Review: 2015 Mark Ryan Winery Water Witch Red Wine Red Mountain
Mark Ryan Winery is based in Woodinville in Washington state, and Water Witch is its latest project, a reintroduction of one of the first wines it ever created. Back in 2012, Mark Ryan partnered with Quintessence Vineyards to plant a 13.6-acre block on the south slope of Red Mountain, and the grapes are now being used to create a new release of this Bordeaux-style blend.
For the 2015 bottling, the varietal breakdown is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot?, 8% Cabernet Franc, ?and 2% Petit Verdot.
Immediately engaging and complex, this is a wine worth intense exploration — study, even. Lush with notes of currants, elderflowers, and violets, there’s a real intrigue to the wine that one rarely sees in U.S.-based Bordeaux blends (and particularly Washington wines). Silky on the tongue, those florals are intense as it leads toward a lengthy but supple finish, slightly tannic with just a hint of earth, charcoal dust, and a touch of leather. Turns out all of those notes go great with flowers, making for a beautifully balanced and complex experience.
Now available for pre-order, I highly recommend snapping it up.
A / $58 / markryanwinery.com
2015 Mark Ryan Winery Water Witch Red Wine Red Mountain
$58
