Wine Press Northwest Summer 2007

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6 Wine KnowsSearching for a sense of place

8 A Distant PerspectiveRosé in resurrection mode

10 Market GrapevineSummer arrives in exuberant fashion

12 Swirl, Sniff & SipHow to store Port

14 Urban SipsSultry stories of wine vixens, ullage

18 10 Things to Do19 Northwest Wine Events20 Wine Destinations

South Okanagan, BC

92 Recent Releases110 Vintage Musings

Fluent in Franc

Red Mountain’s lush vineyards have been carved out ofthe sagebrush-covered hills. Story starts on Page 32.

Photo by Jackie Johnston

DEPARTMENTSFEATURES

32 Red Mountain Turns GreenSagebrush-covered hills give way to some of the hottest vineyards inthe Northwest.

58 Willamette WonderFourth-grader Ryan Coleman takes an active part in his family’sOregon winery.

64 Quilceda Creek VintnersFather-son team strives to make the perfect wine.

70 A Vintage to Remember2005 produced some of Washington’s greatest red wines.

76 ViognierWe blind taste this rediscovered whitewine, which is gaining in popularity.

84 Match MakersTwo Northwest chefs pair their seafooddishes with Barnard Griffin’s 2006 Roséof Sangiovese

Summer 2007Vol. 10, No. 2

ON THE COVER

WINE PRESSN O R T H W E S T

04 Contents 6/5/07 10:12 AM Page 4

SUMMER 2007 • WINE PRESS NORTHWESTWINEPRESSNW.COM 5

Wine Press Northwest is for those with an inter-est in wine — from the novice to the veteran. Wefocus on Washington, Oregon, Idaho and BritishColumbia’s talented winemakers and the wineries,vintners and restaurants that showcase Northwestwines. We are dedicated to all who savor the fruitsof their labor.

Publisher: Rufus M. Friday

Editor-in-chief: Andy PerduePhone: 509-582-1564Fax: 509-585-7221E-mail: [email protected]

Managing editor: Eric DegermanPhone: 509-582-1564Fax: 509-585-7221E-mail: [email protected]

Tasting editor: Bob Woehler

Tasting panel: Vanessa Bailey, Ken Robertson, CokeRoth, Bob Woehler, Paul Sinclair, Eric Degerman,Andy Perdue

Master facilitator: Hank Sauer

Tasting panel facilitator: Paul Sinclair

Page designer: Jackie Johnston

Editorial consultant: Jon Bauer

Columnists: Dan Berger, Teri Citterman, Braiden Rex-Johnson, Ken Robertson, Bob Woehler

Contributing writers: Mary Hopkin, Jenny Meier,Chris Mulick

Contributing photographers: Jackie Johnston

Ad sales:L. Cooper, 509-539-2009E-mail: [email protected]

Mona Perdue, 360-373-2659E-mail: [email protected]

To subscribe: Subscriptions cost $10 U.S., $12Canadian and $15 outside of North America peryear for four issues. Mail check, money order orcredit card number and expiration date to addressbelow or subscribe securely on our Web site.

Subscriptions and customer service: 800-538-5619; e-mail: [email protected]

Letters to the editor: We encourage your thoughtsand comments about our publication and aboutNorthwest wines in general. Write to us at theaddress below.

Free weekly newsletter: Sign up for our free PacificNorthwest Wine of the Week e-mail newsletter atwww.winepressnw.com

Mailing address:P.O. Box 2608Tri-Cities, WA 99302-2608

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© 2007 Wine Press NorthwestA Tri-City Herald publication

WINE PRESSN O R T H W E S T

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COLUMN the wine knows

WINE PRESS NORTHWEST • SUMMER 2007 WINEPRESSNW.COM6

If you read many wine publications — ours included —you’re likely to run across a lot of talk about terroir, thatFrench word that seems to point to a mystical connection

between a wine and the earth upon which its grapes weregrown.

While I’m not a big fan of the terroir term because it’sbecome so hackneyed and misused within our profession, Ido appreciate a wine’s sense of place. In the thousands ofwines we review and rate each year, we can clearly see pat-terns that indicate where a wine might be from.

Which brings me to some exciting projects we’re doinghere at Wine Press Northwest. This spring, Managing EditorEric Degerman and I spent a few days in the northernWillamette Valley to taste through a couple hundred PinotNoirs. Each day, we tasted wines from specific regions: Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Chehalem Mountains, Ribbon Ridge,Yamhill-Carlton District and the Dundee Hills. These six newAVAs were featured on the cover of our Summer issue a yearago, and we decided to conduct this year’s tastings (all singleblind) to continue our search for strains of similaritiesbetween these appellations that are very close together.

In fact, we believe we are beginning to see some patternsemerging. We are drilling down with the winemakers and grapegrowers as we taste the wines. Thus, we are looking at aromaand flavor components alongside structure and complexity.

For example, the tannin structures in the wines from theEola-Amity Hills are vastly different than those from areas tothe north, such as the Dundee Hills. Why? Perhaps it’sbecause of the Van Duzer Corridor, a gap in the Coast Rangethat allows ocean breezes through every afternoon duringthe growing season. The Eola-Amity Hills AVA is in a directline from the Van Duzer Corridor, and this natural phenome-non undoubtedly affects the way grapes develop.

Determining a sense of place in the northern WillametteValley is complicated by the fact that soil types in the six AVAsare vastly different. Add to this the fact that producers useabout a half-dozen different Pinot Noir clones, which are thesame grape variety but genetically different. And they canproduce significantly different wines depending on wherethey are planted. Thus, part of our long-term project will beto better understand how clones perform differently — darewe say better? — in each area.

This kind of exploration is nothing new for us. In fact, thissummer, we will conduct our fifth annual tasting of WallaWalla Valley wines under blind conditions. For this, we spenda day in Walla Walla, first walking a couple of vineyards, thensettling down and tasting 80 or so wines, all of which carrythe Walla Walla Valley appellation on the bottle.

What have we learned so far? Plenty. First of all, we’rebuilding a database of flavor profiles and wine structuresbased on what part of the valley the wines come from andvineyard sources. So far, we are noticing a trend that the

wines from the western side of the Walla Walla Valley aremore generous with their bright fruit notes, while those fromthe eastern and southeastern areas reveal fascinating mineraland dark fruit components.

What could cause this? We have a theory: The Ice AgeFloods some 15,000 years ago dropped more sediment in theeastern valley. These sediments, known as Touchet Beds,were created when the floodwaters created a temporary lakethat stretched from Lewiston, Idaho, past Yakima, Wash. Theyare more prevalent in the eastern Walla Walla Valley and,thus, could affect the profile of the grapes. The western sideof the valley has sandier soil.

Or it could be the way the grapes are farmed or differencesbetween vintages. Only time — and more tastings — will tell.

The new north Willamette AVAs and the Walla Walla Valleyare amazing areas to conduct these studies because we cansearch for differences and similarities between nearby places,then look for possible reasons. The Ice Age Floods in theWalla Walla Valley and the Van Duzer Corridor in the northWillamette Valley are the fascinating stories we love to learn,then discover what their effects on the wines might be.

It’s all pretty geeky-nerdy, but we think this is what manywine lovers are equally fascinated with.

These tastings follow in the footsteps of two formerWashington State University scientists: Alan Busacca andLarry Meinert, who conducted groundbreaking work in WallaWalla and on Red Mountain less than a decade ago.

We are adding these kinds of tastings whenever we can.Three years ago, we traveled to the Snake River Valley andtasted the entire Idaho wine industry in one day. That’s notdifficult when there are about 80 wines, and it gave us a com-plete picture of what was happening in the Gem State — andwhat its potentials are.

We hope you’ll notice what we learn in our writings,whether they be in feature articles (such as this issue’s coverarticle on Red Mountain), wine reviews, the Northwest Wineof the Week e-mail newsletter or the daily Wine Knows blogon our Web site.

Our next step will be to take our big AVA tastings, writeabout the wines we review and begin to draw some conclu-sions. We will publish these special reports online beginningthis summer with our in-depth look at the six northernWillamette Valley AVAs. Keep an eye on the Wine of the Weeknewsletter and the blog for the freely downloadable reportswhen they are ready.

ANDY PERDUE is editor-in-chief of Wine Press Northwestand author of The Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer’sHandbook. He can be reached at 509-582-1564 and via e-mail at [email protected]. Watch his weekly videowine show at www.winepressnw.com/video/vodcast.

Search for a sense of place

BY ANDY PERDUE

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If rosé were a human being, it would be reviled by the vastmajority of wine lovers — and thus those who read thispublication on a regular basis would be guffawing that a

wine columnist would spend more than a millisecond chat-ting about this wretched bum with a sad and dejected lookneeding more than a shower and a nourishing meal.

We typically shun those who offend us, and that’s prettymuch all I see from wine lovers when it comes to rosé.“Pink?” they shriek, and walk a wide berth around the topic.

Sure, there were those sweet, tired, brown-rimmed excusesfor wine we witnessed in the past. Terrible, they were. Lackingin freshness, dull and incoherent. A sad excuse for a wine.

And there were white Zinfandels, which were euphemisti-cally referred to as “blush wines.” The only justification forthis was that those who made them were so embarrassedthat they were constantly blushing, even while furtively goingto the bank to deposit rather large checks.

So it’s a special pleasure for me to announce that rosé of afine order is now resurrected. It wears a new set of clothing(vibrant red color), speaks with a crisp and intelligent air(fresh fruit aromas) and has actually taken a paying job(working brilliantly with food).

Rosé can be a sad creature indeed, but it’s under far bettertreatment than ever before. Dozens of wineries are makingtruly magnificent statements with the wine. And the public’sresponse has been shockingly receptive, given the past indig-nities heaped upon its tired brow.

As a starter, we learn that 60 percent of the wine consumedin Spain these days is pink. We learn that Fetzer sold nearly100,000 cases of a Syrah rosé to the United Kingdom last yearand can’t make enough of it to meet the demand. We hearthat the most popular wine, for sampling and sales, in thetasting room at V. Sattui in the Napa Valley is a Gamay roséwhose average consumption time is about 5 minutes afterpurchase (at the winery’s picnic tables).

Wineries have found out the same odd thing: The puristsaren’t the ones buying the vast majority of pink wines. It isthe masses, and they are buying drier and drier rosés thanmost winemakers ever thought they would.

I could name dozens off the top of my head, includingMiner Family’s Sangiovese-based Rosato; Carol Shelton’sRendezvous Rosé (Mendocino Carignane); Robert Hall ofPaso Robles, with a Rhône-based Rosé de Robles; Beckmen’sstunning Grenache Rosé; Eberle’s Syrah Rosé; and theNavarro Rosé (a blend of many things).

One of the best in the country is from the Northwest:Barnard Griffin’s spectacular Rosé of Sangiovese, which wonthe sweepstakes award for rosé wines at this year’s Riverside

International Wine Competition in a close vote withShelton’s. Indeed, it is possible to argue with some justifica-tion that pink is the best color for Sangiovese to offer con-sumers, since red Sangiovese rarely achieves the sublimecharacter that it exudes when grown in Tuscany.

The key to these newer (dry-styled) pink wines is the overtfruit they deliver, from strawberry and cherry to watermelonand tangerine. They can actually be a true, all-purpose winefor the diners at restaurants who order disparate foods.

Imagine this: A couple goes into a fine restaurant. He wantsfilet of sole, she wants prime rib. Ordinarily, he would havewhite and she red, but a bottle of pink solves the dilemma. Awell-made rosé will have the oomph to go with the meat andthe delicacy to work with lighter seafood dishes. The realproblem is such a wine also works brilliantly with the widearray of flavors available on appetizer plates, so our imaginarycouple may well finish the bottle before the food runs out!

Well, that dilemma is easily solved: Order another bottle.After all, it’s not like the pink wine will be an albatross interms of cost. The typical Chardonnay in a restaurant is about$35 to $40; two bottles runs $70 to $80, which may be morethan a couple wants to pay for wine. But rosé wines rarelyrun more than $25 on wine lists, so two bottles is only $50.

Now some tips to getting good ones:• Look at the alcohol. If it’s above 14 percent, pass. In gener-

al, such wines were made by “bleeding” off a tank of red wineto make a rosé (so-called saignée). Red wines are harvested solate that a rosé made from the same material likely will not havethe crispness and freshness that come in the best rosés.

• Watch the vintages. Anything older than 2005 is a risk,and with 2005s, think of them as light reds.

• Keep them chilled. A room-temp rosé can be unattractive.• Pass on oak-aged pinks. I have rarely tasted a rosé that

was better for aging in a new barrel. (Some “vin gris”-stylewines, such as Sanford’s Pinot-based wine, are exceptions.)

• Pass on malolactic pinks. Fresh fruit is the greatest assetof a rosé, and any rosé that went through malolactic will havehad some of its fruit robbed from it.

• Do not pay a lot. Pink wine is instant wine. It needs nobarrels, can be sold soon after the vintage and generally istired within three years. At retail, the most I would pay for arosé is about $25, and that’s for the best.

It’s trite, but think pink.

DAN BERGER is a nationally renowned wine writer andjudge who lives in Santa Rosa, Calif. He publishes a weeklycommentary Dan Berger’s Vintage Experiences (www.VintageExperiences.com).

Rosé in resurrection mode

BY DAN BERGER

COLUMN a distant perspective


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COLUMN market grapevine


Each issue, Braiden Rex-Johnson matches four PacificNorthwest wines with fresh regional ingredients.

Summertime is the exuberant season for Northwestcooks. The region’s gorgeous greens, herbs and vegeta-bles and fresh cherries, berries and peaches are ripe for

the picking. Sumptuous salmon makes its glorious summerrun.

Our summer repast begins with Dilled Grilled Prawns, anappetizer from Simply Classic (The Junior League of Seattle,2002). Begin by soaking 24 bamboo skewers in hot water for30 minutes. Skewer 24 Alaskan spot prawns or large shrimp(peeled and deveined) and place them in a shallow bakingdish. Combine one-quarter cup each white vermouth andolive oil, two tablespoons each chopped fresh parsley, greenonion and dill (or two teaspoons dried dill); one tablespoonDijon mustard; one medium garlic clove (minced); one bayleaf; and freshly ground pepper to taste. Pour the marinadeover the prawns, cover and refrigerate at least one hour orup to overnight. Remove the prawns from the marinade andgrill until barely opaque throughout (one to two minutes perside).

Serve the sizzling shellfish skewers with Quails’ Gate EstateWinery 2006 Limited Release Chenin Blanc ($19 Canadian) fromthe Okanagan Valley. The wine displays aromas and flavors oflemons and limes and a touch of honey, along withherbal/earthy notes, thanks to blending with SauvignonBlanc. Crisp, with firm acidity, this wine pairs nicely with sim-ply prepared shellfish dishes.

Blue Cheese-Cherry Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrettecomes from Kay Simon, winemaker at Chinook Wines inProsser, Wash. To re-create the winemaker’s recipe, add fourounces of fresh sweet cherries (pitted and cut in half) orunsweetened dried cherries to six tablespoons of Merlot orCabernet Franc. Make the vinaigrette by whisking togethertwo tablespoons each raspberry vinegar and freshly squeezedlemon juice, two teaspoons each Dijon mustard and honeyor sugar, half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper andkosher salt to taste. Slowly whisk in one-third cup of extra vir-gin olive oil.

Tear two heads of butter lettuce into a large salad bowlalong with half a head of radicchio. Add half a small redonion (thinly sliced). Drain the cherries, add them to thebowl, toss the salad with the vinaigrette and sprinkle withhalf a cup of crumbled blue cheese before serving.

Pair the salad with Chinook Wines 2005 Cabernet Franc ($20)from the Yakima Valley. Chinook has developed a quite fol-lowing for this variety — particularly in Seattle-area restau-rants. In her tasting notes, Simon describes the wine as, “afruity, bright red wine that is easy on the palate. Flavors youmight find in Chinook Cab Franc include licorice, mint andlavender.”

Continuing our exuberant summer feast, we cook up

Alaskan Salmon with Warm Blackberry and Shallot Compote,a recipe from my Pike Place Public Market SeafoodCookbook (Sasquatch Books, 2005). Toss three to four small,peeled shallots with one tablespoon of olive oil and one-quarter cup of sugar. Spread in a baking pan and cook at 400degrees until the shallots are lightly browned and soft, 15 to20 minutes. Remove from the oven and spoon the shallotsand syrup into a nonreactive mixing bowl. Add two cups offresh blackberries and one-quarter cup of raspberry vinegar.Toss gently, cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, on a piece of waxed paper, mix together one-quarter cup of all-purpose flour, one tablespoon eachminced fresh chervil and parsley, and a pinch each of koshersalt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a large nonstickskillet over medium heat. When hot, add one tablespoonolive oil. Remove the skin and bones from four six-ouncesalmon fillets and pat both sides of each fillet in the flour,shaking off any excess. Cook three to five minutes per side,transfer to dinner plates and spoon the compote over thesalmon.

Pair the salmon with Bridgeview Vineyard & Winery 2003 BlueMoon Merlot ($10) from Oregon. Youthful — even refreshingfor a red wine — this bright, ruby-colored quaffer pairs nice-ly with the berry compote, thanks to its lush flavors of blue-berry and black cherry and a medium mouth feel.

Our summer menu ends on a sweet note with one of myoriginal recipes — Lemon Whip Peach Parfaits. Begin bygently tossing four ripe peaches (skin and pits removed andcut into bite-sized pieces) with two tablespoons freshlysqueezed lemon juice. In a chilled mixing bowl with achilled whisk, whip one cup of heavy whipping cream untilstiff peaks form. Gently fold in one cup of plain yogurt andhalf a cup of lemon curd. Cut one package of soft ladyfin-gers (24 ladyfingers) into bite-sized pieces and layer half ofthe pieces in four wine goblets or dessert bowls. Layer withhalf the peaches and half the lemon cream, repeat theprocess (ending with the lemon cream) and refrigerate twoto 24 hours.

Serve the peach parfaits with a well-chilled bottle of CoveyRun Winery 2005 Morio-Muskat ($8) from Washington’s ColumbiaValley. This delicately aromatic wine is made from the intrigu-ing German hybrid cross of Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner grapes.Its intoxicating floral aromas and flavors of peaches and hon-eysuckle, touched by a hint of sweetness, make you want tostand up and cheer as you celebrate summer, the exuberantseason!

BRAIDEN REX-JOHNSON has written about Northwest food,wine and travel for 16 years and is the author of six books,including the Pike Place Public Market Seafood Cookbook.Visit her online at www.NorthwestWiningandDining.com.

Summer arrives as exuberant season

BY BRAIDEN REX-JOHNSON

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COLUMN swirl, sniff & sip


Should I store my Port wines differently than my other wines? I havea temperature-controlled wine cabinet but have not seen any informa-tion on whether Port should be stored differently to allow it to ageproperly. And at what temperature should it be stored?

Although I regularly drink a bit of Port around the holidays,I’m not exactly an expert. So I consulted a couple of folksfrom my area in Eastern Washington who produce someexcellent Port — Rob Griffin, owner and winemaker atBarnard Griffin Winery in Richland, Wash., and Wade Wolfe,owner and winemaker at Thurston Wolfe Winery in Prosser,Wash.

Barnard Griffin, which was Wine Press Northwest’s Wineryof the Year in 2006, produces a fine Syrah Port and ThurstonWolfe offers two excellent bottlings — a Zinfandel Port andJTW Port, a blend of Touriga, Souzao, Petit Sirah andCabernet Sauvignon.

Wade Wolfe noted that Port lovers should remember todrink their Ruby and Tawny Ports young because they’renot designed to age. And treat aged Port “like fine red tablewine.”

Both Wolfe and Griffin had much the same advice forPort storage. Put it into your wine cabinet, which should beset to maintain a temperature of about 55 degrees, andhold on until you have the right special occasion.

And so long as your storage method maintains its integrity,you don’t have much to worry about with Port. A few yearsago, two close friends, my wife and I enjoyed a stellar dinnerto celebrate a 50th birthday at The Herbfarm Restaurant inWoodinville, Wash. Our dinner was capped off by a stunningPort that dated from 1914, as I recall.

I’d be ecstatic to have something like it to age evenmore in my wine cabinet. And Wine Press NorthwestEditor Andy Perdue recently sipped a bit of Royal Oportoproduced in 1896, and he continues to drool over theexperience. Clearly, a fine Port, well stored, can outlast itsowner.

So, don’t be reluctant to age the appropriate kind of Port.Griffin also noted there’s no sin in drinking Port, especiallythe Northwest version, when it’s young and all that wonder-ful fruit from a fine vintage remains at its peak. In fact, hespeaks about the virtues of young Port with a relish thatmakes me suspect one wouldn’t find many aged Ports hang-ing around the Griffin household.

Sometimes I get a headache within a half hour of drinking asparkling wine. Other wines don’t seem to affect me the same way. Isthere something about sparkling wine that causes this?

Sparkling wine (or Champagne, if it’s from the famousregion of France) does indeed have a higher concentrationof a headache-causing chemical than most other wines.During the second fermentation of sparkling wine, which

creates the sparkle by instilling the famous carbon dioxidebubbles, some other byproducts also emerge.

Almost certainly the culprit causing your headaches isacetaldehyde, which also is found in ripe fruit, coffee andfresh bread. It affects how we feel when we consume itemsthat contain it, including wine, depending on the level anindividual can tolerate.

Acetaldehyde is blamed for playing a major role in thehead-pounding consequence we all hate most fromoverindulging. The liver processes alcohol twice. Once tobreak it down to acetaldehyde, then a second time to pro-duce acetic acid, which the body can dispose of.

But acetaldehyde, combined with the absorption and pro-cessing of alcohol, produces a sort of double-barreledimpact. That can produce a raging headache, which to somedegree depends on the amount of acetaldehyde in a particu-lar wine.

Sherry also is higher in acetaldehyde, according to TheNew Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia.

Genetics also reportedly play a role in how susceptible oneis to acetaldehyde, with people who get a strong “alcoholicflush” apparently more likely to suffer most from the chemi-cal’s effects.

My advice: Drink sparkling wine sparingly and with plentyof water when you do. It will help mitigate the impacts ofboth the alcohol and the acetaldehyde.

Wine Words: Veraison

Ah, yes, time to return to our French lessons. Veraison isthe time of summer when the grapes begin to tell us visuallythat they have begun to ripen. Red varieties begin to gaincolor, while white grapes add sugar and tartaric acid, declin-ing in malic acid. White varieties that will add a kiss of bronze(Pinot Gris) or dusky rose (Gewürztraminer) also begin tosignal their ultimate colors.

Typically, the grapes do not change much in size at thispoint, according to The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia.

In the Pacific Northwest, veraison typically occurs, depend-ing on location and grape variety, sometime between mid-July and the first week of August. Pass by a vineyard aboutthen, and you should be able to see evidence the ripeningprocess has begun.

For the winemaker, this change signals the time has arrivedto begin harvest preparations, and it soon will be time tobegin monitoring sugar levels.

KEN ROBERTSON, a newspaperman for 37 years, hasenjoyed sipping and writing about Northwest wines for 30years. He lives in Kennewick, Wash. Do you have a questionfor Ken? E-mail it to [email protected].

How to store Port

BY KEN ROBERTSON

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COLUMN urban sips


I’ll take “Obscure Terms” for $100, Alex.The word is “ullage”:A. What is a small one- or two-person sled on which

one slides supine and feet-first down snowy hillsides or downsteeply banked, curving, iced chutes while sipping ice wine?

B. What is a spicy Hungarian dish usually made of beef,onions, red peppers and paprika served with a big CabernetSauvignon?

C. What is the unfilled space in a container of liquid, espe-cially those carrying wine, such as barrels and bottles?

D. What is a type of rubber boot that slips over shoes tokeep shoes from getting muddy or wet in the tank room?

Ulalalalalalalalage rolls off the tongue so smoothly that itcould be the single best word in the language of wine.

Is it a winter sport, a European stew or a state of mind?

Is it something to wear or admire? “Your ullage looks gor-geous with those earrings!”

The origin is Latin ultimately from the Latin oculus, “eye,”which was used in a figurative sense by the Romans for thebung hole of a barrel. (I think bung hole should be a terminvestigated all on its own, but that’s just me.)

The French adapted the word in the medieval period asoeil, from which a verb ouiller was created, to fill a barrel upto the bung hole. There it is again. Leave it to the French tocome up with all the cool words.

Ullage: Some know it, some create it, and every bottle ofwine all over the world has it.

Before you go scurrying off to look up the word in TheOxford Companion to Wine, let’s continue with our game.For those who know — shhh ... keep quiet! It’s much morefun when you guess a little and play around with what younever knew was there.

Ulalalalalalge. I asked a bunch of wino-types to give metheir best unrelated characterizations of a few wine-relatedwords.

The game occurred in April at the 10th annual TasteWashington in Seattle.

Eric Dunham of Dunham Cellars jumped in and opened up withthe finest Pepé Le Pew rendition of a drippy French brogue:“Eet ees vhat happens after you feed a beautiful Fronchwooman lots of Champagne. She gives you lots of ullllllllll-lage.”

Up next, Don Corson of Camaraderie Cellars tackled “GenevaDouble Curtain.” Well, he didn’t actually tackle her butinstead explained, as only Don can, that Geneva DoubleCurtain is what you find in the boudoir of a lovely, lovelywine vixen. “It’s really something to be experienced more

than seen,” he said, his eyes a-twinkling. “If you think aboutGeneva – she was a lovely lady, and the history and legendis just incredible.”

“But does it have anything to do with ullage?” I asked sinis-terly. I mean innocently.

“Not an awful lot ... because she did do a lot of heavybreathing,” he continued, “but it was a different kind ofthing than what usually happens in the top of a bottle,” heslyly whispered.

I learned from Charlie Hoppes of Fidelitas Wines, whose expla-nation included a proud Santalike chuckle, that “stuck fer-mentation” is ... well ... when people are doing punch-downsin the tanks and they fall in and can’t get out.

White Zinfandel. Now there’s a doozy. If you ask JamesMantone of Syncline Wine Cellars, he’d say it’s “a rescue wine forold vineyards to carry over until someone arrives who knowswhat real wine is.” But what would he do if white Zin waspresented to him. “Wine is wine, drink it! Wine’s not meantto be anything serious. I make rosé. It should be fun. Pinkwine is fun,” he grinned.

Mike Januik of Januik Winery recognized its more salvageablecharacteristic, noting white Zinfandel “is a wine that hasmade many people happy.”

“White Zinfandel?” questioned Ted Baseler, chief executive ofSte. Michelle Wine Estates. “Well, it’s not grown in Washington.In fact, white Zinfandel is not grown anywhere.” Then he didthat charming Sinatra smile thing that makes you melt andblush all in one swoop. “Zinfandel is! And then they turn itinto some kind of soft drink.” (Still melting ...)

For those of us who put the lame in laymen, these areterms worth knowing and, more importantly, worth explor-ing if you’re so inclined. Tom Hedges of Hedges Family Estate toldme, in an off-dry, perfected French burr, “Ullage ees thepetite spaaws between the cork and the top of the wine inthe bottle.”

Ring the bell, folks. We have a winner!

(Editor’s note: We captured Teri’s search for the defini-tions of obscure and common wine terms at TasteWashington on video. To see the hilarious proceedings intheir glorious entirety, go to www.winepressnw.com, clickon “Weekly Video Show” on the left side, then select theepisode for April 24, 2007.)

With sass and attitude, TERI CITTERMAN is a Seattledweller and an eager wine enthusiast. She has promoted anumber of Washington wineries and is a contributing writerto the Puget Sound Business Journal, the Portland BusinessJournal and Northwest Best Places Travel Books.

Sultry stories of wine vixens, ullage

BY TERI CITTERMAN

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WINE COUNTRY activities


By ERIC DEGERMAN

Few things in life are as enjoyable asgoing to an outdoor summertime con-cert with your best friend in a peace-ful setting with a glass of Northwestwine.

It’s a comfortable 75 degrees, andthere you are sitting with your date’shand in one palm. In the other is aPinot Noir, a Riesling, a rosé, etc. Nowthat’s multitasking at its finest.

Thank goodness for opposablethumbs.

Fortunately, there are a growing num-ber of such venues in the PacificNorthwest. It’s no coincidence thatmany of them are at wineries.

1“Come and see the show.” The lineis off Karn Evil 9: First Impression,part 2 by Emerson, Lake and

Palmer, but I’m guessing ELP’s audi-ences chose something other than wineas a concert “enhancement.”

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates’ “SummerConcerts at the Chateau” inWoodinville, Wash., is the pinnacle. Thismarks its 24th season, and acts includethe Doobie Brothers, Robert Cray,Bruce Hornsby, Earth, Wine & Fire,Chris Isaak, Diana Krall, Lyle Lovett withk.d. Lang and the annual Smooth JazzFestival weekend.

Among the wineries in Washingtonwith concert series are St. Laurent in

Malaga, with four straight Saturdaysstarting July 28, capped by Too Slim andthe Taildraggers; Arbor Crest inSpokane with a varied lineup of groupsthat performs each Sunday for $5 perperson; and Terra Blanca on RedMountain with its new 4,000-seatamphitheater.

Then, of course, there’s Cave B, just afew hundred yards from The Gorge atGeorge with the annual Dave MatthewsBand weekend set for Aug. 31-Sept. 2.

Secret House Winery in Veneta, notfar from the University of Oregon, alsoplays host to concerts, including agroup unlikely to appear at Ste.Michelle — Social Distortion on July 13— as well as the medieval-themedFaerieworlds Festival on July 21-22 andthe Wine and Blues Festival on Aug. 25.

Among those in British Columbiawith concert venues is CedarCreek inKelowna. The lineup at its 400-seatpavilion, which overlooks OkanaganLake, includes Jim Cuddy of JunoAward-winning Blue Rodeo on Sept. 12to help the Fitzpatricks celebrate thewinery’s 20th anniversary.

Ste. Chapelle in Caldwell, Idaho, has adozen concerts scheduled on Sundaysthrough October. Admission is $10.

Sadly, repairs scheduled for theHighway 97 bridge over the ColumbiaRiver prompted Maryhill Winery to can-cel its 2007 season and postpone there-opening of its now 4,000-seatamphitheater near Goldendale, Wash.However, the Leutholds will continue tooffer free live music each weekend onthe arbor.

