Sean P. Sullivan - Washington Wine Report Note: Site has moved to www.northwestwinereport.com

This month in a nod to Washington’s non-existent spring, we take a look at five Chardonnay under fifteen dollars (Note: Summer is scheduled to begin July 5^th).

Chardonnay was, somewhat surprisingly, Washington’s most produced grape in 2009, edging out Riesling. I say surprising because I generally find a lot Washington Chardonnay to be somewhat non-descript. Not bad but not particularly interesting or unique. Surely, there are some excellent bottles out there from wineries such as Forgeron Cellars, Woodward Canyon, Abeja, and Buty to name a few. However, there are many wines that neither seem particularly distinct or distinctly Washington.

Chardonnay, like many white wines, is reasonably unforgiving. It is not particularly aromatic. Leave out the oak and it can come off as somewhat sharp and lean. Put too much oak on and it is easily clobbered. Walk the fine line and it can be delicious. The wines sampled here are at various points along that spectrum.

Dusted Valley Vintners is a Walla Walla Valley producer. Boomtown is the winery’s entry level label, which consistently provides high quality and value (see review of Cabernet Sauvignon here). The 2008 Boomtown Chardonnay is a well-made crowd pleaser and was my favorite of this group. Dusted Valley was one of several wineries featured in a recent post on alternative closures.

Columbia Crest makes wines across a variety of price points from the value-focused Two Vines to the Grand Estates series, H3 series (named after the Horse Heaven Hills), and their reserve wines. Columbia Crest’s wines consistently outperform their price point, as perhaps best indicated by Wine Spectator naming the winery’s 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as their ‘Wine of the Year’ in 2009. I found the H3 wine sampled here to be a very enjoyable Chardonnay. The Grand Estates wine swung the balance on the oak a bit too far.

Snoqualmie was founded in 1984. The winery, located in Prosser, is a Ste. Michelle Wine Estates holding. The winery’s ‘Naked’ series is made from organically grown grapes. Joy Andersen serves as winemaker, a position she has held for the last nineteen years. While the 2008 Naked Chardonnay is labeled Columbia Valley, fruit comes from vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills. I found this wine to be enjoyable, but a bit unusual for a Chardonnay, showing a lot more fruit flavors than most show.

The Snipes Gap Vineyards ‘Seeing White’ Chardonnay is an offering from the Cartel Wine Group. The group was founded by Josh Klakring and Jason Baldwin in 2009 with the goal to ‘under-price and over-deliver’ on value-priced wines. Klakring and Baldwin buy juice leftover after wineries have completed blending and blend the wines to create non-vintage offerings. Cartel also offers the ‘Seeing Red’ Cabernet Sauvignon and ‘The Surveyor’ Red Wine.


Dusted Valley Vintners Boomtown Chardonnay Columbia Valley 2008 $14
Rating: + (Good) A reasonably quiet but pleasing nose with apples, mineral, and spice. Palate on this wine is straight down the fairway showing beautiful fruit and balance for a wine at this price point. 100% Chardonnay. 13.7% alcohol. Recommended

Columbia Crest H3 Chardonnay Horse Heaven Hills 2008 $15
Rating: + (Good) Initially quite quiet on the nose. As it opens up, shows grass, mineral, an buttery notes. A pleasing, straightforward palate on an enjoyable, varietally correct wine. 100% Chardonnay. 70% aged in American and French oak (40% new) and 30% aged in stainless steel. 13.5% alcohol.

Snoqualmie Naked Chardonnay Columbia Valley 2008 $12
Rating: ./+ (Decent/Good) Pale lemon yellow. Very quiet on the nose. Over time it opens up to reveal melon and light spices. Taste is round and full with tinges of lemon and mineral. An enjoyable wine that shows a lot more fruit than many Chardonnay. 100% organically grown Chardonnay. 13.5% alcohol.

Snipes Gap Vineyards Seeing White Chardonnay Columbia Valley NV $10
Rating: . (Decent) A subtle, restrained nose with lemon and lime aromas along with light floral notes. Palate has lots of lemon flavors along with green apple. Comes off as a bit sour at times but, overall, very enjoyable for the price point. Chardonnay with small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. 13.6% alcohol.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay Columbia Valley 2008 $13
Rating: . (Decent) Nose is marked by abundant buttery aromas along with grass. Taste comes off as a bit overloaded with oak flavors. 70% aged in new and used French and American oak; 30% aged in stainless steel. 13.5% alcohol.

How does an Oregon-based winery end up making four Washington Zinfandels including three vineyard-designated wines? This is how.

Ed and Laureen Fus moved their family to Oregon in 1997 to pursue their dream of establishing a small vineyard. In 2001 they began planting Three Angels Vineyard in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills. The vineyard was named after a term of endearment used by Ed’s father to refer to Laureen and the couple’s two daughters. Ed says, “When (my father) would call on the phone, he’d always ask how his Three Angels were doing.”

At Three Angels Vineyard, the Fuses planted Pinot Noir, selling fruit to Dobbes Family Estate and Domaine Coteau. After several years of assisting wineries that purchased his fruit, Fus became interested in making his own wine. He decided to focus on Zinfandel, his wife’s favorite wine. The couple had originally hoped to plant Zinfandel at Three Angels Vineyard. After deciding it wasn’t practical to grow in the Willamette Valley, the Fuses turned their attention to Washington.

In terms of finding fruit sources, Fus says the vineyards he chose were as much a practical matter as anything else, saying, “There are too few to choose from. For whatever reason, Zinfandel has been virtually ignored by Washington growers.” Indeed, Zinfandel is, comparatively, a rather rare beast in Washington State. It is even more rare for a winery to make multiple single vineyard Zinfandels in the state.

Fus made his first Zinfandel in 2006, trading Pinot Noir fruit from Three Angels Vineyard for the custom crush fees. In 2007, he made his first commercial vintage for Three Angels. Unfortunately, a trademark dispute forced a name change to Angel Vine starting with the 2008 vintage.

