Archive for the 'Wine Activities/Events' Category

Rhone Rangers in Seattle

The Rhone Rangers—Advancing the knowledge & enjoyment of Rhone grapes grown in America and of the wines produced from those grapes.

Last Tuesday, Dad (John) and I attended the Rhone Rangers Trade/Media Tasting in Seattle. The Rhone Rangers are a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting American Rhone varietal wines. To be members, wineries must produce wines from one or more of the 22 varietals that are native to the Rhone Valley in France. Rhone Ranger member wineries from Washington, Oregon, and California participated in this tasting.

Since it would have been impossible to taste all the wines that were being poured, we chose to focus on one varietal, Syrah. We tasted a total of 45 wines, 44 Syrahs and one Syrah blend. We gave a 4 star rating to seven wines. We especially liked the 2006 Cline Los Carneros Estate Syrah and the 2006 Cass “Rockin’ One” Red Blend. We look forward to picking up some of these and adding them to our blind-tasting lineup to see how they stack up against some of our proven favorites. Look for posts on these tastings in the coming weeks and months.

In order to keep these notes from being unwieldy as we tasted 45 different wines, I have broken down the list into Quality rating categories. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with appellation/region, 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)
2006 Cline Los Carneros Estate Syrah, Carneros, $20, QPR: 5
2005 Snoqualmie Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley, $23, QPR: 5
2004 Sarah’s Vineyard Syrah, Santa Clara Valley, $30, QPR: 4
2005 Tablas Creek Syrah, Paso Robles, $35, QPR: 4
2006 Cass “Rockin’ One” Red Blend, Paso Robles, $42, QPR: 3
2005 Domaine Serene Rockblock “Seven Hills Vineyard” Syrah, Rogue Valley, $45, QPR: 3
2005 McCrea Cellars Boushey Grande Cote Vineyard Syrah, Yakima Valley, $45, QPR: 3

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Snoqualmie Columbia Valley Syrah, Columbia Valley, $10, QPR: 5
2006 J. Lohr Estates South Ridge Syrah, Paso Robles, $15, QPR: 5
2005 Kinton Syrah, Santa Barbara County, $20, QPR: 4
2005 Coyote Canyon Estate Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, $22, QPR: 4
2005 Adelaida Cellars Estate Syrah, Paso Robles, $25, QPR: 4
2006 Justin Syrah, Paso Robles, $27, QPR: 4
2005 Novy Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah, Santa Lucia Highlands, $27, QPR: 4
2005 Sarah’s Vineyard Syrah, Santa Clara Valley, $30, QPR: 3
2005 Ecluse Lock Vineyard Syrah, Paso Robles, $32, QPR: 3
2004 Alexander Valley Vineyards Alexander School TOC Syrah, Alexander Valley, $35, QPR: 3
2003 Bridlewood Estate Syrah, Santa Ynez, $40, QPR: 2
2006 Walter Dacon C’est Syrah Magnifique, Yakima Valley, $42, QPR: 2
2004 McCrea Cellars Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Syrah, Red Mountain, $45, QPR: 2
2005 IO Ryan Road Vineyard Syrah, Paso Robles, $48, QPR: 1
2004 McCrea Cellars Cuvee Orleans Syrah, Yakima Valley, $50, QPR: 1
2005 Adelaida Cellars Viking Vineyard Reserve Estate Syrah, Paso Robles, $65, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2006 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Shiraz, Columbia Valley, $11, QPR: 5
2005 Sawtooth Syrah, Idaho, $13, QPR: 5
2006 Cline Cool Climate Syrah, Sonoma Coast, $16, QPR: 4
2005 Bonterra Syrah, Mendocino County, $18, QPR: 4
2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley, $20, QPR: 3
2005 Alexander Valley Vineyards Estate Syrah, Alexander Valley, $20, QPR: 3
2005 Novy Sonoma County Syrah, Sonoma County, $20, QPR: 3
2004 Bridlewood Central Coast Reserve Syrah, Central Coast, $24, QPR: 3
2003 Valley View Anna Maria Syrah, Rogue Valley, $24, QPR: 3
2003 Columbia Winery Red Willow Vineyard Syrah, Yakima Valley $30, QPR: 2
2006 Walter Dacon C’est Syrah Belle, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 2
2006 Walter Dacon C’est Syrah Beaux, Columbia Valley, $38, QPR: 1
2005 McCrea Cellars Amerique Syrah, Yakima Valley, $40, QPR: 1
2002 Arrowood Saralee’s Vineyard Syrah, Russian River Valley, $40, QPR: 1
2003 Terra Blanca Reserve Block 8 Syrah, Red Mountain, $42, QPR: 1
2004 Domain Serene Rockblock “Del Rio Vineyard” Syrah, Rogue Valley, $45, QPR: 1
2005 IO Upper Bench Vineyard Syrah, Santa Maria Valley, $48, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2004 Krupp Brothers “Black Bart” Syrah, Napa Valley, $45, QPR: NR
2006 Olsen Estates Syrah, Columbia Valley, $42, QPR: NR
2002 Terra Blanca Estate Vineyard Syrah, Red Mountain, $20, QPR: NR
2006 Volcano Vineyards Lakeside & Serenade Vineyards Syrah, Rogue Valley, $32, QPR: NR
2003 Zaca Mesa Estate Bottled Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley, $20, QPR: NR

