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2019 Betz Family Winery Clos de Betz

Removed from a temperature and humidity controlled wine cellar

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

95Vinous / IWC

...peppery mix of spiced blood orange, wild blueberry and sour cherry with complementing hints of sweet tobacco. Silky to the core, this coats the palate in ripe red and blue fruits accentuated by lavender and violet nuances...tapers off classically structured and long with a tart raspberry concentration and saline-mineral tones that linger impossibly long.

94The Wine Advocate

Succulent, ripe and juicy...offers fresh aromas of red cherry, juicy plum and black raspberry with a delightful dusty and floral essence that wafts from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is focused, precise and delineated, showing impressive mineral tension, mouth-watering acidity and fine-grained tannins...long-lingering and evolving finish...

94Wine Spectator

Sleek and lilting, with elegantly complex red currant, dusky spice and tobacco flavors that build structure and polish toward refined tannins.

94James Suckling

Aromas of crushed blackberries, red cherries and sage. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Elegant and polished on the palate. Linear, with lovely harmony and length. Nuanced and refined. Well-ripened fruit, but not overdone, with charming complexity.

94Wine Enthusiast

Aromas of cocoa, plum, spice, licorice, chocolate, flower and moist earth lead to plush, palate-coating flavors that show precision and detail and sneaky intensity that only ramps up over time. The finish goes on and on.

93Jeb Dunnuck

Lots of darker cherries, dried herbs, leather, and a hint of chocolate...medium to full-bodied, pretty, polished, elegant red with enough density and depth to evolve for a decade.

PRODUCER

Betz Family Winery

Betz Family Winery was founded in Woodinville, Washington, in 1997, by Bob and Cathy Betz. In the early 1970s the then young couple traveled through Europe’s great wine regions working in wineries and vineyards. In 1975 Bob started working at Chateau St. Michelle, where he eventually became Vice President of Winemaking Research. But he and his wife wanted their own winery, so they began sourcing grapes from Washington’s best appellations. Betz Family Winery specializes in Syrah and Rhone style wines, though it also produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that Bob Betz “makes some of Washington’s best Syrah…”

REGION

United States, Washington, Columbia Valley

Columbia Valley AVA is larger than some states. At 18,000 square miles, or 11 million acres, the appellation covers almost half of Washington State and a small part of Oregon on the south side of the Columbia River. Established in 1984, Columbia Valley contains numerous sub appellations within its boundaries, including Yakima Valley AVA and Walla Walla AVA, both large and important wine districts. Columbia Valley AVA, generally called the Columbia Basin by Pacific Northwesterners, is in the Columbia River Plateau, and the AVA also includes a section of northeastern Oregon. There are dozens of microclimates within this appellation of about 7,000 vineyard acres. Many kinds of grapes are grown in the Columbia Valley, though the principal grapes planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Eastern Washington experiences very hot summers and cold winters, and the northern latitude means that Washington vineyards receive several more hours of sun in the summer than California vineyards. Grapes in Washington therefore have time to develop significant tannins and overall ripeness.