Wine Peeps

Three of Washington State’s largest and most opulent winery facilities are located in Woodinville, a suburb of Seattle. Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Winery, and Novelty Hill/Januik make excellent stops on anyone’s wine tasting adventure.

In addition to the “Big Three,” Woodinville is also home to a number of small, garagiste wineries. But instead of being located in someone’s garage, most of these mom-and-pop operations are located in local business parks or storage facilities. While over 30 wineries currently have production facilities or tasting rooms in Woodinville, almost all of them actually get their grapes from vineyards in eastern Washington.

One Saturday afternoon last month, the Wine Peeps made the 20 mile trek to Woodinville for a bit of wine tasting. Since we have been to the “Big Three” numerous times, we decided to check out a few of the smaller wineries that we had not previously visited.

Our first stop was at Chatter Creek. During our visit, we had the pleasure to meet Gordy Rawson, winemaker/owner, who founded Chatter Creek in 1996. Chatter Creek’s annual production is approximately 2000 cases and is focused on the Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. We tasted five of their wines and especially liked the 2005 Clifton Hill Syrah.

Just down the street from Chatter Creek is Stevens Winery. Tim and Paige Stevens opened Stevens Winery in 2002. Tim is also an artist and designs an original label for each Stevens wine. Their yearly production is about 2000 cases. Of the three wines we tasted, their 2007 Divio Viognier was our favorite.

Our next stop took us to Matthews Estate. Matt Loso founded Matthews Estate in 1993. His wines have received numerous accolades. However, earlier this summer, Matt sold his interest in the winery to his partners. We, unfortunately, did not have a very pleasant experience at Matthews Estate. The four wines we tasted were okay, but not great, and certainly not worth the money. And the tasting room staff was a bit snooty. The lady serving us even made a snide comment to me about the fact that I was spitting and taking notes. I wonder if Matthews Estate has always been this way or if things have changed since Matt left.

Darby Winery was our final visit of the afternoon. Darby Winery is a fairly new winery founded by Darby English, winemaker/owner. Even though they are located in a business park, Darby has done an excellent job creating a nice ambience in the tasting room. Of the three wines we tasted, we liked their latest release, the 2006 Chaos, the best.

For information and a listing of other wineries in the area, visit the Woodinville Wine Country website.

Here’s a breakdown of the wines that we tasted in Woodinville. Under each Quality heading, the wine name and region will be listed along with price and QPR rating.

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2005 Chatter Creek Syrah, Clifton Hill Vineyard (Wahluke Slope), $38, QPR: 4
2006 Darby Chaos Red Wine (Columbia Valley), $28, QPR: 4

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Chatter Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Alder Ridge Vineyard (Horse Heaven Hills), $30, QPR: 4
2007 Chatter Creek Pinot Gris (Columbia Valley), $15, QPR: 3
2007 Stevens Divio Viognier (Yakima Valley), $22, QPR: 2
2001 Matthews Columbia Valley Red Wine (Columbia Valley), $70, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2006 Stevens YES Red Wine (Yakima Valley), $16, QPR: 4
2006 Chatter Creek Cabernet Franc, Alder Ridge Vineyard (Horse Heaven Hills), $24, QPR: 2
2006 Darby Syrah, Destiny Ridge Vineyard (Horse Heaven Hills), $30, QPR: 2
2004 Matthews Columbia Valley Claret (Columbia Valley), $30, QPR: 2
2007 Stevens A Second Thought Sauvignon Blanc (Yakima Valley), $19, QPR: 1
2007 Darby Le Deuce Viognier/Roussanne (Columbia Valley), $24, QPR: 1
2005 Matthews Red Mountain Syrah (Red Mountain), $55, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Chatter Creek Grenache (Columbia Valley), $18, QPR: NR
2007 Matthews Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc (Columbia Valley), $30, QPR: NR

Even though Mom (LaGayle) and Dad (John) were recently in Walla Walla as a part of their two month cross-country road trip (see Dad’s previous Walla Walla posts: Day 1 and Day 2), all of us Wine Peeps recently spent a weekend in the Walla Walla Valley visiting some wineries that Mom and Dad missed and getting tours of a few as well.

In our three days there, we visited 14 wineries and tasted 70 different wines. We rated 17 wines as being 4-star quality or higher. Six wineries had two or more wines that received a 4-star or higher rating. Those top six wineries are, in alphabetical order: Cougar Crest, Dunham, Dusted Valley, Long Shadows, Saviah, and Watermill. You will find a complete list of all the wines we tasted at the end of this post.

We had the pleasure of touring three wineries on this visit—Long Shadows, Watermill, and Saviah.

Long Shadows does not have a retail tasting room and is not open to the public. Tours are handled on an appointment only basis. They have a state-of-the-art facility where some of the most highly acclaimed winemakers from around the world come to make world-class wines from Washington grapes that are comparable to the wines they make in their native wine regions.