2 An academic journal. There’sthe Journal of Science and theJournal of Medicine. Did you

know there’s also a Journal of WineEconomics? This new academic jour-nal focuses on peer-reviewedresearch of economics related to

great things to doin Northwest wine country10

16-19 Calendar 6/5/07 10:33 AM Page 16

WINE COUNTRY


wine, viticulture and oenology. It’spublished twice a year and includesscholarly papers, wine events andreviews of books and movies. Amongthe editors is Karl Storchmann ofWhitman College in Walla Walla.Panelists of the JWE editorial adviso-ry board include Gregory Jones ofSouthern Oregon University, JillMcCluskey of Washington StateUniversity and Allen Shoup of LongShadows Vintners. Subscribe for $39.Go to www.wine-economics.org.

3Do you have fun at work? Let’s putthat another way. Is your job fun?Many folks are envious of those

who work in the wine industry, andsome would pay to spend their vacationworking for a winemaker. Venture toVocationVacations.com, a businessfounded in 2004 by Wisconsin-born,Portland-based Brian Kurth. Cost startsat $799 per person and recent “open-ings” included six in Oregon — AmityVineyards (Amity), Cherry Hill Winery(Rickreall), Cristom Vineyards (Salem),Eola Hills Wine Cellars (Rickreall),Pfeiffer Vineyards (Junction City) andStone Wolf Vineyards (McMinnville) —and Wind River Cellars in Husum, Wash.Visit the site or call 866-888-6329.

4Sip a bit of Japan done Canadian.Granville Island in beautifulVancouver is home to Canada’s

first rice winery, Artisan SakeMakerStudio. It produces Junmai Nama,Junmai Nama Genshu and JunmaiNama Nigori under the brand nameOsake. The rice is imported from Japan,handcrafted and bottled unfiltered. Goto www.artisansakemaker.com

5Tour on a big motorbike. Here’s asuggestion e-mailed to me fromAnn Reeves in Kennewick, Wash.

“My husband, Ken, and I are a pairof childless baby boomers who love tohop on our midlife crisis-inspired andself-indulgence-motivated motorcycleand hit the backroads to visit justabout any winery we can Google foran address. We enjoy chatting it upwith whomever is within earshot todiscuss the wines, the terroir, the fer-

16-19 Calendar 6/5/07 10:34 AM Page 17

WINE COUNTRY activities


mentation, whatever, just so we canlearn more about wine. We also like toseek out opportunities to gently, butquickly, remind wine-bar attendantsthat ‘Meritage’ rhymes with ‘heritage’and is not pronounced like somesnooty French word.”

6Life’s a beach! Leave PismoBeach to Bugs Bunny. Oregon’sCannon Beach combines wine,

food, art and music as the DragonFireGallery and Studio celebrates its fifthanniversary July 22 with “Palate toPalette.” Three chefs from the northOregon Coast — Robert Neroni ofEVOO Cooking School, John Sowa ofLil’ Bayou in Seaside and Match Makeralumnus John Newman, who left theStephanie Inn to open Newman’s 988— will pair three courses with threewines from Secret House. Portlandblues/jazz fusion band Fritz Weber andthe Luminos perform three sets.Sherry Casper will present her paint-ings of Neroni, Newman and Sowa. For

reservations call 503-436-1533 or visitDragonFireStudio.com.

7A certifiable wine drinker. TheWine and Spirit Education Trust(WSET), which claims to be the

world’s most recognized and mostrespected wine certification program, iscoming to Seattle. It’s interesting tonote that its entry-level program isreferred to as “intermediate” ratherthan “novice.” And the intermediatecertificate program includes 15 hoursof instruction and requires no previousexperience. Get experienced in oneweekend, June 23-24 at Maple LeafCellars, 9634 Roosevelt Way N.E. inSeattle or in two-hour segments onMonday nights in Portland from June25 to Aug. 13.

Officials cite that during 2006, morethan 17,000 people took a WSETcourse, which are offered in 38 coun-tries. To earn your certification, youmust pass the exit exam. And I’m toldthe tests are not easy. Contact Mimi

Martin at [email protected] call 503-764-7698.

8Rhone Rangers ride shotgun.Founding father Randall Grahmhas since re-dubbed himself “The

Rhine Ranger” as he focuses onRiesling production in Washington, buthe and others continue to championthe cause for Rhône varieties. On July11, there’s a public tasting of Cinsault,Grenache, Mourvédre, Syrah andViognier in Seattle entitled, “GuestChef on the Waterfront.” It rounds upthe Rhone Rangers and gathers about100 of the Seattle area’s top chefs atBell Harbor’s Elliott Hall on Pier 66 fora weekday night carnival-style tasting offood, wineries, breweries, spirits andlive jazz. The sunset could be sensa-tional. Proceeds go to FareStart. Cost is$60. Visit rhonerangers.org for info.

9Tell ’em Rosey sent you. RoseyRosenberg, chef at the Idle HourCafe, helps spearhead the Wine

Fest on July 14 in Quincy, Wash. Thefund-raiser for the 1904 Reiman-Simmons House Museum featuresmore than 15 wineries, food vendors,crafts, a silent auction and an eventglass. The wineries, most of them fromthe newly formed Columbia River WineCountry group between Vantage andChelan Falls, will also be retailing theirbottles. Cost is $35. Go to the QuincyValley Chamber of Commerce site atquincyvalley.org.

10Get a job. Want to be a partof the Northwest wine indus-try and get paid for it? This

might be one way to start. This spring,LHA Bates & Parnters in Kirkland,Wash., launched NWWinejobs.com. BillBates created the clearinghouse site “tofill a need for winery and hospitalitybusinesses throughout the Northwest.”Clients post positions to the site.Hopeful candidates build and uploadresumés. Go to nwwinejobs.com or call425-968-8596.

What is your favorite thing to do inNorthwest wine country? Send yourideas to [email protected].

16-19 Calendar 6/5/07 10:35 AM Page 18

events WINE COUNTRY


June22-23 Wine Country Celebration, Yakima, Wash. Festivities include a concert byjazz pianist Bill Charlap, winemaker dinners in the vineyards and the Grand GalaAuction and Benefit dinner at the DeAtley Estate. Call 206-285-0514 or go towinecountrywashington.org.23 Sunshine and Wine, Yakima, Wash. This event is part of the Washington StateWine Competition. Call 509-248-7160 or go to sunshineandwine.com.

July11 Rhone Rangers Public Tasting. Seattle. This carnival-style tasting at Pier 66 iscalled “Guest Chef on the Waterfront”and includes wineries and restaurants.Proceeds benefit FareStart. Go to rhonerangers.org.13-15 Kirkland Uncorked. Kirkland, Wash. City officials created this new event inKirkland Marina Park, featuring 60 wines from 20 wineries along with food-and-wine pairing workshops. Go to kirklanduncorked.com or call 206-633-0422.14 Oregon Wine & Art Auction. Carlton, Ore. “The Pursuit of Pinot” marks the 15thannual auction, and Ken Wright Cellars is playing host. Call 503-883-0323 or gotheoregonwineandartauction.org.19-21 Sun Valley Wine Auction. Sun Valley, Idaho. The Sun Valley Center for theArts stages its 26th annual charity wine auction. Go to sunvalleycenter.org.26-29 International Pinot Noir Celebration. McMinnville, Ore. Pinotphiles from allover the world visit Linfield College for the 20th consecutive year. Call 800-775-4762 or go to ipnc.org.28 Ohme Gardens Summer Wine Festival. Wenatchee, Wash. Ohme Gardens bringstogether area chefs, smooth jazz and nine wineries from the newly formedColumbia River Wine Group. Go to columbiariverwine.com or call 800-572-7753.29 Oswego Wine and Food Festival. Lake Oswego, Ore. More than 20 wineries fromthe Columbia and Willamette valleys will pour at Millennium Plaza Park. Go tolowineandfood.com

August9-11 Okanagan Summer Wine Festival, Vernon, B.C. The annual event at Silver StarMountain Resort has education and recreation. Go to thewinefestivals.com.11 Prosser Wine and Food Fair, Prosser, Wash. This late-day event continues togrow with the wine industry. Call 800-408-1517 or go to prosserchamber.org.12 Northwest Wine Festival, Mercer Island, Wash. Northwest chefs pair wines fromthe 33rd annual judging of Northwest wines by the Seattle Wine Society. Call206-706-3771 or go to seattlewinesociety.org.16-18 Auction of Washington Wines, Woodinville, Wash. The Washington WineCommission’s 20th annual benefit spans three days and centers at Chateau Ste.Michelle. Call 206-326-5754 or go to auctionofwashingtonwines.org.18 Leavenworth Wine Tasting Festival, Leavenworth, Wash. Enjoy Washingtonwines, art and live music. Call 509-548-5807 or go to leavenworth.org.24 Idaho Wine Festival, Boise, Idaho. The Treasure Valley Wine Society organizesthis fourth annual event at the Hoff Building, and wineries pour the wines theyentered in the state competition. There will be a people’s choice award. Go torockinrs.com/IWF.htm.24-26 Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival, Vancouver, Wash. This event at Esther ShortPark features 30 regional wineries, 10 area restaurants and several top-namerecording artists. Go to vancouverwinejazz.com or call 360-906-0441.25 Southern Oregon World of Wine Festival, Gold Hill, Ore. Del Rio Vineyards blendsfood, cheese, music and wines from more than 35 Rogue and Southern Oregonvintners. Call 541-855-2062 or go to worldofwinefestival.com.

September8 Rhapsody in the Vineyard, Corvallis, Ore. Willamette Valley wineries will pourduring a downtown art walk. Go to downtowncorvallis.org or call 541-754-6624.8 Umpqua Valley Wine, Arts and Music Festival, Oakland, Ore. Hot-air balloons andlocal wineries are among the attractions. Go to uvwamf.com.

16-19 Calendar 6/5/07 10:36 AM Page 19

WINE DEST INAT IONS okanagan valley, b.c.


South Okanagan a must-visit for wine loversBy ANDY PERDUE

For decades, British Columbia’sOkanagan Valley has been the summerplayground for residents of Vancouverand the rest of the Lower Mainland.

These days, it’s a veritable paradisefor wine lovers, thanks to about 100wineries, most of the province’s vine-yards and an attitude that puts visitorsand hospitality before anything else.

If all you have is a long weekend, you

may want to try tackling just one part ofthis 100-mile-long valley that starts at theU.S. border with the town of Osoyoos.

The largest city in the Okanagan isKelowna, which is about two hoursnorth of the border. It has the mostrestaurants and best hotels, as well as agood number of wineries. However, thesouthern Okanagan Valley is wheremany of the province’s most excitingwines are made, and the region hasmade tremendous strides in the restau-rants and lodging in the past decade.The city of Oliver, which is 20 minutesfrom the U.S. border, has even laidclaim to being the “Wine Capital ofCanada” because of all the wineries andvineyards nearby.

Tips: A couple of things to rememberwhen traveling to British Columbia:

• Take your passport. It didn’t usedto be a big deal to go back and forthwithout one, but those days are prettymuch over.

• You can bring back as much wine asyou want for personal consumption.Don’t let the U.S. Customs folks tell youany differently. You will need to pay21 cents per liter in IRS tax when youcome back, but even if you bring backsix cases, you’re only looking at about$12. U.S. Customs takes cash, checkand credit but not Canadian dollars. Tospeed things up, just use cash.

Lodging: A number of small motels arescattered up and down Highway 97, butyour best choices are in Penticton,about an hour north of the border. TheLakeside is your nicest option. Thereare plenty of B&Bs, which is a greatoption for getting to know the locals.

The Heritage Inn in Naramata hasbeen lovingly restored and offers 12rooms and dining.

Food: The finest dining in the southOkanagan is Toasted Oak in Oliver, arestaurant on the main drag with cuisinethat’s regionally inspired and a wine listjudged by Wine Press Northwest to thebest in the province. As a bonus, a wineshop is under the same roof, so you can

20-31 Front of Book 6/5/07 10:36 AM Page 20

okanagan valley, b.c. WINE DEST INATONS


pick up wines from producers you didnot make it to.

Additionally, several wineries nowhave restaurants alongside their tastingrooms. Burrowing Owl and Lake Breezeare excellent choices. Theo’s, a Greekrestaurant in Penticton, is a localfavorite and should not be missed.

Wineries: There are dozens of wineriesopen to the public, offering everythingfrom sturdy reds to crisp whites to sexysignature ice wines. Here’s one way totackle the wineries:

• Day 1: Between Osoyoos and Oliver,there are more than a dozen producers,so take in several, including TinhornCreek, Gehringer Brothers and Nk’Mip.

• Day 2: A group of wineries aroundthe town of Okanagan Falls could fillyour day. Don’t miss HawthorneMountain or Wild Goose.

• Day 3: The Naramata Bench, north-east of Penticton, has more than adozen wineries, all fairly close together.Be sure to visit Kettle Valley, Red

Rooster, La Frenz and Township 7.

A long weekend is a great way to getto know the Okanagan — and a taste

of the region will ensure a return visit.

ANDY PERDUE is editor of Wine Press Northwest.

JACKIE JOHNSTON/WINECOUNTRYCREATIONS.COM

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, south of Oliver, British Columbia, has a spacious tasting room,self-guided tour, demonstration vineyard and picnic area.


WINE NEWS


It was a difficult spring for theWashington wine industry, as two pio-neers and one young winemaker whowas just coming into his own passedaway.

• In mid-March, George Carter diedat the age of 94 in Prosser. Carter was achemist at Washington StateUniversity’s research station in Prosser.Carter worked alongside Walter Clore,who is universally considered “thefather of Washington wine.”

While Clore did much of the impor-tant viticultural work, Carter madewines from various test vineyards.

• In early May, Les Fleming died atthe age of 93 in the Yakima Valley.Fleming was one of the early giants inthe modern Washington wine industry,working for National Wine Co. (it laterbecame Chateau Ste. Michelle) in the1930s.

While Clore did research, Flemingpushed the industry forward from thebusiness side. Fleming retired fromSte. Michelle in 1978 and promptlywent to Honduras on behalf of thecompany to see if grapes would growthere.

• In late May, Lance Baer, owner ofBaer Winery in Woodinville, Wash.,passed away at the age of 39. He died ofacute liver failure after being hospital-ized for three weeks.

Baer got his start in the wine industryby volunteering at crush for DeLilleCellars in Woodinville. That led to a jobas assistant winemaker at DeLille beforeBaer launched his eponymous winery in2000. Baer was best known for craftingsuperb blends and was a champion ofCabernet Franc, a grape with risinginterest in Washington.

“This is a terrible, terrible shock toeverybody,” said Greg Lill, co-owner ofDeLille Cellars. “There was no realwarning. This just doesn’t happen topeople 39 years old.”

Washingtonloses 2 pioneers,winemaker

20-31 Front of Book 6/4/07 7:37 PM Page 22


WINE V IEWS


Bargain Bob digs up inexpensive wine gemsBy ‘BARGAIN’ BOB WOEHLER

Old “Bargain Bobby” has been miningfor great wine deals, and he’s foundsome diamonds in the rough this time.

Red Diamond is a brand of Ste.Michelle Wine Estates, and theWoodinville, Wash., giant has decided togo mainstream with this lineup of $10wines that includes Chardonnay, Merlot,

Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.Until recently, this well-made brand

was offered in restaurants. The four RedDiamond wines are made at ColumbiaCrest and should be widely available.

Another $10 bargain wine I’ve comeacross is Killer Red, a lip-smackingSyrah made by Keith Pilgrim of TerraBlanca on Red Mountain.

If $10 is too much, I’ll throw in a cou-ple of Salmon Harbor wines at $9 each.

Red Diamond 2003 Chardonnay, ColumbiaValley, $10: A delicious Chardonnay thatis not over the top with oak or tropicalfruit aromas. It’s barrel fermented inFrench and American oak, but it alsospends some time in stainless steel. Itmakes for a harmonious sipper that’screamy, with pineapple and pear flavors.

Red Diamond 2003 Merlot, Washington,$10: The wonderful smoothness is soattractive. Aromas of cherry cola andbaking spice lead to black cherry andslight chocolate finish. The winemakersays the finish is soft and begs you todrink more. Amen to that!

Red Diamond 2002 Shiraz, Columbia Valley,$10: This Aussie-style Syrah features flo-ral and leather aromas followed by rasp-berry jam flavors mixed with black pep-per and other spice.

Red Diamond 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon,Columbia Valley, $10: This is a very goodCab that’s full of blackberry and Bingcherry aromas. The flavors includemore blackberries with supple tanninsand a nice lingering finish.

Killer Red 2004 Syrah, Columbia Valley,$10: Terra Blanca created a funky, sexylabel. It’s a big Syrah with concentratedblackberries, strong tannins and bitter-sweet chocolate.

Salmon Harbor 2004 Merlot, ColumbiaValley, $9: Youthful aromas and flavors ofblack cherry, cinnamon, licorice andchocolate notes make this an easy-going, smooth red.

Salmon Harbor 2005 Chardonnay, ColumbiaValley, $9: Full of apples and pears with ahint of vanilla in the nose, followed by acrisp palate.

BOB WOEHLER has been writ ing about wine since 1976.




WINE NEWS

Seattle fest showcases Northwest cheese, winesBy JENNY MEIER

A little rain didn’t dampen the spiritsof Northwest wine and cheese loverswho whetted their palates and appetitesat the Pike Place Market during the thirdannual Seattle Cheese Festival.

Special attention during the May 18-20event was given to local producers at thesold-out wine-and-cheese pairing semi-nar, “The Bounty of the PacificNorthwest.”

Kurt Dammeier, owner of Beecher’sHandmade Cheese, and Laura Werlin,author of The All American Cheese andWine Book, directed the seminar thatput four Northwest wines together withsix Northwest cheeses to test the theorythat wine and cheese from the sameregion make a perfect pair.

The first cheese in the tasting was afluffy, mild goat cheese made by PortMadison Farms on Bainbridge Island.

Paired with a crisp Bunnell Family CellarsEvergreen Vineyard Pinot Gris, thecheese’s tangy acidity and creamy tex-ture were matched by the wine’s refresh-ing acidity and creamy apple-pear finish.It makes a light and delicious pairing forsummer.

The bright acidity in the Pinot Grisalso paired well with the raw-milk SallyJackson sheep cheese wrapped in chest-nut leaves. Without the wine, thecheese’s nuttiness nearly was too subtle,but the Pinot Gris gave the mild andcreamy cheese from Oroville, Wash., aboost in flavor.

A Poet’s Leap Riesling from theColumbia Valley — the second white inthe lineup — was hailed by Werlin as themost versatile wine in the tastingbecause of its balanced acidity and fruiti-ness.

“If I had to choose one type of wine to

pair with cheese,” Werlin said, “Riesling’sit.”

The lush fruit of the Long ShadowVintners’ product was a surprisinglygood match with Mount TownsendCreamery’s “Cirrus” — a luscious andbuttery soft-ripened cheese made in PortTownsend. The wine’s acidity cutthrough the rich texture of the cheese,making the pairing as balanced as thewine itself.

Then, it was on to the reds:Bookwalter Winery’s Lot 21 blend andthe Syncline Wine Cellars Syrah.

Dammeier smiled as most everyone inthe room agreed that his FlagshipReserve was delicious with both wines.Aged 13 months, Flagship Reserve has asharp, cheddarlike intensity and meatyundertones that complement the darkfruit, spice and ripe tannins in the Syrahand the Lot 21 blend.

However, it was the Lot 21 that provedmost satisfying with Grisdale Goat, araw-milk cheese made by Estrella FamilyCreamery in Montesano, Wash. Thenutty and earthy cheese brought out asmoky character in the wine, a pairing sohearty that all you need are a few nibblesto feel completely satisfied.

The finale was Oregon’s flavorfulRogue River Blue, wrapped in pearbrandy-soaked grape leaves. The sweetand salty flavor of the cheese sparked adebate: Did it taste better with theSyncline Syrah or the Poet’s LeapRiesling?

The last drops of wine were gonebefore a firm decision was reached, butthe seminar attendees did reach a con-sensus. Regional wines and cheesesmake delicious companions, and withthe bounty of the Pacific Northwest rightat our door, there’s no need to wait untilnext year’s Seattle Cheese Festival toenjoy them together.

JENNY MEIER is an occasional contributor to Wine PressNorthwest and a Cali fornia Culinar y Academy grad who hasworked in cheese shops in New York and Cali fornia. Anative of Washington, she l ives in Forest Hil ls , N.Y., butremains passionate about discovering and supportingcheesemakers in the Pacif ic Northwest. She feeds her“Urban Forager ” blog at jennifermeier.com.




State Legislature helps winemakers with 2 new lawsBy CHRIS MULICK

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A pair of bills approved by theWashington state Legislature this year are designed to make iteasier for Washington wineries to ship their product to retailstores.

Gov. Chris Gregoire signed both into law April 9. They takeeffect July 22.

Most significantly, Senate Bill 5011 removes the expirationdate from a 2006 law that allowed wineries to ship to retailersdirectly.

Historically, in-state wineries could ship to retailers directlywhile out-of-state operations had to use a distributor.

In 2005, a federal judge declared that requirement uncon-stitutional. In 2006, the Legislature approved a bill permittingboth in-state and out-of-state wineries to ship directly toretailers until June 30, 2008, because pieces of a lawsuitbrought by Costco were being considered.

This year, the Legislature approved Senate Bill 5011 in theupper chamber (46-0) and in the House (91-3) to repeal theexpiration date, making the law permanent.

“It looks like we did it right,” said Rep. Alex Wood, D-Spokane.

In the meantime, the Costco lawsuit isn’t entirely resolved.“We need to continue this compromise until further

notice,” said Rep. Cary Condotta, R-East Wenatchee.Direct shipping is particularly important to small wineries,

which otherwise may not be able to attract attention fromdistributors. That hampers their ability to get their product tomarket.

This year, the Legislature also approved Senate Bill 5898,which will allow small wineries to use a common carrier toship their wines. Last year, the Legislature voted to allowretailers to use common carriers to transport wine fromwineries. But the law did not allow small, out-of-the-waywineries with little access to retailers to use common carriersto ship their wines.

Senate Bill 5898, approved 45-1 in the upper chamber and94-0 in the House, allows each winery to ship no more than100 cases per month using a common carrier out of conven-ience.

“For the very small wineries, this is a definite plus,”Condotta said.

CHRIS MULICK is an occasional contributor to Wine Press Northwest, covering legisla-t ive issues from the state Capitol in Olympia, Wash.

WINE NEWS

Washington factory to make wine bottles

The United States’ first new glass fac-tory in 30 years will be built by the Portof Kalama on the Columbia River andwill focus exclusively on producing bot-tles for the wine industry.

The plant will create about 90 localjobs and will cost $109 million to build.It will be operated by Cameron FamilyGlass Packaging of Pittsburgh, Pa. It isexpected to open in late 2008.

William Spear, a former Coca-Colaexecutive, is involved in the 175,000-square-foot factory. The company saysits hydro-powered electric furnace willmake it the world’s largest eco-friendlywine bottle manufacturing plant.

Donald R. Cameron, whose family’sinvolvement with Coca-Cola spansmore than a century, said the compa-ny researched the project for threeyears.

“We discovered two major issues thatproved to us there was room in thisindustry for a new player: a lack ofcapacity and quality issues,” he said.


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Riedel makes Oregon Pinot Noir glassBy ANDY PERDUE

The company that has turned the mere act of drink-ing wine into a multimillion-dollar industry hasreleased a new glass specific to Oregon Pinot Noir.

Riedel Crystal of Austria created the glass in collabo-ration with the Oregon wine industry and released itearlier this year. The glass will be officially introducedin July during the annual International Pinot NoirCelebration in McMinnville, Ore.

A panel of Oregon Pinot Noir experts wentthrough a number of glasses with owner GeorgRiedel, focusing on three finalists. Riedel returned toEurope to develop a glass that would bring out thebest of these three glasses as they pertained toOregon Pinot Noir.

The Oregon Pinot Noir glass has a slightly narroweropening than Riedel’s expensive, hand-blownBurgundy Grand Cru, which was designed in 1958. Itslip also flares out slightly less than the Grand Cru.

Tasters involved in helping to develop and choosethe Oregon Pinot Noir glass said the narrower open-ing helped focus the fruit-driven aromas of OregonPinot Noir, while the flared edge accentuated a wine’sflavors on the palate, much as the Grand Cru glassdoes.PHOTO BY JACKIE JOHNSTON

By ANDY PERDUE

“Pacific Northwest: The Ultimate WineryGuide” by Christina Melander and photogra-phy by Janis Miglavs, Chronicle Books, 2007,$23.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest,youknowhowbeautifulourregionis. Butuntil youpick upthisbook,

you might not realize just how stun-ning Northwest wine country is.

It’s rather silly to call something “TheUltimate Winery Guide” when it pro-files 30 wineries out of the nearly 1,000

now in business in the Northwest, butthat is all forgiven once you turn thepages and drink in Janis Miglav’s amaz-ing photography from Oregon,Washington and British Columbia.

“A Wine Odyssey: Old World Wines” CentralWashington University, 2006, $50.

Amy Mumma, a Master of Wine can-didate, runs the World Wine Program atCentral Washington University inEllensburg, and her knowledge of Oldand New World wines is highly respect-ed.

This four-DVD set focuses on thewine regions of France, Italy, Spain andPortugal and also includes a DVD withan introduction to wine tasting.

Mumma uses this medium to reacheven more wine lovers than she doeswith the wine-appreciation programshe started at the university in 2003. Ifyou’re serious about expanding your

knowledge of Old World wines, this is adon’t-miss.

“Art and Science of Wine” by James Hallidayand Hugh Johnson, Firefly Books, 2007, $30.

Famed wine writer Hugh Johnsoncollaborated with winemaker JamesHalliday to writethis book that isloaded withinformationranging fromviticultural prac-tices to wine-making tech-niques.

It ranges intothe making andenjoyment of all styles of wine and alsodelves into common and obscure winefaults.

Read this book and you’ll be guaran-teed to come out of it smarter.

New books, DVD provide wine knowledge


WINE NEWS


By MARY HOPKIN

Newly planted Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are crawling upthe stakes at Cold Creek Vineyards, Ste. Michelle WineEstate’s oldest vineyard.

And young Merlot and Petit Verdot have just been plantedat the company’s Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard in the HorseHeaven Hills.

Washington state’s largest wine company has expanded itsvineyards this year with 164 acres of new grapes — and itisn’t the only one.

Washington’s wine grape growers are expanding vineyardsthroughout the Columbia Valley, not only to produce moregrapes, but also in an effort to improve quality by plantingspecific varieties in areas where they are known to thrive.

“The growth in fine wine is soaring. We have the key vine-yard sites, and we need more fruit,” said Keith Love, com-munications director for Ste. Michelle.

Traditionally, vineyard growth and new plantings havebeen done in fits and starts, following trends — Riesling in,Riesling replaced, Riesling replanted.

Eric Henriksen, general manager of Shaw Vineyards, isadding 250 acres of grapes this year to the 900 he alreadyhas in the ground in Mattawa and Franklin County and onRed Mountain, and he plans on planting another 150 acresnext year.

“It seems like it goes in fits and spurts — we went througha slow period for a while, but now the contracts were avail-able and we had the land,” he said.

In 1993, Washington had 11,100 acres planted in winegrapes — 7,100 acres of white varieties, and 4,000 acres ofred varieties. By 1999, the acreage had more than doubledto 24,000, and white varieties were overtaken by red, whichaccounted for 13,500 acres.

Then, there was a lull. In January 2002, there were 28,000acres of grapes planted in Washington — only 4,000 morethan three years earlier.

“After 9/11, the fine wine business suffered,” Love said.“The restaurant business was slow and took a huge hit.”

Paul Champoux, managing partner of ChampouxVineyards and chairman of the Washington Association ofWine Grape Growers, said that economic slowdown keptgrowers from investing in new vines.

“We were unsure of what was going to happen — theprice of everything was going up,” he said.

Now, with the number of wineries in the state nearing 500and wine grape production up 9 percent in 2006, Champouxand others are much more certain of their future.

“We are planting 500 to 600 acres in the Horse HeavenHills,” he said. “And they all have a place to go.”

The grape growers are optimistic about the future of thestate’s wine industry — but they still are businessmen who

don’t like to speculate. It’s always better to have a contractin hand to sell the grapes before you plant them.

“The demand for Washington wines is increasing, so todeal with the increase, we have to increase the supply ofgrapes,” Champoux said.

Tom Judkins Jr., who owns Inland Desert Nursery inBenton City, has been supplying young grape vines to areagrowers since 1980.

“It seems like this year and last year, there is certainly anexpansion in most of the varieties — a lot of plantings goingin and there’s pretty big demand for next year, too, the waypeople are talking,” Judkins said.

But growers aren’t just expanding — they are also doing alot of shuffling.

It’s all about location, said Rob Andrews, co-owner ofAndrews Horse Heaven Ranch and McKinley SpringsVineyards, which produces grapes for about 18 wineries.

“Location is making the choice, not the varieties — overthe years we have seen certain areas that produce outstand-ing varieties — so growers are refining where they are plant-ing varieties to produce higher quality,” he said.

MARY HOPKIN is a frequent contributor to Wine Press Northwest. She covers agricultureand the wine industr y for the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Wash.

Washington vineyard plantings ramp up

PHOTO BY JACKIE JOHNSTON


TOUR ING

WINE PRESS NORTHWEST • SUMMER 2007WINEPRESSNW.COM 31

A Riedel tasting glass

Hat

Sunglasses

Notepad andpen for takingtasting notes

Carrying tube for yourRiedel glass so it doesn’t

get broken

Wine Press Northwestmagazines (duh!)

Bottled water

Maps andguides

Cooler to putyour picnic lunch

and purchasedwines in

A case to keep your picnicwine in along with glass-es, foil cutter, corkscrew,cork and napkins

Unscented sun-screen so you cansmell the wineNote: Also skip theperfume or cologneand opt for unscent-ed soap, deodorant,etc., for the samereason

Money for tastingfees and to buywine. Also, don’tforget your ID,especially if youlook as young asour model

A folding chairfor your picnic

The well-preparedPacific Northwestwine travelerWhat to take withyou on a summerwine-tast ing tr ip.

SO YOU PLAN TO GO WINE TOURINGthis summer? No matter where you want totravel in Pacific Northwest wine country,you can never be too prepared.

