For years winemaker Gilles Nicault has been crafting some of the best wines in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve spoken with Nicault many times about tough vintages like 2020. He did an amazing job with this year where many wineries suffered because of the conditions at harvest. Long Shadows is one of Washington’s eminent wine brands, founded by visionary and Washington wine pioneer Allen Shoup. Shoup is a founding father of the Washington wine industry. He spent 20 years building Château Ste. Michelle and its affiliate wineries, serving as the company's CEO for 17 of those years before establishing Long Shadows in 2002. He had an incredible vision for Long Shadows and built a world-class wine brand from the ground up. The Nine Hats brand that he founded is consistently one of the better value lineups that you will find in Pacific Northwest wine. The Long Shadows tasting room in Woodinville has a world-class epicurean tasting that is a must visit for any lover of Pacific Northwest food and wine. Elegant and highly elevated, this special tasting is awesome experience for date night.
I love the new 2020 Long Shadows ‘Chester Kidder’ Red Wine (OB, 94) which is rich and bold from this tougher vintage. Learn more about these famed wines at longshadows.com and here are my reviews of the beautiful new Long Shadows and Nine Hats wines.
2020 Long Shadows ‘Chester Kidder’ Red Wine- The 2020 ‘Chester Kidder’ is a gorgeous, deep and concentrated combination of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon (57%) with 33% Syrah and the reminder Petit Verdot. Inky in the glass, this delivers green herbs, pencil lead and mocha flavors alongside creme de cassis flavors. This is decadent and delicious stuff that is best consumed now. Drink 2025-2031- 94