For their 2008 Zinfandels, Angel Vine sourced fruit from Les Collines, Avery, and Stone Tree vineyards – each located in a different American Viticultural Area (AVA). Les Collines Vineyard is located in the Walla Walla Valley AVA. The vineyard, which is nestled up against the Blue Mountains, is best known for producing exceptional Syrah grapes. Avery Vineyard is located in the Columbia Valley AVA, a short distance from Maryhill Winery. With south-facing slopes, the grapes receive full exposure to the sun, and the nearby Columbia River moderates temperatures. Stone Tree Vineyard is located in the Wahluke Slope and is the hottest of the three sites.

Although producing Zinfandel from Washington may seem at odds with producing Pinot Noir from Oregon, Fus says, “ I feel Zinfandel is as transparent as Pinot Noir in demonstrating the characteristics of the site where it is grown.” To highlight these differences in site, Angel Vine produces three single vineyard Zinfandels, as well as a non-vineyard designate blend from the three vineyards. The winery also makes varietal bottlings of Primitivo and Pinot Noir, the latter from their estate vineyard.

The four Zinfandels sampled here are far from the big, bold, spicy wines California popularized. Rather, all of the Angel Vine wines are reasonably light on their feet and display abundant red fruit aromas and flavors. They are also each distinct from each other with the Les Collines showing more blue fruit, the Avery Vineyard wine a distinct herbal tone, and the Stone Tree a bolder aroma profile. At times the wines want a bit more structure and have some missing pieces. The Columbia Valley Zinfandel is the most complete of the set (this wine also contains 18% Primitivo and 6% Petite Sirah) with the Les Collines perhaps the most intriguing.

Angel Vine also sourced Zinfandel from Coyote Canyon in 2008 and received fruit from Alder Ridge in the 2009 vintage. Fus says other vineyard-designated Zinfandels may be considered in the future.

Angel Vine produces 1,500 cases annually.

Angel Vine Zinfandel Columbia Valley 2008 $20
Rating: + (Good) Nose is marked by the funky, earthy aromas of the Stone Tree Vineyard wine along with blue and red berries, pepper, and a touch of chocolate. Tart and a bit more full on the palate than the other offerings. The most complete overall. 76% Zinfandel, 18% Primitivo, and 6% Petite Sirah. Les Collines, Avery, Coyote Canyon, and Stone Tree vineyards. Aged in French and Hungarian oak (10% new). 14.8% alcohol.

Angel Vine Zinfandel Les Collines Vineyard Walla Walla Valley 2008 $22
Rating: + (Good) A moderately aromatic nose with fresh raspberries, blueberries, and tart red fruit. A bit more full on the palate with light red fruit and a zing of acidity. Comes up a bit short on the finish. Pairs well with food but doesn’t quite stand up on its own. Aged in French and Hungarian oak (25% new). 14.0% alcohol. 420 cases produced.

Angel Vine Zinfandel Avery Vineyard Columbia Valley 2008 $20
Rating: . (Decent) Fairly restrained on the nose with raspberries, currant, pepper, and tomato leaf. Tart and acidic on with crisp red fruit flavors and herbal notes. A bit lean on the back end. 14.4% alcohol. Aged in French and Hungarian oak. 100 cases produced.

Angel Vine Zinfandel Stonetree Vineyard Columbia Valley 2008 $20
Rating: . (Decent) Nose is considerably more aromatic than the other wines with earth, berry, herbal notes, and pepper. A bit of a stinky aroma to it (in a good way). Taste is straightforward and pleasing but wants a little uplift in the mid-palate. Aged in French and Hungarian oak. 15.2% alcohol. 75 cases produced.


Samples provided by winery.

Our May Virtual Tasting is tonight! The wine is the 2006 Kiona Lemberger. This wine retails for $12 and is widely available. The tasting will take place from 7-8pm Pacific Time.

What you need to do to participate is:

1. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery. For those in the Seattle area, 6th Avenue Wine Seller is offering a 10% discount on a bottle of the Lemberger for the event. Stop in and ask for the discount.

2. Post your comments/tweets on the wine that night between 7 and 8pm. For those on Twitter, follow me @wawinereport. I will be using the hashtag #kiona during the event.

Look for updates to the blog and comments and tweets from virtual tasters starting at 7pm.

Final Update: Lots of good discussion on Twitter and the comments here regarding this wine tonight. Check out #kiona for the Twitter feed. On Twitter, thanks to @nancyfeasts @ankerhauspub @wino4ever @yakyakwine @lindyirving @KionaWine @Sturat @WriteforWine @nectarwine @rperro @6thAveWine @Binkertje @enobytes and @Wine_Traveler for traveling in!

Reminder that May's Virtual Tasting takes place on Thursday May 27th. The wine is the 2006 Kiona Lemberger. Read more about it here.

On a recent climbing trip, I tried out the PlatyPreserve Wine Preservation System which a reader recently inquired about. Platypus is the brand name for a series of hydration systems made by Cascade Designs, a Seattle-based, outdoor gear company. With the PlatyPreserve, Cascade Designs makes a variation on its popular hydration system by making the soft plastic bag semi-opaque and adding milliliter markings along the side. The bag has a small spout on the top for filling, pouring, and cleaning.

The intent of the device, as the name would suggest, is to assist with the preservation of wine. This is done by adding wine to the bag and removing oxygen. An alternate and obvious use is to carry wine in to the backcountry or other places where having a glass bottle is not practical.

There are a variety of wine preservation systems out there, many of which work by minimizing wine’s exposure to oxygen. These include using vacuum pumps to remove oxygen and adding inert gas to displace oxygen. The PlatyPreserve system, on the other hand, works by simply pushing any remaining air out of the bag and sealing the bag.