To help you have the best possible wine-tasting experience, we put our headstogether and came up with a variety ofitems you might consider bringing along.

If you are going to travel east of theCascade Mountains to Washington’sColumbia Valley or into British Columbia’sInterior to the Okanagan Valley, prepare for itto be hot. Really, really hot. Like triple-digit hotin July and August.

But at least it’s a dry heat. Westof the mountains in west-ern Oregon andWashington, tempera-tures can occasionallyrise into the 90s —along with amplehumidity.

The lesson here isto protect yourselfwith water and sunscreen. Just asimportantly, shieldthat wine you’repurchasing so itdoesn’t bake in thetrunk of your car —thus ruining it andyour happiness.

Crossing an internation-al border? Carrying your pass-port will be a really good idea ifyou want to get very far.

Our thanks to Bethany Lee, whoagreed to be our model. Yes, she’sold enough to drink. �

PHOTO BY JACKIE JOHNSTONWINECOUNTRYCREATIONS.COM

31 Bethany 6/5/07 10:40 AM Page 31

WHEN JOHN WILLIAMS BOUGHT 80 ACRESof dirt and sagebrush more than 30 years agoon a dusty ridge overlooking the Yakima Rivernear Benton City in Eastern Washington, thenuclear engineer wasn’t viewed

as a pioneer, a trend setter or a prophet.“They thought I was crazy,” said the owner

of Kiona Vineyards Winery.Back then, nobody would loan the Williams

family a dime to plant a vineyard andbuild a winery. Today,

Kiona is

32

Red Mountain Turns GreenSagebrush-covered hil ls give way to

some of the hottest vineyards in the Northwest.BY ANDY PERDUE PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACKIE JOHNSTON

Col Solare, whichmeans “shining hill” inItalian, lights up RedMountain at night.

32-41 Red Mountain 6/4/07 4:30 PM Page 32

33

in a new $2.5 million facility — and everybodywants in on the action.

Three decades ago, Williams and JimHolmes — co-founder of Kiona and nowowner of Ciel du Cheval Vineyard across theroad — were the only people who had thevision to see the viticultural opportunities ofRed Mountain. They purchased the land in1975 for $400 per acre and planted CabernetSauvignon, Chardonnay and Riesling.

“You could stand on the top of RedMountain and not see any other green outhere — except us,” Williams said.

Today, a lot of people in the wine businesswould love to trade places with them. Or atleast be their neighbors. That’s because RedMountain is the hottest and most expensive

land in Washington wine country. A placeon Red Mountain virtually guar-

antees success.

Glance around the neighborhood, and it’sapparent. Just down the hill from Kiona’snew, spacious tasting room is KlipsunVineyards, regularly lauded by national publi-cations as one of Washington’s finest. AKlipsun-designated wine is likely to sell to col-lectors at a premium price. Next to Klipsun isTerra Blanca, owned by Keith Pilgrim, who hassunk millions of dollars into a facility thatstands alone in the Northwest in terms ofsheer beauty and magnitude. Up Sunset Roadis Hedges Family Estate and its French-inspired chateau that has been a symbol ofgrandeur on Red Mountain for more than adecade.

Clear up the hill to the east is Col Solare,the international collaboration betweenWashington’s oldest winery and Italy’s mostimportant producer. Between the 18,650-square-foot winery and the 30-acre vineyard infront, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and MarcheseAntinori shelled out $8 million.


FEATURE red mountain

WINE PRESS NORTHWEST • SUMMER 200734

It doesn’t stop there. Thanks to the state Departmentof Natural Resources and the Kennewick IrrigationDistrict, land that as recently as two years ago didn’t havewater is now being planted. A new interchange offInterstate 82 is being planned, and everyone in the area,it would seem, is trying to figure out how to get in onthis tiny American Viticultural Area while they can.

SMALL IS GOOD

RED MOUNTAIN ISN’T REALLY RED. AND FRANKLY, ITisn’t much of a mountain. But Brown Ridge doesn’tsound terribly sexy, and nobody seems to mind. But onething is for sure: Red Mountain is turning green. As inmoney and vines.

At 4,040 acres, Red Mountain is, by far, Washington’ssmallest American Viticultural Area, or AVA, and in theNorthwest is the second smallest after Ribbon Ridge inOregon. It became an approved AVA in June 2001. At thetime, it had about 600 acres of vineyards, which has slow-ly grown since then.

Red Mountain is the easiest AVA for wine lovers tograsp. Compared with the vast, 11 million-acre ColumbiaValley, Red Mountain is tiny. It is one small ridge on theeastern edge of the Yakima Valley that can be seen in itsentirety from Interstate 82.

ANCIENT HISTORY

LIKE MUCH OF EASTERN WASHINGTON, RED MOUNTAINwas severely affected by the Ice Age Floods some 15,000years ago. The side of the mountain that is the appella-tion was a backwater eddy that was entirely underwater.

Alan Busacca, a soil scientist and expert on the Ice AgeFloods and how they shaped the modern Washingtonwine industry, points to Red Mountain as a region thatwas monumentally changed by the largest flows of waterever recorded on Earth.

“Red Mountain is an area where the outburst floodsfrom Glacial Lake Missoula had quite a dramatic effect,”Busacca said as he stood high on the ridge at the site ofa new vineyard planting. “Red Mountain stood in the wayof the floodwaters that were coming out of the north.When the first waves came crashing in here, they cameswirling around this spine of Red Mountain. This benchthat forms the main growing area was in the back eddy.”

The waters swirled and brought in gravel, sand, silt andclay and dropped them throughout Red Mountain,Busacca added. Thus, even small vineyard plantings willhave tremendous variations in soil types just below thesurface.

“Everything we see in all directions up to 1,200 feetwas a standing lake,” Busacca said. “That lake only sathere for a week to 10 days for the largest floods. Every 50to 75 years, this lake came into existence here withincredible violence.”


red mountain FEATURE

WINE PRESS NORTHWEST • SUMMER 2007 35

WATER MATTERS

TODAY, WATER STILL IS AN ISSUE ON RED MOUNTAIN.But instead of there being too much, there isn’tenough.

In fact, for several years, few grapes were planted onwhat is arguably the finest vineyard land in Washingtonbecause of a lack of water, which came primarily fromdeep wells and huge holding ponds. However, growersand winemakers have great hope that a plan by theKennewick Irrigation District will bring needed water toRed Mountain. The $35 million plan will require the irri-gation district to trade its Yakima River water rights forColumbia River water and add a new pump stationdownstream on the Columbia. The plan could irrigate upto 8,500 acres on Red Mountain and in the nearby city ofWest Richland — and as a bonus, it might even be goodfor salmon because it would reduce the amount of waterbeing taken out of the Yakima. If all goes as planned, RedMountain could have ample water as soon as 2009.

PLANNING AHEAD

ALSO IN THE WORKS IS A GROWTH-MANAGEMENTplan started by Tom Hedges, owner of Hedges FamilyEstate on Red Mountain, and now led by Benton Countyofficials, including commissioners Leo Bowman andClaude Oliver. The plans include walking trails, a park, avillage and, perhaps most importantly, a new freewayinterchange that will funnel visitors directly toward thewineries.

“There’s a lot we can do when we get behind a singlevision,” Oliver said. “Red Mountain has the potential tobe the Washington poster child for doing growth man-agement right. People are realizing it’s very hot realestate, very much a tourist destination.”

The village concept would be a small area with high-end housing and perhaps a general store and restaurant.The new interchange likely is five to 10 years away frombeing built. More information on the project is atwww.redmountainvision.org, a site run by BentonCounty.

PIONEERS

ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO HAVE A VISION OF whatRed Mountain could be was Hedges. In 1989, he was run-ning an operation that purchased wine and resold it inAsia and Europe, but he wanted to plant vineyards andstart a more traditional winery. That year, he attended his20th high school reunion in Richland. He ran into an oldclassmate, Fred Artz, a vineyard owner on Red Mountain.The next day, they headed up Red Mountain to look at apiece of property for sale, and Hedges bought it.

Hedges worked on a shoestring to plant his vines, andhe made the wine at other wineries until his building wasfinished in 1995. His wife, Anne-Marie, is French, so

Kiona’s new tastingroom offers spectacularviews of Red Mountainand the Yakima Valley.




architecturally, the Old World model seemed like a goodidea.

“There was no local architectural style here at the time,so we copied Bordeaux,” Hedges said of his chateau. “Webuilt something nice because we had high hopes for thearea.”

Today, Hedges has 88 acres of vineyards and farmsnearby Red Mountain Vineyards, which is another 33acres. The winery is now open weekends most of theyear and has one of the most beautiful tasting rooms inthe state. As other high-quality wineries have built uparound him on Red Mountain, he finds it gratifying thathe was a pioneer.

“My whole dream now is to make Red Mountainfamous and successful,” he said. “Our success is based onthe success of Red Mountain, and Red Mountain’s suc-cess is partly based on what we did. It could become agreat appellation. I’d love to see 20 more great wineriesup there.”

Hedges, 56, thinks the next 10 years will witnesstremendous growth on Red Mountain. He envisionsdeveloped vineyard land selling for $100,000 per acre. Hethinks all the plantable land will be under vines and 30wineries will be in operation.

“I don’t see anything stopping it.”

THE TOURIST EXPERIENCE

ONE PERSON WHO HASN’T STOPPED — OR EVENslowed down — since he arrived in 1993 is Keith Pilgrim,owner of Terra Blanca. A year ago, he unveiled his 55,000-square-foot winery that is second to none in theNorthwest. Though he won’t reveal just how much hespent, he termed it as “substantial,” and it’s certainly asgrand as anything on the mountain.

Pilgrim opened his first, basic tasting room in 1998. His80 acres of vineyards were still developing, and his bighook was the two caves he’d built into the side of the hillfor barrel storage. After getting the business established,he and an architect headed to his native NorthernCalifornia and visited more than 300 wineries, gatheringideas wherever they could find them. The result istoday’s Tuscan-style building with amazing spaces forbanquets, tastings, outdoor dining and concerts.

“It gives us the ability to do more,” Pilgrim said.“Anytime you’re able to get wine and food together, it’s apositive. It just gives us a lot more room for hospitalityand a more relaxed atmosphere.”

As yet, he hasn’t taken full advantage of what he’s cre-ated, but such programs as educational tastings, toursand special events will come.

“In California, wineries just wanted to get people tocome see them,” he said. “Then Napa became the biggesttourist draw in the country. Now the wineries have modi-fied their facilities to give guests the experience they’d




Hedges Family Estate wasbuilt in the style of a

French chateau.




like to have, not just an experience.“Washington is where California was 20 years ago. Let’s

give people the experience they’d like to have,” headded. “Some might want to taste at the tasting bar.Some might want food-and-wine pairings. Those arethings we’d like to offer, and we’re getting closer.”

And to think Pilgrim almost didn’t come here. In 1992,he’d made an offer on land in Paso Robles in California.He happened to make a trip to Washington and tastedwines from Red Mountain.

“I was excited about the area — especially about RedMountain because it was unique.”

In his nearly 15 years on Red Mountain, Pilgrim hasseen a lot of growth, and he expects that to continueaccelerating over the next half-decade, with more than1,500 acres of vineyards and at least 25 wineries.

“I think Red Mountain has the ability to be worldrenowned with certain grapes, such as Syrah andCabernet Sauvignon,” he said. “It can draw comparisonsto small districts such as Stags Leap, Howell Mountainand other small viticultural areas, but it’s its own thing.

RED MOUNTAIN INFO

RED MOUNTAIN IS IN EASTERN WASHINGTON, on the far eastern edge of the Yakima Valley. FromSeattle, it’s less than four hours of driving, all oninterstate. To get there, take the Benton City exiton Interstate 82, just west of the Tri-Cities.

Tasting rooms: More than a dozen wineries areon Red Mountain, and many of them have regulartasting room hours. Such wineries as Kiona, TerraBlanca, Seth Ryan and Blackwood Canyon are opendaily. Others have weekend hours or are open byappointment. For exact hours, consult theWashington Wine Commission Web site(www.washingtonwine.org).

Where to stay: The nearby towns of Benton Cityand West Richland have few accommodations. TheTri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco and Richland) is eightmiles away and has plenty of hotels, motels, RVparks and camping (www.visittri-cities.com).Prosser, 20 miles to the west, also has lodging.

Where to eat: The Tri-Cities has the best choicesof restaurants, including Mexican, Thai, Italian,Indian, Greek, American, Vietnamese, etc.Picnickers should seek out Yoke’s Fresh Market inWest Richland for high-end cheeses, olives, breadsand wine. At least a half-dozen Starbucks are scat-tered throughout the Tri-Cities, along with manyindependent espresso stands. Three microbrew-eries offer craft beer and pub-style food.

Jim Holmes, owner of Ciel du ChevalVineyard, has spent more than 30years growing premium wine grapeson Red Mountain.

Keith Pilgrim, ownerand winemaker atTerra Blanca, hasbeen on RedMountain since1993.

AP PHOTO




Grapes from RedMountain, such asthose from Klipsun

Vineyards, are recog-nized as some of the

best in the state.

Fidélitashas one ofthe newest

tastingrooms on

RedMountain.




The fact it’s small and defined makes marketing the areaa bit easier.”

FUSING OLD AND NEW WORLDS

HAVING COL SOLARE AS A NEIGHBOR ALSO WILL HELP,and most wineries in the neighborhood agree. The com-bined forces of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and theAntinori family will help refine the focus on RedMountain, especially when Col Solare’s sole wine, a $70red blend, is made from 100 percent Red Mountaingrapes.

“The vision we have here is that Col Solare becomes aRed Mountain AVA wine in probably a half-decade andthat we would have it principally estate grown,” said TedBaseler, CEO of Ste. Michelle. “We would like the identityof Col Solare clearly as a Red Mountain estate-grownwine.”

So far, Col Solare’s grapes have come from some of thecompany’s top estate vineyards, including Canoe Ridgeto the south and Cold Creek to the northwest.

Col Solare was 12 years in the making after the twocompanies put together their Opus One-type collabora-tion. Renzo Cotarello of Antinori and Doug Gore of Ste.Michelle oversee the winemaking, which is under thedirection of Marcus Notaro, the resident winemaker.

Col Solare is a beacon on Red Mountain, thanks to adistinctive architectural style that includes a 56-foot-tallbell tower.

“We had this vision that it would be a fusion of NewWorld and Old World,” Baseler said. “I couldn’t be morehappy with the way the winery turned out. It’s understat-ed sophistication. And it’s a state-of-the-art productionfacility for making world-class wine.”

Piero Antinori couldn’t agree more.“The dream has become reality,” he said excitedly at

Col Solare’s grand opening in April. “We think it’s a beau-tiful winery. It integrates well with the landscape.”

Antinori, who lives amid the picturesque hills ofTuscany, feels right at home in dusty Eastern Washington.

“It’s very different from Tuscany,” he said, gazing westup the Yakima Valley. “It has great, great charm. For me,it’s fascinating, maybe because it’s so different.

“When I come here, I have the feeling that it can pro-duce great wines,” he added. “It’s not a matter of soil orclimate, just that you feel it. For an old winemaker like Iam, it works when I have a feeling that it can produce agreat wine.” �

ANDY PERDUE is editor- in-chief of Wine Press Northwest. Read his blog, The WineKnows, at www.winepressnw.com.JACKIE JOHNSTON , a freelance photojournalist, is a regular contributor and the pagedesigner for Wine Press Northwest. Her Web site is WineCountryCreations.com

Piero Antinori’sfamily has beenmaking wine inItaly for 26 gener-ations.

Renzo Cotarello,Antinori’s headenologist, guidesthe winemakingat Col Solare.




THE WINESOF RED MOUNTAIN

WHAT MAKES RED MOUNTAINspecial? Why are the grapes andtheir resulting wines so highlyprized? This 4,040-acre bench is,indeed, unique — even amid theseemingly similar nearby hills.

First of all, Red Mountain facessouthwest, providing maximumafternoon sun exposure. As faras Eastern Washington viticultureis concerned, the Yakima Valleyis considered relatively cool. Butnot Red Mountain, which is con-sistently one of the warmestareas of the Columbia Valley.However, a gap between RedMountain and RattlesnakeMountain to the west allows coolair from the north to slipthrough to the vineyards, whichsit at altitudes of between 600and 1,100 feet. The Yakima River,which runs north around RedMountain, also tempers hot sum-mer days into cooler nights.Those help retain acidity andadd levels of complexity.

Second, Red Mountain’s soil ispoor by most agricultural stan-dards. It’s sandy, low in nutrientsand uneven. But stress can doone of two things to vines: makethem struggle and work harderor cause them to wither and die.That struggle to reach deeperinto the soils produces smallergrapes and more concentratedjuice.

On Red Mountain, red winestend to be more tannic, as wellas more focused and complex.The hot days ensure ripeness,the cool nights preserve acidity,and the small berries create darkaromas and flavors and plenty ofstructure. Thus, Red Mountainhas the opportunity to producesome of Washington’s most age-worthy wines.

Col Solare even-tually will fill allits barrels withwine from Red

Mountain grapes.



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the willamette wonder FEATURE


YOU WON’T FIND RYAN COLEMANbehind the tasting bar, manning thecash register or handling the thief,but his fingerprints — so to speak —are all over one of the most talked-about wines in the Willamette Valley.

He is, in fact, the boy behind theColeman Vineyard 2005 Real FineRacy Red Pinot Noir. Ryan, age 10,is a fourth-grader in McMinnville,Ore., and is a living definition ofprecocious.

“The Racy Red is a pretty largewine with fruity flavors and big tan-nins that are not bitter or rough,”Ryan tells anyone and everyone.“I’m really happy with the results.It’s really good.”

He already sounds like a winemak-er taking samples to a potential dis-tributor, only he’s not a winemaker.The ultimate responsibility belongs to his parents, Randyand Kim Coleman, who left Southern California for Oregonin 1999 to launch their 4,000-case, 30-acre estate winery.

“Ryan is not allowed to sell the wine, pour the wine orbe the winemaker,” Randy says. “And he’s not legally ableto own the money that is made from that. We’re putting itaway for his college education, and it’s going into 401(k)sand IRAs.”

So what all does Ryan do? “Well, he gets in my way a lot,” Randy says with a smile. The Colemans have trained him to run the sorting line,

but he also muscles up for punch down. On the lots forwhat the winery Web site refers to as the “fun Colemanfamily collaboration,” Ryan selects the fermentationyeasts, compiles the data and consults on the blendingtrials of barrels allocated for the Racy Red.

A family friend designed the Racy Red label, which fea-tures a checkered flag and a numbered race car. No. 8 ison the 2005 vintage — Ryan’s age at the time of crush.

“He knows it all,” says Kim, the winery’s chemist. “He’slearning the science and the math. He’s converting frac-tions to do the lab work before he even has it in school.

He tastes wine at our dinner table,and we’ve taught our children tolook for the balance in the wineand where it falls on the palate.”

And like any good winemaker,Ryan will be the first one to tell youit starts in the vineyard. “If all youhave are a bunch of raisins, you arenot going to make good wine obvi-ously,” he said.

Armed with such insight, hetracked down neighbor MoeMomtazi, whose Momtazi Vineyardin the McMinnville AVA contributedheavily to the Colemans’ soon-to-be released 2006 Racy Red.

“I’ve known Ryan for many years,and he’s very easy to get along with,but the negotiations were quite a bitof a challenge,” Momtazi says. “He’sa really neat kid, but he’s very savvy

and tried to take advantage of his age when we werenegotiating. He told me, ‘I’m just starting my business,and I don’t have much cash, so can we work somethingout where we swap fruit?’

“He wanted to trade me some Pinot Gris for my PinotNoir straight across, ton-for-ton! I told him, ‘Ryan, itdoesn’t work that way.’ Here I am selling him some ofmy best fruit that’s grown biodynamically, and he tellsme, ‘I’m also giving you some really good fruit!’ He reallytried getting it done ton-for-ton. It took a couple ofweeks of negotiations.”

The kid knows what to do with the fruit when it comesin. He takes a week off from classes at McMinnvilleInternational Community School to work crush with hisfamily, Ben the vineyard manager and volunteers.

“A day in harvest. Wow! It means getting up at 6 a.m. tohelp get everything plugged in, the bins and stuff,” Ryansaid. “This year, my dad said I could drive the tractor, sothat’s going to be cool.”

Ryan also runs the hydraulics on the sorting line, work-ing alongside adults each night until the job is done. “Itmeans staying up really late, drinking Coke,” Ryan said.

Are you smarter than a 4th grader?Then get ready to meet the McMinnvil le kid

who’s the talk of the Wil lamette Valley.

BY ERIC DEGERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACKIE JOHNSTON

58-61 Coleman 6/8/07 10:21 AM Page 59

FEATURE the willamette wonder


“Last harvest, I did drink a little coffee.”Of course, that’s just the beginning.“Fermentation. That’s another interesting one,” Ryan

says. “There’s a little bit more griping because it’s reallyhard work. I get dressed in the morning and come out anddo my punch downs, write all my information on a cardwith my brix and run my tests, which I do about threetimes a day. I connect the hoses. Make sure the bins arecovered up because those fruit flies are bad. And I wipedown the sides of the tank with sulfur water. Then you fig-ure out what kind of fermentation you want to use.”

He prefers the always-risky wild yeast fermentation,starting in 2004 with 45 cases of the inaugural Racy Red.

“As soon as he heard that word “wild,” that’s what hewanted to use,” his dad says. “We had never used itbefore, but in 2004, Ryan did, and we found a taste andmouth feel that we were looking for. Now, a third of allof our wines are indigenous fermentation.”

The 2005 Racy Red, made from estate fruit and sold for$24, received an “Excellent” rating in a double-blind tast-ing by Wine Press Northwest. See Page 96 in the RecentReleases section. Much of it went to NASCAR nuts aroundthe country.

“We made 85 cases, but we could have sold 2,000 cases,”Ryan says, disappointed by the loss of potential sales to hisdriving idols. “I want to call Junior (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) andTony Stewart and send them out some wine. Maybe JeffGordon, too, but I’m not so happy with him right now.”

Considering the source, the four barrels of 2006 willyield about 100 cases of what promises to be the fastest-moving Racy Red yet.

“I’m a good friend of Moe’s,” Ryan says. “He gave mesome really good fruit, and I’m really thankful and happy.”

Momtazi says, “I haven’t tasted it, but it’s from some ofour best fruit, and I told him with that fruit, he shouldcharge $50 a bottle. Ryan told me, ‘I don’t want to dothat right away. I want to develop the business.’ ”

In reality, it’s the family livelihood, and Ryan’s parentsknow others are watching, including the Oregon LiquorControl Commission.

“I’ve only had positive experiences with the OLCC,”Kim said. “We are respectful of the law and respectful ofpeople who might not think that kids should even beinvolved with alcohol. But it is a farm, and growing andprocessing fruit is part of it.”

Ken Palke, public information officer for OLCC inPortland, said an investigator reported in October 2006that the Colemans are in accordance with OregonRevised Statute Chapter 471.403.

“We see Ryan as farm laborer, and really, we don’t feelhe is involved in the sales or service or making of wine,per se,” Palke said. “He’s a young kid helping out on afarm, and that’s how they learn the business.”

One key is that Colemans only allow Ryan to samplethe wine inside their home, not in the winery.

Ryan’smidget race carwas theinspirationforColemanVineyard’sRacy Redlabel.

58-61 Coleman 6/8/07 10:22 AM Page 60

“Under Oregon law, a parent or legal guardian is allowedto provide an alcoholic beverage at the dinner table,”Palke said.

There is a history of underage winemakers in theNorthwest. Two years ago, Victor Palencia, assistant wine-maker for Willow Crest Winery in Prosser, Wash., graduat-ed from Walla Walla Community College’s Center ofEnology and Viticulture at age 20.

Another winery in Prosser — Pontin Del Roza — wasfounded in 1984 by then-underage winemaker ScottPontin as a Future Farmers of America project.

The Colemans wanted their children, Ryan and Kristin,to grow up on a farm rather than in Southern California.Kristin attended Oregon State University before beingaccepted to the Culinary Institute of America in HydePark, N.Y. It’s no coincidence that Kim attended the CIA atGreystone in the Napa Valley.

As for Ryan, he was whining to help his mom and dadin the winery before he could ride a tricycle.

“In 1999, when we made our first vintage, Ryan was 21⁄2 years old,” Kim recalls. “I had to do a lot of the punchdowns that year, and there I was on a stepladder with a21⁄2-year-old pulling on my leg, screaming, ‘I want to do it! Iwant to do it!’ So he did. Every year, he’s just gotten a lit-tle more involved.”

These days, he’s pestering Dad to let him plant a half-acre of grapes, even though there’s plenty nearby.

It’s easy to forget Ryan is 10, but his parents provide abalanced childhood. He plays baseball. He builds remote-control airplanes and takes flying instruction at nearbyEvergreen Aviation Museum. Friends bring their skate-boards and sleep over. He’s in a swim club, and the fami-ly races quarter midget cars throughout the Northwest.

“The kid loves mechanics and aeronautics. He’s reallygood in math and science and reading,” his mother says.“He’s just interested in so many things, and I think allanyone can really ask of their kid is that they are curiousand interested in the world.”

Which begs the question: What will he do when hegrows up?

“That’s a tough one,” Ryan says with a rub of his baby-faced chin. “Winemaking? Maybe as a hobby, but I’d liketo go to college and have a career as a NASCAR driver.”

Include comedian as a possible career for RyanColeman, who has been known to entertain adult wine-makers with a stream of blonde jokes.

“Someday, he’s going to have a real nice college fund,which is his biggest push now,” Randy says. “He’s 10, andhe’s already talking about going to an Ivy League school. Ihave no idea where he finds out all these things.”

So, what were you doing in the fourth grade? �

ERIC DEGERMAN is Wine Press Northwest’s managing editor. E-mail him [email protected] JOHNSTON , a freelance photojournalist, is a regular contributor and the pagedesigner for Wine Press Northwest. Her Web site is WineCountryCreations.com.

the willamette wonder FEATURE


COLEMANVINEYARD

22734 S.W. Latham RoadMcMinnville, Ore. 97128

(503) 843-2707www.colemanvineyard.com

58-61 Coleman 6/8/07 10:22 AM Page 61

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42 ... Label ads 6/3/07 11:40 PM Page 62

42 ... Label ads 6/3/07 11:42 PM Page 63

FEATURE quilceda creek


Quilceda Creek’s 2002 and 2003Cabernet Sauvignons earned per-

fect 100-point scores from TheWine Advocate, and Wine

Spectator rated the 2003 Cab asthe No. 2 wine in the world after

an Italian Sangiovese.

64-67 Quilceda 6/4/07 6:38 PM Page 64

quilceda creek FEATURE


PERFECTION.Admit it or not, we all seek to attain it in one way or

another. For most winemakers around the globe, it’s anethereal goal, unreachable unless all the planets and starsalign in a way that is entirely unlikely.

Yet, for the father-son team of Alex and Paul Golitzin, itwas a quest — even a crusade — attainable, yet justbeyond their fingertips.

For the past two years, perfection has become a realityfor the Golitzins and Quilceda Creek Vintners ofSnohomish, Wash. Dare we say a standard? A foregoneconclusion? Not a chance: The Golitzins are not about totake anything for granted.

Two years ago, Pierre-Antoine Rovani of The WineAdvocate scored Quilceda Creek’s 2002 CabernetSauvignon a perfect 100 points, a first for a Northwestwine. Then, a year ago, Rovani awarded the QuilcedaCreek 2003 Cab another 100. The Wine Advocate is ownedby Robert Parker, the world’s most famous and influentialwine critic. Rovani reviewed Northwest wines for Parkeruntil late last year, when he left for new pursuits.

In the newsletter’s nearly 30-year history, the Advocatehas reviewed and rated about 100,000wines and awarded just 127 perfectscores, according to eRobertParker.com.Most of the names are easily recogniza-ble in the world of wine: Lafite, Latour,Petrus, Haut Brion, Margaux, Chapoutier, Cheval Blanc,Screaming Eagle, Harlan. And now, Quilceda Creek.

As if two perfect scores weren’t enough, the world’slargest wine publication, Wine Spectator, ratedQuilceda’s 2003 Cab the No. 2 wine in the world. Sincethe No. 1 wine was an Italian Sangiovese, this madeQuilceda not only the No. 1 American wine on the list,but also the world’s top Cabernet Sauvignon in theworld, ahead of Bordeaux, Napa and every place else.

“It was always a goal,” said Paul, Quilceda’s winemakersince 1992. “To achieve it is one thing. Now, it scares thebejeezers out of me,” he added, starting to laugh. “Nowthere’s nowhere to go but down!”

That’s unlikely. The key to Quilceda’s success is itsvineyard sources. Throughout the years, the Golitzinshave purchased grapes from some of the state’s top vine-

yards, including Ciel du Cheval, Klipsun, Taptiel andKiona on Red Mountain and Champoux in the HorseHeaven Hills. In 1997, the Golitzins became partners inChampoux with vineyard manager Paul Champoux, Billand Greg Powers (Powers Winery), Rick Small(Woodward Canyon Winery) and Chris Camarda (AndrewWill), ensuring their favorite Cabernet grapes would beavailable annually. In 2001 and 2002, they plantedGalitzine Vineyard on Red Mountain, adjacent to Ciel duCheval and managed by Ciel’s owner, Jim Holmes.

Early this year, the Golitzins purchased Matador, a five-acre vineyard near Champoux. They renamed it PalengatVineyard after Paul’s mother, Jeanette, whose maidenname is Palengat. The winery also signed a long-termlease for an adjacent 3 1/2-acre vineyard. The Golitzinsplan to produce a Palengat Vineyard-designated wine.

Except for Galitzine (the original spelling of “Golitzin”)and a bit of fruit from Klipsun and Taptiel, the bulk ofQuilceda’s fruit now comes from the Horse Heavens.

“I love the Horse Heaven Hills,” Paul Golitzin said withconviction.

Champoux Vineyards, formerly known as Mercer

Ranch Vineyards, was first planted in 1972, with themajority of the vines put in the ground between 1979and 1981, said Paul Champoux. He began working therein 1989, leased it in 1992 and put together the partner-ship to purchase it in 1997. Its 175 acres are highlysought after and are sold to many of the Northwest’s topvintners.

