2016 Balboa Winery Mith Red Wine Walla Walla Valley 750 ml

The most rewarding part of this job is sourcing a wine that our members probably wouldn’t find on their own…then seeing them go crazy for it. 

That’s what happened with Balboa’s Mith Red Wine. We locked in a small allocation of the 2015 vintage for our Unfiltered Club, and it was a huge hit: Our colleague Eduardo Dingler called it “A symphony of a wine—this wine rocked our world.” Our members scored it 4.6 stars, the same as Caymus’s iconic Napa Cabernet. The only Washington Cab to score higher in the last 10 years is the 2016 Quilceda Creek, which edged it out at 4.7…but costs $200+!

Nobody’s got a better lay of the land in Walla Walla than Balboa founder Tom Glase. He’s seen 25 harvests there, beginning his career at L'Ecole #41 in 1999. He’s got the friendships and know-how that get him the best vineyard sources for this wine, like Eidolon Vineyard in The Rocks District AVA—a source he lost in 2018 when Drew Bledsoe rushed in and bought the vineyard. 

You’re hearing more and more about The Rocks District in Milton-Freewater—just across the Oregon state line from Walla Walla—thanks to stars like Cayuse, Bledsoe, and Reynvaan. The terroir is something special: Basalt cobblestones in the vineyards radiate heat back up to the grapes at night and give the wines an extra measure of ripeness, making this Cabernet blend straddle the line between Napa and Bordeaux beautifully.

Mith is Tom’s top wine, comprising 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Merlot. He made less than 600 cases. This wine’s showing beautifully now—enjoy it with a couple of juicy picanha steak skewers.