Sean P. Sullivan - Washington Wine Report

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In this month’s Five Wines Under $15 - with one wine stepping a toe over the line, we focus on value wines that deliver the goods.

For growers and winemakers, there’s no more beautiful nor frantic time of year than harvest, and contributing photographer Richard Duval was all over the state this year capturing this frenzied season.

"At Sagemoor Vineyard - one of the top vineyards in the state - as the pace of picking increased, the days got longer and scheduling resembled a busy airport,” Duval said. “I thought this scene of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grabbing the last bit of sun under the sunny Sagemoor skies nicely captured the beauty of the season.”

Click on the picture for a larger image. See previous Pic of the Vine images here.

The October Virtual Tasting is tonight! The wine is the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2011. This wine retails for $12 and is widely available. The tasting will take place from 7-8pm Pacific tonight, Tuesday October 29th.

What you need to do to participate is:

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

2. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7 and 8pm Pacific tonight using the hashtag #columbiacrest. For those on Twitter, follow me @wawinereport.

This report from the Walla Walla Valley includes wines from Abeja, Amavi Cellars, Pepper Bridge, Buty, Tulpen Cellars, L’Ecole No 41, Tempus Cellars, and Forgeron Cellars.

Abeja

While Abeja has long been known as a Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay shop (it still is), recent vintages have shown the winery making stunning wines from estate fruit from the Walla Walla Valley. One of them is an estate Viognier coming from the Mill Creek property where the winery is located. White wines are a rarity in the Walla Walla Valley but this wine shows that, in the right hands, it can be done and done well. The other comes from the other side of the valley from the winery’s Heather Hill Vineyard. This vineyard was first planted in 2001 and is not only producing high quality Cabernet Sauvignon, it is also producing flat out stunning Syrahs.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from October 15^th to 21^st. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the world...

CTV News (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) writes about the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot 2010.

From around the country...

The Tampa Bay Times names the Badger Mountain 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon their wine of the week.

From around the blogosphere...

Jameson Fink writes about a Col Solare veritical, raw elk, and grappa.

The October Virtual Tasting wine is the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2011. This wine retails for $12 and is widely available. The tasting will take place on Tuesday October 29th from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is:

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

2. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7 and 8pm Pacific on the specified date using the hashtag #columbiacrest. For those on Twitter, follow me @wawinereport.

A round up of stories on Washington wine from October 8^th to October 14^th. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the world…

The Australian gives an insider’s guide to Seattle with a shout out to Washington wine country.

From around the country...

The Wall Street Journal writes that an NYU professor uses to wine to bring economic concepts to life.

Winemaker Jason Morin of Woodinville’s Ancestry Cellars grew up in Gig Harbor, where his forbearers were among the first of the Croatian fishing families to move to the area. His experience with winemaking started younger than most – in the third grade.

“I started making wine with my grandfather in his basement,” Morin recalls. “It was an opportunity to see and learn.”

As an adult, this initial exposure blossomed into a full fledged interest and passion, with Morin’s work as a pharmaceutical representative for Sanofi affording him frequent opportunities to entertain. His interest took a fateful turn, however, in 2009 at the Auction of Washington Wines when Morin bumped into Chris Sparkman (Sparkman Cellars), who Morin knew from Sparkman’s Waterfront restaurant days.

While Red Mountain has firmly established itself as one of Washington’s premier wine growing regions, the tiny appellation - Washington’s smallest at 4,040 total acres - continues to grow and expand with additional acreage planted and more and more wineries using Red Mountain fruit. One of those wineries is Ambassador Vineyard.

Ambassador Vineyard’s Michael Towers first became interested in wine when he and his wife attended a winemaker dinner, hosted by Dan Duckhorn of Duckhorn Vineyards, at the Columbia Tower Club in Seattle in the 1980s. The Towers visited Napa Valley shortly thereafter and subsequently became one of three majority stakeholders in Duckhorn.

Today’s Fresh Sheet – new and recent releases – includes wines from Avennia, Long Shadows, Andrew Will, Guardian Cellars, Stevens Winery, Swiftwater Cellars, Michael Florentino Cellars, and more.

