Long Shadows, Pirouette, Columbia Valley

My rating for the when it was at its best. I strongly recommend either serving at a party or vacu-vining the bottle after pouring. Air is not kind to this wine. We will try to open 1or 2 of our remaining bottles over the next few weeks and repost upodates.

2014 vintage

This is ready to drink, however will benefit from some air. At first it's very round and rich with fruit, but after about 3 hours the complexity of the barrel comes knocking. Things get spicy! Tannins are nearly resolved, and this was amazing with a thick filet.

2015 vintage

Ten Years On - 2015 Meritage/Bordeaux Red Tasting (Canoehead Central) : One of two WA red blends in a broader 2015 Meritage/Bordeaux Red Tasting. Opened ~1hr prior to tasting but did not decant. Very promising at first. Nice dark red fruit complexity in the nose and a satisfying mouthfeel. Middling finish and then 15-20 mins later it began to fade in both aroma and palate. It was tasted side-by-side with a surprisingly good L'Ecole Apogee and it seemed to recede …

2015 vintage

Did a side by side tasting of 2014 Pirouette and 2014 WH Smith's Genesis. Had dinner with 2 friends that were strong Bordeaux lovers. The initial nose was so impressive that it set the stage for knowing you would love the wine and it did not disappoint. The lingering taste was also long and special. We gave both a 94 and felt they were both at their prime. I made them chose one or the other and we all picked …

2014 vintage

Day 1 - Good. Day 2 - Great. Day 3 - Good again. We’ll. Done. Definitely would buy again and should probably explore Long Shadows more.

2015 vintage

Dark, inky color with slight rim fade to ruby. On the nose, overripe blackberries and some background red fruit, but more savory characteristics with leather, dark wood, plus something reminds me of a squid ink pasta. On the palette, supple tannins and clear, big , but not overwhelming body are the defining features of this wine. Very well integrated with lingering acidity. Over the course of an hour really opens up and feels like it’s in a great place. Despite …

2014 vintage

Drinking so beautifully right now - silky smooth, tannins resolved and just providing the right structure together with acid very much in check. Dark fruits glide.

2014 vintage

Big and bold, full bodied mouth feel. Rich dark ripe fruit, anise, graphite and woody aromas. Chocolate covered berries and cassis. Really drinking nice right now and evolved significantly in the glass. Quick double decant and poured after 1 hr. Fantastic

2012 vintage

drinking quite well..good balance lingering finish...it seems it should hold at this level and possibly improve over the mid term

2015 vintage

Opened but not decanted four hours prior to dinner. Nose of dark fruit noticeable immediately upon opening. Black currant and black raspberry on the palate with integrated tannins and a lengthy finish.

2014 vintage

Bottle variation, eh. Everything was singning, tonight. Still, time to drink up. 2/2/2024 note: This has improved since the first bottle in 2020. Well made and fine, but no way would I describe it as fruit-forward or voluptuous. Starting to get tertiary flavors. Old world fanciers will like this, more than likely. 91 pts. Night 2: Better. Less tight knit, more fruit. Still a bit of tar bitterness on the finish.

2012 vintage

Decanted about 30 minutes. I think it is at peak but will last awhile. Such balanced fruit,tanin and acid. Great lingering taste

2014 vintage

OMG - this is drinking fantastically. Popped, poured into glasses to breath a bit and drank. Super yummy!!

2014 vintage

Delicious - popped and poured and enjoyed with Italian cuisine

2015 vintage

Decanted one hour. Wine is soft and perfect now. Sublime. Still extracted with flavor layers. Perfect time to drink.

2015 vintage

I did not care for this on release but it's come into a nice place. Full bodied, sapid, with dark berries, some cocoa powder, etc. I'd be drinking these in the next several years while it's still got some good freshness.

2011 vintage

Drinking at a very high level & possibly hasn’t yet peaked. Enjoy now if you have a bottle of this beautiful wine that paired perfectly w/pot roast.

2012 vintage

delicous

2012 vintage

Rich and round. I'd say at peak. Delicious.

2015 vintage

This bottle was really nice. Feels/tastes like it is in a great mature window. I am not good at guessing when a wine will start falling apart, but this tastes great now. Consumed in one evening.

2005 vintage

This wine is in a beautiful place right now.

2011 vintage

Decant 2 hours. Still a bit raw. Serve with a big dish.

2012 vintage

Drank this over two nights. Very bright fruits with well integrated but noticeable tannins. A bit of ripeness remains on the finish. Day two saw little improvement. High quality fruit and winemaking are evident.

2015 vintage

Cork pulled and allowed to breathe for ninety minutes or so. Opaque inky color- doesn’t look nine year old. Cassis and soy sauce notes. Full-bodied, with soy and dark fruit flavors. (tlv)

2014 vintage

Wine is too young right now. Even after 2 hour decant. Fruit is young, tart and closed. Tastes great but a bit hard. Needs another year or two. Very well made wine but somewhat closed at this point. Drink the 13 & 14 now. Long, lingering finish.

2015 vintage

excellent. smooth, soft, and lots of subtle dark fruit flavors.