When Mom and Dad were in Eastern Oregon on their road trip, they visited and absolutely loved Watermill Winery in Milton-Freewater which is located just across the Oregon border, only 10 miles from downtown Walla Walla, Washington. After their rave reviews about the Watermill wines and the people behind the wines, Colby and I were excited to visit. Watermill did not disappoint; they are making excellent wines and are truly wonderful people. We had a fabulous visit with Kelli and Nancy in the tasting room and then Nancy took us on a tour of their barrel room and production facility.

Our third tour was of Saviah Cellars. If you read Dad’s Day 1 post from their previous Walla Walla visit, you may remember that Mom and Dad’s first attempt to visit Saviah did not work out as they had hoped. However, Rich Funk (owner/winemaker) contacted us to apologize and ask if we would consider revisiting Saviah. Since we were already planning to be in the Walla Walla area soon, we agreed. And I am very thankful that we did. Rich is an extremely nice guy and that initial experience is definitely not indicative of how he runs his business. We had the pleasure of having Rich personally pour our tasting and share with us his winemaking philosophy. Incidentally, Rich is also the winemaker for Watermill Winery. After the standard tasting, Rich gave us a tour of Saviah’s facilities and treated us to numerous barrel samples. He is already making great wines and has some exciting projects in the works.

In coming weeks, we will be doing some “Spotlight On” posts to feature wineries that we believe are doing some exciting things.

Here’s a breakdown of the wines that we tasted. Under each Quality heading, the wine name and region will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Watermill Reserve Syrah (Walla Walla Valley), $35, QPR: 5
2005 Dunham Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon XI (Columbia Valley), $45, QPR: 5
2004 Dunham Cellars Syrah (Columbia Valley), $45, QPR: 5
2005 Sequel Syrah [Long Shadows] (Columbia Valley), $55, QPR: 5
2005 Dunham Cellars Lewis Vineyard Merlot (Columbia Valley), $75, QPR: 2

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2006 Watermill Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley), $24, QPR: 5
2006 Dusted Valley Stained Tooth Syrah (Columbia Valley), $24, QPR: 5
2007 Cougar Crest Estate Grown Grenache Rose (Walla Walla Valley), $18, QPR: 4
2007 Poet’s Leap Riesling [Long Shadows] (Columbia Valley), $20, QPR: 4
2007 Amavi Semillon (Columbia Valley), $20, QPR: 4
2006 Seven Hills Malbec (Walla Walla Valley), $28, QPR: 4
2005 Watermill Syrah (Walla Walla Valley), $28, QPR: 4
2006 Saviah Malbec (Walla Walla Valley), $30, QPR: 4
2006 Saviah Une Vallee Red Wine (Walla Walla Valley), $32, QPR: 4
2006 Dusted Valley Reserve Syrah (Columbia Valley), $35, QPR: 4
2005 Cougar Crest Cabernet Franc (Walla Walla Valley), $36, QPR: 3
2005 Dunham Cellars Lewis Vineyard Syrah (Columbia Valley), $75, QPR: 1

