Andrew Will Sorella Proprietary Red Wine

Andrew Will is one of Washington State’s benchmark estates, founded by the immensely talented Chris Camarda and widely regarded as one of the pioneers of elegant, Bordeaux-inspired wines from the Columbia Valley. Their flagship wine, Sorella, represents the pinnacle of the estate’s work, and the 2020 version comes entirely from the famed Champoux Vineyard, one of the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon sites in the country. A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, the wine was aged for 24 months in French oak and showcases Sorella’s trademark balance of power, precision, and restraint.

Flowing with complex notes of blackcurrant, dark cherry, gravelly earth, cocoa nib, roasted herbs, and exotic spice, this is a beautifully layered and nuanced red. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it combines fresh acidity with fine-grained tannins and impressive structure, finishing long and regal. There is plenty of power here, but what impressed me most was its elegance and focus -- this is a world-class Cabernet-driven wine that wins through finesse rather than sheer size.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 98 points: "Made from a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Sorella is fresh yet restrained and has a focused and red-fruited core of spiced potpourri. The nose is slightly compressed at the moment and takes some spinning in the glass to coax some of the more delicate and seductive nuances, revealing layers of complexity. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, this is a gorgeous, world-class wine whose true power comes from not being bold and massive but rather from being delicate, finessed and focused. The wine is balanced on the palate, with a compact frame, elegant structure, succulent acidity and fine-grained tannins before uncoiling across the mid-palate. The wine glides to a seductive and lingering finish and will undoubtedly be well-received when it is released in early 2025. It’s a fantastic bottling of Sorella, and I’ll end with a parting note that I shared with Chris and Will Camarda: “Bigger isn’t better... BETTER is better! This may be one of the most delicate Sorella bottlings I’ve had in many years. Although it comes in a more compact frame, the 2020 is just as devastatingly gorgeous as any I’ve had.”