Interesting Washington State red blend - Desert Wind Ruah 2008

A friend brought over a bottle of Desert Wind Ruah 2008 (WS 89 points, SKU 264390 $19.99) for me to taste. It was a Washington State Columbia Valley wine that was bottled in Oregon. It was a new world blend of 45% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.

The initial nose was not very impressive but the taste was interesting. The color was more brown that I expected for a wine of such young vintage. This was definitely very different from the usual Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. The initial taste was somewhat fruity but there was some tannic aftertaste as well. It would probably go well with some salmon or pork in light sauce. The body was medium but it seemed to grow on you.

This would be considered as an introduction to drinking old world wine, like the Bordeaux and the Italian wines. If you like the fruity Napa or Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or Australian Shiraz, then this would not be the wine for you. However, if you want to start tasting the old world wines, this would give you a taste of the classic blend using new world grapes.

I checked the LDB availability and found that there were only a few bottles at 39th & Cambie and 8th & Cambie. However there are lots in West Vancouver and Coquitlam. Try a bottle first and if you like it, you can get LDB to order it from the other stores for you.