As a preservation system, the PlatyPreserve is somewhat mixed. While the PlatyPreserve says it works by “completely eliminating the presence of oxygen,” this is, in fact, quite difficult to do. If a full 750ml bottle of wine is added, the only way oxygen can be removed is by tilting the bag to the side and adding the cap – not particularly difficult. However, if smaller amounts of wine are added to the bag, the only way to remove the air is to push the air up through the spout and then add the cap. This is, at best, a bit awkward as the spout is on the top corner of the device. The bag must ideally be tilted while pushing the sides together to remove oxygen and then the cap must be added. Three hands would be helpful here. Additionally, there is the possibility of squirting wine in all directions if one follows Step 3 of the instructional pictures and pushes on both sides of the bag to remove oxygen. I think they were intending to show air in the picture but one can imagine otherwise.

People familiar with another Cascade Designs product, the Therm-a-Rest, might wonder why the PlatyPreserve doesn’t have a similar type of valve to the Therm-a-Rest which allows for the removal of air when deflating the sleeping pad. For the PlatyPreserve, Cascade Designs would ideally make a valve that would allow oxygen to be pushed out without letting wine escape. This would be somewhat more expensive to produce. However, it would make the PlatyPreserve considerably more useful as a preservation system.

No matter. While the PlatyPreserve is billed as a preservation system, its more logical to use it to carry wine in to far away places. In this, the PlatyPreserve does extremely well. It is lightweight, packs well, and pours easily. The plastic does not appear to impart any taste to the wine. Paired here with a govino glass, the system provided a perfect way to while away the hours while the snow fell on our climbing route. Ultra-light folks can ditch the glass.

In terms of cleaning, the PlatyPreserve is supposed to be rinsed with water and turned upside down to drip dry. Given that the only way to access the inside of the bag for cleaning is through the small nozzle on the top, if the bag truly became dirty, a dedicated cleaning device would be required, much like the Platypus.

Overall, the PlatyPreserve is moderately useful for those looking for a preservation system. While I did not do a side-by-side comparison to other preservation systems, the ease of use in removing all oxygen limits its utility. For those looking for a way to bring wine somewhere while leaving the bottle at home, look no further.

The PlatyPreserve retails for $9.95.

Reminder that May's Virtual Tasting takes place on Thursday May 27th. The wine is the 2006 Kiona Lemberger. Read more about it here.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from May 15th to 21st.


From around the country…

The Anchorage Daily News makes Hedges 2008 CMS White their wine of the week.

The Wall Street Journal (blog) writes about Kyle MacLachlan.

The Boise Weekly writes about Washington red blends.

Wine Spectator writes about Washington looking for more visitors.

The Memphis Daily News writes about Hogue's 2007 Red Table Wine.


From the blogosphere…

Paul Gregutt writes about aMaurice. He also writes about volcanoe wines and a Frescobaldi visit to Walla Walla.

Drink Nectar writes about the upcoming #WAWine event. Josh also looks at a couple value wines and writes about local coverage of HR5034.

Woodinville Wine Update writes about winners of the WBC-or-Bust competition. Shona also writes about the Iron Vintner Challenge.

Wine Predator writes about a whirlwind wine trip.

The Terroirists write about the 2006 Browne Family Cabernet. They also do a video post on Viognier.

Wine Library TV writes about #WAWine and offers up some wines for sale for the event.

Yak Yak Wine writes about Rattlesnake Hills. He also offers WBC attendees a chance to make a deal.

Through the Walla Walla Grapevine writes about Wine Press Northwest’s Insider’s Guide to Walla Walla. Catie also writes about the upcoming WAWine event.

AvalonWine.com writes about Abeja.

The Oregon Wine Blog writes about King’s Estate. They also write about the upcoming Washington wine event - #WAwine.

Hollywood Hills Vineyards writes about Spotted Winged Drosophila.

WAWineman writes about Challenger Ridge Tempranillo. He also writes about the 2006 Arbor Crest Chardonnay, Hollywood Hills Vineyards 2009 Estate Chardonnay, and Columbia Crest 2006 Zinfandel.

Wine Peeps writes about a Washington Syrah dinner. They also write about the Columbia Winery Syrah.

Write for Wine writes about #WAWine and the Seattle Wine Awards.

Wine and Beer of Washington State gives a Seattle Wine Awards preview.

Cork’d writes about the increase in wine sales in April.

AgInfo.net writes about Walla Walla Spring Release.

Northwest Wine writes about Columbia Crest.

Purple Café interviews Derek DesVoigne.

Wine Foot writes about the 2005 OS Ulysses.

750ml writes about WBC-or-Bust.

Wine Chick's Guide to Inexpensive Wine writes about Chateau Ste. Michelle.

The Wine Cask Blog writes about Maryhill's 2006 Sangiovese.

Cellar Door writes about Efeste.

NW Wine and Real Estate writes about Forgeron Cellars.

NW Totem Cellars writes about the art of blending.


From the locals…

Writing for the Seattle Times, Paul Gregutt writes about spring wine tasting.

The Columbian writes about new winery rules.

The Seattle Times writes about U.S. wine, including Washington, trying to make inroads in Hong Kong.

Washington State Department of Natural Resources writes a media advisory about a project on Red Mountain.

Washington State University writes about combatting Spotted Winged Drosophila.

The Olympian writes about a vineyard helping to fund Washington State schooles.


That's all folks!

Miss something? Leave a comment or email me at wawinereport@gmail.com and I'll include it in the next round-up under the leftovers section.

Reminder that May's Virtual Tasting takes place on Thursday May 27th. The wine is the 2006 Kiona Lemberger. Read more about it here.

At my monthly tasting group, someone recently brought an interesting bottle. We taste the wines blind and talk through them before revealing what they are. This wine clearly had a good amount of age on it, throwing lots of sediment and brickish in color. The nose had lots of aged fruit aromas along with some Old World styling. The taste on the other hand was decidedly New World with abundant, albeit fading, fruit. Overall the wine was drinking beautifully. What was it?

The bottle turned out to be a 1997 Merlot from St. Clement. St. Clement is a Napa Valley producer with a long winemaking history. The winery focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. All of the current offerings are designated Napa Valley. This bottle however was designated
Columbia Valley, Washington. How does a Napa Valley winery end up making a Columbia Valley designated wine in 1997?

