2017 DeLille Cellars D2 Red Wine Columbia Valley 750 ml

This is a wine built to enthrall: Named after the Médoc’s wine route, the “expressive and balanced” 2017 D2 from member-favorite DeLille Cellars absolutely lives up to its name, capturing all of that region’s famed boldness and intricacy. With outstanding wines like this, it’s no wonder Robert Parker has called DeLille “the Lafite-Rothschild of Washington State.”

Washington pioneer DeLille has gone and bottled a Merlot blend so full of rich, Bordeaux-style elegance that it landed on Wine Spectator’s Top 100, above bottles from pillars like Château Pavie-Decesse and Clos Fourtet. 

The last time we offered DeLille’s D2, we had the virtual equivalent of a stampede on our hands. It inspired a 4.72 out of 5-star rating, and reviews that hailed it as the “best blend we've ever bought from Wine Access.” One member said “We keep hoping it will come up again. We've cellared what we have remaining in case it doesn't!” Here’s your chance, dear D2 enthusiasts, because it’s back, and it’s better than ever. 

We’re not exactly surprised. To quote Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, “This D2 has always been a crowdpleaser, and the 2017 bottling continues that winning streak.” Winning is right. The D2’s vibrance and poise have earned its best-ever Wine Spectator score to go with its Top 100 honors. 

Straight out of the bottle, the D2 beckons with vibrant aromas of red fruit, coffee, toasted vanilla, and freshly picked herbs. The palate draws cherry, exotic spices, cedar, and tobacco from some of Columbia Valley’s most prestigious vineyards, including Grand Ciel, Ciel du Cheval, and Klipsun, which Wine & Spirits once named one of the Top 25 Vineyards in the World.

When he first crafted D2 more than 25 years ago, DeLille’s head winemaker, Chris Upchurch, forged the trail for Bordeaux-style blends in Washington state. He’s spent the last quarter-century obsessively perfecting his art, even whipping up a blend on the morning of his own wedding, leaving him with wine-stained hands at his nuptials. That’s the type of relentless dedication that’s gone into D2, and it shows more than ever in the 2017. 

Predominantly Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and touches of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the D2 offers a spellbinding trek through the Columbia Valley’s most acclaimed appellations. Red Mountain’s sandy loam soils and heat give this wine its muscle, while Snipes Mountain’s loess and river stones provide concentration. Upchurch maximizes his grapes’ potential and evokes further complexity by aging the wine for 18 months in 55% new French oak. 

The state’s wine country lies on approximately the same latitude as Bordeaux, receives little rainfall, and sees more sunshine than Napa. As a result, DeLille’s grapes coalesce to deliver pinpoint balance and refined, complex elegance—an outstanding representation of the Bordeaux style and Washington wine at its apex.