During the summer, the Wine Peeps team hosted our fourth Digging into the Cellar Party for about a dozen of our closest wine loving friends. For our first DITC Party last year, the theme was Rhone-style wines. For our second DITC Party, the theme was Red Blends. For our third DITC party, the theme was Washington Syrah. For this party, the theme was Australian Shiraz (mostly). I say “mostly” because we slipped one Washington Syrah into the lineup of ten wines from the 2005 vintage to see how it would stack up with the Aussies and to see how many of us could identify the Washington Syrah in the blind tasting. We bookended the blind tasting with a 1998 Dutschke St. Jakobi Shiraz from Australia and a 2005 Fielding Hills Syrah from Washington State, the first Washington wine that we ever gave a 5-star quality rating. For both Australia and Washington State, 2005 was an excellent vintage so we were excited to see how these wines were doing and determine which ones we thought still had a lot of life left.

We found that all but one of the wines were drinking very well, and we believe that many of them have a number of good years still ahead of them. Although this was not a serious, take-copious-tasting-notes event, each attendee was asked to turn in the sack numbers of their three favorites so that we could get a composite favorites list. With this group of wines, which were very good, it was a difficult task.

After unveiling the sacked bottles, the consensus favorite of the group as well as Kori and my personal favorite turned out to be the one Washington Syrah in the lineup, the 2005 Sequel Syrah made, interestingly enough, by the famous Australian winemaker John Duval. However, only one person in the group correctly identified it as the Washington wine. Other favorites included the 2005 Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz [a terrific value year after year at less than $15 retail] and the 2005 John Duval Entity Shiraz [yes, the same John Duval].

While the two bookend wines were not tasted blind, they received considerable praise from a number of the attendees. The 1998 Dutschke was still very good at age thirteen, and the 2005 Fielding Hills was also drinking very well, although we wouldn’t give it quite a 5-star rating today.

All in all, it was another wonderful evening with great friends and spectacular wine. We’re looking forward to doing it again.

Cheers!

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is cap.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Cap (chapeau in French) is the layer of grape solids that floats on the liquid surface during red wine fermentation and requiring careful cap management. The cap usefully limits the amount of oxygen available to the yeast, thereby encouraging the formation of alcohol, but has to be broken up and submerged in order to encourage the extraction of the desirable phenolics which add color, flavor, and longevity to the wine.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Cap is the solid cake of skins that floats on top in the vessel during red wine fermentation. It has to be regularly broken up to reintegrate the skins into the juice.

Mackey Vineyards, located in Walla Walla, Washington, is a newcomer in the Washington wine industry. Brothers Roger and Philip Mackey relocated from California to Walla Walla in 2007. They bought a farm with apple orchards and grape vines. The Mackeys brought the vineyard on their farm, now named Mackey Vineyard, back to life. They also own Frenchtown Vineyard near Lowden, Washington and source fruit from Les Collines Vineyard, Yellowbird Vineyard, Sagemoor Vineyards, and DuBrul Vineyard.

Recently, we had the opportunity to taste the Mackey Vineyards current releases in a blind samples tasting, the 2010 Riesling, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2008 Syrah, and the 2009 Concordia, which is a Rhone-style red blend. While we would recommend all four wines, we especially enjoyed the 2010 Riesling. In addition to being an excellent wine, it also delivers some serious bang for your buck.

The Mackeys have enlisted the services of an extremely talented winemaker, Billo Naravane of Rasa Vineyards. He makes their wines at the Rasa Vineyards production facility on Powerline Road, south of Walla Walla. With Billo at the helm, Mackey Vineyards is certainly a winery to watch. The Mackey Vineyards tasting room is located on 2nd Avenue in downtown Walla Walla.

2010 Mackey Vineyards Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington): 100% Riesling. Pale, greenish straw yellow. Aromatic with melon and petrol on the nose. Melon, white peach, lime, and a hint of petrol come through on the palate. Off-dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long, refreshing finish. Residual Sugar: 3.01%
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $15

2008 Mackey Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington): 80.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.7% Merlot, and 4.9% Petit Verdot. Deep, purplish red. Aromatic with jammy black fruit and oak on the nose. More black fruit and oak as well as smoke come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with smooth tannins and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $32

2008 Mackey Vineyards Syrah (Mackey Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, Washington): 100% Syrah. Deep, dark red. Very aromatic with eucalyptus, licorice, black fruit, and spice on the nose. Black fruit, spice, and mint come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium to high tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $32