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Seven Hills Riesling (Columbia Valley), $12, QPR: 5
2005 Three Rivers Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley), $21, QPR: 5
2005 Waterbrook Reserve Merlot (Columbia Valley), $22, QPR: 4
2006 Waterbrook Reserve Syrah (Columbia Valley), $22, QPR: 4
2006 Saviah Chardonnay, Stillwater Creek Vineyard (Columbia Valley), $25, QPR: 4
2005 Seven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, Seven Hills Vineyard (Walla Walla Valley), $30, QPR: 4
2007 Seven Hills Pinot Gris (Oregon), $16, QPR: 3
2006 Dusted Valley Walla Walla Syrah (Walla Walla Valley), $28, QPR: 3
2005 Beresan Syrah (Walla Walla Valley), $29, QPR: 3
2005 Watermill Estate Midnight Red (Walla Walla Valley), $30, QPR: 3
2005 Saviah Syrah (Red Mountain), $30, QPR: 3
2005 Waterbrook 1st and Main Petit Verdot (Columbia Valley), $30, QPR: 3
2005 Cougar Crest Syrah (Walla Walla Valley), $32, QPR: 3
2005 Pepper Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon (Walla Walla Valley), $55, QPR: 3
2007 Saviah Star Meadows White Wine (Columbia Valley), $20, QPR: 2
2007 Va Piano Semillon (Columbia Valley), $22, QPR: 2
2007 Dunham Cellars Lewis Vineyard Riesling (Columbia Valley), $26, QPR: 2
2005 Morrison Lane Cinsault (Walla Walla Valley), $27, QPR: 2
2006 Three Rivers Tempranillo (Columbia Valley), $29, QPR: 2
2005 Beresan Malbec (Walla Walla Valley), $29, QPR: 2
2005 Cougar Crest Anniversary Cuvee (Walla Walla Valley), $32, QPR: 2
2005 Beresan Stone River (Walla Walla Valley), $35, QPR: 2
2005 Saviah Big Sky Cuvee (Columbia Valley), $35, QPR: 2
2006 Va Piano Syrah (Columbia Valley), $38, QPR: 2
2007 Dusted Valley Viognier (Yakima Valley), $24, QPR: 1
2006 Dusted Valley Malbec (Walla Walla Valley), $32, QPR: 1
2004 Chester-Kidder [Long Shadows] (Columbia Valley), $50, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2005 Watermill Chances R (Columbia Valley), $18, QPR: 4
2006 Saviah The Jack Red Wine (Columbia Valley), $18, QPR: 4
2005 Waterbrook Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley), $22, QPR: 4
2006 Dusted Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley), $26, QPR: 4
2006 Amavi Cabernet Sauvignon (Walla Walla Valley), $28, QPR: 4
2005 Three Rivers Syrah (Columbia Valley), $24, QPR: 3
2005 Dunham Cellars Trutina (Columbia Valley), $26, QPR: 3
2006 Seven Hills Merlot, Seven Hills Vineyard (Walla Walla Valley), $28, QPR: 3
2006 Waterbrook Melange Blanc (Columbia Valley), $15, QPR: 2
2007 Seven Hills Viognier (Columbia Valley), $18, QPR: 2
2006 Beresan Semillon (Walla Walla Valley), $18, QPR: 2
2007 Poet’s Leap Carmina Burana Casked Riesling [Long Shadows] (Columbia Valley), $20, QPR: 2
2006 Dusted Valley Chardonnay (Columbia Valley), $22, QPR: 2
2005 Seven Hills Syrah (Walla Walla Valley), $28, QPR: 2
2006 Amavi Syrah (Walla Walla Valley), $28, QPR: 2
2006 Three Rivers Malbec (Columbia Valley), $29, QPR: 2
2004 Pepper Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley), $50, QPR: 2
2005 Morrison Lane Carmenere (Walla Walla Valley), $28, QPR: 1
2003 Morrison Lane Syrah (Walla Walla Valley), $32, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Three Rivers Estate Rose (Walla Walla Valley), $10, QPR: NR
2005 Waterbrook Melange (Columbia Valley), $15, QPR: NR
2006 Watermill Sauvignon Blanc (Columbia Valley), $16, QPR: NR
2005 Pepper Bridge Merlot (Walla Walla Valley), $50, QPR: NR
2006 Dusted Valley Cabernet Franc (Columbia Valley), $32, QPR: NR
2006 Morrison Lane Viognier (Walla Walla Valley), $23 QPR: NR
2006 Dunham Cellars Four Legged White (Columbia Valley), $16, QPR: NR

As our road trip took us to Spokane, Washington, we tried to visit a representative sampling of wineries in the Spokane area. Our first stop was at Latah Creek Winery. Latah Creek, owned by Mike Conway and his wife, has been in business 26 years and produces about 15,000 cases per year. Our friendly hostess, Ruth, poured six wines for us with no tasting fee. Our favorite was the 2006 Latah Creek Winemaker’s Reserve Red - Petit Verdot. It was the first time we’ve had Petit Verdot as a stand-alone varietal, and it was pretty doggone good. A close second for us was the 2005 Latah Creek Cabernet-Syrah, an excellent value at $20.

Our next stop was at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars. Arbor Crest was founded in 1982, and today produces about 20,000 cases per year. While it is locally owned by the Mielke family, the tasting room had more of a corporate feel and their tasting fee was not refundable with a wine purchase which rubs me the wrong way. Of the five wines we tasted at Arbor Crest, our favorite was the 2005 Arbor Crest Syrah.

Our third stop was at Townshend Cellar, whose owner/winemaker is Don Townshend, an engineer by background and trade. He founded Townshend Cellar in 1998 after doing an engineering job for Preston Premium Wines and getting hooked on the wine business. Today he makes about twenty different wines and produces about 9,000 cases per year. While we tasted some good wines, the tasting room experience at Townshend was somewhat uncomfortable because the tasting room staff was a bit aloof. Of the nine complimentary wines we tasted, our three favorites were the NV Townshend T3 (Bordeaux blend), the 2001 Townshend Merlot, and the 2001 Townshend Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our final stop of the day was at Lone Canary Winery, a relatively new producer, founded in 2003 by Mike Scott, winemaker/partner. Today they produce about 5,000 cases per year, 3,000 of which is a good unoaked Sauvignon Blanc. Of the seven complimentary wines poured for us by James, the friendly and knowledgeable Aussie tasting room host, our favorite was the 2003 Lone Canary Proprietor’s Reserve (Bordeaux blend). Close behind were the 2004 Lone Canary Merlot and the 2004 Lone Canary DuBrul Vineyard Reserve (Bordeaux blend).

