Crafting small-lot wines that emulate a sense of the complex rocky soils and sunny micro-climates found throughout Eastern Washington’s varied wine regions seems to be a defining point with winemaker and 
owner Lisa Warr-King Packer of Warr-King Wines. “I try to take a minimalist approach to winemaking,” she says. “I believe in letting the wine be the wine it’s going to be.”
Working with premium grapes grown in prominent AVA’s such as Yakima Valley, Red Mountain and Wahluke Slope, Lisa’s terroir-driven approach produces elegantly styled wines filled with distinctive character, minerality and structure. You can find them at the Woodinville-based winery at Warr-King Wines, 19501 144th Ave NE, Suite D-700C, Woodinville, WA. Or visit the website at www.warr-kingwines.com
Here are three releases we recently reviewed:
Warr-King Wines 2014 Red Mountain Merlot, $36
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding (91-94 pts.)
Sourced from Kiona Vineyard, the style is supple and opulent, exhibiting robust flavors of macerated cherry and black plum accented with enticing layers of graham, dusty cocoa, vanilla and fresh-cut chervil. The well-built structure makes this a Cabernet-lover’s Merlot, backed with a fortress of dense tannins that lean toward the dry side on the long, concentrated finish.
Warr-King Wines 2016 Descendant, $36
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding (91-94 pts.)
Full-flavored, sleek and smooth in body, this Bordeaux varietal red wine delivers a lush mouthfeel overflowing with vivid flavors of cassis, cherry and juicy plum layered with graphite and accents of garden herbs. Mineral spice and fine tannins grab hold for the duration of the lengthy finish.
Warr-King Wines 2016 Columbia Valley Malbec, $38
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding (91-94 pts.)
Rich yet lively, delivering a broad swath of juicy black fruit, dark plum and slate minerality finely balanced between notes of cocoa nib, sage and tobacco leaf. Ends with warm peppercorn and chalky tannins on the lingering aftertaste.