Out for a
special anniversary dinner, and this is what we wound up with: Since we were having many different small plates, I had a glass of white wine, namely, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris from Casa Silva in Chile. But DW and I also split a bottle of 2014 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red. This is a red blend from Columbia Valley; they say they get fruit from all the well-known appellations there (Walla Walla, Horse Heaven Hills, Rattlesnake Hills...) It was listed as a "CSM" blend (Cab, Syrah, Merlot), which I think you will only find in WA. I started writing down the exact blend, but grew weary, because this is the full goldurn list:
• 29% Merlot
• 26% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 22% Syrah
• 11% Cabernet Franc
• 3% Sangiovese
• 2% Malbec
• 2% Petit Verdot
• 2% Grenache
• 2% Mourvèdre and
• 1% Counoise.
It was lovely, but color me skeptical on the importance of those last few varieties!