Wine Peeps

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

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?

Before this trip, the only New Mexico wine I had tasted was the NV Gruet Brut Sparkling Wine which finished a close second in one of our tasting dinners. I was disappointed that Santa Fe does not seem to be as infatuated with New Mexico wines as was Sedona with Arizona wines. In fact, New Mexico wines and wineries were not that easy to find, and several hospitality professionals admitted that most restaurants and bars feature imported wines rather than New Mexico wines. We were able to visit the tasting rooms for Santa Fe Vineyards and Ponderosa Valley Winery. In addition, we tasted wines from two other New Mexico wineries, DH Lescombes and Black Mesa, in our hotel room that we picked up at a local wine shop.

I thought the best wines at Santa Fe Vineyards were their two Zinfandel Ports, the 2004 Santa Fe Vineyards Zinfandel Port (full bottle) and the 2005 Santa Fe Vineyards Zinfandel Port (half bottle). The other New Mexico wines we tasted at Santa Fe were the 2006 Santa Fe Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2007 Santa Fe Vineyards Chardonnay (no oak), and the NV Santa Fe Vineyards Tinto Del Sol Red Table Wine. Santa Fe Vineyards sells most of their wine through their tasting room and will ship out-of-state.

Ponderosa Valley Winery has been a grower for 33 years and has had their own winery for fifteen years. They produce about 4,500 cases a year, mostly sold through their tasting room and stores in the local area. They will also ship out-of-state. At Ponderosa, our two favorites were the 2004 Ponderosa Valley Merlot and the 2007 Ponderosa Valley Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon. The other wines we tasted at Ponderosa were the 2005 Ponderosa Valley Syrah, the NV Ponderosa Valley Light Port (half bottle), and the 2004 Ponderosa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

In our room that evening, we tasted a 2006 DH Lescombes Syrah and a 2005 Black Mesa Cabernet Sauvignon. Our limited sampling of New Mexico wines showed some promise but no great wines. I believe work needs to be done in improving the consistency of the wines and even more work needs to be done cooperatively in marketing New Mexico wines.

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

2004 Santa Fe Vineyards Zinfandel Port (full bottle)
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $50

2005 Santa Fe Vineyards Zinfandel Port (half bottle)
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $20

2004 Ponderosa Valley Merlot
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $16

2007 Ponderosa Valley Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $16

2006 Santa Fe Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $16

2005 Ponderosa Valley Syrah
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18

2006 DH Lescombes Syrah
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $15

2007 Santa Fe Vineyards Chardonnay (no oak)
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $13.50

NV Ponderosa Valley Light Port (half bottle)
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $20

2005 Black Mesa Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $21

NV Santa Fe Vineyards Tinto Del Sol Red Table Wine
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $10.50

2004 Ponderosa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $18

Have you ever had New Mexico wine actually made from New Mexico grapes? If so, how did you like it? What was your favorite?