Here’s a breakdown of the Spokane wines that we tasted. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
NV Townshend T3 (Bordeaux blend), $18, QPR: 5
2005 Latah Creek Cabernet-Syrah, $20, QPR: 5
2004 Lone Canary Merlot, $20, QPR: 5
2005 Arbor Crest Syrah, $22, QPR: 5
2001 Townshend Merlot, $23, QPR: 5
2001 Townshend Cabernet Sauvignon, $28, QPR: 5
2003 Lone Canary Proprietor’s Reserve (Bordeaux blend), $30, QPR: 4
2004 Lone Canary DuBrul Vineyard Reserve (Bordeaux blend), $35, QPR: 4
2006 Latah Creek Winemaker’s Reserve Red - Petit Verdot, $30, QPR: 3

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
NV Townshend Red Table Wine, $11, QPR: 5
2005 Latah Creek Merlot, $15, QPR: 5
2006 Lone Canary Barbera, $15, QPR: 5
2004 Lone Canary Sangiovese, $18, QPR: 5
2005 Arbor Crest Cabernet Sauvignon, $20, QPR: 5
2002 Townshend Late Harvest Merlot, $20, QPR: 5
2004 Lone Canary Cabernet Sauvignon, $20, QPR: 5
2006 Lone Canary Sauvignon Blanc, $10, QPR: 4
2004 Townshend Syrah, $20, QPR: 4
2005 Townshend Viognier, $14, QPR: 3

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2005 Arbor Crest Sauvignon Blanc, $11, QPR: 4
2003 Townshend Sangiovese, $20, QPR: 4
2006 Townshend Sauvignon Blanc, $11, QPR: 4
2005 Arbor Crest Merlot, $18, QPR: 3

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Latah Creek Semillon, $10, QPR: NR
2005 Latah Creek Natalie’s Nectar, $14, QPR: NR
NV Arbor Crest Cliff House Red, $14, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2006 Latah Creek Sangiovese, $10, QPR: NR

Last Friday was a beautiful, sunny day in Seattle, the perfect day to enjoy some crisp, cool white wines for summer. Our wine tasting dinner this month was a slight departure from our normal tasting format. This tasting featured six different white varietals instead of six different wines within the same varietal. Since the Wine Peeps generally gravitate toward our beloved New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc when it comes to white wines, we wanted to expand our horizons and see how some other varietals from other regions stacked up in a blind tasting.

In addition to asking each of our guests to give us their rankings of the wines at the end of the evening, we added another twist to make things even more interesting. Each person was given a sheet of paper with a list of the six varietals represented in the tasting and a brief description of common characteristics for that varietal and we each tried to identify which wine was which varietal before we took off the sacks and unveiled them. We had done this exercise a couple years ago with a red tasting and it is no easy task. I’m happy to report that this group did very well with the exercise. One person matched all six correctly and two others matched four.

While the 2007 Nobilo Marlborough Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand was the consensus favorite, we did discover a fabulous Viognier from Nefarious Cellars in Chelan, Washington and once again thoroughly enjoyed the Poet’s Leap Riesling from the Columbia Valley in Washington. These top three wines were all excellent and each garnered a 4 star rating. Though very different, all three paired well with Mom’s dinner of braised chicken breast topped with olive tapenade, steamed green beans with red onion and roasted red peppers, and wild rice.

In addition to enjoying good wines and Mom’s delicious food, the best part of the evening was spending time with wonderful family and friends.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2007 Nobilo Marlborough Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Beautiful nose of grapefruit, lime, tomato plant, and freshly cut grass. Distinct grapefruit flavors. Sharp, crisp acidity and a nice, long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: MadWine (Seattle), $10.99; Available elsewhere, $10 to $11

2007 Nefarious Cellars Defiance Vineyard Viognier (Lake Chelan Valley, Washington): Elegant floral aromas and flavors. Crisp and refreshing with a pleasant, smooth finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $18.99

2006 Poet’s Leap Riesling [Long Shadows] (Columbia Valley, Washington): Aromas of cantaloupe rind and pineapple lead to flavors of honeydew and peach. Off-dry and well-balanced with crisp acidity and a nice finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Pete’s Wine Shop (Seattle), $18.69; Available elsewhere, $16 to $24

2007 Pacific Rim Chenin Blanc (Columbia Valley, Washington): Interesting aroma profile of asparagus mixed with stale beer. Tastes better than it smells. Some acidity.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: QFC (Seattle), $9; Available elsewhere, $8 to $14 (different vintage)

2007 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay (New Zealand): Distinct dill notes on the nose. Fairly plain with a short, somewhat perplexing finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle), $15; Available elsewhere, $15 to $20

2007 Voga Italia Pinot Grigio (Delle Venezie, Italy): Old World minerality is present along with aromas of pizza crust. Weak finish. This wine comes in a very distinctive bottle that looks a bit like a huge cologne bottle.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: QFC (Seattle), $9; Available elsewhere, $10 to $28 (different vintage)

What is your favorite summer white wine?

