Bombing Range Red 2006 Blend

By: McKinley Springs, Prosser, Washington

Here is the story behind the name of this red wine, as it is stated on the bottle. “During WWII the U.S. Government asked our family, and other families in the Horse Heaven Hills to leave our farms so the area could be used to train fighter pilots. Bombing Range Red is our tribute to our troops and the colorful history of the Horse Heaven Hills.”

Bombing Range Red is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 8% Syrah, and 4% Mourvedre. From their web site, http://www.mckinleysprings.com/, the description is – Raspberry and blueberry jam aromas with violet and cinnamon. The taste is rich blackberry, mocha and currant.

I love the look of this wine when it is in the glass. It is dense!  (No, honey, I am describing the wine) When I hold it to the light I cannot see through this puppy. So, I expect a fuller mouthfeel and some good complexity going on with this wine when I taste it.

This wine has a bold flavor profile of dark berries. It is like you could spread this across your toast in the morning. The two Cab grapes add a solid earthy quality. The mocha profile to me is more on the aftertaste. Honestly, with every sip I think, ‘life is good,’ I love the berry taste. I don’t notice much in the spice profile but, that is okay because I really like the thick berry profile coating my palate. As the wine opens up there is more of a soft peppery note and some spice. The Syrah and Mourvedre grapes are noted for bringing the spice and the pepper notes to the table but, these two grapes only makeup 12% of this blend. So, the focus is on the Cab grapes. The complexity is not great, but very good in the berry category.

This is an excellent choice for a value priced wine.