Buty Winery, Columbia Valley (Washington) Merlot & Cabernet Franc 2011

This blend of Merlot (67 percent) and Cabernet Franc is a very elegant wine — in other words, a wine of smoothness and balance, not excessively big or powerful but quite lovely.  The wine shows admirable ripeness of fruit and flavor for the very cool 2011 vintage.  Its flavors suggest blueberry — apparently from the unusually dominant Cabernet Franc component — with dark berry jam, and the flavors carry long into the finish.