“One of the benefits of being a partner is you getgrapes from the older vines, from the same rows everyyear,” Champoux said. “You get your allotment everyyear, before anyone else does.” And if there happens tobe winter damage, the partners get their full allotment ofgrapes ahead of other winemakers.

Champoux is obviously excited about Quilceda’s suc-cess. “Eighty-eight percent of the fruit from the 2002 wasfrom here,” he said. “No doubt about it: It’s great for

What comes after perfection?Quilceda Creek Vintners’ father-son teamreaches lofty goal and work to repeat i t

BY ANDY PERDUE PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACKIE JOHNSTON

“...Mother Nature has control. She’s the onewho makes you or breaks you.” —PAUL CHAMPOUX

64-67 Quilceda 6/5/07 1:15 PM Page 65

FEATURE quilceda creek


Quilceda, great for the Washington wine industry andgreat for me. I’m proud because the majority (of the2002 and 2003 Cabs) came from this vineyard. It’s madeWashington well known worldwide.”

Despite the success, Champoux feels little pressure. “Ikeep doing the best I can. I try to improve what I do. Ihave my data, which can help me improve. But you cannever repeat it exactly again next year because MotherNature has control. She’s the one who makes you orbreaks you.”

Looking at the Golitzin family tree, one might thinkAlex was destined to make great wine. His uncle wasAndré Tchelistcheff, the famed Russian immigrant whoput Napa Valley on the map early in California’s modernwinemaking history with Beaulieu Vineyards.Tchelistcheff later consulted for Chateau Ste. Michelle.It’s a connection Alex Golitzin doesn’t mind at all.

“Uncle André really helped us out to start with,” hesaid. “But we do everything totally different than hetaught us in those days. But the whole world haschanged, let’s face it.”

Quilceda Creek started in Golitzin’s garage in 1979,though he had been making wine experimentally for afew years prior to that. During that first vintage, 9-year-old Paul was right there helping. When did he thinkabout becoming winemaker? “When I was 9,” he saidwith a wink.

Since the beginning, the Golitzins’ philosophy hasbeen simple: Do not compromise and become betterwith each vintage. Through the years, they’ve capturedtop awards and garnered great scores, even a couple of98s from the Advocate (for the 2001 and 1999 Cabs). In

fact, of the 30 wines the Advocate has rated, all but sixhave earned a 90 or better.

Since the two perfect scores have come out, plenty ofWashington winemakers have congratulated the Golitzinson their success, but nobody has asked how theyachieved it.

“It’s the vineyards, the winemaking, the blending,” Alexsaid. “You can’t teach anyone that.”

In addition to being very particular about his vineyardsources, Paul also uses 100 percent new French oak, apractice begun in 1993 after he and Alex attended a semi-nar in Seattle that showed the differences betweenFrench and American oak. When they returned home,they canceled an order for American oak barrels andnever looked back.

“Our wine is sufficiently concentrated to handle newwood,” Alex said. “It just fits our winemaking better andintegrates with our fruit better.”

While the Cab has garnered nearly all of the attention,Paul makes other wines, too, including 400 cases of high-ly rated Merlot and 2,000 cases of a less-expensive redblend. The Red Table Wine is made in the Bordeaux tra-dition, in which certain barrels are “declassified” becausethey don’t quite fit the profile Paul is looking for.

And Paul and Alex have no temptations to stray fromtheir current success.

“We made Syrah for three years just for ourselves,” Alexsaid. “It’s a lovely wine, but we’re a Bordeaux house.” �

ANDY PERDUE is editor- in-chief of Wine Press Northwest. Read his blog, The WineKnows, at www.winepressnw.com.JACKIE JOHNSTON , a freelance photojournalist, is a regular contributor and the pagedesigner for Wine Press Northwest. Her Web site is WineCountryCreations.com.

THE WINESOF QUILCEDA CREEK

QUILCEDA CREEK VINTNERS ISnot open to the public. All of itswines are sold to mailing list cus-tomers and wholesalers. Thoseinterested in being on the mailinglist are encouraged to sign up onthe waiting list at www.quilcedacreek.com.

Limited amounts of the wines canbe purchased through wine shops,auction houses and restaurants.

In March, Wine Press Northwesttasted through recent, current andfuture releases of Quilceda Creekwines. Here are our notes:

➤ 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, ColumbiaValley, $78: Made primarily from ChampouxVineyards fruit but also includes grapes fromCiel du Cheval, Klipsun and Taptiel. Thisexotic wine is still plenty youthful, thanks toaromas of sweet spices, violets and blackcurrants, and flavors of blueberries, black-berries, minerals and cocoa powder. Theample tannins are perfectly in check withthe fruit and acidity. (3,400 cases produced)➤ 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, ColumbiaValley, $84: Made primarily from ChampouxVineyards fruit but also includes grapes fromCiel du Cheval, Klipsun and Taptiel. Aromasof smoked meats, lavender and a whiff ofcocoa powder give way to complex flavors ofsweet plum sauce, blackberries and sweetspices. The tannins let you know they arethere without getting in the way of the ripefruit. (3,400 cases produced)➤ 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, ColumbiaValley, $100: Made primarily fromChampoux Vineyards fruit but also includesgrapes from Klipsun and Taptiel. Violets,

minerals and black fruit greet the nose, lead-ing to elegant flavors of black currants,blackberries, moist earth and sweet herbs.The tannins are plush and approachable, yetample enough for the long haul. (3,400cases produced)➤ 2004 Galitzine Vineyard CabernetSauvignon, Red Mountain: This new Cabwill be released in Fall 2007. It relies entirelyon estate grapes from Red Mountain, adja-cent to Ciel du Cheval. The still-young vinesproduced grapes that show off aromas ofsweet herbs, violets and black currants. It’s acomplex wine with aromas and flavors ofminerally earth, lavender, black fruit and bit-tersweet chocolate.➤ 2004 Red Table Wine, Washington,$35: Quilceda Creek’s most affordable wine,this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlotuses barrels that did not fit into the Golitzins’top-tier bottlings. It’s a big, warm red witharomas and flavors of red currants, chocolateand crushed walnuts. Gentle tannins balanceperfectly with rich fruit and ample acidity.

64-67 Quilceda 6/5/07 1:17 PM Page 66

quilceda creek FEATURE


Paul, left, and AlexGolitzin only use newFrench oak barrels tomake their wine.

64-67 Quilceda 6/5/07 1:18 PM Page 67


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70-73 05 Reds 6/4/07 10:26 AM Page 70

a good year FEATURE


AS THE LUSH RED WINES FROM THE NORTHWEST’S2005 vintage start trickling to market this summer, itmight be a good year for wine lovers to buy a new dic-tionary. One chock full of all the adjectives they’ll feelcompelled to utter in describing what likely is thisdecade’s finest vintage to date.

Winemakers, grape growers and nearly everyone elsein the industry are smacking their lips in anticipation.Yes, we all know that these folks base their livelihoods onan optimistic outlook for every new vintage. But the 2005reds appear ready to make believers of even the skeptics,especially in Washington.

In Oregon, September rains made the year differentfrom the previous three vintages, and winemakersare watching their wines with concern but growingoptimism as they see their Pinot Noir emerging intowines large in structure and laden with fruit.

Doug Gore of Columbia Crest Winery in Paterson,Wash., who shepherds the reds through the region’slargest winery, has no reservations. “It’s a great vin-tage,” he said of 2005. “It’s got everything going on.”

The winery’s senior vice president of winemaking andviticulture, he’s enthusiastic about all of his “big three”reds — Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. He hasplenty of company. From the biggest wineries to mid-sized operations like Barnard Griffin of Richland, Wash.,and Three Rivers Winery just outside Walla Walla, Wash.,down to such smallish vintners as Thurston Wolfe Wineryin Prosser, Wash., there’s plenty of enthusiasm bubblingaway about their reds.

Thurston Wolfe’s grapes, obtained chiefly fromWashington’s Horse Heaven Hills American ViticulturalArea (AVA), are fruitier, softer and lower in alcoholbecause of a cooler fall ripening period, said owner andwinemaker Wade Wolfe. The result is that he could leavehis juice on the skins longer because the tannins wereriper and consequently softer.

“When you try to balance for sugar, you may not getripe tannins, and the wine will be more astringent” in ayear when the fall is hot and the grapes ripen too quickly,he added.

Wolfe speculated that 2005 in Washington may wellturn out to be similar to 1969 in California, when he wasa relative newcomer to the business. He recalled the

wine world was enthralled with California’s 1968 and1970 vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon at the time, espe-cially the 1970. As the wines aged, the 1970s sort ofunraveled. The 1969 Cabs knitted their finest elementstogether and outlasted the 1970s.

In Washington, the 2005s are different from any vintageWolfe has worked with since 1999, he noted.

Rob Griffin, winemaker and co-owner of BarnardGriffin, would push that date back even further. Everyyear since 1995 has been a warm year, he said.

Although 2005 started out as a warm year, coolerweather in late August extended the ripening process.The result in the grapes has been “rich, generous, big

wines that are relatively soft,” Griffin reported.Wolfe, who started out as a viticulturalist, also credited

the cooler fall with producing a special harvest. The soft-er tannins are immediately evident.

The result? Consistent character across all the reds thatappears likely to be the hallmark of the 2005 reds. Lush,rich, complex, a ripe mouth feel from the front of thepalate to the back. Rob Griffin’s assistant winemaker,Mickey French, summed it up this way moments aftersipping some of the newly released 2005 Merlot: “Bigwines with very, very dense but soft tannin.”

Barnard Griffin’s red grapes came largely from thesprawling Columbia Valley appellation. The Merlot hecrushed for his famous “tulip label” came from theWahluke Slope as well as Caroway Vineyard just east ofKennewick, Wash. His Reserve Merlot will blend AlderCreek Vineyard grapes from the Horse Heaven Hills withfruit from the state’s smallest AVA, Red Mountain.

He drew heavily on Sagemoor Vineyards for hisCabernet Sauvignons. Sagemoor produced the grapesthat went into many of finest Cabernet Sauvignons of1983, acclaimed by many as the best vintage of the 1980s.Until recently, the vineyard has endured a period whenmuch of its fruit has been unremarkable.

A Vintage to RememberThe reds of 2005 are bottled and

ready to start winning awards.BY KEN ROBERTSON PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACKIE JOHNSTON

The vintage is turning out to besensational for virtually every redvariety from almost every vineyard

70-73 05 Reds 6/4/07 8:04 PM Page 71

FEATURE a good year


But in the last few years, “They’redoing sensational work,” Griffin saidenthusiastically.

Holly Turner, winemaker at ThreeRivers, is equally impressed withSagemoor. “Todd Cameron (the vine-yard manager) has done an awesomejob. ... It’s fantastic.”

For Griffin’s Syrahs, the grapescame from the Wahluke and nearbyDesert Aire. But no matter thesource of grapes, he agrees withGore: The vintage is turning out tobe sensational for virtually every redvariety from almost every vineyard.

Turner echoed that: “Across theboard, they’re really good.”

“What I look at in Cabernet,” Goresaid, “is how’s it going to be inGrand Estates.” The Grand Estateslabel in any variety — Chardonnay,Merlot, Cab — has built ColumbiaCrest a reputation for crafting one ofthe best-value, best-quality winesanywhere in the nation. But in diffi-cult vintages, reaching that standardis more of a challenge, he said.

That’s because the higher-priced,fancier reserve label versions ofColumbia Crest Syrah, Merlot,Cabernet and its Walter Clore redblend get the top-tier grapes pro-duced by zealous tending that typi-cally limits yields to about 3 tons ofgrapes per acre.

The Grand Estates grapes don’t getthe same amount of pampering. In2005, that didn’t much matter, he said.

“It was good, it was really good, the’05, even the 5- or 5 1/2-ton Cab, itwas still really good,” Gore said. “Thehigh-ton stuff, when that’s working,Mother Nature is the decider.”

The conclusion to be drawn fromvirtually every corner of EasternWashington’s grape-growing regions:All the reds will be excellent. Turner,who sourced fruit from as far east as the Blue Mountainfoothills east of Walla Walla and as far west as famedChampoux Vineyards in the west end of the Horse HeavenHills, said it would be hard to pick a favorite red from 2005.

“The Cab is outstanding,” she noted. She paused amoment, then added, “And the Malbec and Malbec-Merlot we released for the spring tasting weekend,they’re beautiful.”

The grapes of 2005 had so much varietal character,they were a joy to work with, she concluded. And itdidn’t seem to matter from where they came — WallaWalla, Columbia or Yakima valleys, Horse Heaven Hills,Red Mountain, Columbia Gorge or Wahluke Slope.“Everything is very balanced,” she said.

In Oregon, the enthusiasm is a bit more muted, partlybecause 2002, 2003 and 2004 were easy years to make

Bins are filled with grapes prior tocrushing during the 2005 harvestat Gordon Brothers FamilyVineyards in Pasco, Wash.

Grapes ferment in stainless steeltanks at Adelsheim Vineyard inNewberg, Ore.

70-73 05 Reds 6/5/07 1:29 PM Page 72

a good year FEATURE


lots of good wine and sell it all. In 2005, Oregon’sSeptember rain at times made harvest conditions tough,some of the crop uneven and the resulting wines fromparts of the crop a bit more of a challenge.

It was not a cool vintage in general because winemak-ers got as much sugar to develop in their grapes as theywanted, plus the cooler, rainy patch in September provided extra hang time.

“It was relatively typical of the oldOregon vintages,” said HarryPeterson-Nedry of Chehelem Winesand Ribbon Ridge Winery. The veter-an Oregon winemaker planted hisfirst vineyard in 1982 on what hassince become the Ribbon Ridge AVA.“We had rain at harvest, and the lateryou harvested, the more rain effectyou got. It was a relatively late vin-tage, but not because of the rain.”

Now that he’s had time to watch hiswines develop, he’s pleased with theresult. “It was a surprise to me becausewe had to work hard on it. The winesare big in structure from that vintage,and there’s gobs of fruit there.”

In the McMinnville AVA, winemak-ers and growers reported the 2005vintage shows a similar pattern. Thewines have “zingy acidity, freshnessand crispness,” said Todd Hamina ofMaysara Winery. He and others in theAVA report the tannins are more sub-tle in their 2005 Pinot Noirs, a themethat echoes the words of theirWashington counterparts.

They agree with other Oregon vint-ners that the 2005s required more ofthe winemaker’s art than 2002, 2003and 2004. But they’re getting betterwith age.

Mark Pape, cellarmaster of WitnessTree Vineyard in the Eola-Amity HillsAVA, had similar comments aboutwhat he’s seeing in the wines of 2005.

“The vintage has this real purity,clean delivery of fruit and really, reallyconcentrated fruit flavors,” he said.“They have really, really pretty fruit.”

An early May tasting of the entirelineup of Rob Griffin’s 2005 redwines, from luscious Merlot tosybaritic Syrah, was conclusive evi-dence that wine lovers will find manyreds to love, whether they choose todrink them young or cellar them and

enjoy their fully developed finesse.As Columbia Crest’s Gore said when told of Wolfe’s

enthusiasm for the 2005s, “Wade got it right.” �

Managing Editor ERIC DEGERMAN contributed to this report.KEN ROBERTSON , a newspaperman for 37 years, has enjoyed sipping and writ ingabout Northwest wines for 30 years. He l ives in Kennewick, Wash.JACKIE JOHNSTON , a freelance photojournalist, is a regular contributor and the pagedesigner for Wine Press Northwest. Her Web site is WineCountryCreations.com.

A barrel sample is pouredat Camaraderie Cellarsin Port Angeles, Wash.

Wine is bottled at Syncline Wine Cellars inBingen, Wash.

70-73 05 Reds 6/5/07 1:32 PM Page 73


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Sat. 11-5 • Sun. 12-4or by appt.

Desert Hills Winery

www.deserthillswinery.com • 509-453-0503

Award-Winning WinesTasting Room open: Daily 10 am - 5 pm

530 Gurley Rd., Granger, WA 98932

1-866-EATON HILL

2020 Gilbert Rd.,Zillah, WA 98953

509-829-6333

Fax: 509-829-6433

Open daily11 a.m.-5 p.m.

www.hyattvineyards.com

Hyatt Vineyards

Piety Flats WineryLocated in the

historic Donald Fruit &Mercantile bldg

2560Donald-Wapato Rd

Wapato, WA(Exit 44 off I-82, go 1/8thmile North to our tasting

room at Piety FlatsWinery and Mercantile)

Open Daily 10-6Sundays 10-5 pm

509-877-3115 www.pietyflatswinery.com

NW WinecastEvery Tuesday, watch the

only online video show dedicated to Northwest wine

winepressnw.com/video/vodcastor the iTunes Store

42 ... Label ads 6/3/07 11:48 PM Page 74


Chandler Reach Vineyards9506 West Chandler Rd.

Benton City, WA(Exit 93 off 1-82)

Visit our new TuscanVilla & Tasting Room.

Sit on our patio and sipone of our estate RedWines while taking inthe incredible views!

Open: 11-5 Thur.-Sun.& Special Events

Private tours by appt.Sorry, no bus

accomodations

509-588-8800

[email protected] • www.chandlerreach.com

42 ... Label ads 6/3/07 11:50 PM Page 75

76

Viognier is a good wine for summer’s lighter fare orjust sipping on the back porch under blue skies.

76-81 Viognier 6/4/07 10:46 AM Page 76

viognier TAST ING RESULTS

WINE PRESS NORTHWEST • SUMMER 2007➤ FOR MORE WINNING WINES ➤ WINEPRESSNW.COM/MEDALS 77

OUTSTANDINGVin du Lac $182006 Vie! Viognier, Columbia ValleyOwner/winemaker Larry Lehmbecker showshis versatility by crafting a delicate white thatis mind-bogglingly delicious. Up front, it’sloaded with delicate aromas of orange blos-soms, apples, pears and limes, followed bybright flavors of starfruit, lemons, cantaloupeand oranges. This is a great example of whatViognier should be. Pair with fettucine alfre-do. — 300 cases

DiStefano Winery $222005 Viognier, Columbia Valley OwnerMark Newton and winemaker Hillary Sjolundhave crafted one of the finest Viogniers you’lllikely come across. It opens with classic aro-mas of orange Creamsicle, dried pineapplesand lemon bars. On the palate, this big,creamy wine is loaded with exotic tropicaland citrus flavors and balanced with ampleacidity. Pair with seared scallops or curriedchicken. — 169 cases

Spangler Vineyards $162006 Viognier, Southern Oregon Pat andLoree Spangler have revived the former LaGarza Cellars in Southern Oregon and areproducing a wide array of superior wines.

V is for ViognierThis Rhône variety is gaining popularity

in Washington and around the Northwest.BY ANDY PERDUE PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACKIE JOHNSTON

AS RECENTLY AS TWO YEARS AGO, WE WOULD NOT HAVE DREAMED OFputting together a tasting of Pacific Northwest Viogniers. Simply put: Thereweren’t enough of them.

But this difficult-to-pronounce white wine whose traditional home is inFrance’s northern Rhône Valley, is quickly gaining strength in the Northwest— especially in Washington — as a good transition wine for Chardonnaylovers.

A half-century ago, Viognier was nearly extinct, with perhaps a dozen acresplanted in France. Since then, interest in the grape has risen, with plantingshaving reached more than 700 acres, primarily in Condrieu, the appellationjust south of Côte-Rôtie.

Viognier (pronounced “vee-own-YAY”) arrived on the West Coast within thepast two decades, first in California, where about 300 acres are planted, thento Washington and Oregon. Today, Washington Viognier is closing in on 400acres. In Oregon, Viognier plantings have grown to 134 acres.

Our judging of Northwest Viognier comprised 39 wines from Washington,Oregon and Idaho. Leading the list was the 2006 Viognier from Vin du Lac, awinery in Washington’s Lake Chelan region. Owner/winemaker LarryLehmbecker gets about half of his Viognier from the Yakima Valley and halffrom the Chelan area.

“With our northern fruit, we’re getting a lot of acid retention,” he said.Viognier is notoriously low in acidity, which can give it a flabby mouth feel

if the grapes get overripe. Lehmbecker tends to watch acid levels more thansugar, then ferments the wine in stainless steel.

“A lot of guys are using some oak with Viognier,” Lehmbecker said. “I thinkthat’s a mistake, as it takes away from the acids.”

Viognier has quickly come into its own because of its exotic aromas and fla-vors. It can show off peach, apricot and tropical fruit notes. And some of thebest reveal aromas and flavors of orange Creamsicle.

Lehmbecker suggests pairing this delicate white wine with lighter foods,such as sautéed fish topped with a mango salsa or tropical fruit chutney. Healso likes to serve Viognier with mild desserts.

The judges for this competition were: Vanessa Bailey, a soil scientist atPacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., and a member ofWine Press Northwest’s tasting panel; Ken Robertson, columnist for WinePress Northwest; Coke Roth, an international wine judge, a grape grower onRed Mountain and member of Wine Press Northwest’s tasting panel; and EricDegerman, Wine Press Northwest’s managing editor. �

W I N E R A T I N G S

All rated wines are tasted blind, then placed inthe following categories:

OutstandingThese wines have superior characteristics andshould be highly sought after.

ExcellentTop-notch wines with particularly high qualities.

RecommendedDelicious, well-made wines with true varietalcharacteristics.

Prices are suggested retail and should be usedas guidelines.

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TAST ING RESULTS viognier

WINE PRESS NORTHWEST • SUMMER 2007 ➤ FOR MORE WINNING WINES ➤ WINEPRESSNW.COM/MEDALS78

This luscious white opens with aromas oforanges, apricots, limes and pink grapefruit,followed by bright tropical fruit flavors. Itslush midpalate might remind you of richvanilla ice cream. — 344 cases

Bergevin Lane Vineyards $252006 Viognier, Columbia Valley This fast-ris-ing Walla Walla Valley winery has crafted a deli-

cious Viognier blended with 11% Roussanne,another Rhône Valley grape. A little bit of oakshows up on the nose, melding with notes ofstar fruit, pineapples and even watermelons.Bright tropical flavors and lemon-lime notes arebacked up with plenty of acidity. — 206 cases

Alexandria Nicole Cellars $182006 Viognier, Columbia Valley With its

estate Destiny Ridge Vineyard in Washington’s

Horse Heaven Hills and winery just north in

the Yakima Valley town of Prosser, Alexandria

Nicole is producing delicious wines. This left

us salivating for more, thanks to its aromas

and flavors of blood oranges, limes, cream

and huge varietal character. This is a bench-

mark wine for Viognier. — 1,200 cases

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WINE PRESS NORTHWEST • SUMMER 2007➤ FOR MORE WINNING WINES ➤ WINEPRESSNW.COM/MEDALS 79

EXCELLENT

Erin Glenn Wines $222006 Chateau LeBeau Vineyard Viognier,Willamette Valley This young winery in TheDalles, Ore., is on the right track with asuperb Viognier. Aromas of limes and grape-fruit lead to bright, refreshing flavors that are

smooth, even hedonistic. Notes of orchardfruit and citrus highlight the palate throughthe lengthy finish. — 240 cases

Nefarious Cellars $162006 Antoine Creek Vineyard Viognier,Columbia Valley Nefarious bills itself as“wickedly good wine,” and the folks at thisChelan, Wash., winery aren’t kidding. Using

grapes from a vineyard north of Lake Chelan,they’ve crafted a delicious Viognier with aro-mas of orange Creamsicle, white pepper andLemonheads, followed by bright, salivatingflavors of oranges, limes, pears and vanilla.

— 185 cases

Waters Winery $202006 Viognier, Columbia Valley This youngWalla Walla Valley winery has made a splashwith its initial efforts. This Viognier is its firstrelease of the luscious white. Its gorgeousaromas of oranges, bananas and Rainier cher-ries give way to delicious flavors of melons,racy limes and hints of golden raisins. A com-plete and satisfying wine. — 135 cases

Valley View Winery $172005 Anna Maria Viognier, Rogue ValleyThe Wisnovsky boys have been making RogueValley wines as long as anyone, and thisreserve-level Viognier is a delicious exampleof their work. It opens with intriguing aromasof orange oil, tropical fruit and even caramel,followed by lush fruit flavors with a hint ofsweetness around the edges. — 1,150 cases

Agate Ridge Vineyard $222006 Viognier, Rogue Valley This youngproducer in Eagle Point, Ore., just north ofMedford, is out of the gates fast with thisViognier from estate fruit. It offers aromas offresh oranges, casaba melon and dried herbs,followed by bright flavors of oranges, melonsand white pepper. — 182 cases

Chatter Creek $202006 Viognier, Columbia ValleyOwner/winemaker Gordy Rawson has movedfrom making wine in a very crowded Seattlebasement to roomier facilities in Woodinville.Best known for his Syrahs and CabernetFranc, Rawson also crafts one of the finerViogniers in the Northwest. This opens witharomas of fresh-cut Pink Lady apple andorange blossoms, followed by bright fruit flavors and ample acidity. — 372 cases

Zerba Cellars $182005 Viognier, Columbia Valley Cecil Zerbaalready has shown his prowess with Syrah, sowhy not with the northern Rhône’s whitewine, too? This opens with aromas of freshwhole lemons and a hint of butterscotch, fol-lowed by fresh, round, luscious fruit flavors.This is a sophisticated white that will be agood transition wine for Chardonnay lovers.

— 169 cases

Abacela Winery $202006 Viognier, Umpqua Valley WinemakerKiley Evans has crafted a lovely white exclu-sively from estate fruit in Southern Oregon. Itopens with aromas of mangoes, oranges andvanilla, as well as juicy tropical fruit flavorsand a hint of almonds. — 488 cases

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Novelty Hill Winery $202005 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Viognier,Columbia Valley Estate fruit from one ofWashington’s youngest and best vineyardswent into this expressive wine. Hints of oak,grated fresh coconut and lemons lead to fla-vors of apples, lemons and even wild straw-berries. — 164 cases

Goose Ridge Vineyard $202005 Viognier, Columbia Valley GooseRidge is a massive vineyard just south ofRed Mountain, and the wines are crafted byCharlie Hoppes. This wine shows a bit ofoak influence, with hints of butter, spiceand brie, followed by flavors of cloves,oranges and dried pineapples. A good tran-sition wine for Chardonnay drinkers.

— 200 cases

Silvan Ridge $222006 Reserve Viognier, Rogue ValleyOne of Oregon’s largest producers, SilvanRidge is in the southern Willamette Valley.This is a lovely Viognier from SouthernOregon fruit and offers aromas and flavorsof ripe nectarines, oranges, melons andvanilla.

— 325 cases

RECOMMENDED

Barnard Griffin $252006 Viognier, Columbia Valley Our 2006Northwest Winery of the Year doesn’t disap-point with this luscious white. It shows offaromas of orange zest and fresh-cut flowers,followed by flavors of ripe oranges, pears andwhite pepper in the finish. — 126 cases

Coeur d’Alene Cellars $242005 L’Artiste, Washington This NorthIdaho winery uses Columbia Valley grapes forits reserve-level Viognier. This reveals aromasand flavors of oranges, vanilla ice cream andtropical notes. An elegant mouth feel leads toa complex finish. — 120 cases

Griffin Creek $252003 Viognier, Rogue Valley The oldestwine in our tasting shows Viognier can age abit. This offered aromas and flavors oforanges, vanilla and tropical fruits.

— 433 cases

Seven Hills Winery $182006 Viognier, Columbia ValleyOwner/winemaker Casey McClellan acquiredWahluke Slope grapes for this charmingViognier with aromas of sweet oranges andmangoes, followed by round, luscious fla-vors of tropical fruit with just a hint ofsweetness. — 800 cases

Coeur d’Alene Cellars $182005 Viognier, Washington Coeur d’AleneCellars’ standard Viognier is a dramatic exam-ple of the variety, thanks to aromas of limes,gooseberries and bay rum spice and flavors ofGolden Delicious apples and Mandarinoranges. — 470 cases

Cougar Crest Winery $202006 Viognier, Walla Walla Valley CougarCrest is moving from its facility at the WallaWalla Airport to a new winery west of townon Highway 12. Estate grapes go into thisViognier, which is loaded with aromas andflavors of sweet oranges, limes, pears andapricots.

— 1,100 cases

Vin du Lac $182005 Vie! Viognier, Columbia Valley Theolder sibling of our top Viognier still has plen-ty of life in it, thanks to aromas and flavors oflimes, melons, sweet Meyer lemons andsweet herbs. — 300 cases

Terra Blanca Winery $152005 Viognier, Columbia Valley Revealinga fair bit of oak treatment, this Viognierfrom a Red Mountain producer offers aro-mas and flavors of sweet spices, butter andapricots.

— 1,506 cases

Rockblock $302005 Del Rio Vineyard Viognier, RogueValley Domaine Serene in Dayton, Ore.,crafts Rhône varieties under the Rockblocklabel. This provides aromas and flavors ofgrapefruits, lemons, oranges and pears, allbacked with impressive acidity. It is availableonly at the winery.

— 100 cases

Benson Vineyards Estate Winery $192005 Viognier, Chelan County This LakeChelan producer is on the right track withthis Viognier, which offers aromas and fla-vors of lemons, sweet herbs and hints ofwhite pepper. A well-balanced wine.

— 375 cases

ANDY PERDUE is editor- in-chief of Wine PressNorthwest. Read his blog, The Wine Knows, atwww.winepressnw.com.JACKIE JOHNSTON , a freelance photojournalist, is aregular contributor and the page designer for Wine PressNorthwest. Her Web site is WineCountryCreations.com.

CONSUMER PANELWHAT DO THE PROS KNOW, ANYWAY?

THEY SAY YOU SHOULD NEVER WATCH SAUSAGES BEINGmade, but the opposite is true when watching professional winejudges go through their swirl, sip and spit routine.

Three guest wine judges said sitting in on our Viognier tasting notonly increased their knowledge of how to judge a wine, but alsotheir appreciation of the wine itself. The three tasted with the pro-fessional judges but had no part in the final rating of the wines.

Bob Belden of Walla Walla, Wash., has worked in the wine trade,and Paul Kinahan of Seattle is a seasoned oenophile. JanineGraves of Ellensburg, Wash., has learned about wine through col-lege courses.

Her e-mail a week after the tasting best stated what a tasting islike for an amateur: “It became apparent immediately that the pro-

fessional judges were there for a reason. They were perceptive,articulate and able to analyze the wine very quickly. I, on the otherhand, was sensually handicapped, inarticulate and was about asslow as molasses in the attempt to analyze the wine.