2009 Mackey Vineyards Concordia (Columbia Valley, Washington): 77.4% Syrah, 12.9% Grenache, and 9.7% Mourvedre. Deep, dark red. Nice nose with earth, vanilla, and game aromas. Black fruits and vanilla come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied and lively with medium to high tannins and a medium finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $38

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2008 Jacob’s Creek Reserve Barossa Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$15
• Must be widely available

Johann Gramp, a Bavarian immigrant, planted the first commercial vineyard in Australia’s Barossa Valley on the banks of Jacob’s Creek in 1847. In the early 1900’s, the company was registered as G. Gramp & Sons and the Orlando Wines trademark was established. In 1976, Orlando Wines officially launched the Jacob’s Creek brand. Bernard Hickin went to work for Orlando Wines that same year; he was promoted to Chief Winemaker in 2006.

Today, Jacob’s Creek is one of the world’s most popular wine brands. When we visited the Barossa Valley of Australia in 2005, we had the pleasure to visit the beautiful, modern Jacob’s Creek Wine Tasting Centre, located fittingly on the banks of Jacob’s Creek.

“Lifted notes of rich fruitcake and ripe plums, layered subtly with black pepper; stylish oak characters of ground cinnamon and sweet vanillin provide a supporting role.” –Jacob’s Creek

2008 Jacob’s Creek Reserve Barossa Shiraz (Barossa Valley, Australia): Deep, dark purple in color. Aromatic with plum, spice, and black pepper on the nose. Plum, black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium to high tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $12.99; Available elsewhere, $10 to $13

Riesling has become known as Washington State’s signature white variety. Washington is the largest Riesling producing state in the United States. And, Washington State’s own Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest Riesling producer in the world. While Washington Riesling has been around for many years, the big leap forward came in the late 1990’s when Chateau Ste. Michelle and Dr. Ernst Loosen of Germany began collaborating on an effort to produce truly great Riesling in Washington’s Columbia Valley. Eroica is the result of that partnership, and it has raised the bar for the entire Riesling category in Washington.

Winemakers Bob Bertheau and Ernst Loosen work together every step of the way to produce world-class Riesling from Washington State grapes. The partnership launched in 1999, and the 2010 vintage, the current release, is Eroica’s 12th vintage. Eroica is named for Beethoven’s Third Symphony.

We have found Eroica to be consistently excellent from vintage to vintage. Recently, I had the pleasure to attend an Eroica tasting and lunch with Bob Bertheau and Ernst Loosen at Wild Ginger in Seattle. It is obvious that these two gentlemen work very well together.

Riesling is one of the most versatile grape varieties. It can be made in many different styles from bone dry to very sweet, reflect the regional character of where it is grown, and is extremely food-friendly. And, it is probably the most age worthy of all white wine varieties. At the tasting at Wild Ginger, we tasted three vintages of the off-dry Eroica Riesling (2005, 2007, and 2010) and two vintages of the very sweet Eroica Single Berry Select Riesling (2001 and 2007). All five wines were excellent, but the 2001 Single Berry Select was absolutely phenomenal. The Single Berry Select is made in the traditional German Trockenbeerenauslese style and is one of the few TBAs produced in North America.

2005 Eroica Riesling [Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen] (Columbia Valley, Washington): Golden yellow. Nice nose with honey, pear, white peach, and peach blossom aromas. Pear, white peach, minerality, forest floor, and a hint of honey come through on the palate. Slightly off-dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish. Residual Sugar: 1.6%
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Suggested Retail: $20

2007 Eroica Riesling [Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen] (Columbia Valley, Washington): Golden straw yellow. Gorgeous nose with lime, white peach, and minerally aromas. Orange peel, lime, and minerality come through on the palate. Slightly off-dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long, refreshing finish. Residual Sugar: 2.15% [Note: In 2012, it will be re-released for on-premise sales.]
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Suggested Retail: $20

2010 Eroica Riesling [Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen] (Columbia Valley, Washington): Medium straw yellow with golden tinges. Gorgeous nose with white peach, lime, and floral aromas. Lots of lime, orange peel, and minerality on the palate. Slightly off-dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long, refreshing finish. Residual Sugar: 1.64%
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Suggested Retail: $20