I contacted the winery to find out about the wine. Unfortunately, this was before the winery kept electronic records (this began in 1999), and paper records could not be found. St. Clement was sold to Beringer Wine Estates in 1999. The winemaker has changed since 1997. While long-time employees and wine club members remember the wine, they do not recall the details of how it came to be. They can simply say that it existed. Were the grapes transported from Washington down to Napa? Was the wine made in Washington and then sold in California? Either way, what made a Napa Valley winery produce a Washington State wine? The answers may be lost to the sands of time.

This is a shame as the story is no doubt a good one, and the wine is worthy of being remembered. I am always struck when I have Washington wines from ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago how well they are drinking. The styles were much different then with considerably lower alcohol (13% for this wine). I look forward to trying today's wines in ten and twenty years and seeing how they are holding up.

I often wonder what people thought of some of these wines at the time. Did people enjoy them or find them a bit austere which perhaps is why they are drinking so well now? Wine Spectator gave the 1997 St. Clement Columbia Valley Merlot an 87 point rating in its July 31, 2000 issue saying of the wine "Firm and polished in texture, with a nice core of anise-scented black cherry, rosemary and cedar aromas and flavors that last on the solid finish. Best from 2001 through 2005. HS." The magazine also lists reviews for a Columbia Valley Merlot from St. Clement from 1995 to 1997. Other than that, I haven't found additional information about the wine although someone, somewhere has the answers.

St. Clement Merlot Columbia Valley 1997 $22
Rating: * (Excellent) Throwing lots of sediment. Color shows a lot of browning. On the nose, very pretty aromatics with lots of aged fruit - raisin and prune - along with some sweet, caramel notes. The taste is dry and plush with aged fruit. While clearly on the way down, the wine is drinking beautifully. 13.0% alcohol. 1,200 cases produced.

Recently I wrote about my conversion to believing in alternative closures for wine bottles as well as the experiences of six Washington wineries that are using them. Today I give my closing argument on this topic.

Following my last post, I wrote on Facebook that I was considering starting a memorial on-line for people to list the names of the corked bottles they had and the occasion, such as “2001 Wine Name. My Brother’s birthday.” While I was being facetious, I liked the idea of people having a space where they could commiserate about the loss of a corked bottle.


Personally, I don’t mention the names of the wineries when a bottle is corked, at least in public spaces. Why? Because 1) I believe many people will think it reflects negatively on the winery in some way – that it’s the winery’s fault and 2) it could happen to any winery using cork so why bother?

As I have thought more about this though and listened to various people’s thoughts, I have started to reconsider this position. Rather than being helpful in some way by not talking more openly about corked bottles, I feel like perhaps I am being complicit. I believe many wineries are somewhat unaware of the issue. When I say unaware, I am referring specifically to the incidence of cork taint in their wines and the resulting effects. I believe this is because most consumers do not say anything.

In terms of consumers, let’s focus on two types - the average wine drinker who buys a bottle and goes home and opens it that night or that week, and the wine collector who buys and ages wine for later consumption.

In terms of the average wine drinker, one of three things happens when they have a corked bottle of wine. The first is the person doesn’t realize the bottle is tainted; they just think the wine is bad. This person is unlikely to buy from your winery/wine store again unless they have some compelling reason to. For a long time when I had a corked bottle of wine, I was like a rat responding to a toxin. It would be some time before I would buy another bottle from that winery or pull one from the cellar. This is even after I knew better. The fear of another corked bottle was still there.

The second scenario is the person who realizes that the wine is corked and brings it back to the place they bought it. For wineries, this is your best case scenario. I would be interested to hear from retailers and wineries how often people return corked bottles. Is it even slightly close to the incidence rate of corked wines? What about all those other missing bottles? For many, bringing a bottle of wine back to the store and saying that there is something wrong with it is intimidating not to mention a hassle. The third scenario is the person who realizes the wine is corked and doesn’t bother to return it. How many of these scenarios are damaging to your winery and your brand?

Now let’s talk about the second type of consumer, the collector who buys and ages wine for later consumption. This person saves wines for special moments, deliberating over when to open that special bottle. “No. Not that one. I’m saving it for a special occasion.” An entire event, Open That Bottle Night, was generated around this phenomenon. For aged wines, there is no ability to replace the bottle when it is tainted. The money is long, long gone. The experience it was meant for is affected. Sure, a person can contact the winery and ask for another bottle. Talk about a pain in the neck. Chances are if a person does contact the winery, they will get a bottle from a newer vintage. Not the same bottle at the same moment it was planned for. Not the same. And for high-end wineries, aren’t these the exact people you want to be buying your wines in the future? Do you really think this isn’t going to have some effect?

If you are not a wine collector and are having a hard time imagining what having a long saved bottle of wine end up being corked must be like, let me try to bring this scenario to life for you. Remember the movie Sideways? During the movie, Miles talks about a particular bottle of wine he is saving, a 1961 Chateau Cheval Blanc, that he has been waiting for the perfect opportunity and person to drink the bottle with. In the movie’s darkest moment, Miles drinks the bottle at a fast food restaurant, pouring the wine under the table into a paper cup. What could be sadder than that? Imagine if you will, that he gets the girl in the end and that when he tries the wine, it’ s corked.

Most people I talk to at wineries – and most retailers – wish consumers would more readily contact them when they have a bad bottle. They know the negative effect it can have. That said, I think most would be aghast at the thought of having the names of their wines listed somewhere on a ‘Corked Memorial.’ Why? Because of the consumer perception problem it would cause which is my point exactly. There already is a consumer perception problem. It’s just a silent one.

In closing, I say to both consumers and wineries, how long can we afford to have this go on? Everybody loses when bottles are corked. To consumers I say, it’s time to speak up! Take those bottles back to where you bought them. Call up the winery and ask for a replacement. Have no shame in saying what winery a corked bottle was from. Sing it out loud. It will either be a great public education effort or, more likely, will lead wineries to reconsider their position. To wineries I say, I loved cork too. I have learned to love another. Join us!

