K “The Deal” Syrah Sundance Vineyard

soft and generous, with green olives, lush currants, plums, and spices, great presence and depth with refined tannins and a long and expressive finish

As a manager of a rock band, Charles Smith toured Europe in the 1990s and discovered his fascination for wine. Back in Seattle, Washington State, in the far northwest of the USA, he took over a small wine shop and made his first contacts with wine producers in the emerging wine region between the Columbia Valley and the Blue Mountains. In Walla Walla, he met the Frenchman Christophe Baron, who inspired him to produce his first own wine. Baron sold him grapes – and the first K-Vintners wine was created in 1999 with the Syrah from his Cailloux Vineyard. Smith's great talent was finding grapes from the best vineyards of various producers and turning them into something truly unmistakable. The K-Vintners series was born.

Charles Smith's message is simple and convincing: "I make powerful wines with good balance, not overripe, but always with that certain something." While the K-Vintners start-up began in 2001 with 330 cases, his production has grown to 15,000 cases today. The Wine Spectator awarded the seductive K-Vintners Syrah Walla Walla Valley Old Stones 2010 94 out of 100 points. In 2014, Wine Enthusiast named Charles Smith Winemaker of the Year at the Wine Star Awards.