Toast to the Northwest

20080514_spirit.jpgThis event, held last weekend at the Dempsey Indoor on the University of Washington campus, brought together two of my favorite things, Huskies and wine. As a graduate of the University of Washington, I am a tried and true Husky fan. In fact one of my favorite pastimes is attending UW sporting events with my family. So an event that features wine and supports the Huskies is right up my alley. In its third year, Toast to the Northwest featured about 40 wineries or wine companies (distributors, importers, etc), food vendors, and even a few breweries that are all located in the Pacific Northwest. The proceeds from this event benefit the University of Washington’s Husky Marching Band. As you might expect, there was also fabulous live music.

20080514_brassband.jpgAs with any event like this, it is impossible to taste all of the wines offered. So Colby and I chose to visit the booths for wineries whose wines we had not previously tasted or had not tasted in a long time. We made a few discoveries and look forward to picking up some bottles and adding them to our blind-tasting lineup to see how they stack up against some of our proven favorites.

20080514_chandlerreach.jpgOur most exciting discovery of the day was Chandler Reach Vineyards. I had not previously tasted (nor even heard of) their wines. We tasted the two red wines they were offering, the 2005 Corella (72% Sangiovese, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah) and the 2005 Monte Regalo (63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Syrah), and loved them both. Chandler Reach is located in Benton City, Washington, along the Yakima River. Inspired to start his own winery during a trip to Italy, owner Len Parris set his sights on “bringing Tuscany to Washington.” Founded in 1997, Chandler Reach’s winemaking focus is on Italian-style wines and their tasting room resembles a Tuscan villa.

In order to keep these notes from being unwieldy as we tasted 20 different wines, I have broken down the list into Quality rating categories. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with appellation/region, 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 Chandler Reach Corella, Yakima Valley, $16.35, QPR: 5
2005 Chandler Reach Monte Regalo, Yakima Valley, $20, QPR: 5

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Patit Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $29, QPR: 5
2005 Saint Laurent Estate Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $22, QPR: 4
2006 Alamos Seleccione Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, $14, QPR: 4

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2007 Tilia Malbec-Syrah, Mendoza, Argentina, $9.50, QPR: 5
2003 Kiona Cabernet-Merlot, Washington State, $11.99, QPR: 5
2005 Sawtooth Viognier, Idaho, $8.49, QPR: 4
2005 Waterbrook Melange, Columbia Valley, $15, QPR: 4
2005 Zerba Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $30, QPR: 4
2006 Maryhill Viognier, Columbia Valley, $14.99, QPR: 3
2005 Glen Fiona Walla Walla Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $19.99, QPR: 3
2002 Kiona Red Mountain Estate Cabernet, Red Mountain, $35, QPR: 3

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2004 Sawtooth Syrah, Idaho, $12.99, QPR: NR
2006 Waterbrook Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley, $22, QPR: NR
2005 Zerba Columbia Valley Syrah, Columbia Valley, $28, QPR: NR
2002 Glen Fiona Cabernet, Columbia Valley, $29.99, QPR: NR
2002 Terra Blanca Block 8 Syrah, Red Mountain, $40, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
NV Kestrel Lady in Red, Columbia Valley, $15, QPR: NR
2002 Terra Blanca Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $35, QPR: NR

Meet and Greet with Gary V.

20080410_koriandgary.jpgDuring the Taste Washington weekend, Colby and I had the pleasure to meet Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. For those of you who have never heard of him, he is from New Jersey and is the host of a very popular video wine blog. He is quite knowledgeable about wine and extremely entertaining.

