Three warm vintages result in very different wines

After a vintage in 2012 where heat accumulation was a near perfect match for 20-year historical averages in Washington, 2013 through 2015 saw three increasingly warm growing seasons. While it is tempting to characterize each of these years as simply producing ‘warm vintage wines,’ side-by-side tastings reveal significant differences.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for November 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

181 wines reviewed in the November issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Bodegas Valdemar, a fifth-generation family winery based in Spain, is in the process of building a facility in Washington. The winery, which will be called Valdemar Estates, is expected to open in spring of 2019.

“We decided to do this big step to Washington State, and we are really, really excited about it,” says Jesús Martínez-Bujanda Mora, who recently relocated to Washington with his wife and three-year-old daughter to focus on the project.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for October 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

280 wines reviewed in the October issue of Wine Enthusiast.

We’re at the six week mark of harvest!

Harvest began in Washington this year on August 17th, with a pick of Chardonnay for sparkling wine at Hilltop Vineyard in Yakima Valley. Most winemakers I’ve spoken with recently have reported they have brought in about 60% of their fruit and expect to continue harvesting for the next several weeks. Hillary Sjolund, consulting winemaker at Wine Boss in Richland, provided on Facebook the following summary of 2018, which I have combined with her summary from the same point at previous vintages:

With harvest in full swing around the state, contributing photographer Richard Duval is always on the road, looking to capture images of great wines in the making. Last week, he touched down in the Columbia Gorge hamlet of Lyle, home to Syncline Wine Cellars. As luck, the calendar, and the harvest gods would have it, he arrived on the day of Syncline’s harvest of its Nelson Vineyard Syrah.

The October issue of Seattle Metropolitan contains a listing I wrote of Washington's 30 most exciting wines of 2018. This list was culled from sampling over 1,000 wines. Long time readers should note that this list is a reimagining of the annual Top 100 list that I have written for the magazine since 2010.

“Muscadet makes a lovely hot-weather aperitif – ice cold, low alcohol, and insistently neutral, which I’ll admit does sound eerily similar to the selling points of Bud Light,” writes Paul Zitarelli in his debut book, 36 Bottles of Wine, which will be released later this month.

Many lovers of Northwest wine will no doubt recognize Zitarelli’s name and often humorous writing style from his Seattle-based, email-driven retail wine company, Full Pull Wines. Though Full Pull offers wines from around the world, Washington and Oregon are at its heart, with Zitarelli’s engaging writing and incisive palate making the engine go. Zitarelli also serves as wine columnist for Seattle Magazine.

All around the state, vineyards are showing the full display of harvest colors. At Clark County's Bethany Vineyard and Winery, contributing photographer Richard Duval captured this image of Golubok grapes, a Russian variety favored by owner/winemaker Walt Houser. Just weeks away from harvest, these grapes will eventually be used for blending in Bethany wines.

Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Harvest began today in Washington, with Treveri Cellars picking 25 tons of Chardonnay from Hilltop Vineyard in Yakima Valley. The fruit was picked at 18.1 Brix for sparkling wine. Treveri picked their first fruit in 2016 on this same date.

Let harvest begin!

Photo courtesy of Treveri Cellars.
Already picked your first fruit? Leave a comment on the date, variety, and vineyard.

Though not yet a common practice, camping in style in a vineyard - known as glamping - is on the rise in Washington. Contributing photographer Richard Duval spent a colorful day with glampers at Stillwater Creek Vineyard, just north of Royal City. Stillwater offers a striking vista from a tent happily ensconced by deep green vines.

Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for September 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

119 wines reviewed in the September issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Veraison, the changing of color of the grapes, has started in the Columbia Valley. The picture here is of Carménère at Weinbau Vineyard, a Sagemoor Vineyards property on the Wahluke Slope, from July 16^th.

On the same date, Quilceda Creek noted veraison beginning in Cabernet Sauvignon at their Lake Wallula Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. Ryan Driver, vineyard manager at Tertulia Cellars, also noted veraison starting in Tempranillo at Rivière Galets Vineyard in Walla Walla Valley.

Harvest approaches!

