2023 Auclair Left Blend Artz Vineyard, Red Mountain, USA 🇺🇸

The Moment

Some Bordeaux-style blends are built around power.
Others are built around poise.

The 2023 Auclair Left Blend Artz Vineyard Red Blend feels like the kind of bottle that leans toward the second lane — serious, structured, and unmistakably Red Mountain, but polished enough to feel graceful rather than heavy. The Left Blend is their ode to the Left Bank of Bordeaux, where Cabernet Sauvignon is king and Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and occasionally Malbec play supporting roles to bring depth and complexity. The wine is smooth as silk with a very long, complex finish, and that with air the wine darkens and gains complexity. 

What It Feels Like

Think steak on the table, dim light, and a bottle that opens slowly into something more layered and a little more commanding than you first expected.

What makes this wine work is the combination of Cabernet-driven structure and Red Mountain fruit. Left Bank inspiration, Cabernet Sauvignon dominance, and supporting grapes chosen for complexity. It is a wine with real shape, but also real polish.

In the Glass

Aromatics
Expected to show dark fruit, subtle herb and mineral tones, and classic Cabernet-led Bordeaux-blend character.

Palate
Smooth and structured, with a long, complex finish that gains depth with air. That core profile is directly supported by the current Artz Vineyard Left Blend public note.

Texture
Silky on entry, but with enough underlying structure to reward decanting and time in the glass. 

Finish
Long, complex, and persistent, with the wine reportedly gaining complexity as it opens.

Why We Love This Bottle

Auclair’s Flagship Left Bank Expression
The winery is explicit that this is one of their flagship wines and their tribute to the Left Bank of Bordeaux, which makes it an important bottle in the lineup rather than just another red blend.

Cabernet Sauvignon Leads The Way
Auclair confirms that the Left Blend is always Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and sometimes Malbec adding depth and complexity.

A Red Mountain Blend With Polish
The wine is “smooth as silk” with a very long finish, which is a very appealing frame for a serious Red Mountain Bordeaux blend.

Pair It With

• Steak
• Lamb
• Braised short ribs
• Mushroom dishes
• Aged cheeses

Technical Notes

Producer: Auclair Winery
Wine: Left Blend
Vineyard: Artz Vineyard
Vintage: 2023
Region: Red Mountain, Washington, USA
Style: Bordeaux-style red blend. Auclair’s Left Blend in the Red Mountain / Columbia Valley Bordeaux red blend category. 

Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and occasionally Malbec in supporting roles. 

Body: Full
Structure: Silky texture · Cabernet-led frame · long complex finish

Flavor Profile
Dark Fruit · Herb · Mineral · Spice

Drink Window
Now–2032

2016 Descendant Cellars ‘Sibling Revelry’, Washington, USA

The Moment

Some Rhône-style reds are built around weight.
Others are built around movement.

The 2016 Descendant Cellars “Sibling Revelry” feels like the kind of bottle that lands beautifully in that second lane — bright, savory, and just a little off-center in the best way. A wine that flips the classic GSM blend on its head, built as a mostly Mourvèdre “MSG” blend, with cranberry and flint on the nose and red and black fruits across the palate. That already tells you this is not a soft, jammy Rhône imitation. It’s more lifted, more savory, and more food-first. The wine has a slightly darker, earthier, more savory frame than a Grenache-led blend would.

What It Feels Like

Think grilled meats, something rustic on the table, and a red that feels relaxed but never boring.

What makes this wine appealing is the balance between brighter red-fruit notes and the more stony, savory side implied by the cranberry and flint description. Open enough to be inviting, while the Mourvèdre-heavy framing means a wine that is a little more earthy, herbal, or game-adjacent depth underneath.

In the Glass

Aromatics
Cranberry, flint, and likely savory Rhône-style lift.

Palate
Red and black fruits with a savory, food-friendly shape.

Texture
Likely medium-bodied, with enough structure from Mourvèdre to feel grounded but enough fruit to stay easygoing.

Finish
Fresh, lightly stony, and savory, with red and black fruit lingering through the close. 

Why We Love This Bottle

A Rhône Blend With Its Own Angle
The most interesting thing here is that the 2016 is not presented as a standard GSM. The fact that it is mostly Mourvèdre gives it a little more intrigue and a likely savory edge right away.

Easy To Open, Not Simple
Descendant’s current lineup language around Sibling Revelry as the “little sister” Rhône-style wine suggests it is meant to be approachable, but the 2016 tasting note clearly adds more personality than a simple everyday red.

Very Food-Friendly
The 2016 note specifically recommends it with grilled meats, slow-cooked beef ribs, cassoulet, or ratatouille, which is exactly the kind of pairing range that makes a bottle like this useful in the shop.

Pair It With

• Grilled meats
• Slow-cooked beef ribs
• Cassoulet
• Ratatouille
• Roast chicken with herbs

Technical Notes

Producer: Descendant Cellars
Wine: Sibling Revelry
Vintage: 2016
Region: Washington, USA
Style: Rhône-style red blend. 

Body: Medium
Structure: Bright red fruit · savory/stony edge · likely Mourvèdre-driven depth

Flavor Profile
Cranberry · Flint · Red Fruit · Black Fruit

Drink Window
Now