“One thing I appreciated about this experience was the ability tosee the professional judges in action. Professional judges probablyconsider tasting 39 wines a very easy task. I can’t speak for theother two consumer judges, but initially, I thought it was going to bea dauntingly difficult chore. To my amazement, it was not. Thewines with exceptional characteristics and qualities shined in eachflight.

“I didn't walk out of there totally humiliated, however. When thefinal medal designation for each wine was determined, my scores,for the most part, although lower across the board, were closeenough to the other judges’ scores to be in the ballpark.”

Interested on being a consumer panelist? Keep an eye on theWine Press Northwest Wine of the Week e-mail newsletter.

— Bob Woehler

76-81 Viognier 6/5/07 1:49 PM Page 80

76-81 Viognier 6/4/07 10:54 AM Page 81


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MATCH MAKERS

WINE PRESS NORTHWEST • SUMMER 2007 ➤ FOR MORE PAIRINGS ➤ WINEPRESSNW.COM/PAIRING84

Seared Ahi Tuna Loinwith Nicoise Aioli and

Warm Green BeanSalad paired with

Barnard Griffin’s 2006Rosé of Sangiovese.

84-89 Match Makers 6/4/07 10:57 AM Page 84

MATCH MAKERS

WINE PRESS NORTHWEST • SUMMER 2007➤ FOR MORE PAIRINGS ➤ WINEPRESSNW.COM/PAIRING 85

THIRST WINEBAR & BISTRO

PORTLAND, ORE.

AN UNQUENCHABLE DESIRE TObe in the restaurant business luredDaniel Martinez from Minnesota toNew Mexico to Manhattan.

While it’s no coincidence thatMartinez, 27, made his way toPortland, his role as executive chefat Thirst Wine Bar & Bistro is a bitdifferent.

“I was helping out at the frontof the house when they had aproblem with their chef,”Martinez said. “I stepped in andhave been enjoying it ever since.That was more than a year ago.”

Ask the newlywed what hedoes for enjoyment whenhe’s away from Thirst, andhe’ll tell you, “I kid you not,it’s go home and eithercook something for mywife, or we go out torestaurants. We love to dothat. And there are somewonderful restaurantshere in the Northwest.”

Intel marketing directorLeslie Palmer and part-ner/husband Gary Kneskicreated the Northwestconcept for Thirst. Andthey nailed the location,positioning it in the mid-dle of the uber-trendyRiverPlace Esplanade, adja-cent to Tom McCallWaterfront Park along the

Willamette River in downtownPortland.

Martinez’s cuisine continues tohelp build the business to the extentthat Palmer and Kneski are set toopen a second Thirst this summer inLake Oswego.

“We call it a Northwest-style tapasmenu, and it’s very seasonal,”Martinez said. “I go to the farmersmarket whenever I can, and we’llhave three or four daily specials.

“The only problem is the weatherreally dictates a lot of our busi-ness,” he added. “On a niceweekend, we’ll do 200-250 coversa day. But when it’s rainy, thatmakes it difficult to use every-thing I buy locally. Sometimes,the staff eats very well.”

And the patrons drink someof the Northwest’s best. The

wine list and shop offeringsrotate, but the focus istightly centered on thePacific Northwest. Morethan 30 wines are offeredas glass pours, and flightsof four 2-ounce samplesare available.

Each Thursday evening,Kneski and the staff fea-ture complimentary winetastings. This spring, thelineup included AnneAmie, Elk Cove, ErinGlenn, Maryhill, Medici,Panther Creek, Sineannand Viento.

On Tuesdays, Kneskigoes through regionalwines that Martinez pairs

W I N E

Barnard Griffin Winery $112006 Rosé of Sangiovese

—2,900 cases produced

Each issue, Wine Press Northwestsends wine to two chefs with a pas-

sion for our region’s wines. The chefs areasked to match a recipe to the selectedwine.

For this issue, it’s hot pink — and per-haps the most acclaimed wine we’ve everused for a Match Maker project.

Rob Griffin’s 2006 Sangiovese roséopened 2007 by winning a gold medal atthe San Francisco Chronicle WineCompetition. It followed up with sweep-stakes awards at two more California judg-ings: the Riverside International WineCompetition and the Monterey WineCompetition.

And it’s no fluke. Last year, the Richland,Wash., vintner captured double gold at theChronicle for his 2005 version so he nearlytripled production.

“Clean, crisp and smells like strawber-ries. What’s not to like?” Griffin asks.

Structurally, there’s a consistency ofbright red fruit, ranging from strawberriesto raspberries to cranberries with berryacidity, a touch of minerality and vanillabean.

The 30-year veteran of Washingtonwinemaking does not compromise thefood-friendliness of his rosé either, finishingit dry (0.3% residual sugar).

This Italian variety seems to be an idealchoice for rosé because of its inherentacidity and low alcohol. It’s also the keycomponent in arguably the world’s mostwell-known wine — Chianti.

Fortunately, plantings and production ofSangiovese in Washington state is on therise. These grapes hail from the Balcomand Moe Vineyard in Pasco, less than 20minutes from Griffin’s winery.

So why does Griffin chose to work withSangiovese?

“I think the downfall of the variety is thatthere’s very little color as a red; the tanninsare absolutely brutal, and the fruit is proneto be burned out in normal red fermenta-tion,” Griffin said. “All of these ‘flaws’ arevirtues if the grape is made into a rosé.”

Barnard Griffin Winery, 878 Tulip Lane,Richland, Wash., 509-627-0266,www.barnardgriffin.com.

Rosé & SeafoodNorthwest chefs pair their dishes

with Barnard Grif f in’s rosé

BY ERIC DEGERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACKIE JOHNSTON

84-89 Match Makers 6/5/07 2:01 PM Page 85

MATCH MAKERS


with artisan cheeses. If youstay for dinner that nightand bring your own wine,Thirst waives the $10 cork-age fee.

And Martinez, aMinnesota native, seemscomfortable with it all. “Igot started in restaurantswhen I was 15, and I wasmanaging when I was closeto 17,” he said. “Then Imoved to Taos, NewMexico, to help out mygrandparents. After a while,I started getting offers toopen my own restaurant,but I didn’t feel I knewenough about the back ofthe house.”

So he gave up the skiingand the cycling, moved toNew York and enrolled inthe Institute of CulinaryEducation. “I wanted to bein New York City.Eventually, I was runningthe front of the houseoperations for the NYCRG(NYC Restaurant Group), whichowns 18 restaurants,” Martinez said.

He “hopped around stages” atother large-name New York restau-rants for five years,including Daniel inManhattan.

“My time was up,and I decided tomove out to theNorthwest,” hesaid. “I love mush-rooms — especiallymorels — PinotNoir and seafood, including beauti-ful Pacific salmon. I have no com-plaints.”

At some point, Martinez and hiswife, Beth, hope to open a bio-dynamic restaurant in the Northwestso self-sufficient with green powerthat it could operate off “the grid.”

His wine list, though, won’t lookmuch different from that at Thirst.

“The sommelier I worked with inTaos loved Oregon Pinot Noir, so

when I moved to New York and Iwas in charge of the wine list atNYCRG’s Film Center Café, I put sixbottles of Washington and Oregonwines that were house pours,”

Martinez said. “It seems now that allthe Northwest wineries are doingsomething very unique and veryinteresting. The Syrahs out ofWashington are absolutely phenom-enal, and Pinot Noir from theWillamette Valley is spectacular.”

When it came to his Match Makerassignment, Martinez already wasfamiliar with the producer becauseBarnard Griffin is a mainstay atThirst. Martinez — a big fan of rosé

R E C I P E

Seared Ahi Tuna Loin with NicoiseAioli and Warm Bean Salad

Serves 4

4 anchovy filets1 ounce Nicoise olives, pitted3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, separat-

ed use1 egg yolk1 teaspoon plus 4 tablespoons rice

vinegar, separated use11⁄2 cups plus 2 tablespoons olive oil,

separated use1 ounce red onion, thinly sliced1 clove garlic, minced8 ounces green beans, blanched4 ounces grape tomatoes, halved4 ounces white beans, cooked and

drainedSalt and pepper, to taste

4 4-ounce ahi tuna steaks

1. Make the Nicoise aiol i by combiningthe anchovies, ol ives, 1 tablespoonDijon mustard, egg yolk and 1 teaspoonvinegar in a blender.2. Slowly pour in 3⁄4 cup olive oi l unti laiol i is a thick, t ight texture. Set aside.3. Make vinaigrette for bean salad bycombining the remaining 2 tablespoonsof Dijon mustard, the remaining 4 table-spoons of vinegar and 3⁄4 cup olive oi l .Set aside.4. Sauté red onions and garl ic unti l fra-grant in the 1 tablespoon of ol ive oi lover medium heat.5. Add green beans, tomatoes and whitebeans to the sauté pan. Heat unti lwarm.6. Add vinaigrette to bean mixture andtoss unti l combined. Remove from heat,season with salt and pepper and keepwarm unti l dish is completed.7. Heat remaining tablespoon of ol iveoil in a pan over medium high heat. Addtuna, watch it as it cooks. When itcooks about 1⁄4 of the way up, about 2 minutes, f l ip it over and do the samething on the other side. Remove frompan.8. Lightly coat top of tuna steaks withaioli .9. Add bean salad to plates f irst , thentop with seared tuna and serve.

Daniel Martinez, executive chef at ThirstWine Bar & Bistro in Portland.

“It seems now that all theNorthwest wineries are doingsomething very unique andvery interesting.” —DANIEL MARTINEZ


MATCH MAKERS


— seemed inspired by this 2006Rosé of Sangiovese.

“Rosé is a beautiful wine,”Martinez said. “It’s got a little morebody than most of the whites andless than reds. It has the best ofboth worlds. And a well-done one isjust a wonderful treat.”

Martinez noted that the BarnardGriffin Rosé of Sangiovese has “areally nice, dry finish and lot ofbright fruit, raspberries and beauti-ful acidity. It had really nice lengthon the palate. It hit the front, middleand the back.”

“With this wine, I wanted to thinkregionally. When I think rosé, itspeaks of Provence, but because it ismade with Sangiovese, I included alittle white bean to think of Italian.”

He produced a pan-seared ahituna with a green bean and whitebean Dijon vinaigrette salad.

“I thought about salmon, but Ithought the wine needed somethingwith more texture,” Martinez said.“Salmon was a little too fatty. And byadding some salty component —the Dijon vinaigrette, finishing thesalad with Fleur de Sel, theanchovies and the aioli — it reallylivens the raspberry in my mouth.”

There is indeed a lot of texture to

this colorful, quick and light dish,which required a mere 10 minutesof preparation from start to finish.Martinez kept the green beans crisp,the white beans emerged plump butnot mushy, and his adroit use of saltaccented the raspberry and whitestrawberry components of the wine.The Dijon vinaigrette, while spicy,did not overpower.

Thirst Wine Bar and Bistro, 0315 S.W.Montgomery St., Suite 340, Portland,503-295-2747, www.thirstwinebar.com.

ANDRAE’SBOISE, IDAHO

WALLA WALLA’S LOSS TURNED OUTto be quite a gain for the culinaryscene in Boise.

Then again, exec-utive chef AndraeBopp still caters tomany of the topwinemakers in theWalla Walla Valley.

And they reciprocate by visitingAndrae’s, an upscale, French-inspired restaurant cellared in thebasement of a building on Boise’sbustling Eighth Street MarketCorridor just a block from the stateCapitol.

“I love the Walla Walla Valley andthe guys who are making winethere,” Bopp said. “We do a lot ofwinemaker dinners with them. Wejust did one at Basel Cellars withTrey Busch. And I’ve done themwith Justin Wylie at Va Piano as wellas Pepper Bridge, SYZYGY andAbeja. It goes both ways. I’ve got alot of great friends there. They wantto get me over there, and I want toget them over here.”

So why didn’t Bopp — rhymeswith “pope” — and wife Michellechose to open their 42-seat restau-rant at the base of Washington’sBlue Mountains?

“I really like the area, but wethought the population base here

and how it is growing was a littlemore to draw from, so we settled inBoise,” Bopp said. “I still think WallaWalla’s an untapped area, really.”

A native of St. Louis, Bopp grewup with a deep-seated interest in

Andrae Bopp, owner andexecutive chef of Andrae’s

in Boise, Idaho.

“I love the Walla Walla Valleyand the guys who are makingwine there” —ANDRAE BOPP


MATCH MAKERS


fine dining, in large part because hisfather, a corporate executive, oftentook him along on business trips.

“I was 5, 6, 7 years old, and weused to eat in those big, fancy steak-houses with high-backed red leatherchairs,” Bopp recalls. “I was eatingfrog legs, escargot, oysters on thehalf-shell. I just loved it.”

Later, his stepfather’s militarycareer gave Bopp a window to gaincultural perspectives of the WestCoast, the East Coast, the Midwestand then Germany, where he spenthis high school years.

“We traveled around Europe, and Ireally found an appreciation forFrench food, so food and wine have

been passions of mine for a longtime,” he said.

However, it wasn’t until after yearsof building a landscaping and sprin-kler installation business in Elko,Nev., that Bopp began to chase hisdream.

“I came home one night and said,‘That’s it. I’m done,’ ” Bopp recalls.“Michelle said, ‘Done for the day?’ Isaid, ‘Nope, I’m done.’ She said,‘Done with a job?’ And I said, ‘No,I’m done with landscaping. I’ve gotto do what I want to do.’ ”

So Michelle stayed home withtheir daughter, and he moved toNew York City. He graduated fromthe French Culinary Institute, where

master sommelier and authorAndrea (Immer) Robinson leads thewine program. He received intern-ships at New York landmarks LeBernardin and Bouley and alsoworked for the wine director atBalthazar.

Then, it was time for Bopp toreturn home to launch Andrae’s. Tenyears as a competitive cyclist on theWest Coast gave him perspective onthe setting. Financial sacrifice thensuccess from within his efficient 400-square-foot kitchen attracted a fol-lowing and led to Bopp partneringwith Dave Krick, owner of the popu-lar Red Feather Lounge — a pastMatch Maker participant — andBittercreek Ale House. Both are ablock away.

“The synergy of having multiplerestaurants is great,” Bopp said.“Bittercreek Alehouse is the daytimeworkhorse, which allows us to takerisks with Red Feather’s menu andultimately refining our dinner-onlyprogram at Andrae’s.”

Andrae’s showcases Northwestwines, earning an “OutstandingNorthwest Wine List” award fromWine Press Northwest in 2006. Thisspring, he doubled up at theWashington Wine CommissionRestaurant Awards banquet, winningthe Best Out-of-State WashingtonWine Program Award and theWashington Wine Grand Award forout-of-state restaurants.

“We were very honored and veryhappy,” said Brandon Bruins, winedirector for Andrae’s and RedFeather. “For the restaurant, andBoise as a whole, it means we’re get-ting some recognition. We’ve hadpeople come to Boise to eat becauseof the wine awards. Andrae and thestaff here are very focused onWashington wines, and we sell a fairamount of Oregon Pinot Noir, too.”

As for local wines, it can be frus-trating being an ambassador, Bruinssaid.

“The problem we face is the chal-lenge of convincing people — evenIdahoans — they should try Idaho

R E C I P E

4 Walla Walla Sweet Onions or similartype of sweet onion

1 cup of mesquite wood chips, soaked6 tablespoons butter, unsalted1 cup heavy cream

Fleur de Sel (French sea salt)ground white pepper

10 ounces red pearl onions10 ounces white pearl onions

4 cups duck fat, melted and warm4 fresh Alaskan halibut fillets (6 ounces

each)4 sprigs of thyme

1. To prepare the purée, first peel andslice the sweet onions in quarters.

2. Place soaked wood chips in aheavy saucepan, put a perforated panon top and added the onions. Covertightly with aluminum foil.

3. Place pan over low heat and smokethe onions for about 30 minutes.

4. Remove the onions and place in asauté pan with the butter. Simmer untilthe onions are translucent and tender.

5. Place the onions and all in ablender and purée. Strain through afine chinois. Season with salt and pep-per.

6. Return the strained purée to asauce pan and add the heavy cream asneeded to taste. Warm and re-season

with salt and pepper.7. Keep warm, and reserve.8. To prepare the confit of pearl

onions, first soak pearl onions in warmwater for 10 minutes.

9. Cut off the top and the root endof each onion and carefully peel, keep-ing the red and white onions separate.

10. Place red onions in one pan, andthe white onions in another and coverwith duck fat.

11. Season with a pinch of salt andpepper in each pan.

12. Simmer on a stove on low heatfor about 30 minutes until the onionsare easily pierced with a knife blade.

13. Remove onions from the fat andcool. Place duck fat in an ice bath tocool down and solidify.

14. Once fat has solidified, place onehalibut fillet in a vacuum bag, add onesprig of thyme, two tablespoons ofduck fat, two each of the pearl onionsand season with the Fleur de Sel andpepper. Seal bag with a vacuum sealer.

15. Place the pouch in a pot of sim-mering water for exactly 71⁄2 minutes.

16. Remove from water, cut openpouch, remove thyme sprig and platethe fish immediately on top of onionpurée. Top with the pearl onions.

Sous Vide Alaskan Halibut with Confit of Pearl Onions on a bed of Smoked WallaWalla Sweet Onions Purée

Serves 4


MATCH MAKERS


wines,” Bruins said. “The question Iget, is, ‘Come on. Is it really good?’Well, they really are good, and theygo beyond the sweet Rieslings we’vebeen famous for in the past.”

Rosé in the Northwest is begin-ning to flourish, and Bopp’sapproach to the Barnard Griffin2006 Rosé of Sangiovese from theColumbia Valley pays tribute to theterroir of the Walla Walla Valley. Hechose to create Sous Vide AlaskanHalibut with Confit of Pearl Onionson a bed of Smoked Walla WallaSweet Onions Puree.

“We were really impressed withthe acidity of this rosé,” Bopp said.“American rosés are usually a littlesweet, but not this one. This isclean, it’s crisp, and those are thingsyou are looking for in a summerwine. I think of sitting on a patio,barbecuing with friends, and a nicefish dish.”

Sous Vide is a French technique ofvacuum-sealing food into a bag withseasonings. Bopp prepared severaldays ahead by placing duck fat, pre-pared onions, seasonings and a hal-ibut fillet in a Food Saver-type bag.

When the time came, he placedthe bag in a pot of simmering waterand cooked it slowly. It was a mar-velous manner in which to preventthe halibut from drying out duringcooking. The bed of smoked WallaWalla Sweet Onion purée was fasci-nating and delightful, akin to apumpkin squash. There’s enoughacidity to balance the sweetness ofthe onions, and Bopp’s style of “notmuddling the dish with any unnec-essary garnish or flavors” stillallowed the Barnard Griffin rosé totwinkle in the background with atouch of strawberry in the finish.

Andrae's, 816 W. Bannock, Boise, Idaho,208-385-0707, www.andraesboise.com.�

ERIC DEGERMAN is Wine Press Northwest’s manag-ing editor. Have a suggestion for a future MatchMaker? E-mail him at [email protected] JOHNSTON , a freelance photojournalist, is aregular contributor and the page designer for Wine PressNorthwest. Her Web site is WineCountryCreations.com.

Sous VideAlaskan

Halibut withConfit of Pearl

Onions on a bed ofSmoked Walla Walla Sweet

Onions Purée paired with BarnardGriffin’s 2006 Rosé of Sangiovese.


42 ... Label ads 6/4/07 5:46 PM Page 90


One year for$10

($15 in Canada)

Call 800-538-5619or go online

winepressnw.com

42 ... Label ads 6/4/07 12:04 AM Page 91

WINE REV IEWS recent releases


RedCabernet Sauvignon

Amavi Cellars2004 Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 3,913 cases, $24

Outstanding! It’s mostly Cabernet Sauvignon(76%), and it’s beyond excellent and evenincludes fruit from Del Rio Vineyards inOregon’s Rogue Valley. Pepper Bridge wine-maker Jean-Francois Pellet embraced Frenchoak to help make an enchanting wine with tex-tures of blackberry jam, black currants, blackolives, bacon fat, chocolate chip, vanilla andmoist earth.

Arbor Crest Wine Cellars2003 Klipsun Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonRed Mountain, 290 cases, $32

Recommended. Klipsun Cabs are among themost powerful and longest-lived wines in theNorthwest, so count on this improving withmaturity because of its abundant acidity. It’salready worthy with blackberry, bittersweetchocolate, cedar, currant and earthy notes rac-ing over the top and within. In the meantime,enjoy with blue cheeses and/or marbledmeats.

Barnard Griffin Winery2004 Reserve Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 836 cases, $30

Outstanding! This spent 16 months in the barrel,and Rob Griffin pulled this out at just the righttime. There are expressive detailings of cher-ries, plums and currants with some alfalfa,minced meat and bittersweet chocolate notes.Bold tannins with ample acidity bode well forcellaring or a thick, marbled steak in the shortterm. It’s sold out at the winery.

Basel Cellars2004 Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 580 cases, $32

Recommended. Trey Busch made this 100% Cabwith all the fruit from a pair of 30-year-oldblocks at Cold Creek Vineyard. It’s definitely aCab nose with black cherries and cassis withcrushed walnuts and toasted oak. And yet, it’soh so smooth with a juicy blackberry/blueberryprofile that might prompt you to think it’s aSyrah until this vineyard’s telltale powerful tan-nins grab your attention.

Bitner Vineyards2003 Reserve Cabernet SauvignonIdaho, 150 cases, $24

Recommended. The Bitners recently opened theirtasting room in Caldwell, Idaho, and here’s awine to celebrate with. Fresh-picked cherries,

spicy red currants, blueberries and tobacconotes in the nose are chased by a silky andjuicy entry in the mouth with that same fruit andtoasted oak. There’s the typical brisk Idahoacidity, anise in the midpalate and refreshingtannins with bittersweet chocolate on the backend.

Chateau Faire Le Pont2004 Cabernet SauvignonWashington, 298 cases, $20

Recommended. Cut open a bag of Montmorencydried cherries and you’ll have an idea of thiswine’s invitation, which includes cola, brownsugar, tomato paste, light chocolate, toastedoak, minerally earth and a whiff of patchouli oil.It’s more cherries on the palate with cream sodaand composite soil in the midpalate. There’s aburst of acidity and youthful oak tannins in thestructure, allowing for future research.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2004 Indian Wells Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 20,000 cases, $18

Outstanding! This is CSM’s second vintage forthis vineyard-designated release on theWahluke Slope. Elegant can be used todescribe the structure developed by BobBertheau, which features aromas and flavors ofoak-influenced hints of graham crackers anddark chocolate, backed by blueberries, blackraspberries, cherries, currants and minerality.

Columbia Crest Winery2003 Reserve Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 4,000 cases, $30

Excellent. It’s a reserve on a large scale, andthere’s not much holding this back after emerg-ing from 26 months in barrel. First come hintsof plums, black cherries, black tea, flint andsheetrock chalk. A delicious entry with abundantfruit awaits as black cherries and plums segueinto a smooth midpalate of a Hershey’s Kiss,then black cherry acidity hangs on for a goodlong time.

Five Star Cellars2004 Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 950 cases, $30

Excellent. Again, the freeze-out of ’04 in theWalla Walla Valley forced most local vintners tolook elsewhere, but Matt and David Huse stillproduced a delicious and chocolaty Cab thatopens with scents of black cherries, pomegran-ate, dill, sarsaparilla and crushed leaf. Insideare more sweet black cherries, a mocha milkshake midpalate, ample acidity and a flinty fin-ish.

L’Ecole No. 412004 Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 5,524 cases, $30

Outstanding! This release by Marty Clubb rarelydisappoints. Thankfully, there’s plenty to goaround each time, even when the Walla WallaValley freezes out, testimony to old vines andold friends at Ste. Michelle’s Cold Creek,Milbrandt, Willard, Portteus, Goose Ridge andCandy Mountain. Hints of black fruit, coffee, vio-lets, dill and river rock set the table for a rich,sweet entry of black cherries and black cur-rants, a midpalate of dark chocolate and mod-

ABOUT RECENT RELEASES

Wine evaluation methodsRecent Releases are evaluated under strict conditions to ensure objectivity. Northwest wineries

submit wines to Wine Press Northwest for evaluation by Wine Press Northwest’s tasting panel. Afterwines are received, they are stored for at least two weeks and a third party serves them “doubleblind,” meaning the tasting panelists know neither the producer nor the variety. In addition, the pan-elists are served glasses of wine and are not able to view the bottles or their shapes prior to tasting.Wines are stored in a U-Line Wine Captain, which allows them to be served at perfect cellar temper-atures.

Price is not a consideration in these evaluations, nor is a winery’s advertising activity with WinePress Northwest, as the magazine’s editorial/wine evaluation activities and advertising/marketingefforts are kept strictly separate.

The Wine Press Northwest tasting panel includes Coke Roth, an international wine judge; BobWoehler, the magazine’s tasting editor and a longtime Northwest wine writer and professionaljudge; Vanessa Bailey, a soil microbiologist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland,Wash.; Eric Degerman, the magazine’s managing editor; and Andy Perdue, the magazine’s edi-tor-in-chief. Hank Sauer and Paul Sinclair conduct the evaluations and ensure their integrity.

The panel has a combination of technical and consumer palates. If at least three of the fourpanelists consider a wine technically sound and commercially acceptable, it is included here as“Recommended.” The panel may also vote the wine as “Excellent” and “Outstanding,” our top rat-ing. Wines considered unacceptable by the panel are rejected and not included. Reviews aregrouped by variety or style and listed alphabetically by winery. Prices listed are in U.S. dollarsunless otherwise indicated.

Note: Tasting panelist Coke Roth’s son, Frank, is the winemaker at Tagaris Winery in Richland,Wash. When a Tagaris wine is reviewed, Roth’s vote is excluded after the tally is taken and thewine is revealed.

CompetitionsTo ensure we maintain an international perspective, our tasting panelists judge thousands of

wines annually at various competitions, including: Los Angeles International Wine and SpiritsCompetition, Riverside International Wine Competition, Dallas Morning News Wine Competition,Indy International Wine Competition, Virginia Governor’s Cup, Sonoma County Harvest Fair,Grand Harvest Awards, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Pacific Rim InternationalWine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru, Washington State Wine Competition, Oregon StateFair, Northwest Wine Summit, Okanagan Fall Wine Competition, New York Wine and GrapeFoundation Competition, Tri-Cities Wine Festival, Northwest Wine & Food Fest and Capital Food& Wine Fest.

92-109 Recent Releases 6/8/07 10:25 AM Page 92

recent releases WINE REV IEWS


est tannins. It’s a beautiful balance of barreltreatment and sweet fruit.

Lost River Winery2004 Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 579 cases, $23

Excellent. This Winthrop, Wash., winery recentlyopened a showpiece facility in the MethowValley, and there’s a smooth Cab waiting for you.John Morgan pulled from Wallula and InlandDesert vineyards, and his use of 60% newFrench oak shows. Heavy coffee notes, a dashof cherries and a touch of chocolate wave you into find more cherries and chocolate in the mouthwith bright acidity that outshines the tannins.

Merry Cellars2004 Cabernet SauvignonYakima Valley, 71 cases, $22

Excellent. Patrick Merry leaned on 100% newoak — most of it Hungarian — for this releaseoff the Inland Desert Nursery. There’s no miss-ing that oak with dark roast coffee and leatheraromas. Mocha makes its way into the entrywhere flavors of black cherries, plums andblack pepper weave around enjoyable acidityand moderate tannins.

Page Cellars2003 Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain, 86 cases, $50

Outstanding! Jim Page of Woodinville, Wash.,

taps into the Shaw and Ciel du Cheval sites,and he’s timed the release nicely. Black cher-ries, lavender and nice herbal notes pushtoward rich flavors of raspberries, boysenber-ries and blackberries. Smooth tannins are teth-ered with just the right weight on the tonguewhere there’s a finish of bittersweet chocolate.Roast beef or homemade beef stew will soundgood after drinking this.

Pleasant Hill Winery2004 Elephant Mountain Vineyard Cabernet SauvignonRattlesnake Hills, 60 cases, $27

Outstanding! Larry Lindvig only works with smalllots, and this release hails from the Hattrupbrothers’ lofty site of 1,400 feet elevation.Cherries, walnuts, oregano and vanilla hint atsome American oak. A smooth entry producesmore cherries and tongue-coating blackberrieswith slightly gritty tannins. Enjoy with a grilledpork chop.

San Juan Vineyards2004 Cabernet SauvignonYakima Valley, 95 cases, $28

Excellent. It’s all Kestrel View, all Cab and allnew oak, and yet it’s youthful and not gussiedup with wood. Blueberries and clove aromaticstranscend to big cherry tongue-coating flavorsof chocolate and plums with zesty acidity frommore blueberries. Tannins tug a bit, but the rest

of the structure should help this age for at leasta handful of years.

Spangler Vineyards2004 Reserve Cabernet SauvignonSouthern Oregon, 167 cases, $30

Excellent. Patrick Spangler takes Cab Sauv(93%) and includes Cab Franc (3%), Merlot(2%) and even Pinot Noir (2%). Out emergesspicy oak, wheat Chex cereal and lots of cherrycompote. This wine leaps from the glass allready to go.

Three Rivers Winery2004 Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 2,067 cases, $19

Excellent. The winter kill of ’04 forced HollyTurner to turn to seven vineyards for the fruit.Out comes a whiff of oak, a dusting of cocoapowder and hints of chocolate-coveredChukar Cherries. Yummy plummy flavorsawait, joined by black raspberry jelly andhuckleberry syrup on the rich midpalate. Asolid tannin structure should lend it nicely toflank steak or duck.

Vashon Winery2002 Cabernet SauvignonWashington, 100 cases, $22

Recommended. Ron Irvine wasn’t in a hurry topush this lighter-style Cab out the door, and hispatience paid off. Skillful oak management

92-109 Recent Releases 6/5/07 2:43 PM Page 93



elicited black currant, blueberries, anise andherbs in the nose. An abundance of black fruitflavors and green peppercorns in the midpalategive way to cherries and more anise in the fin-ish.

Vin du Lac of Chelan2003 Barrel Select Cabernet SauvignonYakima Valley, 205 cases, $28

Excellent. No need to worry about over-the-topoak here. Larry Lehmbecker saw to it that thesenew French barrels merely accented the black-berries, currants, black olive and cedar aromas.His blending of Cab Franc (9%), Malbec (6%)and Petit Verdot (6%) created a structure ofgraceful red fruit and black pepper with subtletannins, leaf tobacco and bittersweet chocolateon the finish.