Gary was in Seattle for Taste Washington and hosted one of the sessions during Education Day on Saturday. On Saturday evening, the Wine Library TV crew hosted a Meet and Greet party for Gary and his Seattle Vayniacs. Colby and I attended the party, mingled with fellow wine lovers, enjoyed some fabulous Washington wines, and had a nice visit with Gary. Given his dynamic, sometimes over-the-top on-camera personality, we were thrilled to find him very down to earth and approachable.

If you’ve never watched Wine Library TV, I encourage you to check it out.

Taste Washington!

20080409_tastewa1.jpgThis past weekend was the Washington Wine Commission’s 11th annual Taste Washington event. Over 200 wineries participated, making this their biggest year ever. This is a special event where winemakers and other wine industry professionals come together with their consumers for a huge party. In addition, approximately 75 Seattle-area restaurants were represented, each serving small bites. There were also cooking demonstrations, sommelier taste-offs, talks by prominent wine authors, and much more. It was a wine and food lover’s paradise!

20080409_tastewa4.jpgIt is the rare occasion that you get so many great wines in the same place at the same time. And many of the wineries have their winemakers on hand to pour samples themselves and talk about their wines.

At such a big event where 200+ wineries are pouring an average of three wines each, it is impossible to taste them all. We decided to focus our tasting on one varietal, Syrah (with a few exceptions). Since Syrah/Shiraz is one of our favorite varietals and we believe that Washington is doing great things with the varietal, we are always on the lookout for new ones to explore from our home state. We wanted to take this opportunity to taste as many Washington Syrahs as possible, especially those that we have heard great things about but had not had an opportunity to taste yet.

We definitely made a few discoveries and look forward to picking up some bottles and adding them to our blind-tasting lineup to see how they stack up against some of our proven favorites. Look for posts on these tastings in the coming weeks and months.

20080409_tastewa3.jpgIn order to keep these notes from being unwieldy as we tasted 35 different wines, I have broken down the list into Quality rating categories. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with appellation/region, 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 Sequel Syrah, Columbia Valley, $55, QPR: 5

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2005 Gilbert Cellars Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $26, QPR: 5
2006 Syncline Syrah, Columbia Valley, $22, QPR: 5
2005 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $39, QPR: 3
2004 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve, Columbia Valley, $44, QPR: 3
2005 DeLille Cellars “Doyenne” Grand Ciel Vineyard Syrah, Red Mountain, $85, QPR: 1
2003 K Vintners “The Hustler” Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $100, QPR: 1

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Three Rivers Syrah, Columbia Valley, $24, QPR: 4
2005 Seven Hills Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $30, QPR: 4
2005 Gilbert Cellars Malbec, Wahluke Slope, $26, QPR: 3
2005 The Bunnell Family Cellar “a pic”, Wahluke Slope, $28, QPR: 3
2005 Darby Destiny Ridge Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, $30, QPR: 3
2005 Seia Clifton Hill Vineyard Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $30, QPR: 3
2006 Walter Dacon C’est Syrah Belle, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 3
2004 Zefina Serience Red, Horse Heaven Hills, $30, QPR: 3
2004 Dunham Cellars Syrah, Columbia Valley, $45, QPR: 2
2006 Icicle Ridge Winery Vintner’s Reserve Merlot, Washington State, $50, QPR: 2
2006 K Vintners Pheasant Run Vineyard Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $45, QPR: 2
2004 McCrea Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Syrah, Red Mountain, $50, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2005 Chateau Ste. Michelle Boreal, Columbia Valley $30, QPR: 2
2004 Bergevin Lane “Oui Deux” Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $30, QPR: 2
2003 Goose Ridge Vineyards Vireo, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 2
2005 Gramercy Cellars “Lagniappe” Syrah, Columbia Valley, $32, QPR: 2
2005 Januik Lewis Vineyard Syrah, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 2
2005 Seia Alder Creek Vineyard Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, $30, QPR: 2
2004 Tamarack Cellars Syrah, Columbia Valley, $28, QPR: 2
2006 Betz Family Winery La Serenne Syrah, Columbia Valley, $50, QPR: 1
2005 Gramercy Cellars Walla Walla Valley Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $40, QPR: 1
2005 Heaven’s Cave The Dweller Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, $35, QPR: 1
2005 McCrea Amerique Syrah, Yakima Valley, $50, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Ash Hollow Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $28, QPR: NR
2006 Cadaretta Syrah, Columbia Valley, QPR: NR
2006 Charles Smith Wines “Boom Boom!” Syrah, Washington State, $15, QPR: NR
2005 Saviah Walla Walla Valley Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $32, QPR: NR
2006 Walter Dacon C’est Syrah Beaux, Columbia Valley, $38, QPR: NR

Book Signing and Washington Wine Tasting II

Dad (John) and I ventured into Esquin Wine Merchants on Saturday looking to pick up a bottle or two of French Cabernet Franc for the upcoming Wine Blogging Wednesday. While we were there, we were able to taste some more Washington wines and have another excellent Washington wine book signed by the author.

20080326_gilbert.jpgLike last week’s tasting at Esquin, there were two stations featuring Washington wine. We started at the Gilbert Cellars station and had the pleasure to meet Sean Gilbert, general manager and co-winemaker of Gilbert Cellars. Sean is a really nice guy, and he and his family are producing some excellent wines at their four year old winery. Their vineyards are located near Mattawa and Wiley City, Washington, and they will be opening a tasting room in downtown Yakima this June.

20080326_steveroberts.jpgSteve Roberts was on hand signing his new book, WineTrails of Washington. This guidebook contains 608-full color pages covering 228 Washington wineries. It is divided into 32 unique WineTrails. It is a beautiful book with detailed information on each winery. You will not find wine reviews here, but you will find winery descriptions, contact information, hours, maps, and more to help you make the most of your visits to Washington wine country. This book should be on the shelf of every wine-lover in Washington and anyone else planning to visit. Also, bookmark Steve’s WineTrailsNW website as he is constantly updating his Washington winery database.

After a nice visit with Steve, we finished up our tasting with the second station featuring the wines of Woodinville Wine Cellars. Overall, we were not as impressed with the Woodinville wines.

Here’s a rundown of the five wines we tasted in my personal order of preference:

2005 Gilbert Cellars Syrah: Luscious black fruits and pepper on both the nose and the palate. Full bodied, velvety mouth-feel, and a lingering, smooth finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $24.99

2004 Gilbert Cellars Claret: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot. Dark fruits, particularly blackcurrant, highlight this smooth wine. Well-balanced with light tannins.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $17.99

2005 Gilbert Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah. Flavors of blackberry and licorice lead to soft tannins. Not as robust as most cabs, medium finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $24.99

2005 Woodinville Wine Cellars Syrah: 99% Syrah, 1% Viognier. Too oaky on the nose. Better on the palate but not very complex.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $28.99

2006 Woodinville Wine Cellars Sauvignon Blanc: Aromas of pear and citrus. Fruit flavors muted by butter and oak.
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $16.99

Book Signing and Washington Wine Tasting

On Saturday, we spent part of our afternoon at Esquin Wine Merchants here in Seattle for a book signing and wine tasting. Paul Gregutt was there signing his book, Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide. This book is an excellent resource for anyone wishing to learn more about Washington wine or planning a trip to Washington wine country. We have read Paul Gregutt’s work for years (in the Seattle Times, Wine Enthusiast, and now this book) so it was a pleasure to finally have the opportunity to meet him.

After having our books signed and visiting briefly with Paul, we headed to the back of the store for a tasting of some Washington wines. There were two stations, one featuring six wines from various wineries and the other featuring five wines from Milbrandt Vineyards. Milbrandt Vineyards is based in Mattawa, Washington, but they will be opening a brand new tasting room in Prosser, Washington’s Vintner’s Village on May 24, 2008.

To be honest, none of the wines just knocked my socks off but here are the ones I liked the best from this tasting:

2005 Seven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley: Blackberries and black currant with a hint of chocolate on both the nose and the palate. Well-balanced and smooth with a medium-plus finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $24.99; Guy du Vin (Oregon), $27.50

2006 Milbrandt Traditions Riesling: Off-dry but not too sweet. Crisp with flavors of peach and citrus.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $11.99; Marketview Liquor (New York), $9.99

2005 Milbrandt Legacy Syrah: Aromas of black fruit and spice. Pleasant and fruit-forward with notes of black pepper. A lingering but slightly rough finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $23.99; Winerz (California), $20.80

2005 Saviah Columbia Valley Big Sky Cuvee: 57% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc. Pleasant, smooth, fruit-forward wine with flavors of black cherry and a medium finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $35.99; American Winery (Washington), $35.00

Zinfandel Olympics

Our good friends, Ross of Decanted and his wife Alison, recently hosted the Zinfandel Olympics. Over the course of six weeks, a group of us gathered weekly to taste a number of Zinfandels. The rough format (with a few exceptions) was that in each of the preliminary five rounds, we tasted six Zins, each from a different appellation. Generally, five of the six were from California and the sixth was from Washington or Oregon. Being Washingtonians, we wanted to see if Washington Zinfandels could stack up with California which is considered the “home” of Zinfandel.

20080317_zinvines.jpgWe tasted a total of 31 different Zinfandels (26 from California, 3 from Washington, and 2 from Oregon). Last Wednesday was the Championship Round which included the winners from each of the first five rounds plus two wild card entries. Considering that there were only five non-California wines in the entire event, I think that it is quite remarkable that one Washington and one Oregon wine made the Championships as winners of a previous round. While they did not medal in the Championships, they certainly made a good showing. So while California continues to make excellent Zinfandels, I encourage you to branch out and try some Zins from Washington and Oregon as well.

“Zinfandel is immensely successful and popular for all levels of wine from blends to fresh, light versions and to galumphing sticky blackstrap. The best have excellent balance, a lively raspberry flavor and seem to mature indefinitely.” –Hugh Johnson, wine writer

Here’s a rundown of the Championship Round from 1st (Gold Medal) through 7th place in the group rankings:

GOLD MEDAL
2004 DeLoach Forgotten Vines Zinfandel: Aromas open up and improve the longer the bottle is open. Nice red fruit on the palate. A lot going on in this wine. Smooth and well-balanced with ripe tannins, good acidity, and a very long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: PrimoVino (Colorado), $27.00

SILVER MEDAL
2004 Turley Pesenti Vineyard Zinfandel: Lots of raspberry on the nose. Slightly sweet aromas. Fruit forward with bold tannins and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine Ranger Cellars (California), $57.00

BRONZE MEDAL
2005 Carlisle “Carlisle Vineyard” Zinfandel: Blackberry and vegetal aromas. Medium body, good acidity, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: J.J. Buckley Fine Wines (California), $49.99

2005 Seghesio Home Ranch Zinfandel
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $36.00

2002 Zefina Zinfandel (Columbia Valley—Washington)
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $20.00

2004 Ridge Vineyards York Creek Zinfandel
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $33.00

2006 Sineann Old Vine Zinfandel (Columbia Valley—Oregon)
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $36.00

To learn more about Zinfandel—the grape, the wine, and its history, check out the ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) website.

Washington—A State of Great Wine!

“We can compete very favorably in producing top table and varietal wines with any other region in the United States.” –Walter Clore, Father of the Washington Wine Industry, 1969

20080314_wa1.jpgAfter traveling over much of the world of wine, I truly believe that Washington State produces great wine and is one of the most exciting wine regions out there. For those of you who are not familiar with Washington State, it is important to note that Washington DC (the nation’s capital) and Washington State are on opposite sides of the country. Washington State is on the west coast of the United States in what is known affectionately as the great Pacific Northwest. From north to south on the west coast are the states of Washington, Oregon, and California.

Pierre Rovani was solely responsible for reviewing the wines of Washington State for Robert Parker’s influential Wine Advocate newsletter for a number of years. He was a keynote speaker at Taste Washington, an annual event put on by the Washington Wine Commission, in 2006. Unfortunately, I was not able to hear him speak, but Paul Gregutt, Wine Adviser for the Seattle Times, recounted some of his speech in one of his articles shortly after the event. According to Gregutt, Rovani told the audience:

“I can tell you that two of the highest scores in the [upcoming] issue go to Washington wines [2002 and 2003 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignons received perfect scores of 100 points]. Across the board, expensive to value, Washington leads the pack. I think Washington’s growers are at the peak of their profession. The vineyards are making incredible fruit. The future is unbelievably bright. We’re not talking potential. You’ve achieved it.”

Rovani went on to speak about the quality of Washington Cabernet Sauvignon, calling it “the best in the world.” He finished by enumerating numerous advantages that Washington enjoys—a perfect climate, great land, and control of water via irrigation.

20080314_wa2.jpgIt was a combination of Washington wine pioneer Wally Updycke’s vision, big money, and a commitment to high quality that allowed Walter Clore’s predictions in 1969 to come true. There are now over 500 wineries in the state of Washington, and Washington is now second only to California in USA wine production. As we’ve stated previously, we started out on our wine journey tasting Washington wines. We liked them then and we still like them now. While many wine critics contend that the best Merlots in the USA come from Washington, and we’d have to agree, our favorite Washington wines today are Cabs and Syrahs.

