Wonderful Wines Of Washington! (WWOW!)

With the rise in popularity of quality wine from less-than-usual locales, we're forgetting about one right here in the U.S.: Washington State. WA is actually the second largest producer of American wine (behind California) but it's hardly forefront in the mind of consumers looking for wonderful wines.

Time to change that, and how! First of all, let's do some edifying: A) don't equate rainy Seattle with your concept of WA wine—most of the state's wine regions lie to the east of the Cascade Mountains, which act as a rain shadow, in the dry Columbia Valley AVA. B) the area's latitude is the same as between Bordeaux and Burgundy (fairly well-regarded regions, eh?), there is an unusually long length of day, which equals over a hundred more hours of glorious daylight during the growing season—and WA's wide daily temperature fluctuations are great for ripening. C) there is NO phylloxera in the state, so the vines are grown on their own rootstock. D) for you soil nerds: there is volcanic bedrock layered under glacial deposits and soil from multiple ice age floods, with a windblown loess dusting on top—a trifecta of loveliness. E) there are over FORTY varietals planted, with subregions showcasing an incredible array of grapes; Riesling and Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah… rarely at home in the same region.

There's so much more, but let's get to the juice!

I recently spent a day walla-walla-wallowing in the bounty of WA state wines at a trade event sponsored by the Washington State Wine Commission, and found some truly wonderful wines during two seminars and a walk-around tasting.

I was first knocked out by the 2013 àMaurice Cellars Sparrow Viognier, Walla Walla Valley AVA. Nose of straw, lemon, white florals, very viscous, and tangy lemon zest with lots of minerality on the palate. Florals emerge on the super long finish. Winemaker Anna Schafer spoke of her passion in cultivating this gem: "I absolutely love making white wine—you're not making white wine for the scores!" ~$35.

At the walk-around, I beelined to her table to taste more of her offerings: the 2011 àMaurice Cellars Night Owl Estate Red Blend was light but complex, with a super elegant, smoky nose, a bit of earth and charming, well-balanced fruit. ~$48. 2011 àMaurice Cellars Fred Estate Syrah had lots of perfume, spice, and herbs, with lavender sachet in the mouth. Not a hot-n-ripe overblown Syrah, rather an elegant, integrated example. ~$42. And the 2011 àMaurice Cellars Anderson Red Blend showed a great perfumey nose! Sweet plums, rose petals… wowzers! Love this. Elegant, and very flavorful. ~$40.

Another standout was the 2012 Januik Klipsun Vineyard Merlot, Red Mountain AVA. Complex, forward nose of blueberry, blackberry, lavender pastilles, and mocha, in the mouth it had compact, elegant fruit, with good balancing acidity and soft tannins, with a long finish of blackberry pie. ~$30

Almost presented as an answer to the question, "But how will WA wines age?", the 1994 Woodward Canyon Winery Merlot, Columbia Valley AVA had an amazing "whoa!" nose of intense spice box, sweet cedar, and tobacco leaf. It was still very present in the mouth, with flavors of dried herbs and mesquite, with good acidity. Just lovely. (The fruit was actually sourced from the Wahluke Slope AVA, but at the time, it hadn't been granted an AVA designation yet.) Not too shabby for a 20-year-old Merlot from lil' ol' Washington! ~$NA.

Chateau Ste. Michelle winemaker Bob Bertheau is an important figure in the growth of the WA wine industry, always looking to innovate and perfect, and his 2010 Ch. Ste. Michelle Artist Series Meritage, Columbia Valley AVA has the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon he's ever put in a Bordeaux-style blend. He said, "The elegance of the Cab this year just sang to me, and I couldn't hold it down." It had blackberry liqueur and floral perfume, with dense and dark purple notes. Suuuuuuper smooth, with pepper and graphite on the finish. A big wine, but it doesn't punch you in the face. Wow. (Bob also said that "Washington tannins are like a thoroughbred—you have to teach it, train it… that's a good problem to have, to have a wild horse." I loved that.) ~$60.

His 2013 Ch. Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling carries on a solid tradition of dependable Eroicas, with a great nose of florals—massive honeysuckle!—and spice, mandarin orange, and mouthwatering acidity. ~$20. And I also loved the 2011 Ch. Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, with its dead-on-Cabernet nose of cassis, cedar, and a little green-ness. It was incredibly smooth and integrated, and had a long finish of cassis and earth. ~$30.