Waterbrook Winery2004 Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 3,134 cases, $22

Outstanding! John Freeman gathered fruit fromElephant Mountain (Rattlesnake Hills),Chandler Reach (Yakima Valley), Stone Tree(Wahluke Slope) and the Hedges-managed

Red Mountain Vineyard to create a lusciousCab that’s filled with black fruit and black olivenotes. Very gentle tannins and modest aciditymake it a smooth quaffer and fine to pair withspaghetti in a mild marinara sauce.

Wedge Mountain Winery2004 Cabernet SauvignonRed Mountain, 100 cases, $25

Excellent. Charlie McKee grabbed about four bar-rels’ worth of fruit off Kiona’s North BlockVineyard and came out with a typical RedMountain Cab. Blackberry and Heinz Blendpipe tobacco aromas are met by density on thepalate with more brambleberries, smooth darkchocolate and tannins that have a good grip onthe finish.

Pinot Noir

Abiqua Wind Vineyard2005 Isaac’s Reserve Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 90 cases, $25

Excellent. Steve Anderson of Eola Hills WineCellars crafted this for the Buffingtons, who

name it after their grandson. It’s quite expres-sive with fresh strawberry in moist earth, rasp-berries and oak accents. Early season Bingcherries curry favor from boysenberry acidity onthe midpalate, joined by chocolaty oak notesand late-arriving, restrained tannins.

Beran Vineyards2004 Estate Grown Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 510 cases, $34

Excellent. Vines in the Chehalem Mountains dat-ing to 1972 produce a classic lighter style foodwine featuring incredible spiciness with blackand green peppercorns. Light cherry flavorsand delicious acidity will help this pair withsteak, Copper River salmon or even blackenedcatfish.

b22004 Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 2,300 cases, $19

Recommended. This release by Eugene WineCellars is alluring with strawberry and earthyaromas. It turns brambleberry with a bit ofCherries Jubilee on the palate, creating a veryjuicy mouth feel, some layered chocolate cake

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Best Buys: Red winesOutstanding, Excellent or Recommended wines that retail at $15 ($18 Canadian) and under.

Arbor Crest Wine Cellars2003 MerlotColumbia Valley, 1,382 cases, $15

Recommended. A blend of Conner Lee,Dionysus, Stillwater Creek and Klipsun fruitlaid the foundation for this Spokane winery toproduce this cherry-bomb of a Merlot.Indeed, its chocolate midpalate is reminiscentof Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream.There’s a serious side too, with some blackpepper, a line of minerality and assertive tan-nins.

Barnard Griffin WineryNV Cab-MerlotColumbia Valley, 10,722 cases, $14

Outstanding! Mix-master Rob Griffin simplymakes more of this blend as supply dwin-dles, and it’s easy to see why he never hastrouble moving it. This formula of Cab (50%),Merlot (36%) and Cab Franc (14%) greetsyou with a nice sniff of creamy vanilla anddusty black cherries behind that. It’s hugelystructured throughout the mouth withastounding density of blackberries and blackcherries and tremendous balance. Enjoy witha bloody ribeye.

Claar Cellars2003 White Bluffs Rendezvous RedColumbia Valley, 250 cases, $10

Excellent. A thief or two away from a legal Cab(74%), the mix of Merlot (26%) helped pro-duce aromas of orange marmalade, strawber-ry jam, vanilla, oak and pipe tobacco. You cantaste the Heinz Blend in the background ofBing cherries and raspberries, met by creami-ness on the midpalate and light tannins. Adusting of bittersweet chocolate and cherrieson the finish will prompt lips to meet glassagain.

Columbia Crest2004 Two Vines ShirazColumbia Valley, 100,000 cases, $8

Excellent. Ray Einberger incorporatesViognier and Grenache for an explosion ofpurple fruit with nice, light toast, crushedwalnut shells, lime and black cherries. Then,it’s reminiscent of frozen Montana huckleber-ries in a bowl of milk, along with flavors ofplums and blueberries that focus the struc-ture on acidity rather than tannins. Boysen-berries add to a finish that’s not long but isdelicious.

Flying Fish2004 MerlotWashington, 10,000 cases, $15

Recommended. Seattle-based Click Wine Groupdeveloped this tribal-themed logo, and theblending of Merlot (78%), Cab Franc (16%),Cab Sauv (5%) and Malbec rewards thedrinker with a nose of plums, blackberries,mulberries, cranberries, spice and abundantoak. Dark sweet fruit flavors are led by a rich

plummy entry with more brambleberries,toasted oak and checked tannins. Some pro-ceeds from each bottle are given to TheOcean Conservancy.

Girardet Wine Cellars2005 Grand RougeSouthern Oregon, 1,430 cases, $14

Excellent. One nearby Rogue Valley wineryproduces a blend of 13 varieties. Well, MarcGirardet’s “secret family recipe” uses 14 forhis delicious release. There’s little doubtthat Baco Noir finds its way in here.Blueberries, smoked meat, cloves, nutmeg,Rainier cherries and some minerality arehinted at in the aromas. A clean, bright entryon the balance features red fruit — currantsand raspberries — then slides into a lus-cious midpalate with a silk satin finish.Serve with glazed ham or a big slab oflasagna.

Pavin & Riley2005 MerlotColumbia Valley, 3,103 cases, $10

Recommended. This emerges as an every-evening Merlot with dark and moody notes ofripe raspberries, blueberries, black TwizzlersNibs and Hershey’s Special Dark chips.

Pine and Post2005 MerlotWashington, 25,000 cases, $6

Recommended. Steven Sealock produced astraight Merlot without heavy barrel treatmentor heavy tannins. It centers the nose andtongue on blueberries and boysenberries,with some black cherry and vanilla notes.Enjoy with grilled meats accompanied byplum reduction sauce.

Ridge Crest2003 White Bluffs SyrahColumbia Valley, 355 cases, $10

Excellent. Here’s another label for Claar Cellarsof Pasco, Wash., but the approach is more ofthe same quality. Red currants, milk choco-late, green peppercorns and tobacco filter up.Through the lips arrive notes ofstrawberry/rhubarb compote and cherries witha splash of food-friendly acidity.

Roza Ridge2003 MerlotYakima Valley, 2,570 cases, $15

Recommended. An expressive nose of blueber-ries, mulberries, toasted oak, black olives andmilk chocolate spill into nice, dark fruit ofblack and blueberries amid sandy tannins,and there’s enough power from the fruit totake it all through the finish.

Roza Ridge2003 SyrahYakima Valley, 550 cases, $15

Excellent. These days, this variety is in high

fashion, but Hyatt Vineyards’ reserve labeloffers it at a veritable bargain. Blackberries,black licorice and chocolate aromas set thetable for black currants, more licorice and anundercurrent of chocolate. There’s a modicumlevel of tannins to strike a balance with thefruit and acidity.

San Juan Vineyards2004 Cab-MerlotYakima Valley, 728 cases, $15

Recommended. A medley of Merlot (25%) andSyrah (5%) from Kestrel View in Prosser,Wash., produced a food-friendly winebecause of its tart acidity, with notes of plums,boysenberries, cranberries, milk chocolate,allspice and pie cherries. Pair with a tomato-based dish such as pasta with a spicy put-tanesca sauce.

Sockeye2005 Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley, 4,000 cases, $12

Recommended. Precept Brands keeps pumpingout quaffable, affordable wines. Black cher-ries, green olives, anise and smoke aromasare followed by a lush, straight-forward drinkof Bing cherries, bittersweet chocolate, vanil-la, plum jam and horehound candy with astring of acidity.

Snoqualmie Vineyards2004 MerlotColumbia Valley, 5,000 cases, $11

Excellent. A mellow Merlot for the masses, thisopens with dusty cherries, chalk dust andoregano aromas. The palate of blueberries,yellow bell pepper, fresh green beans, choco-late and coffee makes for broad food applica-tions, including meatloaf or char-broiledsteak.

Two Mountain WineryNV Hidden Horse Red Table WineYakima Valley, 240 cases, $14

Outstanding! The Rawn brothers in Zillah,Wash., bought out relatives after the deathof their uncle — Ron Schmidt, who wouldbe proud of this estate blend of Cab Franc(55%), Merlot (27%) and Cab Sauv.Craisins, fresh charcoal briquettes, break-fast counter coffee, cherry wood, blackolives and rosemary awaken your nose. Redfruit flavors of red currants and cranberries,mixed in with some crushed leaf, are hall-marks of the Franc, as is the nice lingeringacidity. There’s a relative absence of tannin,then an appearance of blueberries in the fin-ish. Low alcohol (12.8%) makes the foodpossibilities nearly endless, and decantingshould allow the nose to exhibit even morefruit.




on the middle and tart cranberry-like acidity onthe finish.

b22004 Pendarvine/Bellevue Cross Pinot NoirOregon, 200 cases, $29

Excellent. A blend, rather than a cross, ofPendarvine Vineyard in Clackamas Countyand the Bellevue Cross planting in YamhillCounty heightens your sense of strawberries,a theme throughout. Aromas of cinnamon, abit of barnyard and lingonberry flash on thepalate with currant jam, black pepper, car-damom, light oak and juicy strawberries. Itsacidity pushes tannins into the background,where there’s a strip of strawberry fruit leatherto finish. Here’s a Pinot Noir that’s great forfood and aging. The Biehl boys also enjoy thiswith a cigar.

Chateau Faire Le Pont2005 Milbrandt Vineyards Pinot NoirWashington, 260 cases, $27

Outstanding! Wenatchee winemaker DougBrazil makes it three consecutive vintages forearning our top rating with a grape most

would consider out of place east of theCascades. Details of black pepper, pleasingoak and Bing cherries turn into blockbuster,mouthfilling flavors. Smooth-as-silk consisten-cy front to back is accented by acidity withwonderful tannins and green peppercorns inthe finish.

Coleman Vineyard2004 Estate Reserve Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 300 cases, $35

Excellent. Randy and Kim Coleman can nowuse the McMinnville AVA on their estatewines, and this release was typical of the vin-tage. Strawberry fruit leather, black cherries,fresh cardamom and vanilla spread out for asmooth and expressive drink. Bright acidityand warm tannins carry the bold red fruit tothe end.

Coleman Vineyard2005 Real Fine Racy Red Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 87 cases, $25

Excellent. This marked vintage No. 2 of the fami-ly collaboration, which sees Ryan Coleman, anelementary school student, take some direction

over the process. Cherries, Madagascar vanillaextract and juniper spice jump-start your juicesin preparation of smooth and rich cherry flavorswith a touch of cedar and green peppercorns.His preference is to avoid heavy tannins, andhe nailed that with a medium structure thatallows this to be served with many types of cui-sine.

Domaine Drouhin Oregon2004 Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 7,454 cases, $45

Excellent. An even-tempered September helpedVeronique Drouhin craft her typically lively andcharming Burgundy, opening with rose petals,President plums, pomegranate, Baker’s choco-late and underpinnings of French oak, just 20%of which was new. Lip-smacking Bing cherries,more plums and a nip of Red Vines licorice leadinto a medium-bodied and balanced Pinot Noirwith a bit of cherry peel in the finish.

Domaine Serene2004 Jerusalem Hill Estate Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 485 cases, $75

Outstanding! Here’s one of the state’s top wines




from a searing season. Alluring aromas of vanil-la, cinnamon, raspberries and shavings of bit-tersweet chocolate yield to flavors of more richberries and red currants. The superb balancecrafted by Tony Rynders — in just the third vin-tage from this Eola Hills site — shows with well-managed oak and whispering tannins as acreamy midpalate finishes with more bitter-sweet chocolate.

Left Coast Cellars2004 Cali’s Cuveé Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 1,050 cases, $24

Excellent. This isn’t the most expensive releasefrom this new winery in Rickreall, Ore., but it’sshowing very cherry good at the moment.Aromas of tart cherry pie, blueberries andstrawberries are joined by lavender and violettones. Juicy cherries return to dominate the fla-vor profile, joined by smooth vanilla, moist earthand bittersweet chocolate tannins in the mid-palate and chased by a Hostess cherry pie.

Left Coast Cellars2004 Latitude 45 Estate Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 600 cases, $34

Recommended. Dusty Bing cherries, black cur-rants, raspberry, blueberries, mushrooms, pars-ley and abundant oak aromas funnel into pleas-ing Bing cherry flavors. It’s a straight-forwardPinot with friendly acidity, balance and nice tan-nins.

Left Coast Cellars2004 Suzanne’s Estate Reserve Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 450 cases, $42

Recommended. Luke C. McCollom runs the vine-yard and makes the wine at this young opera-tion just outside the Eola-Amity Hills AVA.Plums, raspberries, chalkboard dust, chocolate,vanilla, alfalfa and Juicy Fruit gum aromas waftout. It’s all blue fruit on the palate with ripeplums on the entry, blackberries with cream onthe midpalate and a melodious arrangement oftannins, acidity and balance.

Methven Family Vineyards2005 Pinot NoirEola-Amity Hills, 479 cases, $25

Recommended. This is the second vintage for theMethvens, who buy grapes within the AVA fromElton and Skinner vineyards. First, it’s aromas ofchai tea, mint and chocolate. The flavor profilerevolves around ripe raspberries and vanillabean. Resolved tannins and big acidity shouldallow this to pair well with many dishes offerednearby at the Joel Palmer House in Dayton, Ore.

Methven Family Vineyards2004 Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 470 cases, $34

Excellent. Yamhill Valley star Josh Bergströmcrafted this inaugural release for dentist/entre-preneur Allen Methven, and this shines. Notesof chokecherry, black cherry, oak and earthbreeze into the mouth with dark tones of ripeplums, milk chocolate and black pepper.

Willamette Valley Vineyards2005 Pinot NoirOregon, 16,371 cases, $24

Outstanding! If you return the empty bottle to

the Turner tasting room, they’ll give a dime.Ask them for a refill instead. The aromas willhave your head spinning with thoughts of lightstrawberries, cherries, cardamom and violets.Bright fruit filters through the lips as cherriesand red currants are joined by green tea andblack olives. Comforting tannins transition intosilkiness from the plummy midpalate throughto the finish, with great acidity along the way.Jim Bernau’s vineyards are certified as“salmon safe,” but grilled salmon might be the

first thing to cross your mind.

Willamette Valley Vineyards2005 Estate Vineyards Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 1,958 cases, $40

Recommended. It makes sense that a more typicalvintage for Oregon would help create lighter-bodied Pinot Noir, and this is among those.Green peppercorns, cloves and coffee withcreamer awaken the senses. It enters themouth with black cherries and milk chocolate,




and moist earth on the midpalate, then more green peppercorns in thesubtle finish. The food possibilities include game hens or mushroom-based dishes.

Willamette Valley Vineyards2006 Whole Cluster Fermented Pinot NoirWillamette Valley, 16,000 cases, $19

Outstanding! President/founder Jim Bernau refers to this carbonic macer-ation production as “Pinot Noir candy,” and it’s one of outrageous soulwith bright raspberries, Rainier cherries, green olives and white pepperout and about. Velvety smooth and balanced from start to its finish ofstrawberries and cinnamon, this youthful, nouveau style is why manyadore Beaujolais wines. Bernau suggests squab. We thoughtchateaubriand.

Merlot

Capstone Cellars2004 Boushey Vineyard MerlotYakima Valley, 125 cases, $20

Outstanding! Roy Bays continues to garner attention for this Longview,Wash., winery for his mastery with Dick Boushey’s fruit. A bold fruit-fillednose features blueberries, slate, French vanilla, toast and red pepper-corns. Flavor-wise, it’s more of the same as round, smooth and eleganttannins rap up the dark blueberries. Weight added by Portteus Vineyard

in the Cabernet Sauvignon (16%), as well as Cab Franc (3%) makes thisa welcome companion for a nice thick steak.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2004 Canoe Ridge Estate MerlotHorse Heaven Hills, 12,000 cases, $22

Recommended. This vintage marked Bob Bertheau’s first full tour of duty atSte. Michelle, and his boat ride shows off blueberries, chocolate, leather,char and mushroom details in the nose. It then steers into big, ripe blackfruit flavors with cherry notes, free-flowing tannins and a wave of choco-late from the far shore.

Kalamar Winery2003 MerlotYakima Valley, 196 cases, $30

Recommended. An Impressionistic-inspired painting by Greg Kalamargraces the bottle, and brother Mark did the work on the inside. A freshpot of coffee does much of the talking for this release, incorporatingblackberries, stewed plums, toasted oak, a hint of barnyard, mint andlively acidity.

Kalamar Winery2003 Reserve MerlotYakima Valley, 46 cases, $56

Outstanding! It’s likely that no winery is closer to Mount Rainier than is

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Mark Kalamar’s winery in Lake Tapps, and hisfocus may be the most narrow of anyone in thestate. Of his three wines, two are Merlot, andthis stands the tallest. Dense mountain blueber-ries and blackberries, sweet oak, moist earth,talus and pencil shavings rise out of the glass.Inside, it’s full of dark, brooding and deliciousblackberry jam with blueberry syrup notes thatsweep into the midpalate and carry on through,along with medium tannins and finish with cof-fee. All that said, this wine’s still not showingeverything it’s got.

Lopez Island Vineyards2003 Crawford Vineyards MerlotYakima Valley, 171 cases, $17

Outstanding! A third-generation farming family inthe hills above Prosser, Wash., produces all thefruit for the red program at this island winery.Vibrant red tones spin around this expressiveBordeaux, opening with red currants, red pep-percorns, strawberries, river rock and slate,alongside balanced barrel influences of milkchocolate, vanilla and coffee. It’s more of thesame between the cheeks with an injection ofjazzy raspberry acidity, toffee notes andassertive tannins.

Make The Dash Count2002 MerlotColumbia Valley, 200 cases, $100

Recommended. Walla Walla winemaker ChuckReininger’s belief in Hope Moore’s vision toraise funds for at-risk youth programs createdthis inaugural bottling — a blend of Merlot(75%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (25%). Counton picking up hints of blackberries, crushedherbs and charred oak in the aromas, followedby bold and plummy dark fruit flavors with stur-dy tannins and toasted oak in the finish. Mooreis moving ahead with plans next year to openHeaven’s Cave Cellars atop Destiny Ridge inthe Horse Heaven Hills.

Merry Cellars2004 MerlotColumbia Valley, 87 cases, $25

Recommended. All the Merlot for this came offStillwater Creek, with the Cab Franc (15%)from Inland Desert Nursery Vineyard. PatrickMerry likes new Hungarian oak (60%) in hisbarrel of tools, and the results are pleasant.Notes of black currants, dark cherries, chalk-board dust, blackberries and chocolate runthroughout as the fruit is sweet yet bold, andthe mouth feel is juicy.

Napeequa Vintners2004 MerlotColumbia Valley, 75 cases, $26

Recommended. Kestrel View Estate is a favorite ofDavid Morris, which helped this Plain, Wash.,vintner produce black cherries, persimmons,cigar ash and spice in the aromas that lead to apleasingly structured palate of blackberries andblueberries with toasted oak notes.

Seven Hills Winery2003 Seven Hills Vineyard MerlotWalla Walla Valley, 785 cases, $28

Excellent. Casey McClellan’s winery is adjacent tofamed restaurant Whitehouse-Crawford, and



NORTHWEST WINE REGIONS

Northwest appellationsThe following are official viticultural regions in the Pacific Northwest.

WashingtonColumbia Valley: This multi-state appellation is 11 million acres in size and takes up a third of Washington. Itencompasses the Yakima and Walla Walla valleys, Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, Rattlesnake Hills andWahluke Slope. It was established in 1984.

Yakima Valley: The Northwest’s oldest appellation (established in 1983) stretches from Wapato in the west toBenton City in the east and includes Red Mountain and Rattlesnake Hills. The Yakima Valley has about 11,000 acresof wine grapes.

Walla Walla Valley: This multi-state appellation is in the southeast corner of Washington. The Walla Walla Valley is300,000 acres in size with about 1,000 acres of wine grapes planted. It was established in 1984.

Red Mountain: Washington’s smallest appellation is a ridge in the eastern Yakima Valley. It is 4,040 acres in size withabout 800 acres of mostly red wine grapes planted. It was established in 2001.

Horse Heaven Hills: This large appellation — 570,000 acres — is south of the Yakima Valley and stretches to theOregon border. It has more than 6,000 acres of wine grapes planted. It was established in 2005.

Wahluke Slope: Approved in early 2006, this huge landform north of the Yakima Valley is an 81,000-acre gravel barcreated by the Ice Age Floods. More than 5,000 acres are planted in this AVA, which is one of the warmest regions inthe entire Pacific Northwest. It was established in 2006.

Rattlesnake Hills: Washington’s newest appellation is in the western Yakima Valley north of the towns of Zillah,Granger and Outlook.The appellation is 68,500 acres in size with about 1,300 acres of vineyards. It was establishedin 2006.

Puget Sound: This sprawling appellation is in Western Washington. It stretches from the Olympia area to theCanadian border north of Bellingham. It also sweeps through the San Juan Islands and to Port Angeles. Fewer than100 acres of wine grapes are planted. It was established in 1995.

Columbia Gorge: This multi-state appellation begins around the town of Lyle and heads west to Husum on theWashington side of the Columbia River. It was established in 2004.

OregonWillamette Valley: Oregon’s largest appellation stretches roughly from Portland to Eugene. It was established in1984.

Ribbon Ridge: This is the Northwest’s smallest appellation at 3,350 acres. It is best known for its Pinot Noir and iswithin the Chehalem Mountains AVA. It was established in 2005.

Yamhill-Carlton District: This appellation has more than 650 acres of wine grapes, primarily Pinot Noir. It is ahorseshoe-shaped appellation that surrounds the towns of Yamhill and Carlton. It was established in 2005.

Chehalem Mountains: The most-recently approved Oregon AVA also is the largest within the Willamette Valley. This62,100-acre appellation is northeast of the Dundee Hills. It was established in 2006.

Dundee Hills: Many of Oregon’s pioneer wineries are in the Dundee Hills within Oregon’s Yamhill County. Theappellation is 6,490 acres in size with nearly 1,300 acres of planted vineyards. It was established in 2005.

Eola-Amity Hills: This important region stretches from the town of Amity in the north to the capital city of Salem inthe southeast. It is 37,900 acres in size and has 1,300 acres planted. It was established in 2006.

McMinnville: The hills south and west of the Yamhill County city of McMinnville is more than 40,000 acres in sizeand contains about 600 acres of wine grape vineyards. It was established in 2005.

Umpqua Valley: This Southern Oregon appellation surrounds the city of Roseburg north of the Rogue Valley. It canproduce Pinot Noir as well as warm-climate grapes. It was established in 1984.

Rogue Valley: The Northwest’s southern-most appellation surrounds the cities of Medford and Ashland, just north ofthe California border. It is known for its warm growing conditions. It was established in 2001.

Applegate Valley: This small valley within the Rogue Valley is known for a multitude of microclimates that can resultin wines of distinction and complexity. It was established in 2004.

Columbia Gorge: This multi-state appellation is around and south of the city of Hood River. It was established in2004.

Southern Oregon: This large AVA encompasses the Umpqua, Rogue and Applegate valleys and Red Hill DouglasCounty appellations. It was established in 2005.

Red Hill Douglas County: This tiny appellation — just 5,500 acres — is within the Umpqua Valley. Fewer than 200acres of wine grapes, primarily Pinot Noir, are grown here. It was established in 2005.

Snake River Valley: The Northwest’s newest appellation is in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon. It cov-ers 8,263 square miles.

British ColumbiaOkanagan Valley: In the province’s interior, this 100-mile valley stretches from the border in Osoyoos to Salmon Armin the north. Most wineries are near Oliver, Penticton and Kelowna. Spelling note: In Washington, the county, river andcity are spelled “Okanogan.” It was established in 1990.

Similkameen Valley: This warm valley is west of the southern Okanagan Valley. It was established in 1990.

Vancouver Island: This marine-influenced appellation is in the southwest part of the province. It was established in1990.

Fraser Valley: This farming area is in the Lower Mainland, south of Vancouver. It was established in 1990.

Gulf Islands: This appellation, the province’s newest, includes approximately 100 islands spread out betweenVancouver Island and the southern mainland. It was established in 2005.

IdahoSnake River Valley: The Northwest’s newest appellation is in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon. It is8,263 square miles and includes vineyards near the cities of Nampa and Caldwell, west of Boise.


he’s crafted a remarkable blend of Merlot (83%)and Cab Franc (17%) that’s ripe for food pair-ings. Exotic aromas of white strawberries, cola,cinnamon, sun-dried tomatoes and petuniasescort you to a veritable table of sweet red fruitin the vein of black currants and pomegranates,then black raspberries and forthright tannins takeover in the midpalate and spill out into the finish.Pair with berry-influenced duck confit or rabbit.McClellan projects its peak to be in early 2009.

Silvan Ridge2004 Reserve MerlotRogue Valley, 384 cases, $19

Outstanding! Jonathan Oberlander joined thisEugene-area winery in 2004, so this vintagemakes these wines his first at Silvan Ridge.And this release kicks off with dark berries, leaftobacco, cherrywood chips and bay leaf. Thejuicy berries drizzle down the throat, and there’sa thimble of warmth to go with it. It’s luscious,very quaffable from front to back, age-worthyand good company.

Snoqualmie Vineyards2003 Reserve MerlotColumbia Valley, 1,200 cases, $23

Outstanding! A wicked-hot vintage on the pre-dictably warm Wahluke Slope gave JoyAndersen all she could want in reserve. Andthere’s much to explore. Pie cherries, pome-granates, teriyaki and hickory smoke noteswaft about. A rich entry reveals massiveamounts of cherry pie filling and raspberries,

chocolate-covered hazelnuts and bright acidity.Andersen suggests enjoying with rosemary-influenced lamb. Just make sure to cook itrare.

Spangler Vineyards2004 Reserve MerlotSouthern Oregon, 163 cases, $28

Excellent. Patrick Spangler, a relative newcomerto the Northwest, continues to churn outremarkable wines, including this release with asweet nose of black cherries, vanilla bean,Beechnut chewing tobacco and cedar. Cherriesspill out sweetly on the palate with nice weightand acidity, giving way to cranberries and blacktea tannins.

Tefft Cellars2004 MerlotRattlesnake Hills, 500 cases, $16

Recommended. Joel Tefft’s operation in Outlookturned 16 this year, and here’s another of hisfood-friendly releases. This wine spent 16months in oak and feature notes of racy rasp-berries, cranberries and farm-fresh greenbeans, roasted eggplant and toasted pinenuts.

Three Rivers Winery2004 MerlotColumbia Valley, 1,280 cases, $19

Excellent. Small French barrels contribute in abig way throughout in this blend of grapes fromsix vineyards. Coffee and chocolate, dark ripeplums and black cherries toss and tumbleabout, met by sturdy and frontal tannins. Notesof sweet red pepper and cherry tomato acidityon the midpalate should lend this wine quitewell to a plate of spaghetti or a gourmet pizzawith red sauce.

TimberRock Winery2004 MerlotWashington, 110 cases, $20

Outstanding! Idaho Panhandle veterinarianKevin Rogers got this fruit from Horse HeavenHills sites Phinny Hill and Matador Vineyard,the latter of which Quilceda Creek Vintnersnow owns. The wine expresses French oak interms of marshmallows and vanilla, withcanned pie cherries and blueberries rightalongside. Inside is a bold entry of fruit withBing cherries and their refreshing acidity, thensweet, dark chocolate in the midpalate. Thetannins frame this wine very well with cher-ries, cherries and more cherries in the back-drop.

Waterbrook Winery2004 MerlotColumbia Valley, 3,361 cases, $20

Recommended. Dense touches of blackberries,plums, green peppercorns, licorice, cinnamonand bittersweet chocolate are met by tarry tan-nins and a finish with more berries and figs.

SyrahAmavi Cellars2004 SyrahColumbia Valley, 797 cases, $28

Excellent. If a wine has hints of blackberry and

black pepper, it’s likely to be Washington Syrah.Such is the case with this hedonistic hit fromWalla Walla, which is sweet brambleberry frombeginning to end with nose-tickling pepper-corns, lots of herbal notes amid well-marriedoak. Smooth tannins meet an easy finish ofmincemeat.

Amavi Cellars2004 Seven Hills Vineyard Syrah Walla Walla Valley, 99 cases, $32

Excellent. It’s a diminutive offering, but consider-ing the vintage in his valley, Jean-FrancoisPellet seems happy with what he got. Thissmall lot spins out black cherries, raspberries,fresh-ground coffee, cocoa powder and blackwalnuts — a heritage to its 16 months in 100%French oak. A rich entry of black raspberriesand blackberries includes cracked blackpepper.A jammy midpalate meets round and suppletannins for a smooth finish.

Arbor Crest Wine Cellars2003 SyrahColumbia Valley, 653 cases, $18

Excellent. Kristina Mielke-van Löben Sels skillful-ly blended fruit from Stillwater Creek in theFrenchman Hills and the Milbrandts’ Sundancesite. The result is a boldly structured Syrah withsweet blackberries and black currants, blacklicorice, violets and 40% new oak that showsitself in the form of graham crackers.Suggested fare includes barbecued ribs or duckbreast.

Barnard Griffin Winery2005 SyrahColumbia Valley, 1,858 cases, $17

Outstanding! Rather than getting wrapped up inblackberries, as is often the case with thisRhône variety in Washington, this offeringbroadcasts red fruit with aromatics of driedstrawberries, Bing cherries, joined by hints ofcedar, leather, coffee and pleasing menthol.They all follow through beautifully on thepalate with a sense of opulence and resolvedtannins.

Chateau Faire Le Pont2004 Boushey Vineyard SyrahWashington, 295 cases, $19

Outstanding! Doug Brazil in Wenatchee, Wash.,dialed in this Sunnyside-sourced fruit for anaffable and quaffable Syrah with a distinct plumnote in the nose, along with blackberries,mincemeat spice and chocolate shavings. Adeep, mouth-coating entry is heavy on Bingcherry syrup, a velvety midpalate of mountainberries, light oak, a late dose of acidity and thereturn of mincemeat in the finish.

