While Woodward Canyon is consistently considered one of the top wines coming out of Washington, I have never been overly impressed with their wines. I think this is largely because the wines are strongly tannic and best considered after years of laying down or hours of decanting. I have typically sampled the wines young and haven’t had the inclination to buy a bottle – the wines are fairly expensive – and wait for a few years to see what happens. That said, given the regard for their wines, it might be worth the investment.

The Nelms Road label accounts for 7,000 cases of Woodward’s total production. This label is now in its tenth year. As a second label, these wines are considerably less expensive and far more approachable than the first label cousins. That said, they still have the potential to improve with some age which is nice to see in a reasonably inexpensive wine.

The 2006 Cabernet contains a grape seldom seen in Washington wines, Dolcetto. Dolcetto is common in the Piedmont area of Italy. The 2007 Cabernet should be released shortly.