Issuing from three of their estate vineyards, Dusted Valley's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is medicinal in its evocation of iodine-tinged herb and dark berry concentrates. Vanilla from two-thirds news, largely Wisconsin oak manages to ingratiate itself, along with black pepper and cardamom nuances that appear to point toward the 7% share of Malbec. (There is also 6% Merlot.) A generally positive chew culminates in a rather stiff finish, but these tannins are fine enough to more fully integrate with a few years in bottle, and a lick of salt offers welcome saliva-inducement. (A 2008 blend from Dusted Valley of roughly equal parts Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec from two of these three vineyards - while not without merit - was rather gritty, bitterly herbaceous, and drying in finish.)
Dusted Valley was started in 2003 by two couples from Wisconsin - the Johnsons and the Braunels, with backgrounds in sales and food service - who learned winemaking as they went along, and have clearly been quite successful. They have purchased (and farm) or taken out long-term leases on four estate vineyards in Walla Walla and have plans for a dedicated production facility to handle Dusted Valley's roughly 4,000 cases, which are supplemented a high-volume second label called Boomtown that I did not have opportunity to experience. While nothing about their vinificatory methods stood out as striking, it's clear that these folks have adventurous spirits, considering their rather off-beat marketing as well as the fact that the length of elevage for reds varies from as few as 10 to as many as 24 months and often includes a share of Wisconsin oak.
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