Andrew Will is by far one of my favorite producers in Washington State. Camarda simply crafts some amazingly long lived wines that rival some of the best wines in the state and world. Tonight to unwind from an incredibly long week at my new second home, the Mason School of Business at William and Mary, I uncorked the signature Meritage from Andrew Will, the 2002 Sorella. I picked up this bottle a few months ago at MacArthur Beverages in DC for the low price of $42. Enough preamble, lets get to it.
Color: Really, this wine reminds me a lot of the color I saw from the 2004 Quilceda Creek I had for my birthday. Just amazingly dark, rich, inky color, showing immense concentration. This wine is showing none of its 7 years of age, looking just like the majority of high quality new releases. It is almost viscous in nature, showing incredible legs as it slowly drips down the class. Whoa.
Nose: Much like the color, this wine is definitely still a baby. Take me to jail, I am a baby killing fool. This wine is just a refined explosion of dark fruit, earth, chocolate, and assorted brett and barnyard aromas. This is really straddling the New World/Old World fence well, but the vibrancy of fruit is really what pegs this as New World. Overall very very nice.
Taste: Age has treated this wine well. I have a feeling that this wine would have been a tannic monster in its youth, but a lot of those edges have been rounded out and smoothed with age. There is an immense amount of refinement to the wine, showing nice sweet fruit, earth, and baking spices. The length is whats most impressive, as it just goes and goes over the palate, building intensity over the palate even after swallowed. The finish is about 2 minutes overall, but seems like it lasts for days. The acidity on the wine is good, just enough to leave the mouth clean and takes away much of the weight in the back end. Overall, this is a great medium bodied, full flavored red wine.
Overall: Much like many of Andrew Will's wines, I would say just buy whatever you see. This Sorella has the polish and refinement that many of its contemporaries are missing and is showing immensely well. The wine can last for another 5-10 years easy, with its prime drinking window just opening. 95 Points