Hogue Cellars2004 Genesis SyrahWashington, 1,939 cases, $17

Recommended. Dark and brooding is what manylook for — and want — from a Syrah. Here’s awine that delivers blackberries, black cherries,black currants, chocolate-covered almonds anda pinch of dill are all packaged around smoothtannins. Start basting those barbecued ribs toserve with this big red.






Page Cellars2004 SyrahColumbia Valley, 447 cases, $37

Recommended. Fruit from famed KlipsunVineyards on Red Mountain as well asWahluke Slope Vineyard produced a powerfulrelease filled with pomegranates, huckleber-ries, chocolate and roasted coffee. Enjoy witha T-bone.

Robert Karl Cellars2005 SyrahColumbia Valley, 150 cases, $29

Excellent. Spokane’s Joe Gunselman developedthis wine in rather classic fashion. He zeroed inon one vineyard: McKinley Springs in the HorseHeaven Hills. He chose the Côte Rôtie route byco-fermenting with Viognier (8%), then employ-ing 100% French oak. The results are jammyblack raspberries, warm and inviting chocolate,spice of anise and caraway seed, and smokedmeat. A little patience will allow it to loosen upjust a bit.

Sequel2004 SyrahColumbia Valley, 1,359 cases, $55

Recommended. John Duval, a former maker ofAustralia’s famed Penfolds Grange, annuallyexpresses his skill in Walla Walla for LongShadows Vintners. Boushey, Alder Ridge,Wallula and a variety of Red Mountain sitescontributed to this berry-focused release ofmedium weight with savory, leather and strawnotes.

Silvan Ridge2005 Reserve SyrahRogue Valley, 627 cases, $20

Excellent. A big, pleasant release that portendseven more, this Eugene, Ore., winery takescherished Del Rio Vineyards fruit and barrels itin French oak for 15 months. It shows in hintsof teriyaki jerky and toast, but there are lots ofwild mountain berries to support it. Lip-smack-ing marionberries and huckleberries — accom-panied by their acidity — sweep across thepalate with vanilla bean. Tannins are behindthe bushes as blueberries drop in for the fin-ish.

Three Rivers Winery2004 Ahler Vineyard SyrahWalla Walla Valley, 233 cases, $39

Excellent. Despite a trying vintage for most WallaWalla Valley vineyards, this winter-hardy estatesite actually produced 50 more cases than in2003. A sniff brings a mocha with an extra shotof espresso. Then, drink in a smooth entry ofchocolate, boysenberries and unsweetenedblackberries and marionberries with a bit of theleaf. Sweet tannins lead into creamy vanilla andsome tar in the finish.

Three Rivers Winery2004 Boushey Vineyards SyrahYakima Valley, 384 cases, $50

Outstanding! When one of the top wineries inthe Northwest works with one of the top vine-yards in the Northwest, the results are oftenstellar. And this wine has got a little of every-thing. Cassis, leather and tobacco aromas

dive into concentrated dark red fruit flavors— primarily strawberries — that are smoothand juicy. There’s balance from supple,pleasing and ample tannins. A drop of vanillaextract with toasted oak pops out in thefarewell.

Volcano Vineyards2004 Aguila Vineyards SyrahRogue Valley, 150 cases, $28

Outstanding! There wasn’t much Syrah planted inOregon in 1994 when this vineyard in Talent didso. The vines are hitting their stride, startingwith black cherries, raspberries, cinnamon andcedar on the nose. The focus on the silkypalate is that of wonderful plum jam with black-capped raspberries and food-friendly acidity.

Waterbrook Winery2005 SyrahColumbia Valley, 1,997 cases, $20

Excellent. The Hattrups’ rather lofty ElephantMountain Vineyard is building a reputation forSyrah, and this all-Rhône blend withGrenache (5%) and Viognier (4%) includesfruit from Stone Tree Vineyard on theWahluke Slope. Sweet tobacco, black olives,blueberries, a hint of chocolate and peatynotes wave you in for smooth paving of cher-ry/chocolate flavors. Figs and more blackolives add complexity amid expressive, yetnot assertive, tannins.

Cabernet FrancCowan Vineyards2004 Estate Cabernet FrancYakima Valley, 245 cases, $16

Excellent. Often a blending grape, this longtimefarming family in Prosser, Wash., went fullFranc in fine fashion. Dried strawberries, a bitof leafiness and black cherry aromas evolveinto more red fruit flavors of strawberry/rhubarb.It’s juicy, silky smooth and medium-bodied for awide range of food applications.

Lone Canary Winery2004 Cabernet FrancColumbia Valley, 104 cases, $20

Recommended. Ripeness wasn’t an issue forgrapes from Willard and Clifton vineyards. Theresult is a robust Cab Franc with a captivatingbreath of candy cane and cherries, met by darkplums and cherries. They get a backing by somedustiness, milk chocolate and assertive tannins.

Spangler Vineyards2005 Sundown Vineyard Cabernet FrancSouthern Oregon, 320 cases, $24

Recommended. Compared with the previous vine-yard, Patrick Spangler doubled his draw fromthis Rogue Valley site. It produced blackberry,plum and green peppercorn notes and main-tained the varietal tendency with a leafy andherbaceous component.


Stina’s Cellars2003 Cabernet FrancColumbia Valley, 50 cases, $20

Excellent. A young winery in University Place,near Tacoma, got fruit from Alder Ridge andthe den Hoeds’ Desert Hills site in Prosser tocontribute aromas of brambleberries, coffee,green peppercorns, leather, talus and riverrock. There’s lots of acidity behind the racyand enjoyable raspberry and violets entry.Some cherry cough syrup in the midpalategives way to caramel at the end.

MalbecBarnard Griffin Winery2005 MalbecColumbia Valley, 411 cases, $35

Outstanding! Rob Griffin saw to it that this didn’tspend much time in oak, and nothing gets inthe way of the elegance, starting with itsbeautiful color. There is a pleasant shot ofespresso in the nose, but it’s quickly joined byblueberries and black currants, cloves, moistearth and minerality. It’s more of the same onthe palate, including Bing cherry juice, darkchocolate and a fresh-baked bread characterat the midpoint. Delicious acidity and balanceset this up for immediate drinking. Enjoy withbeef brisket, barbecued ribs or a pulled porksandwich.

Napeequa Vintners2004 MalbecColumbia Valley, 75 cases, $24

Outstanding! Charles Smasne’s Kestrel ViewEstate in Prosser, Wash., supplied LakeWenatchee winemaker David Morris with theMalbec (87%) and Merlot (4%). Matador — nowcontrolled by Quilceda Creek — chipped in withthe jolt of Cabernet Sauvignon (9%). Influencesof French, American and Russian oak result ina tricked-out yet balanced Bordeaux with aro-mas and flavors of blackberries, vanilla, moistearth and cordial cherries.

SangioveseCapstone Cellars2005 Boushey Vineyards SangioveseYakima Valley, 160 cases, $20

Excellent. Here’s the type of easy-drinking winethat Europeans make a part of lunch in thecountry each day, only this is made inLongview, Wash. Black currants, spicy oak,bunker sand, charcoal, tea and coffee fill thenose. It’s brambleberry on the bold entry withlight cherries on the midpalate. Pleasant andrefreshing, this should pair well with a big help-ing of lasagna.

Cuneo Cellars2004 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Bricco SangioveseRed Mountain, 380 cases, $40

Recommended. The Italian term for the highpoint of a vineyard is “bricco,” and thisOregon release from one of the Washingtonstate’s most renowned sources may well bethe highest priced Sangio this side of WallaWalla. Black cherries, raspberries, bittersweetchocolate, chalkboard dust and mocha aro-

mas descend into a palate sturdy in structurewith flavors of blackberries and marionber-ries, chased by bittersweet chocolate in thefinish.

Kyra Wines2005 SangioveseWahluke Slope, 385 cases, $20

Outstanding! This Italian variety is beginning totake flight in the Columbia Valley, and theMilbrandt brothers’ Pheasant Vineyard con-tinues to gain acclaim. So Kyra Baerlocher inMoses Lake, Wash., doesn’t need to drive farfor this fruit, which exudes youthful strawber-ries, cloves and forest floor aromatics.Inside, it’s silky smooth with Rainier cherriesand plums with the bright, food-friendly acidi-ty one associates with this grape. Enjoy withtomato-based pasta dishes.

Lone Canary Winery2004 SangioveseWahluke Slope, 490 cases, $18

Recommended. Here comes another solid Sangio(84%) that doffs its cap in reverence to theMilbrandt Pheasant Vineyard. Merlot (10%),Cab Sauv and Cab Franc (3% each) help hiswine to exhibit jammy black currants, mapleand butterscotch flavors. Bold flavors and aracy acid structure come naturally.

Merry Cellars2005 SangioveseWashington, 244 cases, $28

Outstanding! Drink this berry medley and bemerry. The Sangiovese component (79%) hailsfrom Pheasant Vineyard, which helps thisPullman, Wash., winery produce temptations ofblack bramblefruit, cloves and toasted oak.There’s a spicy blackpepper entry with darkchocolate undertones, a rush of jammy black-berries and black currants, a fine line of miner-ality from the midpalate to the finish. Well-man-aged tannins straddle the great acidity that oneassociates with this Italian grape.

Other redsAbacela Vineyards & Winery2005 DolcettoSouthern Oregon, 238 cases, $20

Excellent. The northwest Italian variety will findmore homes in the Pacific Northwest, thanks towork such as this. Earl Jones’ Fault LineVineyards supplies the fruit for this releaseheaping with strawberries, toasted oak andchokecherry acidity. Tannins and bittersweetchocolate appear at the back end. The Jonesessuggest drinking within four years and enjoyingwith prosciutto-spinach-ricotta ziti Bolognese.

Abacela Vineyards & Winery2005 GrenacheSouthern Oregon, 249 cases, $24

Excellent. The estate Fault Line Vineyards in theUmpqua Valley seem to accommodate thisheat-loving Spanish grape. A candy-sweet noseof cherry jam, root beer and horehound withsubtle French oak notes tumbles into flavors ofmore cherry jam with a midpalate of Presidentplums in heavy syrup and an excellent tanninstructure.




Kana Winery2004 Vines de Marco Vineyard Old Vines Lemberger Yakima Valley, 210 cases, $16

Excellent. This block, planted in 1979, once waspart of famed Red Willow Vineyard. Thegnarled, thick trunks sent out grapes that led tomellow notes of black cherry syrup, blueberryjam and licorice. Smooth and juicy on thepalate, it’s not shy on acidity and finishes with apuff of smoke.

Sawtooth Winery2004 TempranilloIdaho, 150 cases, $20

Recommended. Brad Pintler bottled this Spanishgrape on its own for a second straight vintage,and this one is at full strength. Awesome oakswells in the aromas of coffee and chocolate,and there is more coffee in the mouth withcherries covered in dark chocolate. Temperedtannins drift into a finish of hazelnut coffeecreamer.

Troon Vineyard2004 Reserve ZinfandelApplegate Valley, 118 cases, $60

Excellent. Estate fruit cropped at 2.5 tons peracre led to 26.5 brix and a fresh, fruity andsmooth Zin. Black currants, cherries, plums,violets, cinnamon, sarsaparilla and a hint ofbaseball card bubble gum inspire conversa-tion. Rich strawberry/rhubarb compote, choco-late and maple syrup, then a bit of crushedleaf swirl about. A touch of vanilla extract inthe finish is the only indicator of alcohol(15.5%).

Red blendsBitner Vineyards2003 Reserve Cab-ShirazIdaho, 50 cases, $32

Excellent. Ron Bitner, an Idaho grape-growingpioneer, also is an entomologist who spendsmonths in Australia on researching bees andShiraz. Greg Koenig makes his wine. Aromasprompt thoughts of a blackberry bush after aspring rain, joined by lightly roasted fresh cof-fee, cedar and cherry vanilla cola. It’s moreblueberries and sweet pomegranate on thetongue, then Chukar Cherries and dark choco-late accent the pleasing and lingering finish.

Chateau Faire Le Pont2004 ProvenceWashington, 225 cases, $28

Excellent. Hints of cherry pie spilling over theedge, blackberries and vanilla carry on throughon the mouth with juicy acidity and more vanillafor a pleasing finish.

Chateau Faire Le Pont2004 Tre Amore Washington, 210 cases, $37

Outstanding! Wenatchee winemaker Doug Brazilearns our top rating for the second straight yearwith this release. It’s Cab Sauv (50%),Sangiovese (25%) and Merlot (17%), and startswith a nose of cherries, blueberries, toastedoak and cherry tomatoes with a bit of the stem.The influence of zesty Sangio is even more

apparent on the palate with bright, crisp ripecranberries and cherries, and the abundanceacidity casts a complete absence of tannins onthe structure. It should age well with that acidity,but why bother? Pair with a tomato-based dishor a combo pizza.

Glacial Lake Missoula Wine Co.2003 DelugeYakima Valley, 150 cases, $40

Recommended. The name, the label and the con-cept have raised the profile of this boutiqueBlaine, Wash., winery. And the juice inside is asbig as the bottle. Cabernet Sauvignon and CabFranc from Kestrel View in Prosser gave TomDavis aromatics of boysenberry, plums, toastedoak and blackberries sprinkled with cocoa pow-der. The structure is not for the faint of heartwith tart blackberries, chunks of bittersweetchocolate and sinewy tannins. A T-bone toppedwith blue cheese will do nicely.

Gilbert Cellars2004 ClaretWahluke Slope, 850 cases, $19

Recommended. Here’s another multi-generationfarming family that diversified and is now keep-ing some fruit for itself. This blend of GilbertOrchards Cabernet Sauvignon (68%), Merlot(12%), Malbec (10%) and Petit Verdot (10%) ismade by Nate Gilbert and features raspberries,rhubarb, fresh green beans, sun-dried tomatoesand vanilla cream on the nose. It is bold rasp-berries on the palate with racy acidity and livelytannins.

Nota Bene Cellars2004 AbbinareWashington, 175 cases, $27

Recommended. Boeing Wine Club product TimNarby transports fruit from famed sourcesChampoux, Ciel du Cheval and Kestrel Viewfor this blend of Merlot (47%), Cab Sauv(24%), Cab Franc (24%) and Petit Verdot(5%). In the nose, there are ticks of cocoapowder, overripe strawberries, sandalwood,cedar, chalkboard dust and NECCO Wafercandy. The palate is dominated by a warm,round and plummy mouth feel with milk choco-late and lean tannins.

Nota Bene Cellars2004 MiscelaWashington, 200 cases, $28

Recommended. The “N” in what began as NBCellars is winemaker Tim Narby, and he leadsthis pleasingly beguiling Bordeaux blend withMerlot (40%), the balance of which comes fromArianses Vineyard off the Wahluke Slope. Plum,sage, toasted oak and bacon fat aromas giveway on the palate to soft, dark plums, leather,moist dirt and Muscovado brown sugar. Thencomes its amazingly intriguing sandy tanninstructure, which warrants further examinationwith another sip.

Page Cellars2003 Preface Red WineRed Mountain, 392 cases, $37

Recommended. This Woodinville, Wash., winerycontinues to increase the percentage of Cabin this proprietary blend, now at 95% with Cab

Franc at 5%. Shaw Vineyards fruit provided abase coat of purple fruit with lavender,charred oak, spice and cedar on the nose.Inside is a dark and brooding texture withBing cherries amid a solid foundation ofyouthful tannins.

Pirouette2004 Red WineColumbia Valley, 653 cases, $55

Excellent. This Long Shadows Vintners projectfeatures a Quintessa connection from the




Napa Valley — Philippe Melka and AgustinHuneeus — who collaborate again for thisblend. Their resulting assemblage is CabernetSauvignon (49%), Merlot (27%), Petit Verdot(13%) and Syrah (11%). Dusty vanilla andcherry aromas turn to a structure of brightcherries, boysenberry jam, green pepper-corns, anise, vanilla and chocolate. At thispoint, it’s a chewy, crowd-pleasing big wine. Inone to two years, it should be awesome.

Robert Karl Cellars2005 ClaretColumbia Valley, 1,600 cases, $19

Excellent. This bottling does the bulk of thework at this Spokane boutique winery. Costand quality are the two keys. It’s all HorseHeaven Hills fruit, and blend of CabernetSauvignon (50%), Merlot (14%), Petit Verdot(14%), Cab Franc (11%) and Malbec (11%)sends out notes of cherry coca, maple syrupand some leafiness. Those cherries andvanilla show up densely, and the tannin struc-ture doesn’t distract.

WhiteChardonnay

Chateau Ste. Michelle2005 ChardonnayColumbia Valley, 259,000 cases, $13

Recommended. For those who enjoy the styledeveloped and made famous by those folkssouth of the Oregon border, here’s aChardonnay for you. Abundant oak is followedby notes of baked apples drizzled withGruyere, a tart entry and a delicious dose ofripe tropical citrus lifts the wine in appealingfashion.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2005 Canoe Ridge Estate ChardonnayHorse Heaven Hills, 9,100 cases, $22

Excellent. Bob Bertheau’s expression ofChardonnay from this site over the ColumbiaRiver skillfully straddles the balance of oakand fruit. Tropical notes and lemon curdmeld with just a sniff of toasted oak. It’s richand tropical across the palate with pineap-ples, baked pears and the taste and feel ofbananas. Seven months on the lees provideslemon curd creaminess with some oak tan-

nin, figs and pineapple in the background.

Columbia Crest2004 Grand Estates ChardonnayColumbia Valley, 50,000 cases, $11

Excellent. If you were going to sit at the bar andhave a glass of Chardonnay, here’s one toorder. Mandarin oranges, guava and mineralityon the nose leads to a very ripe fruit entry fea-turing mouth-watering watermelon. Next up arepineapples and apples in front of a buttery richmidpalate, then a slice of juicy papaya as anightcap.

David Hill Vineyards & Winery2005 ChardonnayWillamette Valley, 306 cases, $12

Recommended. Jason Bull took estate fruit fromhis first vintage at the historic Forest Grove,Ore., property to produce a rather invitingChardonnay with ambrosia salad aromas fol-lowed by flavors of papaya, banana and nuttycork flakes. Herbal notes and late acidity addcomplexity.

Left Coast Cellars2005 Estate ChardonnayWillamette Valley, 900 cases, $22

Recommended. A pleasing blend of fruit and oakare found in this white from a new winery inRickreall, Ore. Tropical notes, fresh apples,grassiness, a line of minerality and a nice back-ground of oak are in the aromas. Pineapples,Granny Smith apple and cinnamon get a jolt ofcitrus in the midpalate and more tropical flavorsin the finish.

Lopez Island Vineyards2005 Crawford Vineyards ChardonnayYakima Valley, 242 cases, $14

Outstanding! It’s barrel-fermented and sur-leeaged, but it’s surprisingly far from oak-domi-nated. Lemon zest, minerality, sweet herbs,fresh-cut straw and vanilla are centered inthe aromas. There’s a fair bit of round butteri-ness in the attack, but the fruit catches rightup in the midpalate with tropical notes andpoached pear, then sweetened lemon acidityand pleasing French vanilla bean in the fin-ish.

Methven Family Vineyards2005 ChardonnayWillamette Valley, 144 cases, $25

Recommended. Aromas open with a slice ofbanana, grassy herbs, lemon, butter and a whiffof smoke. Guava flavors join the banana andbutter with lime and grassiness in the finish,which should fare well with a creamy pasta dishor chicken.

San Juan Vineyards2005 ChardonnayColumbia Valley, 715 cases, $15

Recommended. It’s fully barrel-fermented, butthe oak — only 25% new — does not get inthe way. Baked apple, butter and a pinch ofbunker sand pitch into an easy entry ofclean, quaffable orchard fruit, followed by acreamy midpalate and a bit of citrus-pith bit-terness.

Spangler Vineyards2006 ChardonnaySouthern Oregon, 84 cases, $20

Recommended. Notes of Golden Delicious apples,figs, Crème Brûlée topping, fennel, candiedyams and slightly underripe pears dominate thisslightly off-dry unoaked Chardonnay, whichincludes Semillon (5%).

TimberRock Winery2005 Old Vines ChardonnayWashington, 120 cases, $16

Excellent. Dr. Kevin Rogers pulls in fruit fromthe Smasne family’s 30-year-old site in theYakima Valley. Out comes a nose of rosewa-ter, almonds, fresh-cut hay and groundcoriander. Inside are awakening full flavorsof apricots, apples, pear, grapefruit andmore almonds with toasted walnuts.Malolactic fermentation with preserved acidi-ty allows it all to hang on the palate for anenjoyable spell.

Waterbrook Winery2005 ChardonnayColumbia Valley, 12,951 cases, $13

Recommended. Toasty oak, butter, vanilla andtropical fruit lure you in to find more tropicalfruit, particularly ripe bananas. There are alsotoasted pine nuts and a rounded creaminessfrom the midpalate on back with oak under-tones and citrus pith.

Wedge Mountain Winery2005 ChardonnayWashington, 177 cases, $17

Recommended. This release from Leavenworth,Wash., starts with hints of candy corn, butteredtoast, apple box and white pepper. On the entryare tropical fruit with unsweetened pineapplethat is spread out by a pleasing round mouthfeel and lots of influence from new Americanoak. It should go quite well with seared scal-lops.

Pinot GrisBarnard Griffin Winery2006 Reserve Pinot GrisColumbia Valley, $17

Excellent. Intriguing, racy and good dinner com-pany. Who wouldn’t want some of that? Thatcan be found in a glass of this, which starts withalluring aromas of Bosc pears, orange blos-soms, green bananas, a dusty white rose andgrapefruit. Tart citrus, slate, green apples and apinch of sage should allow this to cozy up to abreast of chicken with some SubRosa mangochutney.

b2 2004 Pinot GrisOregon, 1,900 cases, $15

Excellent. The Biehl brothers of Eugene WineCellars turned to alliteration and algebra to re-brand their line. This Pinot Gris comes at youin different directions, starting with a nose ofcanned pineapple, dusty sage, dried tropicalfruit and clarified butter. On the palate, it’sfresh pineapple and papaya with pleasingroundness in the midpoint. A bit of bitternessand a hint of river rock on the finish will



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show well alongside seared scallops.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2006 Pinot GrisColumbia Valley, 60,000 cases, $13

Excellent. An agreeable Gris, this opens withsigns of nice peaches, a pinch of white pepper,ginger and pears, followed by flavors of pinkgrapefruit. A touch of herbal in the midpalateadds balance to the fruit and acidity. Enjoy withmussels or linguine and clams in a whitesauce.

Girardet Wine Cellars2006 Pinot GrisSouthern Oregon, 790 cases, $16

Excellent. Marc Girardet isn’t letting his daddown as a second-generation winemaker.Delicate floral notes of lychee, orange oil,banana and some grassiness dive into a veryfruit-forward drink. The trace of residual sugar(0.7%) hits you immediately with pleasantoranges and grapefruit, some candied apple,then cantaloupe. Enjoy as an aperitif or along-side a cheese plate, a bowl of fried rice or abratwurst.

Methven Family Vineyards2005 Pinot GrisWillamette Valley, 210 cases, $20

Excellent. This new winery in the Eola Hills nearDayton, Ore., turns out a tremendously versa-

tile Pinot Gris that invites with aromas of star-fruit, kumquat, lime, gooseberries, pears andherbs. Amazing acidity awaits with deliciouslemon, lime and Mandarin orange flavors. Onecould drink this all day long, especially withscallops or pasta primavera grilled with vegeta-bles.

Naches Heights Vineyard2005 Pinot GrisColumbia Valley, 120 cases, $16

Recommended. Kana winemaker Mark Wyslingtakes fruit off this lofty estate site (1,800 feetin elevation) for the inaugural vintage of PhilCline’s new winery. Lemon zest, GrannySmith apples, a tinge of bees wax and pinchof white pepper create the foundation for thisdry Pinot Gris with solid structure and pleas-ing length.

VX Vercingetorix2005 Pinot GrisOregon, 280 cases, $17

Excellent. Bruce Hall, owner of Willamette Farmsof Oregon in Newberg, decided to get in thewinemaking business. Hired gun LaurentMontalieu assists, and the collaboration workedwell here. Pink Lady apples, passionfruit,pineapple, citrus, lavender, marigolds andNECCO wafer delight both nose and tongue.It’s big, rich and long with dried apples andclover honey notes in the finish.

Riesling

Carpenter Creek2005 Signature Series RieslingWashington, $13

Recommended. Dried apples and white grapefruitwith cloves slide into a sweet fruit entry ofapples and white pears. They are met by racyacidity that sings with the sugar, finishing withstunning pepper and pineapple notes.

Chateau Faire Le Pont2005 RieslingWashington, 115 cases, $15

Excellent. Those seeking a softer Riesling shouldconsider this release from the WenatcheeValley. It opens with orchard fruit, white pepper,nuttines, Crème Brûlée topping, minerals andoranges. On the tongue it’s fresh-squeezedorange juice and pineapple with a touch ofcreme soda in the finish.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2006 Cold Creek Vineyards RieslingColumbia Valley, 4,500 cases, $14

Excellent. A dusty drive through WenatcheeValley orchards on a hot September day beginsto describe this softer version. Honeycrispapples and juicy peaches, then huge citrusacidity on the midpalate strikes a balance withthe remaining sugar (2.2%).




Icicle Ridge Winery2006 Royal Ladies of the Autumn Leaves White RieslingWashington, 700 cases, $22

Outstanding! At 45 characters, the full name ofDon Wood’s wine is a mouthful, but so is thewine. This tribute to past honorees of the long-running fall festival in Leavenworth rakes uphints of limes, kumquats, slate, anise, facialpowder and sweet herbs. The citrus in themouth turns to sweet Meyer lemons, joined byLipton green tea, sweet basil and more licorice.Enjoy with a creamy pasta dish or simply on itsown.

Martin-Scott Winery2005 Apple Block Vineyards Estate RieslingColumbia Valley, 80 cases, $12

Outstanding! Hedonistic, yes, but Mike Scott andJudi Martin-Scott in East Wenatchee, Wash.,balanced the 3% residual sugar with a pH of2.99. Apple, citrus, lavender and flint on thenose carry into explosive flavors of apples,pears and Orange Slices jelly candy.

Methven Family Vineyards2005 RieslingWillamette Valley, 119 cases, $20

Outstanding! Oregon’s reputation for Rieslingcontinues to improve, and here’s another exam-ple. Citrus, dried cantaloupe and pineapple withmineral notes carry into bright and lively flavorsof fruit cocktail with grapefruit, then limeSweeTarts. This should be terrific with oysters,grilled or raw, and halibut accompanied bymango salsa.

Wedge Mountain Winery2005 Dry White RieslingWashington, 100 cases, $14

Outstanding! Charlie McKee goes back-to-backvintages in earning our top rating for this bone-dry style. It’s unmistakable with the tell-talepush of petrol in the nose, joined by hints ofcantaloupe, orchard fruit and rosewater. Ahealthy dose of citrus fruit and Granny Smithapples creates for ingratiating tartness and abeautiful wine that will pair with Lamb Vindaloo,pork chops or a Waldorf salad.

Sauvignon BlancSpangler Vineyards2006 Sauvignon BlancSouthern Oregon, 230 cases, $16

Recommended. Citrus, tropical fruit and freshlyhusked white corn come together with Uncolacitrus flavors, balanced acidity and a citrus-peelbitterness in the finish to make this a fineaccompaniment to a bowl of linguine or a plateof dry cheese such as Sonoma Jack,Manchego or Romano.

Vin du Lac of Chelan2005 Savvy! Blanc Sauvignon BlancColumbia Valley, $15

Excellent. Larry Lehmbecker imparts an off-dryspin (1.6% residual sugar) on this often tartvariety. There still are the gooseberry, riverrock, petrol and rosewater aromas with peach-es and apples. Fresh-cut peaches with gingerand starfruit flavors strike early in pleasant

fashion with great acidity.

Waterbrook Winery2005 Sauvignon BlancColumbia Valley, 2,426 cases, $14

Recommended. Aging in predominately used bar-rels without any malolactic fermentation allowsthe fruit from Oasis and Willard vineyards toshine with notes of tart gooseberries, pineapple,lemons, sage and Red Delicious apples. Around sweetness on the midpalate includesguava, then finished with more citrus.

Chenin BlancKyra Wines2006 Chenin BlancColumbia Valley, 500 cases, $12

Outstanding! Portland encaustic artist Kyle Evanscreated a painting for the label, and his sister inMoses Lake, Wash. — Kyra Baerlocher —poured her art into the bottle. Citrus aromaswith an undercurrent of river rock are followedby a bright entry of homemade lemonade andmineral flavors. A basil leaf, some gooseberryand a dab of pear syrup (1.7% residual sugar)shine in beautiful harmony, courtesy of Uplandand Pleasant vineyards in the Yakima Valley.

Widgeon Hill Winery2005 Chenin BlancYakima Valley, 130 cases, $12

Outstanding! Rhett Mills has taken over for his latefather, Joel, at the Chehalis, Wash., winery. Bythe looks of it, things are just fine. Approachableand expressive, it opens up with aromas oflemon meringue, nougat, Rainier cherries, star-fruit, clover, honey and cardamom. A fairly sweetentry is marked by naval oranges, GoldenDelicious and Fuji apples, then a bit of Rainiercherries, but its hallmark is superb balance.

Other whitesAbacela Vineyards & Winery2006 Estate AlbariñoSouthern Oregon, 633 cases, $23

Outstanding! Two years ago, London-based JancisRobinson made this her wine of the week. EarlJones increased production six-fold since thatinaugural release, but the quality hasn’t dropped.Orange oil, bananas and minerality in the nosemake their way on to the palate with tropical fruitflavors. There’s an explosion of acidity and twist oflime in the finish. This Iberian grape makes asuperb seafood wine and should marry well with apaella or a skewer of shrimp sprinkled with whitepepper and joined by cilantro, mango and guava.

Abiqua Wind Vineyard2006 Collier’s Early MuscatWillamette Valley, 150 cases, $15

Outstanding! The Buffingtons’ new winery east ofSilverton, Ore., gains attention with an interpre-tation of Early Muscat that’s made by JoeDobbes and named after a grandson. A perfectsummer picnic wine, it’s reminiscent of JuicyFruit gum with flavors that won’t quit, includingorchard fruit and rosewater on the slightlyfoamy midpalate. A bit of grapefruit pith in thefinish keeps the sugars in balance.

