During this time of year when everyone is shopping and getting excited about the new “things” they’ll be getting for Christmas, I think that it is also important to spend time thinking about traditions and some of our favorite things from times past. When it comes to wine, two of our old favorites are the 2002 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve and the 2001 Sebastiani Secolo Sonoma Red Wine. Recently, we had what turned out to be a showdown between these old favorites in one of our double blind private tasting dinners. For a more complete description of how we set up these private tastings, please refer to How We Taste.

The Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve, a Bordeaux-style red blend, is the premier wine of Washington State’s largest winery. We have been fans of Columbia Crest, and their Walter Clore bottling in particular, since the early days of our wine journey. We have had the opportunity to taste each Walter Clore vintage produced by Ray Einberger, who has been the head winemaker at Columbia Crest since 2000, and have tasted several of them multiple times. Every vintage we have rated excellent or better [at least 4 stars (out of 5)] on the Wine Peeps scale. And since these wines can usually be found for $35 or less, they also have excellent QPRs. The 2002 vintage, in particular, was our favorite when we had a Walter Clore vertical tasting at the winery last year. If you’re looking for an exceptional Washington State Bordeaux-style wine at recession-friendly prices, the Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve is an excellent choice.

The Sebastiani Secolo is a Bordeaux-style red blend from Sonoma County, California. We were first introduced to this wine in 2004 in a restaurant in Newport, Rhode Island. My parents and I were there to attend the International Tennis Hall of Fame induction of my two favorite professional players, Steffi Graf and Stefan Edberg. One evening, we went to a local steak and seafood house on the water in Newport for dinner, and the sommelier recommended this wine. We loved it, and it paired extremely well with our surf and turf meal. We jotted down the name of the wine and made a point to visit Sebastiani on our next trip to Sonoma wine country. Each time I drink Sebastiani Secolo, I am transported back to Newport, Rhode Island, and once again enjoy the memories of that wonderful weekend.

Both of these wines were good; although, not as vibrant as when we first tasted them which is to be expected of 7 to 8 year old wines. However, both were still excellent food wines and paired well with Mom’s dinner of meatloaf, brown and white confetti rice, seasoned broccoli, and watermelon.

2002 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve (Columbia Valley, Washington): 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot. Dark, inky purple. Very aromatic with black fruits and pepper coming through on the nose. Blackberry, black cherry, pepper, and spice on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity and medium to high, drying tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine Exchange (California), $18; Available elsewhere, $22 to $42

2001 Sebastiani Secolo Sonoma Red Wine (Sonoma County, California): 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 1% Malbec. Dark, inky purple. Aromas and flavors of black fruits and spice. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium to high tannins, and a long, slightly bitter finish. Remarkably jammy with lots of vibrant fruit for an 8 year old wine.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $30

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 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay from the Columbia Valley in Washington State.

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

As regular Wine Peeps readers know, we are not fans of the over-the-top, buttery, tastes-like-a-tree Chardonnays that are so popular among some wine lovers. But when we find a soft, well-balanced Chardonnay like this one for $9, we want to share it with you.

For years, I thought that the wine industry in Washington only started in the 1950’s and 1960’s, but after reading about Washington State’s winemaking history in The Wine Project, I learned that the first known planting of grapevines in what is today Washington State was at Fort Vancouver in 1825. However, as recently as 1973 there were effectively only two active wineries left in the state, American Wine Growers (now Chateau Ste. Michelle) and Associated Vintners (now Columbia Winery). And if Associated Wine Growers visionary Wally Opdycke hadn’t been able to attract venture capital from U.S. Tobacco, we certainly would not have the wine industry we have in Washington State today.

Today, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is Washington State wine’s biggest player, and Chateau Ste. Michelle is its flagship winery. In 1976, Ste. Michelle built a French-style chateau in Woodinville, Washington, just northeast of Seattle. While all of Chateau Ste. Michelle’s vineyards are located on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, head winemaker Bob Bertheau makes all of their white wines, including this Chardonnay, in Woodinville.

