The Left Bank-styled wine of the estate, the 2012 Le Coursier is a ripe, sexy red that offers notes of blackcurrants, chocolate and leafy herbs. With full-bodied richness, no hard edges and tons of charm, drink it over the coming 7-8 years. The blend in 2012 is 62% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged in 40% new French and European oak barrels.

Slightly simple, the 2010 Le Coursier (57% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Malbec) offers mid-weight aromas and flavors, as well as a medium-bodied, straightforward feel on the palate. Showing notions of light berry fruit, underbrush and spice, enjoy it over the coming 4-5 years. Brian Carter continues to produce a number of well-made wines, from just about every grape variety out there. Tel. (425) 806-9463; www.briancartercellars.com

Brian’s take on Bordeaux and a blend of 54% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2009 Le Coursier was aged 22 months in 40% new French and European barrels. Slightly heavy and cumbersome, it nevertheless had solid aromatics (blackberry, chocolate, licorice and tar), medium to full-body and a rich, plush texture. Easy drinking and loaded with fruit, enjoy this straightforward effort over the coming 3-4 years. Drink now-2018. Based in Woodinville and made by Brian Carter, this is a solid, well-made lineup of wines. Tel. (425) 806-9463; www.briancartercellars.com

Also recommended, but no tasting note given. Oregon- and California-trained Brian Carter has been a prominent fixture of the Washington wine landscape for more than three decades, for much of which he was winemaker for and partner in Washington Hills Cellars (including its Apex and Bridgman brands) and for all of which he has been active as a consultant and ambassador “abroad” (in which capacities I have myself known him for nearly 20 years). Carter has been vinifying and bottling wine under his own name since 1997 (the 2007 Solesce reviewed in this issue thus marking the beginning of that signature cuvee’s second decade). Sweet fruit and toasty oak (despite generally modest percentages of new wood) but also frequently herbaceous, gum-numbing and bitter notes characterize the reds that dominate Carter’s production – most of them fancifully named in a nod to their Old World inspirations – from which I would love to experience a bit greater sense of clarity, levity, energy, and retention of primary fresh fruit juiciness. “It’s taken me a while to unlearn Davis training,” Carter told me at one point with a laugh. “They made me swear never to engage in spontaneous fermentation” but recently he’s done just that. So his being viewed as an elder statesman clearly isn’t going to preclude Carter’s continuing evolution as a winemaker. Tel. (425) 806-9463

The 2007 Le Coursier is composed of 54% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot aged for 22 months in 40% new French and European oak. On the palate it displays a forward personality, ripe fruit, light tannins, spicy flavors, and moderate length. This tasty effort can be approached now and will continue to provide pleasure through 2019. Brian Carter Cellars remains a reliable source of quality Washington wines. Tel. (425) 806-WINE; www.briancartercellars.com