K VINTNERS CLOSEOUT: Crazy Prices on Huge Scoring Reds from Charles Smith!
In 2001, rock band manager turned winemaker Charles Smith launched K Vintners in Walla Walla, Washington. He sold the first wine from the back of his 1987 Chevy Astro minivan.
Over the past 25 years, his wines have received an abundance of accolades, including multiple 99- and 100-Point reviews. Through it all, Charles has remained as irreverent as ever.
Thanks to a longtime contact in the industry, we've been given access to a selection of his premium 2018 and 2019 vintage bottlings. We popped a few of them on Friday night following our L'Apero tasting and, with a few years in the bottle, they are showing GREAT.
We bring these powerful, highly-rated reds to you today at very special prices, each of which blows away every listing on the planet. With scores as high as 98 Points and savings as big as 50%, there are some really fun opportunities here. Supplies are limited to what we have on hand, so read below for the tasting notes, then hammer down on the Big Yellow Button while supplies last. We will indicate on the order form as items sell out.
2018 K Vintners "Broncho" Malbec
Columbia Valley, Washington
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Wine Advocate quotes a price of $70 for this rare Malbec from the Stoneridge Vineyard. The only online listing we find is $57 at a retailer in Washington State. We bring it to you today for a totally crazy winery-wants-it-gone price!
“The 2018 Malbec Stoneridge Vineyard Broncho is lush with aromas of sweet lavender and smoked plum before a delightful nuance of dark cherry compote and brown baking spices lift from the glass with a fine dusty essence. Full-bodied and softly hedonistic, the wine is marked with a rocky mineral tension that grips the palate and holds through the finish but not before revealing a gorgeously layered structure with well-managed tannins and succulent acidity. It’s a fantastic wine that will remain food-friendly for years to come. Drink Date: 2023 - 2030.”
- 94 Points, Wine Advocate (10/31/2022)
“Lots of smoky red and black fruits, charcoal, and meaty, spicy notes emerge from the 2018 Malbec Broncho Stoneridge Vineyard, a medium to full-bodied, seamless, beautifully polished Malbec. The oak jumps out at first yet quickly integrates, and the balance here is spot on. It has enough tannins to warrant short-term cellaring, but I see no reason it shouldn't have 10-15 years of overall longevity. Maturity: 2021 - 2036.”
- 94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (5/6/2021)
Release Price: $70Vin Chicago Move-It-Out Price: 36.99
2019 K Vintners "Roma" Cabernet/Syrah
Walla Walla Valley, Washington
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Sourced from River Rock Vineyard, located in the rocky Walla Walla River bed, this blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Syrah is cropped at less than two tons per acre. Fermented with wild yeasts, as is the case with all of today's wines, a mere 266 cases were produced. Vinous quotes a $60 release price. Median online retail is $58.50. Today's blowout price smokes every listing!
“Dark and intense, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah Roma bursts from the glass with a perfumed blend of cherry and raspberry preserves, complemented by autumnal spice. This is elegant and silky to the core, displaying enticing notes of sweet plum and dark chocolate, all elevated by vibrant acidity. The 2019 finishes with a coating of fine tannins and youthful tension, leaving nuances of licorice and clove to linger. The Roma is drop-dead gorgeous and sweetly seductive, impressive in its wonderful balance. This is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% whole-cluster Syrah from the River Rock Vineyard. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2032.”
- 93 Points, Vinous - Eric Guido (10/2023)
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah Roma is another outstanding wine. Based on 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Syrah, it has lots of classy red and black fruits as well as some Rocks funk in its notes of iron, black olive tapenade, and roasted herbs. Nicely textured on the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, has ripe tannins, and a satisfying, layered style perfect for drinking over the coming decade or more. Maturity: 2022 - 2033.”
- 92 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (7/9/2022)
“An inviting nose of ripe plum, blackberry, blackcurrant and fresh coffee. Medium-to full-bodied with stony mineral character. Velvety tannins. Vanilla and suede come through. Well balanced with good purity of fruit. 78% cabernet sauvignon and 22% syrah. Drink or hold.”
- 93 Points, James Suckling (2/10/2022)
Release Price: $60Vin Chicago Move-It-Out Price: 37.99
2019 K Vintners "Powerline Vineyard" Syrah
Walla Walla Valley, Washington
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Charles Smith's Powerline Syrah is one of our favorites. Farmed sustainably at 1200 feet elevation, this 100% whole cluster effort was fermented naturally and raised in a combination of new and prior-use French oak. Earning epic reviews with scores as high as 97 Points, this has a release price of $60 and a median online retail of $56. Today's sale price totally blows away all 20 listings.
“While just bottled a week before this tasting, the 2019 Syrah Powerline Vineyard certainly wasn't showing any worse for it, offering a stunning bouquet of ripe red and black fruits as well as white pepper, sandalwood, tobacco, and new leather. Pure, medium to full-bodied, and vibrant, with supple, polished tannins, this brilliant Syrah is going to keep for 10-12 years, if not longer. Maturity: 2022 - 2034.”
- 97 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (7/9/2022)
“More savory in style, the 2019 Syrah Powerline lifts up with an airy blend of dusty stone, red currants and cracked chalk. It's soft and round with ripe wild berry fruits elevated by brisk acidity. This comes across as surprisingly juicy in style yet tinged with salty minerals and spice. The 2019 possesses silty tannins that tug at the cheeks as tart blackberry hints fade. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2036.”
- 94 Points, Vinous - Eric Guido (5/2023)
“Lovely aromas of crushed blackberry, ripe plum, white pepper and dried herbs. Medium-to full-bodied with fine, slightly firm tannins. Nuanced in its expression of herbs and spices. Nutmeg, allspice and ground clove all come through. Juicy red and black fruit. Wet-stone mineral character to it all. Best after 2025.”