The 2010 Wine Blogger’s Conference is a little more than a month away. The third annual conference, which takes place in Walla Walla June 25^th to 27^th, brings three hundred wine bloggers and industry professionals together. The conference focuses on academic information related to blogging as well as a series of wine tasting events (see the agenda here).

For those attending the conference, there are a couple of items I want to point out. The first is a lecture by Dr. Kevin Pogue titled “The Terroirs of the Walla Walla Valley.” Pogue is chair of the Department of Geology at Walla Walla’s Whitman College. The talk is scheduled at an unfriendly 8am Saturday morning and is listed as ‘optional.’ However, for those with any interest in Washington wine or the forces that have shaped the state’s terroir, this lecture is mandatory.

Later on Saturday I will be participating in a breakout session on "The Washington Wine Industry" with writer Paul Gregutt and Coman Dinn, Director of Winemaking at Hogue Cellars. The session offers the opportunity for attendees to “Learn about the history and current status of the Washington wine industry, including weather, terroir, appellations, varietals, and more” – all in forty-five minutes. While any one of these topics could obviously fill an entire day, I would like to know what attendees would be most interested in hearing about the Washington wine industry. Leave a comment below with your questions or send an e-mail to me at wawinereport@gmail.com, and we will take the topics up during the session.

Finally, winners of the WBC-or-Bust contest were announced yesterday. Twelve wine bloggers who wrote posts over the last several months on various aspects of Washington wine will be taking a bus trip from Seattle to Walla Walla in advance of the conference. The bus will make stops in Woodinville, Yakima Valley, and Red Mountain along the way to educate the group about Washington State and its wines. Congratulations to all.

See you in Walla Walla!

This is the tale of two Merlots. Both come from Northstar Winery. Northstar is a Ste. Michelle Wines Estates holding. The winery was founded in the nineties with the sole focus of producing the world’s best Merlot from Washington State fruit. While this goal remains, the winery now also offers a number of winery-only, non-Merlot based wines, such as Syrah and Cabernet Franc. David ‘Merf’ Merfeld serves as Northstar’s winemaker. Merfeld joined Northstar in 2001, working as enologist and assistant winemaker before becoming head winemaker in 2005.

Both wines sampled here are classic examples of Washington Merlot. Additionally, both are quite distinct from each other, displaying the varying styles of Merlot being made in the state. The Columbia Valley offering is an appealing, exceptionally well balanced, polished wine. Northstar makes a staggering ten thousand cases of the Columbia Valley offering, giving this wine an extremely wide reach. The Walla Walla Valley wine, on the other hand, offers a bit more complexity on the nose as well as more intensity and boldness on the palate. Among other sources, fruit for the Walla Walla Valley wine comes from Spring Valley Vineyard, one of the finest producers of Merlot in the state, and Loess Vineyard, an estate vineyard for Leonetti Cellar. While both the Columbia Valley and Walla Walla wines are impeccably made, I would give a very slight edge to Walla Walla offering. It provides a bit more of the boldness of Merlot that is a hallmark of Washington State.

My only qualm with either of these wines – and it is a small one – is that both are just over the line in terms of being labeled a Merlot. The Columbia Valley Merlot comes in at 76% (75% is required for varietal labeling) and the Walla Walla Valley wine comes in at 78%. The balance of the wines are other Bordeaux varieties. Indeed, both could easily be classified as Bordeaux-style blends.

The winery’s website provides a graphic displaying the blends of each wine and discusses the goals of blending. Cabernet Sauvignon is added to ‘soften Washington Merlot with bright cherry and raspberry fruit flavors;’ Petit Verdot ‘adds color and structure;’ and Cabernet Franc ‘brings softness and an olive herbal tone.’ While these blending decisions are no doubt responsible for the grace and complexity of these wines and the results are hard to argue with, it would be interesting to see what these wines would look like pushed a bit higher toward their signature grape. Fun to contemplate while savoring another glass.

Northstar Merlot Columbia Valley 2006 $40
Rating: * (Excellent) Initially fairly quiet on the nose. As it opens up, shows oak spices, a hint of mocha, and light red and black fruit. Exceptionally well balanced on the palate with lithe fruit and silky oak buffeted by polished tannins. An exemplary Washington State Merlot. 76% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Aged in French (70%) and American (30%) oak (65% new). 14.7% alcohol. 10,000 cases produced.

Northstar Merlot Walla Walla Valley 2006 $50
Rating: * (Excellent) Takes some time to open up but once it does this wine sings. An intriguing, complex nose with spice, tobacco, cocoa, dark fruit, and a light earthiness. Glides along the palate with a bit more fruit intensity than the Columbia Valley offering. Lingers on the finish. A prototype for Washington Merlot in general and Walla Walla Valley Merlot in particular. 78% Merlot (Spring Valley, Anna Marie, and Loess vineyards), 17% Cabernet Sauvignon (Anna Marie and Loess vineyards), 5% Cabernet Franc (Minnick Hills Vineyard). Aged in French oak (56% new). 2,500 cases produced.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from May 8^th to 14^th.

From around the country…

CBS News writes about HR 5034 - an abomination of a bill drafted for Congress by the National Beer Wholesalers Association that is an attack on direct sales from wineries and an affront to consumers everywhere - with quotes from L’Ecole No. 41’s Marty Clubb.

The Boston Globe writes about Drew Bledsoe’s Doubleback as does the Boston Herald and NESN.

San Francisco Business Times writes about financial troubles at Ascentia, owners of Covey Run as well as a number of non-Washington wineries. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat also picks up on this story.

Tampa Bay On-line writes about box wines with a callout to Washington Hills.

Ohio.com writes about Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Indian Wells Riesling.

Wines & Vines writes about wineries opening in Washington.


From the blogosphere…

Reign of Terroir talks with Kevin Pogue, Chair of the Department of Geology at Whitman College. Read Part II here (NB: For you WBC attendees, do not miss Dr. Pogue’s talk on Walla Walla terroirs).

Though the Walla Walla Grapevine writes about Don Carlo Vineyard.