Our hosts for the July edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, the blogosphere’s monthly virtual wine tasting event, are Erin and Michelle of the Canadian wine blog Grape Juice. They selected a very fun and original theme, Today’s Wine Brought To You By The Letter “S”, that takes us back to our childhood and days of watching Sesame Street. They intentionally left this theme vague and up to interpretation. The only requirement was that the word beginning with “S” must be directly related to the bottle(s) of wine selected (i.e. region, varietal, producer, winemaker, etc).

The Wine Peeps had a lot of fun with this theme. We set out to taste several super Sauvignon Blancs for summer. Obviously, our first “S” was the varietal, Sauvignon Blanc. Next, we chose four different Sauvignon Blancs from four different wine regions around the world with the common denominator being that the names of all four producers started with “S”.

We blind-tasted these four wines: the 2007 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand; the 2007 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley, California; the 2007 Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc from Adelaide Hills, Australia; and the 2007 Snoqualmie Sauvignon Blanc from Columbia Valley, Washington. They all nicely complemented our light summer fare of grilled halibut, wild rice, and steamed broccoli. In fact, Sauvignon Blanc is our favorite summer white varietal whether we are enjoying it with dinner or just sipping it outside on the deck.

While I would not turn down a glass of any of these, the Seresin from New Zealand was the clear favorite of all four of us. In fact, this tasting was the rare occasion when we all ranked the wines exactly the same way.

In order of our favorite to least favorite:

2007 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Very fruity and sharp nose with aromas of grapefruit and hay. Grapefruit, green bell peppers, and jalapenos come through on the palate. Very spicy with ripping acidity. Crisp, refreshing, and smooth with a nice, long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Esquin (Seattle), $20; Available elsewhere, $15 to $24

2007 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley, California): Aromas and flavors of grapefruit, Granny Smith apples, and apricots. Good complexity and a nice finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Esquin (Seattle), $21; Available elsewhere, $18 to $23

2007 Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc (Adelaide Hills, Australia): Freshly cut grass and citrus fruits come through on both the nose and the palate. Good acidity but a short finish that just trails off.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Esquin (Seattle), $17; Available elsewhere, $15 to $23

2007 Snoqualmie Sauvignon Blanc (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pleasant floral and pear aromas, pear flavors, and some acidity. Decent but definitely the weakest of these four wines.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle), $7.50; Available elsewhere, $9 to $10

As our road trip continued, we were excited to arrive back in our home state of Washington. We took two days to tour a select group of Walla Walla wineries. It was our first trip to Walla Walla in several years. Most Walla Walla wineries seem to be going to tasting fees that are refundable with a purchase. While I would prefer no tasting fees, I can understand and live with that system. Where I have a problem is with wineries where the tasting fee is not refundable and/or they offer to let you keep the tasting glass (which I don’t need and it doesn’t match any other glass that I have). On this trip, we tasted at several wineries we had visited on our last trip here and a couple of new ones. Interestingly, I was generally more impressed with the new ones than the ones we had previously visited.

Our first stop was at Woodward Canyon Winery, one of our repeat visits. Of the five wines we tasted, our favorite was the 2005 Woodward Canyon Columbia Valley Merlot, although I did not find any of their wines really special.

Our next stop was at L’Ecole No. 41, a longstanding winery here housed in old schoolhouse No. 41, a truly unique winery setting. Of the five wines we tasted, our favorite was the 2006 L’Ecole Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Syrah, although once again none of their wines really knocked my socks off as I had hoped they would.

Our third stop was at Reininger Winery, another one we had visited previously, but one that I believe has improved during the intervening years. At Reininger, we found three excellent wines out of the six we tasted, but our favorite was the 2005 Reininger Syrah Ash Hollow Vineyard. The best value wine we tasted was the 2003 Reininger Cabernet Sauvignon Ash Hollow Vineyard. The third excellent wine was the 2005 Reininger Malbec.

Next we visited the beautiful new Cougar Crest Estate Winery facility. The tasting room is outstanding in every way, and we found their wines to be generally very good. Dave and Debbie Hansen are another set of winery owners whose agricultural background is in fruit production, in their case apples. They grow all of their own grapes on their estate vineyards, currently producing about 10,000 cases per year. Out of the six wines we tasted, our favorite was their 2005 Cougar Crest Walla Walla Valley Syrah. Close behind was their 2005 Cougar Crest Walla Walla Cabernet Franc, a varietal I’ve rarely found attractive other than in a blend.

