The 2005 L’Orage is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Cabernet Franc aged for 26 months in 30% new French oak. Purple-colored, it offers up an excellent bouquet of pain grille, earth notes, spice box, cassis, and black currants. Elegant and already complex on the palate, the wine has darker fruit than the Cabernet Franc. Nicely balanced and long, this stylish effort will evolve for 2-3 years and drink well through 2020. Vigneron Scott Greer appears to be the rising star in Yakima Valley. He began planting his vineyard in 1997 and now all of the wines are estate bottled (a model that appears to be the wave of the future in Washington). The vineyards are still young so it would appear that the best is yet to come. Typical yields are 2 tons of fruit per acre and current production stands at 5000 cases. Kudos to Scott Greer for a superb portfolio of wines www.sheridanvineyard.com