2001 Eroica Single Berry Select Riesling [Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen] (Horse Heaven Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills, Washington): Deep, dark amber in color. Gorgeous nose with honey, butterscotch, and dried apricot aromas and flavors. Very sweet and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced and extremely smooth with a long, lingering finish. Wow! Amazing! Residual Sugar: 38.7% [Note: In 2012, about 1,000 bottles will be re-released.]
Quality: 5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Suggested Retail: $200 [375ml]

2007 Eroica Single Berry Select Riesling [Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen] (Horse Heaven Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills, Washington): Golden, orange amber color. Nice nose with honey, dried apricot, and a hint of pineapple aromas. Honey, dried apricot, and orange peel come through on the palate. Very sweet and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long, smooth finish. A rare treat! Residual Sugar: 37%
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Suggested Retail: $200 [375ml]

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is topping up.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Topping up, ouillage in French is the operation of refilling any sort of wooden container to replace wine lost through evaporation. The container should be kept full or nearly full lest the ubiquitous acetobacter use oxygen from the head space to start the process of transforming wine into vinegar. The well-run winery will have a strict regimen of topping up all wooden containers on a regular basis.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Topping up is the process of adding wine to a barrel to replace any wine that was lost through evaporation.

Friday was the official first day of fall. However, it was more beautiful and sunny here in Seattle than most days this summer. It was a perfect night to gather with friends to enjoy a fabulous meal and good wines for one of our monthly wine tasting dinners. This month’s dinner featured Washington Viognier, a lovely white wine that’s perfect for warm weather. All of the wines paired wonderfully with LaGayle’s (Mom’s) dinner of cumin seasoned tomato soup, arugula peach salad, chicken curry with rice, sautéed zucchini with red bell peppers, and coconut cake for dessert.

Viognier (pronounced vee-oh-NYAY) is a white variety that originated in the northern Rhône in France. Viognier is known for its profound aromatics. In addition to varietal wines like we tasted in this dinner, Viognier is also used in small amounts to co-ferment with Syrah in order to enhance the aromatics of that red variety.

The consensus favorite was the 2010 Nefarious Cellars Defiance Vineyard Viognier. The husband-wife winemaking team of Dean and Heather Neff founded Nefarious Cellars in 2005. Heather handles the white winemaking duties while Dean is in charge of the reds. Located in Chelan, Washington, Nefarious produces about 2,000 cases per year. Their winery and estate vineyard are situated on the South Shore of Lake Chelan and boast gorgeous views of the lake.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2010 Nefarious Cellars Defiance Vineyard Viognier (Defiance Vineyard, Lake Chelan, Washington): Pale straw yellow. Nice nose with apple, pear, white peach, and floral notes. Lemon peel, lime, pear, and a hint of grapefruit come through on the palate. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Full Pull Wines (Seattle, Washington), $17; Available elsewhere, $19

2009 Alexandria Nicole Cellars Reserve Viognier (Destiny Ridge Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills, Washington): Pale straw yellow. Aromatic with citrus fruits, apple, and oak on the nose. Lemon, lime, pear, and floral notes come through on the palate. Medium-bodied and crisp with a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $28

2009 Maryhill Winery Viognier (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale straw yellow in color. Nose is a bit tight at first, then aromas of pear, oak, and vanilla come through. Creamy on the palate with flavors of pear, vanilla, and a hint of coconut. Medium-bodied and lively with a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $15

2009 àMaurice Cellars Viognier (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale straw yellow. Nice nose with pear, white peach, and floral aromas. Lime, lemon peel, white peach, and floral notes come through on the palate. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World (Seattle, Washington), $25; Available elsewhere, $25

2009 Mark Ryan Winery Viognier (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale straw yellow. Aromatic with white peach, lime, and floral notes on the nose. White peach, lime, melon, and almonds on the palate. Medium-bodied and crisp with a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine World (Seattle, Washington), $27; Available elsewhere, $24 to $29

2009 Watermill Winery Viognier (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale straw yellow. Aromatic with pear, apricot, floral notes, and a hint of honey on the nose. Apricot, pear, and buttery popcorn come through on the palate. Medium-bodied and lively with a medium to long finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $16; Available elsewhere, $17

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2009 Viu Manent Carmenere Reserva from the Colchagua Valley in Chile.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$15
• Must be widely available

The Viu family owns Viu Manent, located in Santiago, Chile. Founded in 1935 by Miguel Viu-García and his two sons Agustín and Miguel Viu-Manent, the winery is now in the hands of the third generation and led by Jose Miguel Viu. In 1966, Miguel Viu Manent purchased the Hacienda San Carlos de Cunaco in Colchagua, which included 150 hectares of vineyards, a winery, and a manor house. Viu Manent celebrated its 75th anniversary last year. The winery produces 208,000 cases annually.

