Andrew Will Red Blend Sorella 2020 750ml

Made from a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Sorella is fresh yet restrained and has a focused and red-fruited core of spiced potpourri. The nose is slightly compressed at the moment and takes some spinning in the glass to coax some of the more delicate and seductive nuances, revealing layers of complexity. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, this is a gorgeous, world-class wine whose true power comes from not being bold and massive but rather from being delicate, finessed and focused. The wine is balanced on the palate, with a compact frame, elegant structure, succulent acidity and fine-grained tannins before uncoiling across the mid-palate. The wine glides to a seductive and lingering finish and will undoubtedly be well-received when it is released in early 2025. It’s a fantastic bottling of Sorella, and I’ll end with a parting note that I shared with Chris and Will Camarda: “Bigger isn’t better... BETTER is better! This may be one of the most delicate Sorella bottlings I’ve had in many years. Although it comes in a more compact frame, the 2020 is just as devastatingly gorgeous as any I’ve had.” Only 9,030 bottles were filled after the wine rested for 22 months in 30% new French oak barrels.

I don't think the 2020 Sorella is a match for recent vintages, but it's clearly an outstanding wine. Offering ample red and black fruits as well as notions of gravelly earth, chocolate, and roasted herbs, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, bright acidity, and firm tannins. It shows the more challenging style of the vintage with its narrower, firmer style, but it should round into form with 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 15 years or more.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot from Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. Sorella translates to sister in Italian, and was named after Chris Camarda's late sister Jane Camarda. Sorella has been made from 100% Champoux Vineyard fruit since it's first vintage in 1994, and represents the nature of the vineyard by highlighting the Cabernet Sauvignon, which is considered some of the best in Washington State. Vinified with indigenous yeasts and matured in French oak (35% new/65% neutral) for 22 months. Bottled unfined/unfiltered and minimal so2 added.