Picture courtesy of Sagemoor Vineyards.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for August 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

81 wines reviewed in the August issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for July 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

132 wines reviewed in the July issue of Wine Enthusiast. Avennia has (deservedly) gotten a lot of attention for its Bordeaux-style wines. However, the winery's Rhone-style offerings are also not to be missed (Avennia 2015 Justine Columbia Valley $38, 92 points).

The 2018 Washington State Wine Tour Guide was released earlier this year. The guide contains two articles from yours truly, one called "Pushing Boundaries" on the state's wine industry and a second on Walla Walla Valley.

An electronic version of the guide is accessible here. You can request a hard copy here.

Enjoy!

The following article was published on-line at Wine Enthusiast on June 12, 2018.

The majority of the wines you drink are blends, but why do winemakers blend and what does each variety bring to the final wine? Washington State winemakers tell us their tricks.

“I love blending,” says Ben Smith co-owner Cadence Winery. “It’s one of the two times a year—along with harvest—I actually feel like I’m making wine.”

Almost all wines are blends of some sort. Some might be a blend of different barrels, vineyards or blocks of a single variety. Others might be a blend of different appellations or varieties.

Read the full article here.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for June 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews on-line at Wine Enthusiast here.

102 wines reviewed in the June issue of Wine Enthusiast. Of note, Gorman Winery assistant winemaker Ben Paplow has his first release from Paplow Cellars (Paplow 2014 Boushey Vineyard GSM Yakima Valley $30, 91 points).

The following article was published in the June issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine.

Despite Washington State’s relative youth as a wine-producing region, a number of its wineries have decades of history. Many of them not only helped put Washington on the wine map, but set a high bar for quality.

Below are my Wine Enthusiast reviews for May 2018. Wines are listed alphabetically by winery. Read additional information on how I review wines here. All of these reviews are freely available on-line at the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. There is also a freely available Wine Enthusiast Tasting Guide app. See previous Wine Enthusiast reviews re-published in this space here. Search Wine Enthusiast's on-line database here. Read instructions on how to find Washington wine reviews at Wine Enthusiast here.

128 wines reviewed in the May issue of Wine Enthusiast. Headlining the group is a new project – MTR Productions – from Matt and Lauren Reynvaan of Reynvaan Family Vineyards. The wine is a 2012 Syrah aged 24 months in barrel and 36 months in bottle prior to release. It’s a stunner with an insanely long finish (MTR Productions 2012 Memory Found Syrah Walla Walla Valley $85, 94 points).

Spring is in full gear throughout the vineyards of Washington. Contributing photographer Richard Duval recently traversed the state looking for iconic vineyard views.

"Wenatchee's rich landscape is dotted with orchards and vineyards," he noted. "When the light is just right, I like to capture the vines of Martin-Scott Winery, with its stunning view of the Columbia River rolling through the Wenatchee Valley."

Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Bloom has begun in eastern Washington. Sagemoor Vineyards reports bloom occurring in their Chardonnay at Weinbau Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope and at Sagemoor Vineyard in the Columbia Valley's to-be-approved White Bluffs appellation.

With spring comes an increase in vineyard work, as vines are being shaped for the growing season. Such activity sends contributing photographer Richard Duval on the road to capture the hard work that goes into each bottle.

On a recent trip to Walla Walla Valley, Duval found Tim Armstrong of Armstrong Family Winery pruning their newly acquired vineyard. “Re-vitalizing this vineyard is part of their long-term plan to expand the property and build their winery,” noted Duval. "But for now, the vineyard calls.”

The 2018 growing season has officially begun, with Tertulia Cellars vineyard manager Ryan Driver reporting bud break in Syrah at Elevation Vineyard in Walla Walla Valley.

Consistently the larger Columbia Valley's earliest site in recent years, bud break took place at Elevation on April 12th last year and April 1st in 2016.

Here's to a great 2018 growing season!

If we go back to the beginning of Washington’s modern day wine industry, the state was believed to be too cool to successfully grow many red grape varieties. Indeed, it is for this reason, that cooler climate offerings like Riesling became so prominent in the state. However, with Washington now producing an abundance of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and numerous other red varieties, it’s clear the state is very much capable of growing top quality red wine grapes.