All the triumph and unbridled pleasure of freewheeling down the Columbia Gorge Highway in a 1963 Jeep Gladiator while you should be at a board meeting. Black gooseberry granite cliffs, peppered rabbit jerky, wild raspberry from roadside stands, broiled Simka plum buckshot, bramble-tangled blowtorch, and loganberry brandy from a black steel flask. Those boardroom big-shots and spreadsheet slideshows will have to wait, because this is the best wrong turn you’ve ever made.
96 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
Checking in as 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache from a site in the Edna Valley, just across from Alban Vineyards, the 2021 Slide Hill is deep ruby/plum-hued with a powerful nose of ripe red and black fruits, exotic flowers, iron, and white pepper/sandalwood. Brought up all in new barrels for 30 months, its full-bodied, has a pure, concentrated mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a blockbuster styled, heady finish. Drink this singular beauty over the coming decade.
