Comments on: Spotlight On: Dunham Cellars

By: Kori

Kori — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:26:48 +0000

WWWG,
Thank you for your comments and insight. Just to clear up any confusion:

1. The previous comments were about the 2004 freeze in Washington, not only as it pertained to Walla Walla. You are correct in that Walla Walla was hardest hit by the freeze so there were very few wines made with Walla Walla fruit that year.

2. The Columbia Valley fruit in 2004, including that used in the Dunham Cab, was stressing to get to ripeness as compared to the ideal conditions of 2005.

In sum, 2004’s from some vineyards were great, but the overall vintage was not as good as 2005 in my opinion.

By: Walla Walla wine geek

Walla Walla wine geek — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:59:01 +0000

Concerning the Walla Walla freeze of 2004… I think it is necessary to state here that the wines from Walla Walla Valley that year do not reflect “stressed” vines. There were no vines to be stressed! In fact, there were virtually no grapes at ALL that year, save for a few vineyards who bury their vines, a very expensive and labor intensive process. The freeze occurred in January. Temperatures were well below freezing for about two weeks, killing the vines even before bud break. Grapes that year (excluding the few vineyards I mentioned before) had to be pulled from elsewhere (Columbia Valley, primarily) to keep the industry above water. (Check Walla Walla labels from this year, you’ll see the trend.)

The Cabernet from Dunham Cellars in 2004, utilized exclusively Lewis Vineyard fruit out of Prosser, since their other two estate vineyards, like the rest of Walla Walla, had no fruit to bear. Lewis Vineyard is slowly becoming a favorite of Walla Walla winemakers, generally expressing almost jammy fruit characteristics and beautiful round acidity.

I will certainly agree though, that 2004 vintages from a few Walla Walla wineries have turned out to be my favorites, as even from the Columbia Valley, the grapes are not overripe, and are not your typical “fruit bomb”. I find these wines from the right vineyards far more elegant and intriguing than an average year.

Can’t wait to see what ‘07 will have to offer!

By: Kori

Kori — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:33:22 +0000

Paul,

In general, I have tended to prefer 2005 for Washington reds. However, I think you might be right that some of the stressed grapes made more mesmerizing wines as was the case with the 2004 Dunham Cab. Also, the freeze of 2004 hit the Walla Walla Valley the hardest so there can be considerable variation in the 2004 vintage depending on the wine’s region of origin within Washington.

If the barrel samples that I have tasted are any indication, I believe that 2007 could be the best vintage yet in Washington.

By: Paul Zitarelli

Paul Zitarelli — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:11:19 +0000

Kori -

Wondering what your thoughts are on the 2004 vintage vs 2005, especially for reds. I feel like the conventional wisdom (at least from the reading I have done) is that 2004 was a tough year (because of the freeze), whereas 2005 was nearly perfect.

But for me, I feel like the 2004 Washington reds that I have tasted have been consistently more interesting, terroir-driven, and generally better than the fuller, riper, fruit-driven 2005s.

When you put the Dunham 2004 on top, it reminded me of this topic. I wonder if stressed grapes in 2004 made for lower yields but more mesmerizing wines. Your thoughts?