Also solid, the 2014 Wild Thyme offers a complex, layered bouquet of incense, plums, mulled dark fruits and chocolate. Medium+ bodied, ripe and sexy on the palate, it has no hard edges and a good finish. The blend is 47% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot, and it should drink nicely for 5-7 years.

A Weinbau and Dionysus Vineyard-dominated blend of Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, Isenhower Cellars’ 2008 Wild Thyme displays lightly cooked but generously juicy blueberry, along with notes of dried herbs and a hint of resinous and caramelized woodiness (though none of the barrels were new). It finishes with modest but satisfying length and should merit following for at least 3-4 years. Midwesterners Brett and Denise Isenhower opened their Walla Walla winery just over a dozen years ago, and following early and widespread recognition, they planted their first estate vines in 2008 with designs on eventually growing about half of their fruit. Their diverse offerings typically run to 2,000-4,000 bottles each. Tel. (509) 526-7896

The 2007 Wild Thyme is made up of 46% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit Verdot and was aged for 17 months in neutral French oak. Expressive aromas of Asian spices, cigar box, incense, herbs, black currant, and blackberry are followed by a structured wine with excellent volume, good balance, layered flavors, and a lengthy, fruit-filled finish. It has enough stuffing to evolve for another 2-3 years and will deliver peak drinking from 2013 to 2022. Brett and Denise Isenhower began their Walla Walla-based winery in 1999. Their response to recessionary times has been to cut production and move primarily to direct sales. As a result, they have established a tasting room in Woodinville (where the customers are located). Tel. (509) 526-7896; www.isenhowercellars.com

This is a complete switch from the 2004, which had no Syrah; here it is 60% of the blend. Very few wines in this price range have this degree of energy, detail and precision. The mix of fruit, spice, herb, rock, acid, barrel and tannin is delightful.——P.G.(11/1/2007)—— 90

Here’s another lovely blend from Isenhower, this one with flavors that are dark and roasted, the scents suggesting Syrah rather than what it is—a Merlot-based Bordeaux blend. A pretty wine for the price; firm in the mouth with licorice, blackberry and moist earth flavors. Tannins have been softened a bit but it retains an herbal roughness around the edges. ——P.G.(3/1/2007)—— 88