Under the Grape Tree writes about Rhone wines with callouts to Gramercy, Cayuse, K Vintners, Doyenne, McCrea, and Bunnell.

Paul Gregutt asks attendess of the 2010 Wine Blogger’s Conference what they would like to hear during the Washington wine panel discussion.

Drink Nectar writes about #WAwine – the upcoming Washington wine Twitter tasting. Josh also talks with O Wines about Twitter and writes about Kiona’s Chardonnay. Guest blogger Melinda Knapp gives thoughts on Social Media and Wine.

Wine and Beer of Washington State writes about Three Rivers Late Harvest Gewuztraminer. They also write about deals and doings for June 3^rd’s #WAwine event and the Icicle Ridge 2007 Ice Wine.

Wine Zag does a blind Viognier tasting which includes a Mark Ryan wine.

The Terroirists write about the Insania white wine.

Woodinville Wine Update writes about the Seattle Wine Awards. Shona also writes about #WAwine.

Yak Yak Wine rants about wine labels. Read Part II here. Read Part III here.

The Washington Wine Guide writes about a trip to Yakima Valley.

Wineola writes about K Vintners and Owen Roe.

Write for Wine writes about the Seattle Wine Awards.

Wine Peeps writes about the upcoming #WAwine Twitter tasting. They also write about Boudreaux Cellars and talk with Tracy Nodland of Nodland Cellars.

Chicago Pinot 2.0 talks with Forgeron Cellars Marie-Eve Gilla.

The Wine Commentator writes about aging white wines.

Washington Wine writes about the 2007 Willows Crest Riesling.

The Oregon Wine Blog writes about Pend d’Oreille Cabernet. They also write about the Merlot Gone Mad event.

The Grumpy Winemaker writes about Sagelands.

Wine Musings writes about Leonetti and Woodward Canyon.

Lost Lettermen talks with Drew Bledsoe about Doubleback.

Sip With Me! writes about Kramer Vineyards.

The Wine Cask Blog writes about Maryhill’s 2007 Zinfandel.


From the locals…

Wine Press NW writes about the Riverside International Wine Competition.

Writing for the Seattle Times, Paul Gregutt writes about Wines of Substance.

The Bellevue Reporter writes about the Auction of Washington Wines.


Leftovers…

KNDO writes about a Columbia Basin College marketing class creating wine labels.

Under the Grape Tree writes about Hogue and Bookwalter.

The Washington Wine Guide writes about a trip to Woodinville.

The Idaho Statesman writes about Vin du Lac.

WineBusiness.com writes about Kendall Mix’ move to Goose Ridge.


That’s all folks!

Miss something? Send me an email at wawinereport@gmail.com and I’ll include it in the Leftovers section of the next round-up.

Our May Virtual Tasting wine will be the 2006 Kiona Lemberger. This wine retails for $12 and is widely available. The tasting will take place on Thursday, May 27th from 7-8pm Pacific Time.

What you need to do to participate is:

1. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery

2. Post your comments/tweets on the wine that night between 7 and 8pm. For those on Twitter, follow me @wawinereport. I will be using the hashtag #kiona during the event.

Look for updates to the blog and comments and tweets from virtual tasters starting at 7pm on the 27th. Hope you'll join us.

Addendum: For those in the Seattle area, 6th Avenue Wine Seller is offering a 10% discount on a bottle of the Lemberger for the event. Stop in and ask for the discount.


Previous Virtual Tastings

April - Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2009
March - #WAMerlot Twitter Tasting
February - Hedges CMS Red 2008
January - Columbia Crest Grand Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
December '09 Virtual Tasting - Brian Carter Cellars Abracadabra 2007
November '09 Virtual Tasting - Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet 2007
October '09 Virtual Tasting – Owen Roe Sinister Hand 2008
September '09 Virtual Tasting – Novelty Hill Cabernet CV 2006
August '09 Virtual Tasting – Barnard Griffin Cabernet 2007
July '09 Virtual Tasting – Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2008
June '09 Virtual Tasting - Waterbrook Melange Noir 2006
May '09 Virtual Tasting - Charles Smith Boom Boom! Syrah 2007
April '09 Virtual Tasting- Columbia Crest GE Shiraz 2006
March '09 Virtual Tasting - Magnificent Wine Co. House Wine 2006
February '09 Virtual Tasting - Hedges CMS Red 2007
January '09 Virtual Tasting - Columbia Crest GE Merlot 2006
December '08 Virtual Tasting - Ch. Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Cab 2005
November '08 Virtual Tasting - Russell Creek Tributary Red 2006
October '08 Virtual Tasting- Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet 2006
September '08 Virtual Tasting - Tamarack Firehouse Red 2006
August '08 Virtual Tasting- L'Ecole No. 41 Recess Red 2006

2009 was a year of extraordinary recognition for Washington wine. Wine Spectator named a Washington wine its ‘Wine of the Year’; Wine Enthusiast gave a Washington wine a 100 point score; and Wine & Spirits Magazine named a Washington winemaker its ‘Winemaker of the Year.’ 2009 was such a critically acclaimed year that it seemed hard to imagine what 2010 could do for an encore.

Less than half way through the year however, the beat goes on. Earlier in the year Wine Spectator gave the 2006 Charles Smith Royal City Syrah a 97 point rating. This is the highest score the publication has ever given a red wine from Washington State. This wine received a 100-point rating from Wine Enthusiast last year.

In its upcoming issue, Wine Spectator gives Cayuse Vineyards 2006 Armada Vineyard Syrah a 97-point rating. At $65, this wine would seem to be a lock for the magazine’s annual Top 100 list. If so, this would be the second year in a row Cayuse Vineyards has received this recognition. In 2010, an additional four wines, three from Cayuse and one from Gorman Winery, have received 95-point ratings from Wine Spectator – ‘Classic’ in the magazine’s rating scale.