“Ruby red, dark and deep. On the nose, aromas of black cherry, mocha and leather. In the mouth has flavors of blueberry, dark chocolate and roasted hazelnut, which combine perfectly with voluptuous tannins, leading to a long and balanced finish.” –Viu Manent

2009 Viu Manent Carmenere Reserva (Colchagua Valley, Chile): Deep, purplish red. Aromatic with red fruit, vegetal notes, and a bit of barnyard funk on the nose. More red fruit, green bell pepper, and black pepper come through on the palate. Full-bodied with lively acidity, medium to high tannins, and a long, slightly bitter, finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin Wine Merchants (Seattle, Washington), $10; Available elsewhere, $10 to $14

Winemaker Sean Boyd founded Rôtie Cellars, located in Walla Walla, Washington, in 2007. As his winery’s name indicates, Boyd is dedicated to producing Rhone-style wines from Washington State fruit. Before pursuing a career in the wine industry, Boyd was a field geologist who worked in oil and gas exploration. Prior to opening his own winery, Boyd gained valuable experience working as the assistant winemaker for Waters Winery. He worked at both wineries until earlier this year when he left Waters to devote his full time and attention to Rôtie Cellars.

We first discovered Rôtie Cellars at the Rhone Rangers event in Seattle in 2009. Since then, we have kept a keen eye on this winery. Folks, Rôtie Cellars is the real thing. No beginner’s luck or sophomore slump here. The current releases represent the winery’s third vintage, and all three have been excellent. Recently, we had the opportunity to taste the current releases in a blind samples tasting. The 2009 Northern Blend, a Syrah that is co-fermented with Viognier, is outstanding. And the 2009 Southern Blend, a Southern Rhone-style blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, is excellent as well.

Boyd is committed to making his Rhone-style wines from Washington State fruit while utilizing Old World techniques. That means less alcohol, less ripeness, and less oak, which results in beautiful wines. If you, like us, are a big fan of Syrah and other Rhone varieties, Rôtie Cellars is definitely a winery to have on your radar screen. And if you have the chance, I highly encourage you to visit their tasting room on Main Street in downtown Walla Walla.

2009 Rôtie Cellars Northern Blend (Washington State): 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. Dark purplish red. Beautiful bouquet with black cherry, blackberry, spice, and a hint of perfume on the nose. Black cherry, blackberry, spice, perfume, and a hint of black pepper come through on the palate. Full-bodied with crisp acidity and medium to high, smooth tannins. Well-balanced with good complexity and a long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $40; Available elsewhere, $36

2009 Rôtie Cellars Southern Blend (Washington State): 68% Grenache, 16% Syrah, and 16% Mourvedre. Dark red in color. Nice nose with red and black fruit and spice rack aromas. Black fruit, especially blackberry and black cherry, spice, and earth come through on the palate. Full-bodied with crisp acidity and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced with a very long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $40; Available elsewhere, $40 to $42

2010 Rôtie Cellars Southern White (Washington State): 50% Viognier, 30% Roussanne, and 20% Marsanne. Pale to medium golden yellow. Aromatic with pear, apple, and a hint of minerality on the nose. Pear, apple, minerality, and floral notes come through on the palate. A hint of petrol on the back end. Dry and medium-bodied with lively acidity and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $28; Available elsewhere, $27 to $28

2009 Rôtie Cellars “Little G” Grenache (Washington State): Medium ruby red. Nice nose with smoked meat, bacon, and red fruit aromas. More smoked meat, strawberry, and dusty notes come through on the palate. Medium-bodied and crisp with medium tannins and a long, slightly bitter, finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $50

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is bung.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
A bung, made of glass, plastic, rubber, earthenware, silicone, or wood, is a barrel’s stopper, analogous to the cork of a bottle. It is inserted in a bung-hole. ….

Since oxygen tends to enter a barrel around the bung-hole, silicone bungs are sometimes used to keep a particularly tight fit. ….

Depending on the amount of evaporation, and the spare time available to the winery staff, topping up is done anywhere from twice a week to once every six weeks. ….

Layman’s terms from Kori:
A bung is a closure used to seal a wine barrel.