Our fifth visit of the day was supposed to be Saviah Cellars. We had tasted their 2005 Syrah at Taste Washington and didn’t really like it that much, but we wanted to give them another try because of the strong recommendation of the hostess at Watermill Winery. But despite the fact that their advertising said they would be open from 12-5pm, they were not. And the young man, who was left to inform us that they were closed as the boss ducked out a side door, was not apologetic nor did he care to tell us when they might be open if we wanted to come back. They might have decent wine, I’ll never know, but their business practices are certainly not impressive. [Editor's note: We had an opportunity to revisit Saviah Cellars and had a very positive experience. Please see Kori's July 28th post.]

Our final stop for Day 1 was at Basel Cellars, where we tasted what we thought was the best wine of the day, the 2005 Basel Cellars Syrah. Two other excellent wines were the 2005 Basel Cellars Estate Merlot and the 2005 Basel Cellars Inspired (Merlot/Cab Franc blend).

Here’s a breakdown of the Walla Walla wines that we tasted on Day 1. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Basel Cellars Syrah, $28, QPR: 5

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2005 Basel Cellars Estate Merlot, $28, QPR: 5
2003 Reininger Cabernet Sauvignon Ash Hollow Vineyard, $32, QPR: 5
2005 Cougar Crest Walla Walla Valley Syrah, $32, QPR: 4
2005 Cougar Crest Walla Walla Cabernet Franc, $36, QPR: 3
2005 Basel Cellars Inspired (Merlot/Cab Franc blend), $40, QPR: 3
2005 Reininger Syrah Ash Hollow Vineyard, $41, QPR: 3
2005 Reininger Malbec, $45, QPR: 2

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 L’Ecole Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $29, QPR: 5
NV Cougar Crest Dedication Two Red Table Wine, $20, QPR: 4
2005 Basel Cellars Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, $36, QPR: 4
2006 Cougar Crest Walla Walla Valley Viognier, $20, QPR: 3
2005 Cougar Crest Walla Walla Valley Merlot, $32, QPR: 3
2006 L’Ecole Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Syrah, $36, QPR: 3
2005 Reininger Syrah, $36, QPR: 3
2005 Woodward Canyon Columbia Valley Merlot, $39, QPR: 3
2005 Woodward Canyon Artist Series Cabernet, $44, QPR: 3
2007 Basel Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, $18, QPR: 2
2005 Basel Cellars Estate Merriment (Bordeaux blend), $48, QPR: 1
2005 L’Ecole Pepper Bridge Vineyard Apogee, $49, QPR: 1
2003 Woodward Canyon Estate Red, $59, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2006 L’Ecole Recess Red, $17, QPR: 4
2006 Nelms Road Merlot, $21, QPR: 3
2006 Basel Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, $18, QPR: 2
2003 Reininger Merlot, $30, QPR: 2
2005 Cougar Crest Walla Walla Anniversary Cuvee (Bordeaux blend), $32, QPR: 2
2007 Woodward Canyon Estate Sauvignon Blanc, $24, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 L’Ecole Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Merlot, $36, QPR: NR
2002 Reininger Cima blend, $45, QPR: NR

Come back next Friday for my recap of Day 2 in Walla Walla.

As we continued our cross-country road trip, we stopped in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, at a couple of eastern Oregon wineries. What a contrast it was between the western Oregon wineries we have visited in the past and these two eastern Oregon wineries. We didn’t have to pay any tasting fees, the attitude of the winery tasting room personnel was friendly and very hospitable, and neither winery produces any Pinot Noir. In a nutshell, it was a great day in wine country, despite the dreary, rainy weather.

Our first stop was at Watermill Winery. Our bubbly hostess, Kelli, is a member of the Earl Brown extended family, owners and operators of the winery as well as a huge apple orchard operation. They have been growing grapes for others for a number of years, but 2005 was their first vintage for their own winery. They are currently producing about 3,500 cases per year and growing. Of the seven wines we tasted at Watermill, our two favorites were the 2005 Watermill Reserve Syrah and the 2005 Watermill Syrah.

Our next stop was at Zerba Cellars. The Zerbas were in the nursery business for 20 years, so they understand basic agriculture and the importance of the grape in producing good wine. They produce about 6,000 cases per year. Marilyn Zerba was our gracious hostess as we tasted seven of their wines. Our favorite Zerba wine was their 2006 Zerba Malbec, although it was a bit pricey. Close in quality and better in value in our opinion were the 2005 Zerba Merlot and the 2005 Zerba Syrah (Port style).

The wineries in this area are located very close to the Washington state line and are in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.

