AMERICAN WINE

Do you want to get a real glimpse into the characteristics and style of the 2009 vintage in Washington, then you don't need to look any further. Delille has been somewhat under the radar, but if the quality in this Merlot blend doesn't open your eyes, we don't know what will! "D2" is the main highway that runs through Bordeaux, so being that this is a Merlot-based blend (just like the right bank of Bordeaux), the name is apt. This year, the wine is a blend of 58% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot.

ANTONIO GALLONI'S VINOUS MEDIA 92 POINTS - "Very few Washington wineries can match DeLille for the way their wines combine sheer fruit intensity and structure. The current releases are wonderfully pliant and accessible, even if the best of them will last splendidly."

"(this Columbia Valley blend of nearly 20 sources represents 35% of this winery's production; 11,500 cases were made in 2014): Bright ruby. Pungent fruit-driven aromas of cranberry, pomegranate and blackberry. Plush and seamless on the palate, with blackberry and blueberry flavors complicated by a savory dried-berry note that I associate with Red Willow vineyard. Wonderfully pliant from the start, this beauty finishes very long and suave, with utterly smooth tannins. Great fruit here!"

ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS - "The ruby-colored 2014 D2 Proprietary Red Wine is the entry-level Bordeaux blend of the estate and is named after the D2 highway in Bordeaux. It's a soft, voluptuous, medium-bodied effort that offers loads of currants, black cherries, strawberries and leafy herb aromas and flavors. It's already hard to resist, yet there's quality tannin hiding under its fruit, and I suspect it will surprise you with its longevity."