The Wine Knows

Steve Lessard, winemaker for Whitman Cellars in Walla Walla, Wash., has released a wine under his own label, Corvus Cellars.

Lessard, who came to Washington in the mid-'90s from his native California to become head winemaker for Hedges Cellars on Red Mountain (now Hedges Family Estate), left for Whitman Cellars in 2002, where he makes a wide array of red and white wines.

For Corvus, he has released a Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2005 vintage, which the Wine Press Northwest panel tasted Thursday and enjoyed greatly. The wine uses fruit from Red Mountain, a region Lessard got to know in depth during his time at Hedges. He made just 100 cases, which has long been sold out.

If you are a fan of Lessard's wines, this would be worth looking into.