Winemaker Mike Januik is one of Washington-state's most acclaimed winemakers, and his Royal Slope Red Blend is rocking this vintage. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, it is easily one of the best under-$25 reds of the vintage. Both "serious" and easy-to-drink, this Bordeaux-inspired blend is polished, smooth, and packed with ripe and forward fruit.
After working as the lead winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle for a decade, Mike Januik helped start up Novelty Hill in 2000. Over the course of his career, he's had more than a dozen wines appear on Wine Spectator’s prestigious “Top 100” list. Beloved amongst his peers in Washington, he's known as a very easy-to-like and down-to-earth guy, just like his wines.
2020 Novelty Hill Royal Slope Red Blend
Highly attractive Bordeaux-styled blend from a Master Winemaker. - 93 points - JS
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Let's go ahead and address the elephant in the room. Haven't I told you all repeatedly to be very careful buying 2020's from the West Coast due to smoke taint? Yes, I have, but as Steve Tanzer of Vinous Media said, "By most accounts, the grapes largely escaped smoke taint and most of the best fruit was in before a nasty freeze arrived late in the harvest."
That's right, Vintage 2020 was actually very good for Bordeaux varieties in Washington. Warm, dry, and sunny during the key parts of the growing season, the vintage yielded some incredibly delicious and stylish red wines. Novelty Hill's Red Blend will most certainly be ranked as one of the great values of the vintage. It's hard to put into words how much righteousness this wine delivers at such a fair price, but I'll do my best to give you an honest assessment.
It really drinks like a wine in the $30+ range, and you can totally sense that there is a very talented winemaker and high quality fruit behind this wine. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend this year, and the wine sees 18 months of aging in new and used French and American oak. It pours a brilliant magenta color and roars out of the glass with notes of ripe plum, blueberry, wild blackberry, cocoa, and vanilla. Medium to full-bodied, plush, and loaded with ripe berry notes on the palate, this finishes smooth and long.
I plan to enjoy a bottle with a grass-fed burger with caramelized onions and blue cheese this weekend. I highly recommend you do the same, but don't think you have to have food to bring out the best qualities of this wine. It's quite forward, opulent, and totally fine for sipping with nothing more than a glass and a good friend.
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Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville