One of the great Washington wineries, Corliss is an ultra-premium producer of red wines founded in 1999 by Michael and Lori Corliss. Over the years Mike Corliss has bought vineyard land throughout the state, including more holdings on Red Mountain. Corliss has been met with some serious critical acclaim since their first release in 2008. It has been such a pleasure seeing how well these beautiful wines age. Corliss is also well-known for performing exceptionally well with tough vintages. I have had some of their older wines from my cellar and they have some massive cellaring potential.
Corliss did a great job in 2019 which was not the easiest year for Bordeaux varietals. They made some beautiful 2020 wines from this tough vintage.
The wines have less oak impact over time. I adore the 2021 Corliss Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 99) which has incredible flavor density and is a stunning edition of this wine that is a must-buy for any collector of top Washington wine. Learn more about these incredible wines at corlissestate.com and here are my notes on the pre-release wines by Corliss.
2021 Corliss Red Wine- The 2021 Corliss Red Wine is quite different than the ’19 with considerably more Cabernet Franc (84%), as this blends in smaller portions Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Stored for 22 months in 60% new French oak barrels, this will be released in September 2026. Mainly coming from their estate on Red Mountain, this comes off silky and refined on the mouth with a pillowy texture. Heady black and blue fruits parade with dried herbs and copious herbs with espresso ground accents. A stunner and total head-turner, enjoy now and over the next two decades to come. Drink 2026-2046- 99
2021 Corliss Cabernet Sauvignon- An opulent and downright stunning rendition of this wine, the 2021 Corliss Cabernet Sauvignon was stored in nearly all new French oak before bottling. It offers alluring aromatics of black rose, creme de violette, tar and anise seed alongside suggestions of oud and sweet pipe tobacco. The palate is dense and delicious with serious tension that combines with Arabica bean, rocky soils, scorched earth and a glorious melange of black and blue fruits. Full-bodied, with terrific salty minerality, enjoy now and over the next twenty years to come. Drink 2026-2046- 99
2021 Corliss Syrah- The stunning 2021 Corliss Syrah comes from several sites in the Columbia Valley and was aged for 22 months in 23% new French oak before bottling. This spent an additional three years in bottle before release. It is a dense, massive and highly hedonistic effort that beautifully showcases this warm vintage. Jet black in the glass, this offers sagebrush and black currants with violets on the nose. The palate is powerful and also well-structured, with serious concentration and underlying finesse. Quite simply a joy to drink now, give this an hour or two in the decanter if savoring in its heady youth. Drink 2026-2040- 98