Abiqua Winds Vineyard2006 Chloe’s Breeze Müller-ThurgauWillamette Valley, 150 cases, $15

Excellent. Germany’s most widely planted grape— this nearly 125-year-old cross of Rieslingand Silvaner — can thrive “on the quiet side ofthe Valley,” as Silverton, Ore., grower PeteBuffington says. Gary Carpenter of SecretHouse Winery brought out hints of GrannySmith apples, rosewater, mineral, a bit ofherbaceousness and pear which all followthrough with identical flavors. Then the acidityhits immediate and carries the structure onthrough to an easy finish of lemonade.

Spangler Vineyards2006 SemillonSouthern Oregon, 142 cases, $15

Recommended. Scents reminiscent of Apple Crispwith Mandarin orange evolve into sweet PinkLady apple and pear flavors. A slice of bananaon the midpalate enriches the mouthfeel.Residual sugar (2.5%) creates a very pleasantdrink, particularly for those new to Semillon.

Vashon Winery2004 SemillonWashington, 120 cases, $18

Outstanding! Accomplished author Ron Irvine canmake wine and distill his own tasting notes withthe best of them. Of this wine from RattlesnakeHills, he might write “strong citrus and pear aro-matics include a field of green grass, a sprig oftarragon and some gravelly minerality. ThoseBartlett pears drop down into the mouth, joinedon its sleek entry with bright citrus qualities,well-managed barrels, a hint of anise and a dol-lop of lime sherbet in the finish.” Enjoy with ahalibut fillet or a fish taco.

Mount Baker Vineyards2004 SiegerrebePuget Sound, 248 cases, $12

Excellent. Germans crossed Gewürztraminer withMadeleine Angevine to create this variety, so itreasons that it can do well in the cool climate ofthe Puget Sound. Rosewater, facial powder,tangerine, lemon zest and candy corn aromasare met on a softened palate of pink grapefruit,lychee and a hint of clove on the back.

White blendsBrian Carter Cellars2005 OrianaYakima Valley, 658 cases, $24

Outstanding! This longtime Washington winemak-er is all about blending now. The past two vin-tages have both been all Outlook Vineyard fruit,but Carter more than doubled production andnearly doubled the percentage of Viognier(61%) — at the expense of Roussanne (14%)— with the rest as Riesling (25%). Success wasachieved in nice honeysuckle and big freshorchard fruit throughout, secured by a blast ofacidity. A hair of residual sugar (0.6%) makesthe apples and apricots last forever.

Doyenne 2005 Métier BlancColumbia Valley, 175 cases, $31

Recommended. Another program for DeLille




Cellars, this vintage came out as an assem-blage of Viognier (70%) from Ciel du Chevaland Chardonnay (30%) off Cold Creek.Impressions include honeysuckle, sesame,marshmallow, lemon custard, cooked pear anda drop of vanilla extract in the nose. There’smore of the same on the flavors with a lemontartness on the entry, some savory spice andenormous acidity that should fare well withHollandaise sauce over salmon and asparaguswith a side of jasmine rice.

Kana Winery2005 Cuvée Le Blanc Reserve WhiteYakima Valley, 417 cases, $18

Outstanding! This winery in downtown Yakima,Wash., continues to show skill in blending. Ablend of Rhône varieties Viognier (53%),Roussanne (37%) and Marsanne (10%) thatreleases aromas of passionfruit, honeydew, citrusand a faint hint of rosemary. There’s an attack ofdried pineapple and citrus on the front, a butter-scotch pudding on the midpalate, then melon andacorn squash in the lengthy finish. It’s a mightycomplete wine and balanced to the extent it won’tclash with a vegetable-based entree.

Kana Winery2005 Katie Mae White Table WineYakima Valley, 616 cases, $14

Recommended. An unusual blend of Pinot Gris(48%), Pinot Blanc (33%) and Riesling com-bines for hints of gooseberry, melon, butter andbasil in the background with more melons,gooseberry and pear on the attack. Its dry styleand citrus pith finish should lend this to a plateof pasta or dry cheeses.

Roza Ridge2005 Viognier-ChardonnayYakima Valley, 571 cases, $15

Outstanding! Hyatt Vineyards reshaped itsreserve project, which it lists at 10% of produc-tion, and now calls it Roza Ridge. AlthoughViognier is listed first, the balance of this blendtilts heavily to Chardonnay (79%) and openswith banana chips, fresh-cut straw, apples,Juicy Fruit and savory spice aromas. Sweet,ripe fruit hits on the entry with more bananas,papayas, pineapple and apples, but there’scomely complexity with roundness in the mid-palate then bold acidity, then butter in the finish.

Troon Vineyard2006 River Guide WhiteApplegate Valley, 1,100 cases, $18

Excellent. Troon winemaker Herb Quady workedon Randall Grahm’s Pacific Rim project, and hisskill with Riesling from Oregon’s KrouseVineyard shows in this blend with Gewürz (5%)and Viognier (5%). There’s a handful of applesand nectarines, joined by pineapple, citrus andpetrol aromatics. Complex sweet citrus fruit andminerality strike a balance with the acidity andresidual sugar at a mere 0.58%.

RosésAbacela Vineyards & Winery2006 RosadoSouthern Oregon, 106 cases, $14

Outstanding! At this time of year, it’s easy to

enjoy rosé, especially a structurally sound one.An extraordinary but expected choice of fruit —Tempranillo (93%) and Grenache (7%) — thisblush charges at you like a Spanish bull withripe strawberry, white pepper, rhubarb and min-eral aromas. More of the same hits the tonguewith fresh raspberry acidity, orangy citrus, vanil-la and a slate of minerality. Finished completelydry, pour it with a rack of baby-back ribs.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2006 Nellie’s Garden Dry RoséColumbia Valley, 12,000 cases, $13

Excellent. A collaboration of the red (JoshuaMalong) and white (Brennon Leighton) teamsturned out this pink Rhône rosé that’s Syrah(96%), with Grenache (1.5%), Viognier (1.5%)and Mourvédre (1%). This memorial to the his-toric Stimson Estate’s grounds’ matriarch openswith whiffs of cranberry, rosemary, allspice andpine. Cranberry acidity and dark cherries on themidpalate give this blush some oomph, which isa nice touch for a rose.

Mount Baker Vineyards2004 Rosetta BlancYakima Valley, 168 cases, $18

Recommended. The Swiss grape Chasselas Dore,perhaps the oldest variety in the world, joinsChardonnay as equal partners (32%) in this pinkblend that includes Pinot Gris (25%), Siegerrebe(5%), Viognier (4%) and Roussanne (2%).Honeydew and watermelon, pears, grassinessand white tea lure you into brisk flavors of morepears, unsweetened dried pineapple, cumin andmore white tea.

Tefft CellarsNV Huckleberry White450 cases, $14

Excellent. Joel Tefft in Outlook, Wash., first incor-porated huckleberry juice into his Port-style,and now this new SKU — a blend of 2005 vin-tage Gewürztraminer (45%) and Riesling(45%). Huge aromatics of strawberries, orangeoil, rosewater, cherry cola and Rainier cherriescascade into an entry of sugared pink grape-fruit, more Rainier cherries and some sort ofberry. It comes in with a residual sugar at 3%.

Fruit wineLopez Island VineyardsNV Raspberry WineWashington, 120 cases, $15

Excellent. Organically farmed fruit from Broer’sFarms in Monroe, Wash., makes for a razzydrink with a hint of strawberry freezer jam in thenose and unmistakable raspberries on thetongue. Shiny acidity makes it refreshing for asummer’s day or a sorbetlike palate cleanserduring a multi-course dinner.

Dessert wineTimberRock Winery2005 Chenin Blanc ice wineWashington, 90 cases, $35

Excellent. Idaho winemaker Kevin Rogers turnedtasty marbles from Stone Ridge on the RoyalSlope into a delicious dessert. Mouth-wateringaromas of honey, maple syrup and spicy botrytis

guide you to lush flavors of fresh apricots andpoached pears, a midpalate of Karo syrup and fil-berts and a spike of lime acidity on the back end.

Icicle Ridge Winery2006 Judy’s Vineyard Pinot Noir Ice WineWashington, 25 cases, $65

Recommended. Many may wonder how you man-age to grow Pinot Noir in the WenatcheeValley. Then, there’s the issue of ice wine.Well, Don Wood has pulled it off for twostraight vintages, cropping at 3 tons per acre.Dried apricots, hazelnuts, apples and hore-hound describe many of the entry points to thisunusual pursuit of Pinot. A decent dose of acid-ity and balanced alcohol add to the pleas-antries of this release.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2005 Late Harvest Chenin BlancHorse Heaven Hills, 1,150 cases, $29

Excellent. Often overlooked and usually unappre-ciated, a release and style such as this canhelp inspire more models of this Vouvray.Mouth-watering are the candied fruit aromas,heavy with pineapple and mango and can-taloupe, which include hints of Muscat, honey-dew and lemongrass. The borderline syrupentry mimics the aromas dead-on to produce a“wow!” It’s spicy because part of the crop wasbotrytis affected, yet not overly sweet though,despite its 16.0% residual sugar, making it agood cocktail wine because of its mouth-puck-ering acidity. Try it drizzled over sliced papayaor allow it to age for a decade or so.

Girardet Wine Cellars2005 Frostbite Gewürztraminer Southern Oregon, 150 cases, $20

Outstanding! The Girardets like to call this “candyin a bottle,” but it’s so complex and true to thegrape. There’s a nose full of lychee, grapefruit,honey, apples and candied violets. Next is awonderful blend of sweetness and variety com-ing together with dried pineapple, GoldenDelicious apple, caramel, dried figs dipped inhoney and a vanilla note. There’s great weightand balance along with 15% residual sugar.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2005 Ethos Late Harvest White RieslingColumbia Valley, 950 cases, $39

Recommended. At what point do these grapes,taken early November in the Horse HeavenVineyard, become the rarefied Single BerrySelect? The telltale signs of botrytis with butter-scotch, honey, glacéed apricots and spice saythis wasn’t far off at 22% residual sugar.Pineapple, mandarin orange, lemon zest acidityand Sprite-like flavors make this a natural toenjoy with a plate of dried fruits, toasted nutsand assertive cheeses.

Abacela Vineyards & Winery2004 PortSouthern Oregon, 192 cases, $25

Excellent. With a more traditional approach thanmost in Northwest, Abacela produces a Port-style nightcap using co-fermented estateBastardo and Tinta Roriz. And there’s no mistak-ing it. Blueberries, cherry cola and vanilla with acough-syrup consistency, it’s rich yet lighter bod-






ied than many. Balance is achieved as the alco-hol (19%) does not overpower the dense fruit oracidity. Kiley Evans predicts a life of 5-8 years.

Carpenter Creek2004 Cabernet Franc PortWashington, 330 cases, $24

Outstanding! Dangerously good, this dessert winefrom Mount Vernon, Wash., should come with awarning on the label because there’s virtuallyno hint of alcohol (18%). Strawberry SweeTartsand cherry vanilla in the nose lead into fresh

strawberries, pomegranates, Cherries Jubileeand a finish of fresh cherry pie. It’s so quaffablethat “Fang” could easily enjoy enough to makePhyllis Diller look mighty good.

Barnard Griffin Winery2005 Syrah PortColumbia Valley, 993 cases, $17

Excellent. Think of blackberries and flash-frozenblueberries and you begin to describe this deepand dark luscious treat. The opulent fruit andalcohol are balanced with a bit of nuttiness in the

background. Enjoy with rich chocolate dessert.

Namaste Vineyards2004 Serenity Vineyard White PortWillamette Valley, 105 cases, $28

Recommended. Reserve Chardonnay off 24-year-old vines was aged 18 months, then infusedwith brandy from Oregon-based Clear CreekDistillery. Spice pear, citrus and sugar canenotes (2% residual sugar) drift out from behindthe brandy. Try with a fresh-cut pineapple andblue cheese.

Best Buys: White winesOutstanding, Excellent or Recommended wines that retail at $10 ($12 Canadian) and under.

Arbor Crest Wine Cellars2005 Bacchus Vineyard Sauvignon BlancColumbia Valley, 3,800 cases, $10

Recommended. The Mielke family’s association with this variety and thisvineyard overlooking the Columbia River dates to 1982. Crisp apples,orange, grapefruit and licorice aromas are joined by tamarind soda onsteely palate. Try with phad Thai food or a spread of goat cheese.

Barnard Griffin Winery2006 White RieslingColumbia Valley, 2,706 cases, $8

Outstanding! Tulips, spring and Riesling make for a pleasing experience.This edition from the Richland, Wash., wizard conjures up hints of can-taloupe, Hermiston watermelon and white grapefruit. Inside are tropicalfruit flavors and a creamy lemon meringue midpalate with mouth-watering balance.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2006 GewürztraminerColumbia Valley, 87,000 cases, $10

Outstanding! Fans of Asian food might like to Thai this wine on for size.A gorgeous mineral note on the aromas include citrus, lychee — evi-dence of Bob Bertheau’s mania for Muscat Canelli (9%) — and AppleCrisp. Then it’s a nice minerally entry, followed by clean flavors ofpears and huge citrus acidity that lift up without separating the harmo-ny created by the sweet fruit (1.7% residual sugar). Lemon zest bitter-ness merely adds complexity to a divine finish. It’s a perfect white winefor summer.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2006 RieslingColumbia Valley, 554,000 cases, $10

Outstanding! No one in the world makes more Riesling than BobBertheau, and this might be unparalleled for quality and value. Breathein sensations of spiced pear, Honeycrisp apple, honeydew melon andlemon/lime. It’s even more expressive on the palate with a rich andbright entry of peaches, apricots, Granny Smith apples, and starfruit.Creamy lemon-curd acidity provides terrific length. Fortunately, a bottleof this shouldn’t be difficult to find. Enjoy with chicken, cheeses or on achaise lounge.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2006 Dry RieslingColumbia Valley, 25,000 cases, $10

Excellent. For 15 years, this dry version was produced primarily forNorthwest consumption. Now, it’s going national as consumers andrestaurants have been heard. Bob Bertheau seemingly squeezedgrapefruit into this “Trochen” style with pears and apples in the mix. Aburst of lime acidity makes this quite a fun wine, and it also conjures upthoughts of pairing it to a hot plate of Tex-Mex chicken with a fruit salsa.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2005 Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Horse Heaven Hills, 10,000 cases, $10

Outstanding! Looking for a great food wine? Mouth-watering tropicalnotes of pineapples and bananas with nice minerality set the table formore pineapple on the tongue with lime and mineral notes. Threemonths of sur lie aging adds some mid-palate richness, but terrificacidity carries well beyond that. Try with Indian-spiced chicken,steamed mussels, grilled halibut or a salad influenced by goat cheese.

Chateau Ste. Michelle2005 SemillonColumbia Valley, 6,000 cases, $9

Outstanding! This variety isn’t the easy sell in the market place, buthere’s a deliciously inexpensive offering for even those less intrepid.Tropical fruit, citrus, pears, white pepper and delicate oak aromas carrythrough in flavors of pear and the peel with canned pineapple andsome of the syrup. It’s extremely well-balanced, aided by the additionof refreshing Sauvignon Blanc (22%). Head winemaker Bob Bertheausuggests trying it with Chinese food that’s “not too spicy.”

Columbia Crest Winery2005 Two Vines Sauvignon BlancColumbia Valley, 17,000 cases, $8

Excellent. Chefs, particularly those who favor seafood, rave about SauvBlanc’s acidity. Here’s an example and a bargain, starting with aromasof mineral, grapefruit, peaches and cream with cloves, and white pep-per. Tremendous acidity hits the tongue along more peaches, somegreen apple Jolly Rancher candy and lime tartness. Grill up some hal-ibut.

Hyatt Vineyards2005 ChardonnayYakima Valley, 1,591 cases, $9

Recommended. Ambrosia salad aromas with pineapple and coconut,some vanilla and lemons carry right on through to the flavors with aslice of caramel Granny Smith apple. That tart apple and heft oflemon/lime acidity make this a nice, crisp Chardonnay.

Lone Canary2006 Sauvignon BlancColumbia Valley, 2,836 cases, $10

Recommended. Remarkably, a downtown Spokane winery has becomeone of the Northwest’s leading Sauv Blanc producers, supplied by tworespected vineyard operations in Milbrandt (Northridge) and WillardFamily. Tropical fruit, apple wood and the tell-tale signal of “tom cat”aromas turn to tastes of ripe peach and pear. Brisk acidity, anotherhallmark of the variety, includes a finish of lemongrass.



northwest winners COMPET IT IONS

Northwest wines fare well in regional, national, international judgingsWine Press Northwest tracks medal winners

from more than 30 competitions worldwide. Hereare some of the highlights of recent competitions.Complete Northwest results are online atwww.winepressnw.com.

Northwest Wine SummitThis spring, Jeff Martin’s winemaking prowess

rolled up superlatives with the speed and momen-tum of an avalanche.

The Australian vintner/owner of La FrenzEstate Winery in Penticton, British Columbia, sawhis 2005 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, earn Best ofShow and Best Red at the Northwest WineSummit.

The Northwest Wine Summit, held each springat Timberline Lodge on Oregon’s Mount Hood, isthe largest judging of Northwest wine.

Best of Show: La Frenz Estate Winery 2005,Merlot, Okanagan Valley

Best Red: La Frenz Estate Winery, 2005Merlot, Okanagan Valley

Best White: LaVelle Vineyards, 2006 Riesling,Willamette Valley

Best Rosé: Township 7 Vineyards & Winery2006 Rosé, Okanagan Valley

Best Sparkling: Domaine Ste. Michelle, NVCuvee Brut, Columbia Valley

Best Fortified: La Frenz Estate Winery, NVTawny, Okanagan Valley

Best Ice Wine: Covey Run Winery, 2005Reserve Semillon Ice Wine, Yakima Valley

Best Dessert: Dalla Vina Wines, 2005 AmoreLate Harvest Semillon, Columbia Valley

Best Non Grape: Hawks View Winery, NV WildBlackberry Wine, Oregon

Best British Columbia: Jackson-TriggsOkanagan Estate, 2003 Proprietors' ReserveShiraz Okanagan Valley

Best Idaho: Koenig Vineyards 2004Cabernet/Syrah, Idaho

Best Oregon: LaVelle Vineyards, 2006 Riesling,Willamette Valley

Best Montana: Trapper Creek Winery, 2005Dark Mead, Montana

Best Washington: E. B. Foote Winery 2004Perfect à Trois, Columbia Valley

Riverside International Wine CompetitionThe Riverside (Calif.) International Wine

Competition, conducted by Wine PressNorthwest columnist Dan Berger, handed outcategory sweepstakes to several Northwestwineries.

Barnard Griffin’s 2006 Rosé of Sangiovese,Columbia Valley ($11) topped the rosé class.Spangler Vineyards’ 2005 Sundown VineyardCabernet Franc from Southern Oregon ($24) —the 2004 vintage earned a Platinum from WinePress Northwest last year — received aChairman’s Award for its double gold in its class.And Ste. Chapelle in Idaho also picked up a dou-ble gold for its 2005 Winemaker’s CollectionMerlot, Idaho ($9).

As for multiple gold winners, Barnard Griffinled the Northwest contingent with three total,including its 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, ColumbiaValley ($17); and 2006 Semillon, Columbia Valley,($14).

Maryhill Winery in Goldendale, Wash., learnedof two golds, too — 2004 Proprietor’s ReserveCabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley ($35); and

Maryhill Winery 2004 Merlot, Columbia Valley($18).

Four Ste. Michelle Wine Estates propertieseach scored one gold: Chateau Ste. Michelle2005 Indian Wells Chardonnay, Columbia Valley,($17); Columbia Crest 2004 Grand EstatesMerlot, Columbia Valley ($11); Domaine Ste.Michelle NV Blanc de Noirs, Columbia Valley,($13); and the Northstar 2003 Merlot, WallaWalla Valley ($54).

Monterey Wine CompetitionBarnard Griffin garnered the only Northwest

superlative at the Monterey Wine Competition, aninternational competition in King City, Calif. Again,it was for the 2006 Rosé of Sangiovese. It was tobe judged the only Northwest gold-medal worthywine there.

International Eastern Wine CompetitionThis 31-year-old competition in Watkins Glen,

N.Y., operated by Vineyard & Winery Managementmagazine, brought a smile to faces at SweetCheeks Winery. The Eugene, Ore., winery went tothe East Coast and its 2006 Dry Riesling ($20)from the Willamette Valley returned as Best WhiteWine.

It qualified after winning the Best Dry Rieslingcategory, edging fellow double gold winnerChateau Ste. Michelle’s 2006 Dry Riesling,Columbia Valley ($12).

Maryhill Winery in Goldendale, Wash., madequite a haul with four golds: 2004 Proprietor’sReserve Merlot, Columbia Valley ($30); 2004Merlot, Columbia Valley ($18); 2004 Sangiovese,Columbia Valley ($26); and 2004 Syrah, ColumbiaValley ($26).

Chateau Ste. Michelle also won a gold for the2004 Orphelin Red Wine, Columbia Valley ($30).Sister property Domaine Ste. Michelle saw goldwith its NV Blanc de Noirs, Columbia Valley ($13).

West Coast Wine CompetitionFour Northwest wines gathered best of class

medals at the West Coast Wine Competition,which is conducted in Santa Rosa, Calif., byVineyard & Winery Management magazine.

The wines were Mission Hill Family Estate2005 S.L.C. Riesling Ice Wine, Okanagan Valley($80 CDN); Cougar Crest Winery NV DedicationOne, Columbia Valley ($20); Gordon BrothersFamily Vineyards 2005 Kamiak Red, ColumbiaValley ($13) and Sweet Cheeks Winery 2006Riesling, Willamette Valley ($12).

Sweet Cheeks went back for thrice more withthe 2006 Dry Riesling, Willamette Valley ($20);the 2006 Estate Riesling, Willamette Valley ($12);and the 2006 Estate Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley($15).

Mission Hill also snapped up a gold medal withits 2005 Five Vineyards Riesling Icewine,Okanagan Valley ($20). Three Rivers won twogolds with the 2004 Meritage Red, ColumbiaValley ($40); and the 2005 Meritage White,Columbia Valley ($19).

Dallas Morning News Wine CompetitionThe Dallas (Texas) Morning News Wine

Competition is staged by Seattle residentRebecca Murphy, who founded the event morethan 20 years ago. She has built it into one ofthe largest judgings in North American.

Two Northwest wineries racked up multiplegold medals.

Snake River Winery won both its 2005 ArenaValley Vineyard Syrah, Idaho ($25) and ArenaValley Vineyard Barbera, Idaho ($18). ThurstonWolfe in Prosser, Wash., also was sent golds forits 2005 Lemberger, Horse Heaven Hills ($15)and 2004 Destiny Ridge Vineyard CabernetSauvignon, Washington ($25).

Pacific Rim International Wine CompetitionThe Pacific Rim International Wine Competition

is held each spring in San Bernardino, Calif., andis part of the National Orange Show.

The award for Best Dessert Wine went toGirardet Wine Cellars’ 2005 FrostbiteGewürztraminer, Umpqua Valley in Roseburg, Ore.See Wine Press Northwest’s review of this wineon page 107 of the Recent Releases.

Best-of-class awards went to the following: Covey Run, 2005 Chardonnay Winemaker’s

Collection, Columbia Valley ($13)Eaton Hill Winery, 2003 Konnowac Vineyard

Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley ($32)Hester Creek Estate Winery, 2006 Pinot Blanc,

Okanagan Valley ($15)Oak Knoll Winery, NV American, Niagara ($7)Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, 2006 Private

Reserve Gewürztraminer, Okanagan Valley($13)

Two additional golds went to Sumac Ridge forits 2004 Black Sage Vineyard Meritage Red Wine,Okanagan Valley ($24 CDN) and 2005 WhiteMeritage, Okanagan Valley ($18 CDN).

Finger Lakes International Wine CompetitionThe Finger Lakes International Wine

Competition, staged in Rochester, N.Y., awardedthe honor of Best Riesling to Chateau Ste.Michelle’s 2005 Ethos Reserve Late HarvestRiesling, Horse Heaven Hills. See Wine PressNorthwest’s review of this wine on page 107 ofthe Recent Releases.

Terra Blanca Winery picked up multiple golds,winning for its 2002 Syrah, Red Mountain, and2005 Viognier, Yakima Valley ($15).

Among those to have won golds, there wasBarnard Griffin for its 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon,Columbia Valley ($17) and Barrister Winery, 2003Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley ($25) andMaryhill Winery, 2004 Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley ($20).

Grand Harvest AwardsThree Northwest releases were voted to dou-

ble gold by panels at the Grand Harvest Awards,another international competition conducted byVineyard & Winery Management in Santa Rosa,Calif.

Coeur d’Alene Cellars in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho,won double gold for its 2003 Syrah, Washington($28). Maryhill Winery saw its 2004 Proprietor’sReserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley($30) also go GG. A panel found Winter’s Hill2004 Pinot Blanc, Dundee Hills ($24) also to beworthy of double gold.

Northwest wineries winning more than onegold included Maryhill Winery, which capturedfour total, counting its 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon,Columbia Valley ($30), 2004 Proprietor’s ReserveMerlot, Columbia Valley ($30), and 2005Winemaker’s Blend, Columbia Valley ($12); andGolden Mile Cellars Estate Winery in Oliver, B.C.for its 2005 Zinfandel, Okanagan Valley ($33CDN) and 2005 Black Arts Chardonnay,Okanagan Valley ($35 CDN).



Many years ago, Walla Walla Vintners’ Myles Andersonand Gordy Venneri chose the typically unheraldedCabernet Franc as their star.

That unusual yet intelligent choice was evident when WinePress Northwest’s tasting panel got to sample an 11-year ver-tical of this variety that usually takes a back seat to its morefamous Bordeaux brethren: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Traditionally, Cabernet Franc has been used in small quanti-ties to add additional character to Merlot and CabernetSauvignon. Yet when properly made, Cabernet Franc can be acharming red that is a bit lighter than Cabernet Sauvignonand a touch spicier than Merlot.

Few wineries in the Pacific Northwest can boast 11 vintagesof Cabernet Franc, and making the wine has paid off forAnderson and Venneri.

“We knew we had to make a heck of a good wine to keepup with the reputation of the Walla Walla Valley wineries andto do something that would bring attention to our winery,”said Venneri, a retired accountant.

They’ve found a delicious hook.Anderson, who recently retired as the director of enology

and viticulture at Walla Walla Community College, pointedout, “Many of our visitors come to our winery to try theCabernet Franc.

As a result, the Cabernet Franc ($25) often is the first ofWalla Walla Vintners’ wine to sell out, usually within twomonth.

Walla Walla Vintners makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,Sangiovese and a red blend. But Anderson and Venneri foundtheir niche with Cabernet Franc, even if it wasn’t their firstchoice.

“In 1997, there were not as many vineyards in EasternWashington as there are today, and we found we were shutout trying to acquire Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot fromour usual sources,” Venneri said. “However, they told us theyhad a lot of Cabernet Franc available.”

At first, they planned to make a blended red heavily influ-ence by Cabernet Franc but found the variety itself had agreat deal of appeal. The grapes were cheaper, too.

“There were a lot of issues with this variety to keep awayfrom vegetative flavors,” Anderson said. “We learned how togrow it and when was the most opportune time to pick it.”

This vertical tasting was special not only to Wine PressNorthwest but also to Walla Walla Vintners, as evidence bythis follow-up e-mail from Anderson.

“Thanks for suggesting the Cabernet Franc at Walla WallaVintners. It was great for us to taste and see how theseFrancs are doing in bottle. It is nice to learn that the corksare still holding up and the cellaring conditions are support-ing the longevity of these wines. I still taste the 1995. It isframed well and has enough acid to keep it alive with fruitand tobacco. It was great that you had us get these bottles

out and taste a decade of bottled Franc. It was a stunningexperience for me.”

It was a complete vertical. Anderson and Venneri did notreceive Cab Franc from the 1996 vintage because of the badwinter freeze. Here are my notes on the tasting:

1995, Yakima Valley: This old friend was surprising lively withherbal, brown sugar, oak and spice aromas, with flavors ofcranberries and cherries, held up with great acidity.

1997 Spring Valley Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley: This vineyard-designated is juicy and rich with beautiful tannins and nicechocolate-covered cherry flavors. The aromas have an herbalundertone, typical of the variety.

1998, Columbia/Walla Walla Valleys: Inviting aromas of oak andblack pepper that lead to smooth, chocolate-covered cherryflavors with ample raspberry characteristics.

1999, Walla Walla Valley: This began a trend of oak and herbalaromas. Huge marionberry flavors and a smooth finish.

2000, Walla Walla Valley: There’s big roasted coffee and oakaromas with dark berry flavors and a hint of citrus.

2001, Walla Walla Valley: Interesting eucalyptus and crèmebrûlée aromas lead to vanilla and bright berry flavors withgreat acidity and tannins.

2002, Columbia Valley: Blended with 16 percent CabernetSauvignon. Smoky oak aromas don’t stop the fruit from shin-ing through. Yummy cherry pie flavors with some spice andFrench vanilla add special emphasis.

2003, Walla Walla Valley: Big cherry cola aromas and flavorslaced with a rich chocolate milkshake mouth feel. Hints ofcinnamon and yams covered with brown sugar finish thiswine.

2004, Columbia Valley: Missouri and Hungarian oak barrelshelped this release receive a 90 rating from one internationalpublication. There are more crème brûlée characteristicswith blueberry, sweet chocolate and sturdy tannins.

2005, Columbia Valley, $25: This current release is lighter onoak with aromas of white pepper and dark fruit, followed bysmooth flavors of ripe raspberries and black cherries. It’svery balanced and can match up to fish, including poachedhalibut.

2006, Columbia Valley (barrel sample): You can see a trend ofusing fruit from the Wahluke Slope and Sagemoor Vineyards,as as Cabernet Franc seems to grow better in the warmerColumbia Valley appellation, Anderson said. There’s already atoasty beginning of roasted chestnuts, followed by smoothberry fruit flavors. Will be released in 2008.

BOB WOEHLER is Wine Press Northwest’s tasting editor. Hehas been writing about Northwest wine since 1976.

Fluent in Franc

BY BOB WOEHLER

COLUMN vintage musings

110 Vintage Musings 6/5/07 2:14 PM Page 110

111 Esquin ad 6/3/07 1:57 PM Page 111

112 U-Line 6/3/07 1:59 PM Page 112

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Wine Press Northwest Summer 2007