But the accolades don’t stop there. Paul Gregutt at Wine Enthusiast gave the 2006 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon a 98-point rating earlier this year. Additionally, Wine Enthusiast gave Buty’s 2006 Columbia Rediviva a 96-point rating. Two Washington white wines also received high marks – the 2008 McCrea Cellars Sirroco Blanc (95 points) and the 2008 Buty Winery Semillon-Sauvignon-Muscadelle (95 points). Based on a search of the Wine Enthusiast database, these appear to be the highest scores Gregutt has given a white wine from Washington State. Stunningly, this same white wine from Buty received an 86-point rating from Wine Spectator (as I said on the WWR Facebook page, “I thought only winemakers got upset by bad scores.”)

As we are less than half way through the year and many wines from the heralded 2007 vintage remain to be reviewed, I expect the high marks in the major publications to continue. This shows that 2009 was far from an aberration but rather was a significant turning point for Washington being recognized as a premier wine region.

Last week I wrote some thoughts about a recent trip to Virginia wine country, focusing on various factors affecting Virginia’s quest to become a recognized wine region. Today I discuss some other observations from the trip.


The Virginia wine industry is doing well

One of the things that surprised me the most on my trip to Virginia is that, despite the poor economy, Virginia wineries are doing extremely well. All of the wineries I spoke with reported a significant increase in sales over the previous year. None of the people I spoke to were feeling any ill effects of the economic downturn.

This contrasts quite sharply with Washington State where, although the industry as a whole is doing quite well, many wineries are struggling, especially those with limited offerings at value price points.

I believe there are a number of reasons why Virginia wineries are thriving at present. Partly, it is due to having a large, wealthy, nearby customer base. Additionally, a number of the wineries do a brisk direct sales business, which is considerably more profitable. There is also a great deal less internal competition compared to Washington (150 wineries versus 650+). Finally, many of the wines I tried were in the magical $25 and under category consumers currently favor.


Virginia wines show a lot of vintage variation

Part of the difficulty of growing grapes in Virginia is climatic variation. Summers are extremely warm and humid. Winters can be quite cold. Additionally, there are a variety of environmental threats to worry about, such as hurricanes, late season rains, etc. What this leads to is a lot of variation from year to year in the wines. This was most apparent during a vertical tasting of Breaux Vineyards Nebbiolo. These wines showed tremendous differences in color, fruit, tannins, and aroma and flavor profile from year to year.

By contrast, Washington’s vintage variation is in a considerably tighter range. This is due to the majority of the state’s vineyards being located in a desert. Despite some variation from year to year, Washington has been able to produce consistently high quality wines with each vintage. Virginia, on the other hand, has some years that are hits and some that are misses. 2007, for example, was an exceptional year in Virginia as it was pretty much everywhere.

The vintage variation in Virginia poses a potential problem for consumers looking for a consistent, reliable product. However, many other wine regions around the world also see a great deal of vintage variation, so it remains to be seen how big of an issue this will be.


Virginia wineries have developed interesting approaches to deal with large tasting room crowds

Several of the wineries I visited had unique approaches for dealing with the large number of visitors they receive. Chrysalis Vineyards, for instance, takes visitors in small groups to tables set up outside the winery. Each group goes to one table where a winery staff member walks the group through the tasting. This allows the winery to take a large number of people and spread them out so that everyone receives individual attention and the experience never seems congested. Breaux Vineyards on the other hand often has a greeter outside of the winery who gives arriving visitors a glass of wine and tells people what to expect in terms of crowds and wait times at the tasting bar.

I thought these were both interesting methods of dealing with large crowd sizes that I haven’t seen any Washington wineries employ. Obviously both require additional staffing and space.


Virginia wines are relatively low in alcohol

Many of the Virginia red wines I sampled had alcohol levels somewhere between 13 and 14.5%. This is in contrast to Washington where many of the red wines are in the high fourteens to mid-fifteens or higher. This is not a stylistic decision but rather is based on Virginia not having the heat units that Washington does to ripen the grapes. Still, it made for interesting stylistic differences in the wines.


Virginia does Cabernet Franc particularly well

While there were a number or varieties I sampled in Virginia that I found intriguing, none were as consistently interesting as Cabernet Franc. Many of these wines had beautiful aromatics that harkened to Bordeaux. This is a wine that I believe Virginia could successfully hang its hat on in the future.

Once again, thanks for joining me on this detour to Virginia. Back to our regularly scheduled Washington wine program.

Thursday June 3^rd you are invited to join a national on-line Washington wine tasting. On that night, thousands of people across the country will be discussing Washington wine live and on-line. The goal of this event - WAWine - is to leverage Social Media to connect the virtual wine tasting community and wineries across Washington State.

WAWine is the second in a series of Washington wine-focused Social Media events. The first, WAMerlot, had over 500 participants on Twitter and 1,000 people at various events across Washington State. The event received local as well as national media coverage and was a trending topic on Twitter.

This second event, WAWine, looks to expand on the success of WAMerlot with even more winery and consumer participation. WAWine also precedes a number of important wine events occuring in Washington in June, including Wine Rocks Seattle (which takes place later that same evening), Taste Washington! Spokane, (June 6^th), the Seattle Wine Awards Grand Awards Tasting (June 13^th), and the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla (June 25^th to 27^th).

WAWine is sponsored by the Washington Wine Commission and Washington Tasting Room Magazine. Fourteen Washington bloggers and tweeters will be assisting with organizing and promoting the event.



How Can I Participate If I am a Consumer?

Participation is simple. All you need to do is buy one or more bottles of Washington wine (see list of participating wineries), open the wine on June 3^rd, and use the Social Media tools listed below to join the conversation. You can participate at home with a group of friends or attend events at one of the participating wineries or businesses in your area (a list of known events will be listed at DrinkNectar.com).

On the day of the event, to join the discussion:

1. Log on to Twitter at 5pm Pacific Time on Thursday, June 3 and follow the hashtag #WAWine. To be connected with other participants be sure to use the words #WAWine in all your tweets.

2. Log on to Facebook and join the community at http://facebook.com/tasteandtweet. You can use this page to upload photos, share your experiences and connect with others.

Visit the event site for additional details.

How Can I Participate If I am a Winery?

