Famous Floridian and celebrated former NFL quarterback Dan Marino is a big fan of Washington wine. A man of many years on the road, Marino came across the Bordeaux-style blends from the state on opposing ends of the country and began to gauge the interest around him for a partner in a Washington winery. Marino looked to an old teammate and fellow former NFL quarterback (and University of Washington alum) Damon Huard, now a Washington State resident and like-minded enthusiast of wine from his home. Although the years in the winery’s making were more extensive than planned, the two athletes brought their passion from the field to the farm and production facility. They teamed up with esteemed winemaker Chris Peterson of Woodinville’s Avennia and released the inaugural bottling of Passing Time wine last month out of the joint winery space.
With Peterson handling the fruit, Passing Time is able to get its hands on premium fruit—like old vines from Klipsun Vineyard in Red Mountain, prestigious Cabernet from Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills and Discovery Vineyard, managed by Paul Champoux—and do something distinguished and compelling with already excellent grapes. Big names have already given the young vintage some serious critical love and with good reason—this is top-tier Washington State wine. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon has its namesake at the core with 86 percent variety, with Merlot (9 percent) and Cabernet Franc (5 percent) modestly blended in and aged in new French oak for 21 months. The nose is vigorous, with ground coffee, vanilla bean, black pepper, black berry fruits and a dusty, led mineral tone. Spice and herb notes round out the bouquet and pull into the palate, matched with generously inky berry flavors, ample acid and power tannins that coat the palate. Props to Peterson’s able to bridle the beast—this wine could be overwhelming if not made with such restraint but instead is a balanced beauty of Cabernet.
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