new French oak barrels for 20 months prior to bottling. It is smooth and delightfully concentrated on the palate, with blackberry and loganberry liquor, Black Forest Cake and Arabica bean flavors that meld with scorched earth accents. Medium to full-bodied and showing good nerve, enjoy now and over the next fifteen plus years to come. Drink 2025-2040- 94
2022 Sleight of Hand ‘The Archimage’ Red Wine- The 2022 ‘The Archimage’ is a Right Bank-inspired blend of near equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Showing off an inky core in the glass, this offers black and red rose petals on the nose alongside dusty soils, black currants and shades of sweet pipe tobacco leaf that all meld in the glass. The palate is refined and elegant, with medium to full-bodied kirsch, graphite, boysenberry and chocolate pie flavors. Delightful to savor now, showing a strong herbal edge, enjoy over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2025-2040- 94
2022 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah- A stunning rendition of this wine that is dense and finesse-laden, the 2022 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah comes from the acclaimed Stoney Vine Vineyard in the Walla Walla Rocks District. Given some air this exudes class with its bacon fat and black olive tapenade notes on the nose alongside smoldering stones and suggestions of Morel mushroom. The palate is loaded with bright red and fruits, as the weightless drinking experience is very gratifying. This might be slightly less dense than the ’21 but possesses more underlying verve. Tension-filled and juicy, enjoy this beauty now and over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2025-2033- 96
2021 Sleight of Hand ‘Spiders From Mars’ Syrah- An amazing new edition of this wine, the 2022 ‘Spiders From Mars’ comes from the ‘Ziggy Stardust Block’ set on broken basalt at the Elevation Vineyard. Stored in mainly neural oak barrels for 20 months, this delivers amazing aromatic range from black olive tapenade, smoked BBQ beef, boysenberry compote and suggestions of Mandarin orange zest that all take shape in the glass. The palate is elegant and refined, with serious tension and good richness with a beautiful melange of red and dark fruits. Very mineral-driven and soft on the mouth, this is drinking marvelously right now in its nervy youth. Drink 2025-2035- 96
2022 Sleight of Hand ‘Badlands’ Syrah- A new wine to the Sleight of Hands portfolio, the 2022 ‘Badlands’ comes from the Borderlands Vineyard, located in the Walla Walla Rocks District. This is wonderfully savory and smoky on the nose with bay leaf and soy sauce that combines with braised duck and shades of Kalamatta olive. The palate is smooth and refined with good tension and depth, showing mainly a core of black fruits alongside charcuterie, green olives, and plenty of rocky soil character. This is drinking marvelously right now. Drink 2025-2033- 95
2022 Sleight of Hand ‘The Funkadelic’ Syrah- A impressive follow-up to the ’21, the 2022 ‘The Funkadelic’ is a stunning wine that saw 20 months in neutral French oak prior to bottling. Black Forest cake flavors meld well with beef drippings, oyster sauce, wet gravel and suggestions of creme de violette on the palate. A complex and dense edition of this wine that is already nicely evolved, enjoy now and over the next ten years to come. 150 cases made of this beauty. Drink 2025-2035- 96