Figgins, Walla Walla Valley (Columbia Valley, Washington) 2019

 Figgins winery, founded by winemaking legend Gary Figgins, has deep roots in Washington’s wine scene.  The Figgins’ Estate is a 32-acre single-vineyard project to highlight the terroir of the Walla Walla Valley.  The Estate Red is their flagship wine and is absolutely worthy of the hype that has surrounded it for more than two decades.  This wine beautifully showcases the fruit concentration and quality that Walla Walla can produce, featuring black cherry, prune, and black currant fruit notes.  Balanced oak aging gives the wine rich but smooth tannins, with tobacco leaf, cedar, and vanilla also showing in the wine’s finish.  The power and concentration of fruit deserve further bottle aging but sufficient air will make the wine enjoyable in the near-term.