Dark and deep with concentrated blackberry and cassis; intense, rich and thick with lovely fruit, spice and tangy acidity; supple and ripe with depth and style; long and stunning. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 9% Merlot, 3% Malbec. (Anthony Dias BLUE REVIEWS)

.

Pamplin’s admirable focus on just a pair of Bordeaux-style blends is rather rare. This is the more expensive of the two, and a fine, fat, forward bottle in this warm vintage. It’s three-quarters Cabernet Sauvignon, with lovely fruit, compact upon opening, then fleshing out with air time.Clean and focused, bright with berries and cassis, it’s a dense wine, with subtle barrel notes. (Paul Gregutt)

The Pamplin 2009 Proprietary Red (and yes, that’s exactly how it’s labeled) features Cabernet Sauvignon, small amounts of Merlot and Petit Verdot, plus a jot of Malbec. It delivers cooked cherry, beet root and dark licorice tinged with humus, tobacco, brown spices and iodine, along with a stone or pencil lead undertone that puts me in mind of a Medoc. While I would welcome a bit more energy and finishing juiciness, there is considerable refinement of tannin and little heat from the 14.9% alcohol to this blend – of which a mere 119 cases were bottled –and it ought to be worth following for at least half a dozen years. (Incidentally, while both Pamplin 2008 wines received close to half new barrels, more than three-quarters of the volume of this 2009 sojourned in once-used barrels, with the balance divide between new and twice-or-more used). Proprietor Robert Pamplin; son-in-law and winery president Art North; and Finger Lakes native, winemaker Robert Henry collaborate on just two Bordeaux blends sourced primarily from Seven Hills, Klipsun and Canoe Ridge Estate vineyards. (Pamplin is also the proprietor of Anne Amie, the former Chateau Benoit winery in the Willamette Valley, which helps explain Pamplin Family Winery’s Oregon address). (David Schildknecht)

This is another impressive release from Oregon’s Pamplin Family Winery. Though labeled as a red wine, it could just as easily be designated as Cabernet Sauvignon. Much of the fruit comes from Seven Hills Vineyard with only a scant 16% new French oak used. An aromatically intriguing wine with graphite, black licorice, cherry cordial, and a medley of herbal notes. The palate is full of ripe, but still understated, fruit flavors on a lightly structured wine where oak is considerably dialed back. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 9% Merlot and 3% Malbec. Seven Hills (74%), Klipsun (24%), Canoe Ridge Estate and Double Canyon vineyards. Aged 21 months in French oak (16% new). 14.9% alcohol 119 cases produced. (Sean Sullivan) 2009 Proprietary Red Wine 100 Best Washington Wines of 2012 Seattle Metropolitan Owner Robert Pamplin Jr. has a business background that spans mining, milling, media and farming. He also happens to own one of the Northwest’s more exciting new wineries, producer of this beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend. (Sean Sullivan)