“The state turns out Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah—and increasingly Cabernet Franc, in a style that has given Washington a distinct identity in the world of wine.” –Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator

We’ll be devoting some future posts to giving you specific recommendations on Washington wines in coming weeks and months.

Also, this year’s Taste Washington is coming up on April 5 and 6 in Seattle. April 5 is education day with a number of seminars led by wine industry professionals at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, and April 6 is the Grand Tasting at Qwest Field Event Center featuring a host of Washington wineries and restaurants. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the Taste Washington website.

Long Shadows Wine Dinner

For Christmas, Colby and I gave Dad (John) a reservation to attend the Long Shadows Wine Dinner at Waterfront Seafood Grill on Pier 70 here in Seattle. And for my birthday in January, Colby gave me a reservation to the same dinner. So last Tuesday Dad and I cashed in on our presents and attended a spectacular evening of wine and food featuring winemaking legends Allen Shoup and John Duval.

Allen Shoup is considered one of the pioneers of the Washington wine industry. He was the CEO of Stimson Lane wine group for years. During that time, he oversaw their portfolio of wineries, including Chateau Ste Michelle and Columbia Crest, and forged relationships with many important players in the wine business around the world. Upon retirement, he pursued his dream of bringing some of the most highly acclaimed winemakers from different regions around the world to Washington to make world-class wines comparable to the wines they make in their native wine regions. The Long Shadows winemaker-partners began crafting their signature wines in 2003.

20080205_johnduval2.jpgThe Wine Peeps have been fans of Australian Shiraz for many years. Therefore, we were especially excited to have the opportunity to meet John Duval, one of the most famous winemakers in Australia and around the world. He spent 16 years as the chief winemaker for Penfolds and is best known for his work with Penfolds Grange, Australia’s most famous wine. In 2002 he left Penfolds to establish John Duval Wines. Now he is also one of the Long Shadows winemaker-partners making Sequel Syrah. I have been fortunate enough to taste a number of his wines including Penfolds, John Duval Wines, and now Sequel and they are all fabulous.

Here’s a rundown of the food and wine pairings from Waterfront’s Long Shadows Wine Dinner to give you some food ideas as you enjoy these wines:

Lobster Butter Poached Scallops
Meyer lemons, avocado, cilantro, red chiles
2006 Poet’s Leap

Creamy Polenta Souffle
Oregonzola foam, charred asparagus
2005 Saggi

Braised Pork Belly
Honey, soy, ginger glaze, crispy potato tian, crème fraiche
2004 Chester-Kidder

Duo of Lamb
Creole Mustard Encrusted Lamb—Rosemary jus, syrah jelly
Grilled Lamb—Huckleberry demi-glace
2004 Sequel
2005 Sequel
(My tasting notes for both Sequels are at the end of this post.)

Orange Panna Cotta
Candied orange, crème anglaise
Double Top Secret Late Harvest Riesling

20080205_johnduval1.jpgDuring the dinner, both Allen Shoup and John Duval spoke. Allen spoke first about his background in the wine industry as well as his dream and the founding of Long Shadows. Later John spoke about his winemaking background and then specifically about his work on Sequel. One point that he made about his winemaking style especially stood out to me. I’m paraphrasing as I was not quick enough to jot down his quote word for word. He said that in each wine he makes he strives for elegance, refinement, and structure but doesn’t want to drown the fruit with alcohol or oak. I think that this says a lot and explains why I personally enjoy his wines so much. Also in attendance was Gilles Nicault who collaborates with Allen Shoup on the Chester-Kidder and also serves as the resident winemaker for Long Shadows. He is the one that oversees the day-to-day winemaking operations when the winemaker-partners are not in Washington.

We had the pleasure of speaking with John Duval after dinner. Dad asked him how he would compare his John Duval Wines Entity Shiraz with the Sequel Syrah. He said that comparing wines from different wine regions on opposite sides of the world is difficult. They are definitely different wines but he hoped that we would be able to see his stamp on both. We certainly do!

2004 Sequel: 97% Syrah, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Our favorite of the evening from the first sniff and taste. Cherries and black fruits on the nose leads to flavors of black fruits and spice. Excellent fruit, smooth tannins, good acidity, and a long finish. A very well-balanced wine.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine Exchange (California), $49.99

2005 Sequel: 96% Syrah, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. A dense, deep red with aromas and flavors of black cherries and chocolate. This wine really improves with food. Still very young.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Atlantic Discount Spirits (South Carolina), $58.99