Next stop was the Charles Smith/K Vintners table—I've been a fan of their wines for a long time. (I've gleefully written about the Boom Boom Syrah and the Kung Fu Girl Riesling in the past.) And sure enough, out of the gate, I was incredibly impressed with the 2013 ViNO Pinot Gris. Attractive floral nose, spicy, good acidity, florals carry through—wow! Impressive. And only ~$12! I also went coo-coo for the 2012 Sixto Uncovered Chardonnay, with its smooth presentation, cheeky note of taffy, and loads of minerality. No new oak, 100% native fermentation, sourced from three different high-elevation vineyards—a rival to famed CA chards, at half the price. ~$30. Another incredible value is found in the 2013 Wines of Substance Cabernet Sauvignon, which was "kind of left alone," according to co-winemaker Brennon Leighton. Robust red fruit, good balance and length, complex. ~$15.

I'm also familiar with Andrew Will's wines, and really enjoyed the two vintages I tasted from his Champoux Vineyard (and the little kid in me cracked up every time someone seriously mentioned a "shampoo" vineyard.) The Cab Franc-based 2012 Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard Blend, Horse Heaven Hills AVA was big and extracted, with dense black fruits and florals, ~$65, and the 2011 Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard Blend, Horse Heaven Hills AVA lathered up the palate (see what I did there?) with spiced blackberry jam. ~$74.

If a group of flamingoes is a flamboyance, what do you call a group of Master Sommeliers? (That may be a good question for the twitter.) Three MSs—Shayn Bjornholm MS, Chris Tanghe MS, and one of my former instructors John Ragan MS—led a blind seminar to illuminate WA location, grapes, and blends. (Yes, my palms sweat the minute I realized we'd be tasting blind, but I nailed the three varietals and a couple of sub-regions, so I guess the Minx has some mad skillz after all.)

The quality of the wines in this group was high across the board, but if pressed to name some favorites, I'd include the 2011 DeLille Cellars Harrison Hill Blend Snipes Mountain AVA; cassis, herb liqueur, and sage notes, integrated fruit, elegant and delish! ~$95. Also the 2012 Avennia Justine Columbia Valley AVA, with its red and black berry salad, strong cherry, and florals, was super dense and tasty, and quite grippy. A blend of Mourvedre, Grenache, and Syrah. ~$40. And I loved the 2012 Gramercy Cellars Third Man Columbia Valley AVA, with silky red fruits, it was a bit meaty (genoa salami) and peppery, with alpine notes. Big, but beautifully balanced. Another S. Rhône blend, this time with the emphasis on Grenache. ~$45.

The 2012 Betz Family Winery Bésoleil Columbia Valley AVA was also incredible, with coffee grounds and herbs on the nose, and a luxe, elegant palate of blueberry, a hint of chalk—so tasty. ~$45. I went to their table for more, falling for the 2011 Clos de Betz Red Bordeaux Blend, with an amazing, packed nose of cassis and cedar, and a flinty minerality. ~$55. Also the 2011 Betz Family Winery Père de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon: "ooooh, rich & smooooooth!" say my notes. Violets, delicious fruit, elegant, quaffable yet good with food. 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, and 3% Merlot. ~$68.

"Dense" is the word of the day for the 2011 Col Solare Blend Red Mountain AVA, which also drew me in, with its notes of cassis liqueur, brick dust, velvety red fruit, liquid herbs, it was very dense and very ripe. And very sexy. ~$75.

Still with me?! I know this is a lot, but seriously—each table I visited kept surprising me with such gems, it was truly a bounty. If I didn't have an appointment to get to, this post would have been three times as long, I'm sure. My last stop on the way out was at the Seven Hills table. I'd correctly blind tasted the varietal of the 2012 Seven Hills Vineyard Merlot Walla Walla Valley AVA during the seminar, and still loved its ripe blue and black fruits on the nose, elements of smoke and mocha, and tasty, intense blueberry pie. ~$38. Next was the only rosé I sampled that day, the 2014 Seven Hills Dry Rosé Cabernet Franc—loved the nose, strawberry-lime rickey, clean and crisp watermelon Jolly Rancher, good acidity, super dry finish. ~$18.

