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Review: McKinley Springs 2009 Horsepower Proprietary Red Blend Horse Heaven Hills

photo: 2009 Horsepower and roasted leg of lamb pairing.
Horsepower Proprietary Red Blend - A great match to roasted leg of lamb.

My previous post I shared my recipe for Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb. The wine I paired with the lamb was the newly released McKinley Springs 2009 Horsepower Proprietary Red Blend. It was a very good pairing.

Wine and food pairing can be tricky - I don't always succeed. The meal and wine should compliment each other - neither should overpower the other. There are many variables that come into play in the dance of wine with food at home; in this context I wanted a food friendly, Syrah dominant red wine. At 43% Syrah, the 2009 McKinley Springs Horsepower was a good match.

Tasting Notes:
Color: Garnet.
Nose: Smoky, plum, cherry, sage, chocolate.
Palate: Rich mouth feel, plum, cherry, dry, smooth, dark chocolate on the medium finish with a nice mix of tannin and acid in the front palate.

This wine was a good match to the lamb I cooked for dinner. Lamb can be a little fatty, this lamb was not - it was tender and savory. The Horsepower red wine at opening had the proper ratio of tannin and acid needed to compliment the meal. I noted after dinner that it really began to sing after two hours. This wine is ready to drink now for dinner and your BBQ parties. There's also some aging potential, as I feel this wine will continue to develop in bottle and provide some wonderful flavors over the next few years. Recommended.

Blend: 43% Syrah, 35%  Barbera, 9% Malbec, 9% Petit Verdot, 4% Mourvedre
AVA: Horse Heaven Hills, Estate vineyard
Closure: Screw cap
ABV: 13.8%
SRP: $16.00
Cases Produced: 898
Sample provided by the winery

I am continually impressed by the quality of McKinley Springs wines - and their affordable price points. They are doing Washington wine justice. Seek out these wines and you will be impressed by their fantastic value. The label looks cool too.

About McKinley Springs

The children and spouses of Louise and Bob Andrews, established McKinley Springs Winery in 2002 with a goal of producing balanced, flavorful wines offering excellent value. Rob Andrews, Grower, tends to the vineyards and Doug Rowell, Winemaker, oversees production at McKinley Springs. Together they make wines, focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chenin Blanc.

McKinley Springs grows over 20 varietals on its 2000 acre estate vineyard in the southern part of Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills. McKinley Springs also supplies 25 noted area wineries with grapes, including Andrew Rich, Northstar, Syncline, Hogue and Columbia Crest. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA is bordered in the north by Yakima Hill, to the south by the Columbia River, and surrounded by the larger Columbia Valley appellation. The winds from the Columbia River protect against vine diseases and provide a cooling effect that concentrates fruit flavors, while the south facing slopes provide optimum growing conditions.

McKinley Springs Winery
Tasting Room is open Memorial Day Weekend – Labor Day Weekend.
1201 Alderdale Road
Prosser, WA 99350
509-894-4528
www.mckinleysprings.com
twitter: @mckinleysprings

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