“My goal with the Columbia Valley Chardonnay is to make it a pleasurable, food-friendly Chardonnay. This is a fresh, soft style of Chardonnay with bright sweet citrus fruit character and subtle spice and oak nuances. We blend Chardonnay grapes from vineyards all over Washington’s Columbia Valley to make this a complex, interesting wine. The sur lie aging gives it an appealing softness.” –Bob Bertheau, Head Winemaker

2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale, straw yellow in color. Apple and vanilla aromas come through on the nose; apple, pineapple, and a hint of oak on the palate. Medium-bodied with good acidity. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle) $9; Widely available elsewhere, $9 to $14

As I’ve said many times before, I absolutely love sparkling wine but do not drink it often enough. However this time of year, I make sure to celebrate with friends and family and enjoy some sparkling wine. We loved the sparkling wine tasting dinner we had last fall, so we decided to have another one during this holiday season. We selected six sparkling wines to blind taste to help us, and hopefully you as well, choose an excellent sparkling wine to enjoy as an aperitif at a holiday party, to take to relatives on Christmas, or to pop on New Year’s Eve.

For you regular readers who are wondering why we have had two of our monthly wine tasting dinners on back-to-back Fridays during the same month, this sparkling wine tasting dinner was the regularly scheduled December dinner and last week’s Syrah dinner was a reschedule from November when a winter bug was making its way through our family.

We had a wide range of bubbly in this tasting—four from the United States (two from California, and one each from Washington and Oregon), one from France, and one from Spain. While these wines came from all over the globe, the one thing they all had in common is that they were all Brut (or dry, the most common style). For further explanation of sparkling wine terms, refer back to my Sparkling Wine: Where Extra Dry is not really extra dry post from last year. Interestingly, the U.S. sparkling wines finished 1-2-3-4, followed by the Spanish Cava and then the French Champagne. Most important, as far as we are concerned, is that five out of the six wines earned QPR ratings of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

All of these sparkling wines paired nicely with Mom’s dinner menu which included curried butternut squash soup, shrimp Louie salad, broiled lobster tails, creamy twice baked potatoes, roasted asparagus, and Swiss meringues with ice cream and fresh strawberries for dessert.

If you haven’t had one of the top four sparklers listed below, I encourage you to pick up a bottle to enjoy this holiday season. And if you don’t see your favorite sparkling wine on this list, let us know in the comments as we’d like to try it.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

NV J Vineyards Cuvee 20 Sparkling Wine (Russian River Valley, California): Small, very fast beads. Pale, straw yellow with toasted nut aromas. More nuts as well as citrus fruits come through on the palate. Crisp and complex. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $22; Available elsewhere, $15 to $40

2006 Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine (Willamette Valley, Oregon): Pale, straw yellow and very aromatic. Aromas of lemon, lime, peach, and licorice lead to even more citrus flavors. Very crisp and flavorful with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle), $18; Available elsewhere, $19 to $26

NV Mumm Napa Brut Prestige Sparkling Wine (Napa Valley, California): Pale, straw yellow with apple and pineapple aromas. Crisp yet creamy on the palate. Improves with food. Long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle), $15; Available elsewhere, $13 to $18

2004 Mountain Dome Brut Sparkling Wine (Washington State): Small, fast beads. Pale yellow with aromas and flavors of bread along with faint citrus notes. Crisp acidity and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Full Pull Wines (Seattle), $19; MadWine (Seattle), $21

NV Cristalino Brut Cava (Spain): Small, fast beads. Pale yellow in color. Nose is a bit tight. Butter and lemon zest aromas lead to more lemon flavors. Improves with food but comes off a bit flat.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (Californina), $8; Available elsewhere, $6 to $10

NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut (Reims, France): Pale, yellow gold. Oak and butter dominate the nose. Oak, butter, river rocks, and yeast come through on the palate. Crisp acidity with a long, slightly bitter, finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle), $37; Available elsewhere, $25 to $33

Today’s post is part of a series featuring the Women of Washington Wine. In an industry once dominated by men, more and more women are joining the ranks as winery owners, vineyard owners, and winemakers. Being a woman myself, I am fascinated by these women and what they have done and continue to do. Through this series, I hope to introduce you to some of the brightest female faces in the Washington wine industry.

Hollywood Hill Vineyards, located a couple of miles from downtown Woodinville on Hollywood Hill, was founded in 2004 by Steve and Becky Snyder. Hollywood Hill Vineyards is the only winery in Woodinville that also has their own vineyards, where they grow both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Their primary focus is on producing Rhone-inspired wines from Eastern Washington fruit, but they produce a small amount of estate grown wines as well. On a recent visit to Woodinville, we had the pleasure to meet Becky and taste their wines in their tasting room located down the hill from their winery in the Apple Farm Village. We were very impressed with the quality of wines they are producing, rating all four wines we tasted as 4 stars (out of 5).

Recently, Becky was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule during this holiday season to answer some questions for me and our Wine Peeps readers.