 Their hits just kept on coming: the 2012 Seven Hills Ciel du Cheval Blend Red Mountain AVA: "melting" red fruit, big but super integrated, lovely. My friend Mr. Some Damn Good Wine kept crowing over the note of "Maraschino! Maraschino!!" ~$45. The 2012 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Petit Verdot Walla Walla Valley AVA: just loved the nose. Intriguing. Plummy purpleness across the board. Wow! I drew a heart. ~$35. And the 2012 Seven Hills Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain AVA: spot-on Bordeaux nose—cedar, cassis, eucalyptus. Scrumptious, with high tannins, but very integrated. ~$45.

Wineaux, if you haven't figured it out by now, wines from Washington State are indeed wonderful. This tasting confirmed that they have the ability to rival wines from other great regions around the world, and many are values at every price point. Do yourselves a favor, and start familiarizing yourselves with the wonderful wines from WA.

(Side note: as of this writing, I am very close to finalizing a date to sing this summer for the Seattle Mariners as part of my quest to sing the National Anthem for every Major League Baseball team. Rest assured that I will do my very best to tack on a visit to the Columbia Valley to get up close and personal with more of these gems! I love it so when my worlds collide.

UPDATE: The Seattle date is set, barring any theatrical conflicts: July 28. Very excited, not only to sing, but to stomp around Washington State vineyards for a few days. Keep an eye out for my report.)

Cheers!

A WHIRLWIND OF GREATNESS(It Was a Sprint, Not a Marathon.)

Wineaux: if you had the crème de la crème of the best wines in the world laid out in front of you, and a mere two and a half hours to taste as many as you could, you might look like a refugee from "Supermarket Shopper" (or whatever that crazy program was) too. I had a map—notated in two highlighters AND a pen—and a plan of action, and woe to the lackadaisical taster who got in my way.

This was at a recent Grand Tasting evening at the Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience. In the past, I'd been able to attend the whole weekend's worth of programming; the amazing seminars, the luncheons, and BOTH evenings of Grand Tastings with an extra hour each… and I still never made it to every wine.

This time, I could only be there for a fraction of the enormous event—I mean, they have over 250 Wine Spectator Award-winning wineries pouring at this session alone—but I had on comfy shoes and a lot of determination.

For better or worse, here's what I got to sample, with the quickest-notes-in-the-world—starred entries were particular standouts:

(And apologies to the winemakers who I was abrupt with, the fellow tasters I elbowed through, and the friends I ran into with a "Hi, no time to talk, let's touch base soon, make sure you go to XYZ's table, byeeeee.")

BUBBLY:

NV Bollinger Brut Champagne Special Cuvée: soapstone, bright mousse, ripe lemon, very nice! ~$50

NV Henriot Brut Rosé Champagne: rich fruit, compact and complex—just gorgeous. ~$55

NV Krug Brut Champagne Grand Cuvee: (full disclosure—this was my first stop, I beelined to the Krug table!) warm and toasty, rich, always lovely. ~$135

* 2006 Perrier-Jouët Champagne Belle Epoque: brioche, florals, stunning, rich, toasty mousse, nutty. ~$135

WHITE:

2012 Far Niente Chardonnay: ripe yellow flowers, bruised apple nose. Very dense, lovely in mouth, taffy, melon, spicy finish. Nice! ~$45

2007 Hugel Gewürztraminer Vendage Tardive: floral, litchi, rich, very subtle. Doesn't seem as sweet as the 100g/l residual sugar would imply. ~$50

* 2011 Kistler Chardonnay Trenton Roadhouse: poured out of magnum. Spot-on nose, baking spices, rich fruit, super tasty, with light and lifting acidity. ~$140 (bt)

2011 Kongsgaard Chardonnay: subtle floral nose, compact and savory on finish, yellow apple, great balance. ~$110

* 2011 J.J. Prüm Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese: beautiful florals, o my gosh, amazing, creamsicle (!), orangey, spicy and interesting. ~$30

2007 Trimbach Riesling Frédéric Emile: petrol, white flowers, pear, white peach, steely, clean, minerally. Always a fave. ~$63

BORDEAUX:

2009 Ch. Angélus: dusty cocoa powder, really dense and rich, licorice, earth, graphite, yum. ~$350

2009 Ch. Cheval Blanc: soft red fruits, tangy and dense, bright, elegant, smoke. ~$1500

* 2007 Ch. Haut Brion: VERRRRY earthy, licorice, violet, elegant though SO dense, blackberry, cassis, black cherry, bit of leather and tobacco. ~$475

