Washington Wine Blog Reviews

Learn more about our wines with reviews by Owen Bargreen from Washington Wine Blog. Thank you Owen for the great comments.

2020 Fall Release wines

On a rare occasion, I find it imperative to write about wines right after I try them. Such is the case with the new wines by Sleight of Hand — truly one of the great overall lineups of Washington wine. Originally a small production winery, Sleight of Hand was first founded in 2007 by Trey Busch and Jerry and Sandy Solomon. The winery focuses on both estate and non-estate fruit and has slowly been increasing production since the winery’s inception. Trey (a fellow Pearl Jam fan) is a downright awesome, down to earth guy that has attained great success in a relatively short amount of time. Keith Johnson joined the team in 2011 and has been doing an incredible job as the production winemaker. Keith oversees the winery on a daily basis, and during harvest, while Trey and Jerry are in the vineyards making picking decisions, he is managing the harvest team, making sure everything is being taken care of in the cellar. Keith also makes some great wines under his Devium label.

2018 Sleight of Hand ‘Levitation Reserve’ Syrah

The 2018 ‘Levitation’ Syrah is sourced from both the ‘Lewis’ and ‘Les Collines’ Vineyards — truly two of the great sites for Syrah in the state. I’m quite honestly floored with the bouquet, as once you dip into this wine you get an incredible sense of terroir that is difficult to describe. A huge range of fresh herbs deftly combine with tar, black currants and shades of dark chocolate shavings. The mouthfeel here is plush and inviting as minerals mingle with creosote, smoked pork shoulder, milk chocolate and shades of sagebrush that all come together in unison. Savory and salty, with great length, this is nothing short of a sensational bottling by Sleight of Hand that will provide drinking enjoyment for another decade or more. Drink 2020-2033. 94 points.

2018 Sleight of Hand ‘The Sorceress Reserve’ Grenache

Sleight of Hand have steadily been building a west coast reputation for top notch Grenache and the 2018 ‘The Sorceress Reserve’ continues that great streak. The wine has seriously good aromatic range, from blood orange to charcuterie and pretty red rose petals that combine with red cherry candy on this complex bouquet. The palate is fresh and vibrant with great acidity. Layers of bright pomegranate seed and rose water combine with orange rind, summer sausage and cran-pomegranate tones. I love the sense of elegance here as this beautiful effort will cellar well for another decade — but is nearly impossible to resist in its youth. Drink 2020-2030. 93 points.

2018 Sleight of Hand ‘Spiders From Mars’ Syrah

This outstanding, one-of-a-kind Syrah bottling is sourced from the Ziggy Stardust Block of the Elevation Vineyard which is set on broken basalt. Aged on the lees for 26 months in entirely used French oak, this underweight 100% whole cluster fermentation. Showing off a deep core, this opens with shades of iodine and green peppercorns that mingle with Umami, creosote and cigar ash. The complex and novel aromatics bring you back to the glass for more delight. The soft mouthfeel here really entices as a deep core of dark fruits mingle with crushed wet gravel, blood orange zest, scorched earth, fresh thyme and smoky minerals. With more air, the dark fruits become more rich and pronounced. The length is exceedingly gratifying. Spectacular to enjoy in its youth, this is the best ‘Spiders From Mars’ Syrah to date that is highly novel, complex and delicious to savor in its youth. Drink 2020-2030. 94 points.

2018 Sleight of Hand ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah

The thrilling 2018 ‘The Psychedelic’ Syrah is another impressive wine made by the superstar winemaking team of Trey Busch, Keith Johnson and Jerry Solomon. Sourced from the ‘Stoney Vine Vineyard’ in the Walla Walla Rocks AVA, the stem included wine spent 16 months in 23% new French oak prior to bottling. Once on the nose this takes on layers of green olive tapenade and bacon fat that combine with iron, bulls blood and high-toned red fruits, providing a wonderful range of complexity. The soft and silky mouthfeel offers an err of elegance here as the wine effortlessly glides across the mid-palate. Charcuterie and green olives are woven together with wild blackberry, Umami and satsuma orange on the palate. Fresh and vibrant, yet beautifully textured, with great length, this is one of the great bottling of ‘The Psychedelic’ that has been made. While glorious in its youth, this has another decade of life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2028. 95 points.

2018 Sleight of Hand ‘The Funkadelic’ Syrah

Sourced from ‘The Funk Vineyard’ in the Walla Walla Rocks District, this incredible new Syrah is another thrilling wine from Sleight of Hand. Elegant and pillowy once on the mouth, this reveals quite a different flavor profile than its cousin ‘The Psychedelic.’ Roasted dates and black currant jelly mingle with wet stone, Texas style BBQ beef ribs and gobs of Umami tones all brilliantly combine on the palate. The weight, texture and elegance of the wine is truly outstanding. Glorious in its youth, the gorgeous 2018 ‘The Funkadelic’ Syrah will cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2020-2030. 95 points.