Here’s a breakdown of the Eastern Oregon wines that we tasted. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2005 Watermill Reserve Syrah, $35, QPR: 4
2005 Watermill Syrah, $28, QPR: 4

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Watermill Cabernet Sauvignon, $24, QPR: 5
2005 Zerba Merlot, $28, QPR: 4
2005 Zerba Syrah (Port style), $28, QPR: 4
2006 Watermill Viognier, $14, QPR: 3
2006 Zerba Malbec, $38, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2005 Zerba Cabernet Sauvignon, $30, QPR: 4
2005 Watermill Estate Midnight Red (Bordeaux blend), $30, QPR: 2
2006 Watermill Sauvignon Blanc, $16, QPR: 2
2005 Zerba Syrah, $28, QPR: 2
2006 Zerba Estate Rose (Sangiovese), $18, QPR: 2

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Watermill Chances R (Merlot/Cab), $18, QPR: NR
2006 Zerba Viognier, $18, QPR: NR

Have you ever visited Eastern Oregon wineries? If so, what was your experience there?

As we continued our cross-country road trip, we visited three Idaho wineries, one in Glenns Ferry and two in Caldwell, Idaho. They all produce their wines exclusively with Idaho grapes, and we found some pretty good wines at each stop. Our first stop was at Carmela Vineyards, in business since 1988. They produce about 10,000 cases a year, almost all sold in Idaho although they will ship out-of-state. Our favorite wine at Carmela was their 2004 Carmela Reserve Merlot.

Our next stop was at Ste. Chapelle Winery, Idaho’s oldest and largest winery, a part of the mammoth Constellation Group when we visited but was purchased last week by Ascentia Wine Estates. Out of the five wines we tasted at Ste. Chapelle, our favorites were the 2004 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Syrah and the 2004 Ste. Chapelle Ice Wine Sauvignon Blanc.

Our third stop was at Williamson Vineyards, where a fourth generation Williamson, Beverly, was our knowledgeable tasting room hostess. The Williamsons have been in the fruit growing business for generations and remain a large producer today but have only been growing grapes, mainly as a diversification measure, since the 1990’s. They are contract growers for some of Idaho’s best known wineries as well as produce an increasing amount of grapes for their own winery operation. We also had the opportunity to meet and visit with Beverly’s father, Roger, who is the winemaker for Williamson Vineyards. While we would not hesitate to recommend any of the five wines we tasted at Williamson, our favorites were the 2005 Williamson Syrah and the NV Williamson Doce Dessert Wine (Ruby style Port). I believe that Williamson is an up-and-coming winery that merits watching. I’d like to come back in five years and see the progress that they have made.

Note: A few days after these visits, we also visited another Idaho winery, Camas Prairie Winery in Moscow, Idaho, but we did not taste any wines. When we entered the tasting room, the owner was serving some other folks so we didn’t expect instantaneous service. But when he finished their tasting, he said he was going to pass them off to the checkout clerks, implying that he would then serve us. However, instead he went over to the checkout with them and continued to visit, totally ignoring us. But the straw that broke the camel’s back for us was when another employee came in, and instead of spelling him at the checkout desk or serving us, she waited on another customer who had come in after us. When that happened, we left. There are too many other wineries with good wine and good service to put up with that. I could not recommend Camas Prairie Winery to anyone.

Here’s a breakdown of the Idaho wines that we tasted. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2004 Carmela Reserve Merlot, $25, QPR: 5
2004 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Syrah, $11, QPR: 5
2004 Ste. Chapelle Ice Wine Sauvignon Blanc, $20, QPR: 5
2005 Williamson Syrah, $18, QPR: 5
NV Williamson Doce Dessert Wine (Ruby style Port), $25, QPR: 5

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2004 Williamson Cabernet Sauvignon, $25, QPR: 5
2006 Williamson Late Harvest Viognier, $22, QPR: 5
2004 Carmela Red Meritage, $17, QPR: 4
2006 Williamson Viognier, $15, QPR: 3

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
NV Carmela Cabernet Merlot, $10, QPR: 5
2005 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Cabernet Sauvignon, $11, QPR: 5
2001-02 Carmela Merlot, $17, QPR: 4
2000 Carmela Cabernet Franc, $17, QPR: 4

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2003 Carmela Cabernet Sauvignon, $17, QPR: NR
2006 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Merlot, $11, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2003 Carmela Pinot Noir, $17, QPR: NR
2006 Carmela Semillon, $13, QPR: NR
2006 Ste. Chapelle Sauvignon Blanc, $9, QPR: NR

Have you ever had Idaho wine? If so, how did you like it? What was your favorite?

As we traveled through Colorado, we made several stops at wineries near Palisade, Colorado. We were impressed that each of the wineries we visited sold only Colorado grown grapes, offered complimentary tastings, had nice professional tasting rooms, and their wines were pretty good.

Our first stop was at Grande River Vineyards, Colorado’s oldest winery. Their production is about 8,000 cases per year, almost all sold in Colorado, although they can ship to Washington State. We tasted seven different wines with our favorite being the 2005 Grande River Syrah.