* 2001 Ch. Lafite Rothschild: tarragon, SAGE—heady nose, tangy, drinking very well, purple fruits and flowers (I'm really enjoying the '01s I've had of late—maybe not a standout vintage for Bordeaux, but they're pretty tasty!) ~$750

2010 Ch. Lynch-Bages: spice, blueberry pie, still obviously very young and dense but actually nice balance. Intense black fruits, excellent potential. ~$180

2007 Ch. La Mission Haut-Brion: earthy, bit savory, dried herbs, approachable now, not too big, florals lighten it up. ~$380

2008 Ch. Mouton Rothschild: loads of terroir, very smooth, elegant, cassis, balanced. ~$600

2007 Ch. Palmer: cedar closet, spice and earth, luxurious in the mouth, subtle but present structure. ~$240

2004 Ch. Pichon-Longueville, Ctsse. de Lalande: Asian spice, earth, red jammy fruit, kind of soft finish but nice structure, drinking very well now. ~$140

BURGUNDY:

* 2006 Bouchard Clos Vougeot: liquid earth, potpourri perfume, plush fruit in mouth. Amazing. ~$160

2011 Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny: light macerated berries, earthiness on finish. ~$65

2012 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers: love the earthy terroir, round and rich fruit, not knockout finish but warm and long. ~$125

2010 Jadot Nuits-St.-Georges Les Boudots: lots of floral perfume, intertwined elements, compact and rich, very structured. ~$85

* 2010 Latour Corton Grancey: RASPBERRY! (Dried and candied.) So yummy. Elegant, floral, excellent balance, yum! ~$120

RHÔNE:

2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape: green pepper, vegitation, kind of awkward nose, but comes together in mouth, still tight and a long way to go. ~$100

2011 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chappelle: warm, red fruits, spicy and rich, very nice. ~$150

2010 Ch. de Saint-Cosme Gigondas: floral, still very young, red fruits, spicy, kind of at the "terrible twos" I'd say. ~$60

* 2012 Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau: oooooh, wow, sexy red fruit, LOVELY nose. Good red fruit in mouth, formidable but elegant. ~$75

CALIFORNIA:

2011 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard: uber-spicy, mesquite, hickory, very woodsy. Seems Bordeaux-ian, lots of earth elements, subtle fruit, very interesting, pedigreed. ~$495

2011 Beaulieu Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve: dense black and red fruit, cedar, lovely in the mouth, spicy, brassy yet approachable. ~$100

1989 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve: perfume! Nice red and black fruit, holding up SO well, still lots of structure. Wow. ~$80

2010 BOND Quella: soft nose of blueberry pie. Tangy, rich, purple and blue fruits, not too overblown, beautiful. ~$425

* 2012 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 40th Anniversary (not Special Selection): such an amazing nose, lavender, ANISE!, so unusual, chocolate bar, spearmint, amazingly special. ~$55

* 2010 Dominus: cassis, blueberry, blackberry liqueur, DENSE, opulent, lush, wow. ~$230

* 2010 Harlan Estate: Cocoa powder, licorice, violets, blue fruits—sexy nose. O. M. G… dense, rich, multi-faceted, big but balanced. Woooow. ~$850

1997 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard: earthy nose, but lovely fruit and herbs on palate. Good integration, nice length, soft finish. Holding up gorgeously. ~$195

2010 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir RRV Georganne: warm and inviting, verrrrry spicy, red fruit, yum, nice balance. ~$80

2011 Peter Michael Cabernet Sauvignon "Au Paradis": high-toned red fruit, dusty earth, really gorgeous in mouth, integrated components, fruit, earth, herbs, violet… ~$200

2011 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Reserve: cedar, earth, really fantastic, blueberry, elegant, violets, so lovely. ~$135

2011 Phelps Insignia: berry salad, velvety, luxe, herbs, chocolate, earth, solid and very nice! ~$180

* 2009 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon: dense, luxe, blue and black fruits, cherry, blackberry, really amazing. Elegant, spice, warm and rich, very nice—love it. Good structure too. ~$140

1994 Ridge Monte Bello: Earthy, luxe, dense nose, wet leaves, this is a 1994?!?! Still bright. A special wine. ~$230

WASHINGTON: 

