2001 Andrew Will Sorella

Another rich and concentrated wine, the 2001 Sorella comes all from the Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA and is loaded with notions of toasted spice, smoked herbs, graphite, toasted bread and red and black currants, with a subtle underlying leafy herb character coming through with air. This mouth-filling, layered and still structured beauty has terrific mid-palate concentration and building tannin on the finish. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot.

Red-ruby. Sexy aromas of plum, brown spices and cedary oak. Sweet, fresh and concentrated, with brisk, intense flavors of raspberry, sandalwood and cocoa powder. Terrific lift to the fruit. Finishes impressively long, with noble tannins and palate-staining sweetness. A knockout. (ST)

Entirely produced from Champoux Vineyard, the core of the 2001 Sorella is from a 29 year-old block of Cabernet Sauvignon (68%) with the balance being Cabernet Franc (15%), Merlot (10%), and Petit Verdot (7%). Certainly Camarda’s most refined 2001, it bursts from the glass revealing a myriad of floral red fruit scents. Cherries, raspberries, cassis, spices, and blackberries vie for the taster’s attention in its intricately-laced character. Medium-bodied and pure, it doesn’t have quite the weight or power of either the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard or Champoux Vineyard 2001s, yet is exquisitely detailed, focused, and exhibits the same extended, wonderfully ripe finish found in all of Camarda’s glorious 2001s. Bravo!