Our next stop was at Plum Creek Winery, a winery started in 1983 with production of about 15,000 cases per year, all sold in Colorado. Plum Creek will no longer even ship outside of Colorado, a shame since they have some good wines. We tasted five Plum Creek wines, our favorites being their 2006 Plum Creek Sauvignon Blanc, the 2006 Plum Creek Sangiovese, and the 2006 Plum Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our final stop was at Graystone Winery, a Port house where we tasted three different ports. Our favorite was their Graystone Port III (2003 Cab/Merlot Ruby Port), a port that we believe will be even better with more time in the bottle.

In my opinion, Colorado is an emerging wine area that has good potential. They seem to be able to grow the popular international varietals and have a tourist base that is generally wine savvy. I’d like to come back in five years and see the progress they have made.

Since we tasted fifteen different wines, I have broken down the list into Quality rating categories. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Grande River Syrah, $17, QPR: 5
2005 Grande River Late Harvest Viognier, $20, QPR: 5
2006 Plum Creek Sangiovese, $17, QPR: 5
2006 Plum Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, $17, QPR: 5
Graystone Port III (2003 Cab/Merlot Ruby Port), $23, QPR: 5
2006 Plum Creek Sauvignon Blanc, $11, QPR: 4

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
Graystone Port II (2002 Cab/Merlot Port), $23, QPR: 5
2003 Plum Creek Cabernet Franc, $12, QPR: 4
2001 Grande River Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, $35, QPR: 3
2005 Grande River Viognier, $17, QPR: 2

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2002 Grande River Merlot, $13, QPR: NR
2004 Grande River Cabernet Sauvignon, $15, QPR: NR
2006 Plum Creek Merlot, $12, QPR: NR
Graystone Lipizzan White Port (2002 Pinot Gris Port), $22, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2006 Grande River Sauvignon Blanc, $10, QPR: NR

Have you ever had Colorado wine? If so, how did you like it? What was your favorite?

Our Texas wine tour consisted of visits to a couple of wineries just south of Lubbock, Cap*Rock Winery and Llano Estacado Winery. Prior to this trip, my only experience with Texas wines were with Texas Hill Country wineries west of Austin and one winery near Bryan/College Station. Quite frankly, those wineries had not shown me much. Our experience this time was much better.

Based on our experiences during this road trip, I would say that Texas wines are the best of Southwest wines, better than the wines in either Arizona or New Mexico. And as I guess should be expected in Texas, the tasting room personnel were super-friendly. We had to be careful to evaluate only Texas wines produced from Texas grapes because both wineries had some wines that did not qualify as true Texas wine.

Our first visit was to Cap*Rock Winery, where we received the VIP treatment for almost two hours from their winemaker, Alberto Marchetto, without him being aware that we write a wine blog. Cap*Rock has annual production of about 13,000 cases with most distribution within the state of Texas.

While their best wine by far was a wine made with imported Italian grapes, the 2003 Il Pralongo Amarone della Valpolicella, they had a couple of decent Texas wines, the NV Cap*Rock Palo Duro Canyon Red (a Merlot-Cabernet blend) and the 2005 Cap*Rock Cabernet Sauvignon. Other Texas wines we tasted were the 2005 Cap*Rock Merlot and the 2005 Cap*Rock Chardonnay.

Next we visited Llano Estacado, one of the oldest and largest Texas wineries, with annual production of about 150,000 cases. Their wines are fairly widely distributed, especially within Texas, and are also available through their online store. At Llano Estacado, we tasted six Texas wines; the best was a 2006 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. We found a 2005 vintage of this wine, which might be even better, down the road at a beverage store for $16. We also thought very highly of their 2002 Llano Estacado 30th Anniversary Port which is only available at the tasting room.

The other Texas wines we tasted from their impressive lineup were the NV Llano Estacado Cellar Select Port, the 2005 Llano Estacado Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2006 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Chardonnay, and the 2006 Llano Estacado Sauvignon Blanc.

Here’s a recap of the wines we tasted in Texas, in our order of preference. All prices given are winery/tasting room prices.

2003 Il Pralongo Amarone della Valpolicella
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $49.50

2006 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $22

2005 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $16

2002 Llano Estacado 30th Anniversary Port (full bottle)
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $60

NV Llano Estacado Cellar Select Port (full bottle)
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $22

2005 Llano Estacado Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $14

2006 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Chardonnay
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $22

NV Cap*Rock Palo Duro Canyon Red: 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $13

2005 Cap*Rock Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $15

2005 Cap*Rock Merlot
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $15

2005 Cap*Rock Chardonnay
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $15

2006 Llano Estacado Sauvignon Blanc
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $9

Have you ever tasted any true Texas wines? What was your impression? Were they from Hill Country or West Texas wineries?