- 96 Points, James Suckling (4/13/2022)
Release Price: $60Vin Chicago Move-It-Out Price: 39.99
2018 K Vintners "King Coal" Cabernet/Syrah
Columbia Valley, Washington
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Also sourced from the Stoneridge Vineyard, this bottling is SINGING. Tasted with a few hours of aeration, it has us thinking high-end Napa Valley Cab. This smells and tastes like a $100 wine. In his 98-Point review, Dunnuck quotes a drinking window through 2036. Grab a few bottles to pop now and anytime over the next 10 years.
Median online retail for this powerful blend is $106. Completely blowing away all 18 listings, today's price is $46 less!
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon / Syrah King Coal Stoneridge Vineyard is another beautifully layered, complex wine from the team at K Vintners, based on 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Syrah. It offers lots of classic Cabernet tobacco, cedary herbs, and graphite notes, with the Syrah offering a more plush, sexy, seamless style to the wine. Loaded with red and black fruits, toasted spice, and chocolate, full-bodied, concentrated, yet seamless and incredibly pure, this gorgeously layered blend has enough tannins to warrant short-term cellaring yet is going to evolve gracefully for 15-20 years in cold cellars. It's a gorgeous wine. Maturity: 2021 - 2036.”
- 98 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (5/6/2021)
“Made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Syrah, the 2018 King Coal Stoneridge Vineyard is marked with a deep ruby core and magenta rim before aromas of seductive brown baking spices waft from the glass with notions of plum preserves and blackberry skin. Full-bodied and with a bright mineral tension, the palate is focused and precise, offering a balanced and focused structure with succulent acidity and fine-grained tannins before ending with a dusty floral and sweet baking spice finish. The wine spent 22 months in almost 60% new French oak barriques. Just under 10,000 bottles were made. Drink Date: 2022 - 2035.”
- 94 Points, Wine Advocate (10/31/2022)
“Aromas of currants, mint and cedar with flowers and spices. Full-bodied with firm, polished tannins that have a beautiful silky texture that caresses the palate. Hazelnut and chocolate undertones. 75% cabernet sauvignon and 25% syrah. Drink in 2023.”
- 96 Points, James Suckling (5/11/2021)
Median Online Retail: $106Vin Chicago Move-It-Out Price: 59.99
2018 K Vintners "Royal City" Syrah
Columbia Valley, Washington
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This is the top Syrah made at K Vintners. Whole cluster fermented with 47 days on the skins, this special wine was barrel-aged on its lees in French oak puncheons for 28 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
“Where do I begin? Aromas of wildflowers, bark, sarsaparilla, pottery studio, cherry compote, undergrowth, forest floor. On the palate, it oozes with flair running the gamut from tree fruits, plums, cherries to an array of herbs and spices. Long and silky, ethereal. A dream.”
- Charles Smith
Earning multiple 98-Point reviews, this wine was released at $140. Median online retail is $135. Today's "half-off" price obliterates all 17 listings!
“Lots of lavender, cured meats, loamy earthy, and pepper as well as both red and darker fruits emerge from the 2018 Syrah Royal City, easily one of the richest, most powerful Syrahs in the lineup. Full-bodied and concentrated, with loads of meaty, gamey, spicy nuances, this rock star of a Syrah offers loads of pleasure today yet is going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and cruise for another 10-15 years in cold cellars. It's a ripe, sexy, yet again, incredibly savory and meaty Syrah that could come from nowhere else! Maturity: 2023 - 2038.”
- 98 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (5/6/2021)
“The 2018 Syrah Royal City is sourced from the Stoneridge vineyard, which has an underground creek running through it and deposits of granite and volcanic soils pushed against what was formerly a marshland. Grapes from two distinct parts of the block are fermented separately. This 100% Syrah was aged in 50% new oak puncheons before bottling. The nose is sensational, offering green olive and white-pepper-dusted bacon alongside orange zest, fresh sage and suggestions of huckleberry cordial. Silky and elegant, this glides seamlessly across the midpalate. Very pretty red fruits and soy sauce tones combine with blood orange rind, steak tartare and an incredibly long finish. Super-refined and gorgeous to consume in its youth. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2031.”
- 96 Points, Vinous - Owen Bargreen (10/2021)
“Magenta in the glass, the 2018 Syrah Royal City offers a lighter expression of Syrah with a firm notion of dusty black cherry skin, notions of teriyaki beef jerky and dusty flowers with smoked plums before a delightful petrichor note lifts from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is loaded with umami sensations and firm mineral tension on the palate, with a dusty plum blossom essence that somersaults across the mid-palate with a textually pleasing mouthfeel. It’s a robust and pleasing wine without being overdone or offering a heavily weighted or over-oaky expression that may sometimes distract from the sincerity of sense of place. The wine glides to a long, evolving finish and lingering stemmy flavor with fresh red berries and soft florals. It’s not as big or as extracted as previous releases but will most definitely stand apart in a vertical tasting of past and present bottlings. Drink Date: 2023 - 2036.”
- 96 Points, Wine Advocate (10/31/2022)
“An explosion of fresh herbs and spice on the nose with notes of baked blackberry, dry stone and cardamom. Full-bodied with fine, structured tannins and so much delicacy and nuance. The palate feels expansive and wide-reaching with so much depth of flavor and wonderfully ripe fruit. Balanced acidity and wet-stone minerality keep the palate going and going. Hot paprika, roasted red pepper and white peppercorn add intense complexity. Excellent. Drink or hold.”
- 98 Points, James Suckling (2/10/2022)
Release Price: $140Vin Chicago Move-It-Out Price: 69.99
