A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to tour some wineries in Walla Walla, WA. One stop we made stands out in my mind. It was a barn with some open stalls next to it and surrounding vineyards. It was the wine making facility for Mackey Vineyards, a winery I had never heard of until that time. I tasted through many of the wines, but it was the end of a long day and I was through taking tasting notes by that time. Recently I had another opportunity to taste their wines when co-owner Philip Mackey showed up at the store with a bag full of goods.
Here are my impressions of the wines I tasted…
2009 Mackey Vineyards Syrah (Walla Walla Valley, WA)… $31.99
Aromas of red plums, boysenberries and hits of bacon fat and red flowers. Nice weight in the mouth with a core of acidity and minerals. Notes of plums and boysenberries come through on the palate with some bacon fat showing up on the mid-palate and into the lingering finish. I love this syrah because it has good balance. It doesn’t get all fat and sassy. It has the minerality and acidity to match the fruit, giving it some age-worthiness. (A-)
2009 Mackey Vineyards Merlot (Columbia Valley, WA)… $36.99
Aromas of minty cherries and red flowers with a marinated beef element coming through. Penetrating currant and cassis notes on the palate with hits of black licorice. Black olive and red flower notes join up with the fruit with a nice flow across the palate into a long-ass finish with some tannins rearing their head. This baby has some muscle and good structure with a good core of acidity. Another wine from Mackey that will age for you. (A)
2009 Mackey Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA)… $31.99
Aromas of tomato stem, currants, spice and licorice. Creamy structured tannins back notes of currants, white pepper and licorice. A little green bell pepper element shows on the mid-palate flowing into a bright cassis/currant finish. Definitely Bordeaux in style with just a hit of new world love. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Petite Verdot (B+)
2009 Mackey Vineyards Concordia Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $39.99
Interesting aromas of blueberries and Strawberries with a backdrop of smoke and bacon fat and a hit of tobacco. Very plush on the palate with notes of bacon fat currants and blackberries. The wine expands on the mid-palate, but then takes an interesting turn into the finish with notes of crushed rocks joining the fruit and revealing a beam of acidity. Again, this wine shows excellent structure with a nice balance of fruit, minerals and acid. You can put this away for a few years with confidence, it will only get better. (A)
2009 Mackey Vineyards RAC Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $44.99
This wine is named after the Mackey’s grandfather Roger (R) Adams (A) Converse (C) and is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and 39% Merlot. Aromas of red flowers, cherries, tobacco and red currants. There is a baked earth element to this wine on the palate with chalky minerals. Sweet tannins back a core of blackberry, cassis and plum. Notes of chocolate and mocha come through on the mid-palate and flow into the finish joined by black currants and white pepper notes that linger. (B+)
I know the Mackey wines are not on the lower side of the price range, but let me tell you they are worth the investment. Most are drinking excellent now, but putting them away for a couple of years will only help the cause. If your local wine shop doesn’t carry Mackey Vineyards wines, you need to put some pressure on them to catch up with the times.
I tasted a couple more Mackey wines that I will review tomorrow…Stay tuned as I move on with my Washington wine reviews for the month of August. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man
