2018 Seven Hills Pentad

Happy Friday!  It's been a long week, but at least it seems to have gone by relatively fast, so now I can relax a bit on the weekend.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of a recent wine shipment I received from Seven Hills Winery, one of my favorite Walla Walla wine producers (this was even before they started shipping to my home state!).  The 2018 Seven Hills Pentad is a special blend that is not produced with every vintage, as historically Casey (and presumably now Bobby is continuing the tradition) would only produce Pentad when all the stars were aligned to make a truly special wine.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (42%), Merlot (25%), Petit Verdot (13%), Malbec (12%) and Carmenere (8%) al sourced from the Walla Walla Valley of Washington.  So, let's see how this one is shaping up!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright garnet along the edges, reminiscent of a big bold Cabernet (which is likely a major contributor to the blend).  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of leather, blackberry and cassis joined with some dusty mineral notes that will have you thinking of an classic college library.  Take a sip and you're greeted with a rush of ripe black fruit encased in some dusty minerality before transitioning to some notes of tobacco and cocoa powder midpalate.  The tannins are vibrant and perfectly suited to the velvety, bone-dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as it's a really remarkable wine that would be ideal for a special occasion.  This wine would pair well with big juicy steaks, rack of lamb or venison tenderloin.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic pairing, a rare grilled dry aged porterhouse that I picked up at a local butcher yesterday, along with some oven roasted rainbow carrots.  Cheers!