A round-up of stories on Washington wine from October 1^st to 7^th 2013. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country…

Winona Daily News writes about the Thorny Rose Cabernet Sauvignon.

Coshocton Tribune writes about the Seven Falls Cabernet Sauvignon.

Harvest in Washington this past week saw wet weather along with a continuation of the cool temperatures from the end of September. For most I spoke or e-mailed with, neither seemed to present significant concerns.

Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery said of the rain, “This hasn’t been a problem for us with the mid to late season reds with thicker skins. We’ve had no rot, no wet grapes, no soggy bottoms of the picking bins so we don’t have a problem with rain that may have fallen.”

A round up of stories on Washington wine from September 22nd to September 30th. Read previous round-ups here.

From around the country...

D Magazine writes about Col Solare and Northstar.

CNBC writes that wines fly free on Alaska Airlines.

Hitched Magazine writes about Kestrel Vintners.

Below is a summary of posts for September 2013.

Now available on-line: Seattle Metropolitan’s Top 100 Washington wines

Tero Estates purchases Waters Winery

Old school! Recent print publications

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Sean P. Sullivan is the editor of Washington Wine Report and a contributing editor at Wine Enthusiast magazine, covering Washington and Idaho. He has been writing about and reviewing Washington wine since 2005.

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14 Hands 2010 Initiatives Abbey Page Abeja Adams Bench Airfield Estates Alder Ridge Alexandria Nicole Alternative Closures aMaurice Cellars Amavi Ambassador Ancestry Ancient Lakes Andrew Januik Andrew Will Anelare Angel Vine AntoLin Apex Cellars Ardor Arlington Road Cellars Array Ash Hollow Ashan Auclair Avennia Baer Winery Balboa Barnard Griffin Barons V Barrage Barrister Beresan Bergevin Lane Betz Family Winery Board Track Racer Bonair Winery Bookwalter Boomtown Boudreaux Cellars Brian Carter Bridgman Bunchgrass Winery Bunnell Family Buried Cane Buty Cadaretta Cadence Cairdeas Cana's Feast Candy Mountain Canoe Ridge Canon del Sol Cartel Wine Group Cascade Valley Wineries Castillo de Feliciana Castle Rock Winery Cave B CAVU Cayuse Vineyards Cedergreen Cellars Charles and Charles Charles Smith Wines Chateau Rollat Chateau Ste. Michelle Chelan Estate Chelan Ridge Chinook City Limits Cloudlift Cellars Clubhouse Cellars Co Dinn Col Solare College Cellars Columbia Crest Columbia Gorge Columbia Winery Concentric Wine Project Cooper Wine Company Corked Counter Corked Wines Corliss Estates Corvidae Corvus Cellars Cote Bonneville Cougar Crest Covey Run Covington Cellars Crayelle Cellars Cuneo Cellars CZ Cellars Darby Daven Lore DeLille Delmas Desert Wind Distant Bay DiStefano Domaine Pouillon Domaine Ste Michelle Donedei Double Canyon Doubleback Dowsett Family Winery DuBrul Vineyard Duck Pond Cellars Duckhorn Dumas Station Dunham Dusted Valley Dynasty Cellars Efeste Eight Bells El Corazon Eliseo Silva Elsom Cellars Ensemble Cellars Envious Cellars Erath Eritage Estrin Estates Eyrie Fall Line Falling Rain Fidelitas Winery Fielding Hills WInery Figgins Five Star Cellars Fjellene Flying Dreams Flying Trout For a Song Force Majeure Forgeron Full Pull Wines Furion Cellars Gard Vintners Giant Wine Co Gifford-Hirlinger Gilbert Glencorrie Goedhart Golden Ridge Goose Ridge Gordon Brothers Gorman Gramercy Cellars Grand Rêve Grosgrain