2010 Cayuse Syrah Bionic Frog: really interesting, meaty, spice (I wrote "really interesting" AGAIN,) ignore cutesy label, something very cool going on! ~$250

* 2008 Charles Smith—K Vintners Syrah Morrison Lane: (they'd left by the time I arrived at the table, but I shook the last few drips out of the last bottle standing on the table!) Pepper, perfume, violets yessss, melted milk chocolate, lavender, YES. Wish I'd had more. ~$50

ITALY:

2008 Barbi Brunello di Montalcino: smoky, spicy, pleasant fruit in mouth. ~$50

2007 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Greppo: spicy, kind of light, but nice red fruit and spice. ~$190

2010 Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato: Anise, red fruit, elegant and sexy, nice structure, still a long ways to go. ~$110

* 2011 Gaja Sori San Lorenzo: red cherry pie, elegant, luxe - rich, supple red fruits. SO LOVELY. want more!! (Helps that I was chatting in Italian with Angelo Gaja himself.) ~$425

2011 Giacosa Barolo Falletto: tart ripe fruit on the somewhat closed nose, but lovely in the mouth; earthy, fruity, very elegant, "feminine, but a little slutty :-)" ~$170

* 2006 Masseto: earthy/dusty, really yummy, florals, spicy black and blue fruit, excellent integration—YES. $~800

2006 Ornellaia: bit earthy, spicy red fruit, rich. ~$190

2009 Planeta Syrah Maroccoli: great ripe nose, lots of fruit, so super tasty, nice example of Sra in Sicily. ~$37

2007 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Paganelli Riserva: very nice and spicy, rich, velvety, good spice/red fruit balance. ~$85

* 2010 Sassicaia: very perfumey nose. Wow—really dense, purple florals, tasty, bit spicy, nice balance. Excellent. ~$160

SPAIN:

* 2004 CVNE Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva: very earthy and spicy, tomato sauce. Dense, lots of tannins, loads of earth and integrated red fruit. ~$130

2002 R. López de Heredia Rioja Viña Tondonia Reserva: subtle nose, spices, red fruit, very nice, leafy, has a way to go. ~$40

2010 Muga Rioja Aro: soft, light and spicy nose. Very quaffable, still lots of structure. ~$175

2006 El Nido Jumilla: lavender, ripe red fruit at the nose's finish, super jammy, dense, great packed fruit. ~$135

2004 Vega Sicilia Unico Gran Reserva: meaty, warm, nice balance, rich, earthy, minerally. ~$370

AUSTRALIA:

2012 Mollydooker Carnival of Love Shiraz: blue fruits on the nose, dense, spicy, rich and lovely, red cherry liqueur, integrated. ~$70

2011 Penfolds RWT Shiraz: red fruit, BBQ (heat, coals,) spicy and dense red fruit, yum, bit of a bruiser but I like it :-) ~$145

* 2012 Two Hands Shiraz Bella's Garden: cherry liqueur, jammy red and black fruits, it's a monster! Just awesome, smooth and rich, very nice. ~$58

LEBANON:

2007 Ch. Musar: really amazing nose (maybe my favorite Musar I've ever tasted,) clay, earthy, such specific terroir, spicy. ~$30

DESSERT:

* 2009 Ch. D'Yquem: perfume, honey, florals (could inhale this nose for days,) bit of botrytis, candied orange peel, ginger—luscious. ~$850

~          ~          ~          ~          ~

Okay, now that I see the above all laid out before me, I admit that I did a PRETTY DECENT job! But there were a few that eluded me, as they were all poured out when I got to their tables. To share my woe, I missed:

2007 Tignanello, 2010 Gaja Ca'Marcanda, 2009 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill, 2004 Dom Perignon, 2010 Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer Las Piedras, 1996 Ch. Margaux, 2005 Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva, 2011 Opus One, 2012 Pahlmeyer, 2010 Plumpjack, 2008 Roederer Rosé Champagne, 2010 Shafer Hillside Select, and NV Taittinger Prélude Champagne.

(Frowny-face.)

It was also tough to skip so many tables "on purpose" (I didn't make it to any Ports at all!) but such was the nature of the beast. Next year, I hope to be back for the entire event, so I don't have to be the Tasmanian Devil of sipping and spitting. But looking back, I think you'll agree I made the most of my brief time at the Wine Spectator NY Wine Experience Grand Tasting this year.

Cheers!