The 2007 Pirouette is produced by Agustin Huneeus, Sr. and Philippe Melka. It is a Bordeaux-style blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc with the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec. It was aged in 70% new French oak for 22 months. Medium purple in color, it sports an incipiently complex nose of Asian spices, incense, violets, mineral, black currant, and blackberry. This leads to a medium to full-bodied, mouth-filling wine with ample ripe tannin, excellent balance, and 4-6 years of aging potential. Drink this pleasure-bent offering from 2014 to 2027. Long Shadows and its seven labels, each with its own star winemaker, is just the beginning of Alan Shoup’s visionary project. He has purchased controlling interest in the Wallulla Vineyard from the Den Hoed brothers who developed it and who will continue to manage this huge project on the cliffs overlooking the Columbia River. Shoup has renamed it The Benches. It must be seen to be believed, encompassing 20 miles of road carved through the development. Shoup’s plan is to have each Long Shadow label have its own cave built into the landscape. Some fruit from the Benches is already being incorporated into some of the Long Shadows wines. Armin Diel is the winemaker/partner in the Poet’s Leap label. The Saggi label is produced by Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari. Tel. (509) 526-0905; www.longshadows.com

Supple and inviting, from the nose of flowers and dark fruits, to the chocolatey tannins that lick the back of the throat, this is a fully-realized, smooth and most accessible red wine.——P.G.(12/31/2010)—— 92