First, register for the event so we know you are participating. Next, visit the WAWine for Wineries page at DrinkNectar.com to see ways to maximize the event. This page will contain:

* Social Media Tutorials

* A Media Packet

* Downloadable print materials

* A list of ways to maximize winery sales

* And more...

Finally, if you are planning an event at your winery or joining at event at another location, e-mail me at wawinereport@gmail.com or Josh Wade at josh@nectarcoffeeandwine.com and let us know so we can list and help promote the event.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from May 1st to 7th.


From around the world…

The Calgary Herald writes about Charles Smith.


From around the country…

Access Atlanta makes Kiona’s 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon its wine pick.


From the blogosphere…

Drink Nectar announces #WAwine, a Washington wine Twitter tasting on June 3^rd. Josh also writes about Overbluff Cellars, a new Spokane area winery, as well as Barili Cellars. He also checks out the 2009 Kung Fu Girl Riesling and hands out some monthly honors.

Through the Walla Walla Grapevine gives some Spring Release highlights. Catie also posts a video from Spring Release.

Paul Gregutt writes about punny wines. He also writes about Garrison Creek Cellars, and gives some rants and raves.

Wine and Beer of Washington State gives a simplified Washington geological history. They also write about the 2009 Kung Fu Girl Riesling, the Wine Century Club, and Bainbridge Island Vineyards 2008 Siegerrebe.

The Oregon Wine Blog goes on the road with callouts to Barnard Griffin, Thurston Wolfe, Alexandria Nicole, Fidelitas, and Cooper Wine Co. They also write about 509 Wines Rose release party.

Washington Wine Guys post Episode 1 on Passion Vineyards.

WINO Magazine writes about Seattle Uncorked’s annual Syrah event.

Terroirists write about Pepper Bridge. They also write about Viognier.

Woodinville Wine Update writes about rumors of Cave B opening a tasting room in Woodinville.

Wine Peeps writes about Washington wine available in Denver. They also write about the 2007 Milbrandt Traditions Merlot, and the Fielding Hills 2004 Merlot.

Wild 4 Washington Wine writes about Walla Walla’s incubator wineries and Seattle Uncorked’s upcoming Rose Revival. He also writes about Adamant Cellars.

Wawineman writes about the 2005 Andrew Will Annie Camarda Syrah. He also writes about the Reynvaan Family Vineyards 2007 In the Rocks, Columbia Winery’s 2005 Milestone, and L’Ecole No. 41’s 2008 Luminesce.

Karenpie writes about wine tasting at Terra Blanca and Walla Walla.

Sip of Spokane writes about Arbor Crest.

About.com picks Mercer’s 2008 Sauvignon Blanc as its pick of the week.

Wine and Dine Walla Walla writes about Spring Release weekend. They also write about Wines of Substance (written by Paul Gregutt).

Seattle Wine Blog writes about Woodinville Passport.

Write for Wine asks people whether they use Facebook or Twitter.


From the locals…

The Tri-City Herald writes about a plan for a new wine village in the Tri-Cities area.

The Bellingham Herald writes about Whatcom County’s Spring Release.

The Everett Herald writes about an initiative to get Washington State out of the liquor selling business.

Writing for the Seattle Times, Paul Gregutt writes about the new Riesling dry-to-sweet rating scale.

Yakima Magazine writes about differences between Chateau Ste. Michelle’s and Sineann’s Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (written by Chris from Yak Yak Wine).

The Spokesman Review writes about Overbluff Cellars.


Leftovers…

The Tri-City Herald gives a toast to Bob Woehler.

Cork’d skypes with Kiona’s JJ Williams.

That's all folks!

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Virginia wine country as part of the 2010 DrinkLocalWine.com conference. I had never been to Virginia before or visited a winery there, so I was quite excited as to what I would find. What I found was this sign greeting me at each winery I visited:

“Warning: Under Virginia law there is no liability for an injury to or death of a participant in an agritourism activity conducted at this agritourism location if such injury or death results from the inherent risks of the agritourism activity. Inherent risks of agritourism activities include, among others, risks of injury inherent to land, equipment, and animals, as well as the potential for you to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to your injury or death. You are assuming the risk of participating in this agritourism activity.”

Welcome to the winery!

I know what you are thinking after reading this. ‘Among others?’ Like what? For those of you keeping score at home that’s three ‘agritourisms’ in the first sentence along with a healthy dose of ‘inherents’ throughout.

The bill requiring agritourism locations to have agritourism related signs regarding the inherent risks of agritourism was passed in Virginia in 2006. Discussing this sign with people at several local wineries, lettering on the signs is required to be a certain size, presumably so everyone is properly protected (I’m not sure we’re talking about consumers here).

So what exactly is agritourism anyway? Virginia law defines agritourism as “any activity carried out on a farm or ranch that allows members of the general public, for recreational, entertainment, or educational purposes, to view or enjoy rural activities, including farming, wineries, ranching, historical, cultural, harvest-your-own activities, or natural activities and attractions. An activity is an agritourism activity whether or not the participant paid to participate in the activity.” (Code of Virginia § 3.2-6400).

A 2009 press release from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is titled “See the sights as a Virginia agritourist this summer.” However, it neglects to add “…AT YOUR OWN RISK!” Surprisingly, this same press release concludes by saying, “No special preparation needed to be an agritourist.” This seems at odds with the warning sign which implies - at minimum – that a person should have a written will. The press release continues, “Just come as you are but be ready for a wonderful time down on the farm.” I would add to this, “But remember that there is no liability for an injury to or death of a participant in an agritourism activity!”

I found a summary of various state’s legislation on agritourism here (no idea how up to date it is). Washington is suspiciously absent from this list. In a bad economy, this presents considerable opportunity for Washington State lawyers - as well as sign makers if such a bill were passed. For consumers, the risks of agritourism provide a compelling argument for visiting wineries in Woodinville instead of venturing out to the inherently dangerous vineyards east of the crest. It just might save your life.


Read more about Virginia’s Agritourism statues here (Note: Opens .pdf).
Read a legal update from Tennesee here (Note: Opens .pdf).