2023 Red Wine, La Contrada
La Contrada — Red Mountain Bordeaux Blend
70% Cabernet Sauvignon (Quintessence Vineyard) | 20% Merlot (Red Willow Vineyard) | 10% Malbec (Quintessence Vineyard)
Our 12th vintage of La Contrada celebrates the remarkable character of Red Mountain, one of Washington’s most distinguished winegrowing regions. Inspired by the great Left Bank Bordeaux blends of the Old World, this sophisticated red combines Cabernet Sauvignon, old-vine Merlot, and Malbec to create a wine of depth, elegance, and balance.
Named after the Italian word for “district,” La Contrada pays homage to the connection between land, culture, and place. Like the historic contrade of Siena, this wine reflects the unique identity of its origin—where vineyard, climate, and soil become inseparable.
Tasting Notes
Dark and expressive, the wine opens with aromas of blackberry, plum, violets, cassis, currant, espresso, and dark chocolate. The palate is rich and beautifully structured, offering layers of concentrated dark fruit balanced by vibrant acidity, refined tannins, and a lingering finish. Polished and hedonistic, La Contrada delivers both immediate pleasure and the structure to reward cellaring.
Aged 24 months in barrel, this is a powerful yet balanced expression of Red Mountain terroir.
Enjoy now through 2035+.
Our Right Bank Bordeaux-inspired red blend highlights Merlot as the centerpiece, creating a wine of richness, generosity, and refined texture. The 2023 vintage benefited from a warm growing season, resulting in exceptional quality, balance, and polish.
A true expression of Red Mountain terroir—one of Washington’s most distinctive winegrowing regions—this wine reflects the depth, character, and sense of place that define the Contrada.
We are delighted to bring back this spectacular wine for its 5th release ~ following on the curtails of the 94pt 2012 vintage. This polished and hedonistic left-bank, Bordeaux-inspired red blend showcases the essence of the Red Mountain A.V.A. – one of Washington’s finest growing ‘districts’ (Contrada in Italian). La Contrada gets its namesake from the famed Palio di Siena; a horse race around the piazza of Siena, Italy dating back to the 12thcentury.
“Whereas the Palio is essential to the life of the Contrade. The Contrade in turn are essential to the life of Siena. The Palio, the Contrade, and Siena thus constitute a virtually interdependent trinity.” Judith Hook, Historian 1979. Similarly, the grapes cultivated in the soils and micro-climate of the Red Mountain ‘district’ are intertwined with their place.