Guardian Hard Row Harvest 2010 Harvest 2011 Harvest 2012 Harvest 2013 Harvest 2014 Harvest 2015 Harvest 2016 Harvest 2017 Harvest 2018 Harvest 2019 Hawks View Haystack Needle Heaven's Cave Hedges Family Estate Helix Hestia Cellars Hogue Cellars Hoodsport Hors Catégorie Horse Heaven Hills Horsepower Vineyards Hyatt Vineyards Idilico Intrinsic Isenhower Cellars Januik Winery JB Neufeld JM Cellars Jones of Washington Juliette's Dazzle K Vintners Kaella Winery Kerloo Kevin White Kiona Kontos Cellars Kyra Wines L'Ecole Lake Chelan AVA Lantz Cellars Latitude 46 North Laurelhurst Cellars Lauren Ashton Lawrelin Leonetti Cellar Liberty Bay Cellars Lobo Hills Locati Cellars Lodmell Cellars Lone Birch Lone Canary Long Shadows Lost River Winery Magnificent Wine Company Maison Bleue Manu Propia Mark Ryan Winery Maryhill Matthews Estate McCrea Cellars McKinley Springs Mercer Estates Michael Florentino Milbrandt Vineyards Modern Wine Project Monesia's Song Morrison Lane Mosquito Fleet Mountain Dome Naches Heights Naches Heights AVA Napeequa Vintners Native Sun Nefarious Nelms Road Nicholas Cole Cellars No Girls Nodland Northstar Northwest Wine Round-up Nota Bene Novelty Hill NW Totem Cellars NW VIne Project NxNW Obelisco Estate Olsen Estates OS Winery Otis Kenyon Ott and Murphy Owen Roe Pacific Rim Palencia Palouse Pamplin Pandora Parejas Passion Patterson Paul Gregutt Pendulum Pepper Bridge Phylloxera Pic of the Vine Plumb Cellars Pomum Cellars Pondera Portteus Pour Me Powers Proletariat Wine Company Proper Prospice Puget Sound Purple Star Quilceda Creek Ramseyer Vineyards Randall Harris Rasa Vineyards Red Diamond Red Mountain Red Willow Reininger Renegade Result of a Crush Rex Hill Reynvaan Family Vineyards RiverAerie Riverhaven Cellars RMV Cellars Robert Ramsay Robison Ranch Cellars Ross Andrew Rotie Royal Slope Rulo Winery Russell Creek WInery Rusty Grape Vineyard Ryan Messer Ryan Patrick Sageland Vineyards Saint Laurent Salida Wines Salmon Harbor San Juan Vineyards Sandhill Sapolil Cellars Savage Grace Saviah Cellars Scarborough Screwcaps Seattle Area Wineries Seufert Seven Hills Winery Shady Grove Winery Sheridan Silvara Silver Bell Silver Lake Winery Sineann Six Prong Skylite Cellars Sleight of Hand Smasne Cellars Snipes Gap Vineyards Snipes Mountain Snoqualmie Sockeye Sodovino Sol Stone somme de parties sonoris Soos Creek Sparkman Cellars Spindrift Spokane Area Spring Valley Steele Wines Stella Fino Stevens Winery Stomani Cellars Stonecap Stottle SuLei Cellars Sweet Valley Winery Swiftwater Syncline Cellars Syrah SYZYGY Tagaris Tamarack Cellars Tefft Tempus Tenor Wines Tero Estates Terra Blanca Winery The Burn of Columbia Valley The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater Three Rivers Winery Thurston Wolfe Tildio Townshend Cellar Tranche Treveri Trust Tulpen Cellars Two Mountain Two Vintners Upland Estates Va Piano Vineyards Valdemar Estates Viento Wines Vin du Lac Vinyl Wines Virtual tasting W.T. 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Editor - Sean P. Sullivan

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Washington Wine Report is an independent publication focused on bringing Washington wine to you and bringing you to Washington wine. My goal is: to help you select Pacific Northwest wines at a variety of price levels; to keep you up-to-date about the Northwest’s wineries, vineyards, and individuals; to help you plan trips to wine country; and to connect you to the larger wine community.

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