2014 vintage

beautiful balance of fruit, acids and tannins - spectacular. Maybe another year or 2 of life, but hard to see how it would get better. Drink now

2012 vintage

Well balanced with black cherry and cassis Relaxed tannins with a round mouthfeel and long finish.

2015 vintage

After a one-hour low ox this wine was singing. Cabernet dominant nose, and a chocolatey, blackcurrant & plum palate.

2015 vintage

Coming into it's drinking window perfectly. Nice balance of fruit, acidity, a complete package really. We've been fans of Washington wines of Walla Walla, The Rocks, Red Mountain, etc. for years. Fantastic wines and winemakers.

2014 vintage

Dark black color typical of WA Cabs & Merlot. Decanted 2.5 hours and drank over another hour. Cab nose dominates. Great flavor layers and extraction. Wine is very smooth and concentrated. I really like the WA blends more than WA Cabs and WA Merlot. Very modern style but great. This is one of the best WA wines I’ve had. The other being L’Ecole 41 Ferguson. Buy this if you can to see how great WA wines can be. Excellent.

2014 vintage

a beautiful wine. big young bouquet, with fruit up front, black currant, blackberry, some nice woody notes right in behind, cedar, bell pepper, a touch of vanilla. palate is robust and luxurious, again with the dark berry fruit complimented by some slight green and herbal flavours that are nicely woven into the wine’s acidity that seems to push through to the finish where nicely integrated tannins present themselves. def drinking now but will likely hold here for several years yet. …

2014 vintage

At times we thought the wine was past its prime, but would then redeem itself. Flipping back and forth throughout the evening. This is the first disappointment we have ever had from Long Shadows, though they have set their bar very high for us.

2011 vintage

Drink

2014 vintage

This is a delicious Bordeaux blend from Columbia Valley in Washington State. Very dark in color, and looks very young. Full-bodied, smooth and bold, with medium acidity and long legs. Dry and fruity on the palate with nice complexity. Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, raisins, dried figs, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cola, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, earth and coffee. Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries. This 8 year old is peaking now, and will continue to drink …

2014 vintage

Knock your socks off good. Slap your forehead good. Super integrated at this point. First pour the earth and cellar jumped out of the glass. Evenly balanced on the palate but the fruit shines with just enough backbone on the tannins. This wine seems ready now or it could hang out for a couple more years. Just used a wine aeration gizmo to glass.

2014 vintage

We popped and poured our first glasses. The nose has notes of tar, tobacco, black cherries, pencil shavings and toast. Layers of bing cherries, dried figs, cassis, toast and black peppercorns. This wine has a long and enjoyable finish.

2012 vintage

Not even close to ready to drink; keep your mitts off this for a few years.

2015 vintage

One of the wines I opened for my annual WWC hosting. This is made by Melka and is Cab dominant with merlot, petit Verdot and Malbec to round it out. Out of the four Long Shadows wines I poured, this had the brightest profile. Aromatics of sweet, rich mixed berry pie, cocoa, espresso, and currant. Red and black fruits on the palate (dark berries, ripe black cherries), little bit of a cherry kirsch note, sandalwood, and dusty tannin on the …

2015 vintage

I love this blend from Long Shadows. Aged effortlessly with seeming years to go. Wonderful!

2011 vintage

Decanted for about an hour. Secondary flavors shine - graphite, leather, etc. a beautiful well made wine.

2012 vintage

Blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry with notes of cocoa, button mushroom, pink flowers, and baking spice. Complex and well-balanced Med+ alcohol, Med acid, med soft tannins.

2012 vintage

Of all the wines in the LS lineup: the Pirouette never, ever disappoints. 93-94

2014 vintage

Bright rich black fruit on the nose. Full bodied, layers of plum, blackberry with medium oak. Long finish, med tannin, will last at least 3-5 more years

2015 vintage

Deep, brooding. Dark red fruit, blueberry. Tobacco. Excellent

2015 vintage

So far, all of the wines from this winery have been good, at best. Way over priced. There was nothing special about this particular vintage. I feel the owners think they are a cut above the other wineries in the valley. Obviously they haven't driven around and sampled their neighbors' wares.

2015 vintage

2015 Meritage & Bordeaux Reds; 12/12/2021-12/13/2021 (Canoehead Central) : Double decanted for 1 hour. Deep garnet with crimson rim. Pronounced nose of dried dark red fruits and savoury notes of tobacco and mocha. One CTer mentioned bubble gum. On the palate this was quite rich and concentrated with balsamic notes. Alcohol burn on the finish but super fine tannins. Possibly in its prime time to drink so I'd say consume in next 2-3 years.

2015 vintage

Good, but not distinctive enough for the price. I prefer the pedestal by these makers. Full bodied, balanced.

2015 vintage

Not what I was expecting. Doesn't compare to other Longshadow wines that I’ve had.

2014 vintage

Better than expected - smooth, smoky dusty, nicely balanced. Nice to be surprised with something better, rather than worse than expected!!

2014 vintage

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Long Shadows, Pirouette, Columbia Valley

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