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2015 Charles Smith K Vintners Stoneridge Vineyard El Jefe

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

July 23, 2023 - $33

Estimate

RATINGS

95Jeb Dunnuck

...Terrific bouquet of black cherries, toasted spice, dried Provençal herbs, and hints of graphite. Medium to full-bodied, pure, elegant and layered on the palate, with fine yet certainly present tannin...

93The Wine Advocate

...generous and fruit-forward, leading with notes of ripe cherries, strawberry preserve and subtle hints of candied peel. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and succulent, with juicy fruit overlaying fine-grained but savory, chewy varietal tannins.

91Stephen Tanzer

...Aromas of musky plum, dark cherry, mocha and herbs. Wonderful silky on entry, then quite fresh in the middle palate, with the fine-grained raspberry and tobacco flavors displaying lovely inner-mouth lift and energy to buffer the wine's sweetness. Finishes with suave, building, ultimately firm tannins and excellent length.

REGION

United States, Washington

Washington State, with 59,000 vineyard acres, is the second largest producer of wine in the United States. Wine was made in the state as early as the mid-19th century, but Prohibition and, later, restrictive state laws killed the wine making business in the 20th century until the 1960s, when laws changed and large and small producers started making wines. An influential horticulturalist and agriculture professor name Walter J. Clore studied various grape clones in the 1960s to find the best ones for Washington, and by the 1970s Yakima Valley, Walla Walla and Columbia Valley had all become important grape growing areas. The best vineyards in the state are east of the Cascade Mountain range, where hot dry summers and cold winters are conducive to successful viticulture. Numerous grape varieties are grown, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc at the head of the list.

TYPE

Red Wine, Tempranillo

Think leather and cherries together for Tempranillo wines. This wine looks lighter than it is. It can be medium or full bodied, but its thin-skinned, big grapes, give it a more transparent appearance. It is grown in Spain, Portugal, the U.S. and Australia.