Highlights from Q&A with Becky Snyder:

How did you first get involved in the wine business?
Steve and I both have been very interested in wine and food for a long time.  We both grew up in families who love to cook and travel, so we’ve always had that in common. I often look to one point in time—and one book—that got us on the path to where we are today. Adventures on the Wine Route by the Berkeley, California, importer, Kermit Lynch, is that book. Reading it completely changed my understanding of wine and the wine world. Written in vignettes, it takes the reader on a journey throughout France and into the lives of some (then) very small winemakers. After reading it, French wine was no longer a mystery and we started tasting everything we could get our hands on from Kermit in order to develop our palates and learn hands-on about wine.

What were the steps that led to where you are now?
Early on we took several trips to France and California. At that point, we both had such a passion for wine; we kind of knew it would lead us somewhere. In the late ‘90’s, Steve and another guy started a vineyard on Vashon Island, bringing some old vines into production and planting over an acre of Pinot Noir. Steve was totally hooked. Not long after that we had our first son and Steve stayed home with him and started putting together Hollywood Hill Vineyards. We moved to Woodinville from Bellevue in 2004, planted 2000 vines of Pinot Noir on our property, and were bonded later that year. Our first commercial harvest was in 2005, and we released our first wine in late 2007.

Has being a woman been an advantage or a disadvantage in your wine journey? Please explain.
To be honest, I don’t think about the gender factor much, which is different than when I worked in technology. This is such a social industry, with lots of networking, and I think women certainly have the skills to navigate quite well in that respect. Building relationships with colleagues and customers is very important when you own a winery and I think women—and many men—are great at that. I sometimes struggled with the hierarchy of a large corporation which doesn’t exist for us now, and that’s a plus. Winemaking in particular is both art and science, so it has the ability to appeal to different people—men and women—for different reasons, which is great.

What advice do you have for a woman wanting to get involved in the wine business today?
There are so many great jobs in this industry, it’s important to think about your interest and skills. I certainly would spend a lot of time talking to people in the industry to see how they got started. Then I’d think about how to get some experience. Do you want to work in a winery or are you more suited to sales, in which case I’d look to a large winery or to a distributor for options. If you’re thinking about working in a tasting room, it’s really important you enjoy meeting lots of people and selling wine! Setting romance aside for a minute, at the end of the day the wine industry is a classic consumer product industry. If your background is in that area, you can certainly parlay the experience into something in this industry.

What are your thoughts about the Washington wine industry, in general?
It’s an incredibly exciting time for Washington! I sat through an industry meeting a couple weeks ago and it just reminded me so much of the early days in the wireless industry, where I spent 25 years before starting Hollywood Hill Vineyards. There are so many opportunities for growth, both for wineries and for all the adjunct businesses that go along with wine and tourism. Of course I can’t talk about the Washington wine industry without talking about Woodinville and all the growth that’s happening here. I think we won’t even recognize this area in 5 years and it will truly be a national—if not international—destination for world class wines and wine tourism in the future.

In recent years the Washington wine industry has grown at a rapid rate. Do you expect that trend to continue?
I think to answer this question, all we need to do is look at the very recent Top 100 list results from Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. For the first time ever, a Washington wine was selected as the number one wine in the world by Wine Spectator. This is an amazing accomplishment for the winery itself, Columbia Crest, and for Washington wines in general. In addition to the number one selection, a total of 9 Washington wines were on the Top 100 list! The best results ever for Washington state. Wine Enthusiast also commended Washington wines in its Top 100 list published in early December, awarding 11 wines with a place on the list. To top it off, Dr. Jay Miller of The Wine Advocate had glowing reviews for Washington wine in a recent issue, and identified several “rising stars” in the state. In terms of growth, the future is very bright for Washington. According to a recent Nielsen study, Washington wines represent only 4% of US wine consumption, compared to California wines at 65% and imported wine at 28%. The recognition Washington is now receiving will have a dramatic and positive impact on Washington wine sales and consumption over many years.

I understand that you were recently elected President of the Woodinville Wine Country Board of Directors. Congratulations! What is involved in that position?
This is something I’m very excited about, so thank you for the recognition.  My primary responsibility is to promote and advocate for Woodinville and all the wineries and tasting rooms located here. That’s such an easy job! I think it’s amazing what’s happening in Woodinville, and I believe it’s just the beginning. The energy and spirit to make world-class wines is pervasive and evident everywhere you go. Each winery is unique, giving guests an opportunity to really explore the area and get to know many of the winemakers personally. The area is beautiful with stunning views, a community atmosphere, and a growing number of wonderful restaurants and lodging options. And while my main role is to promote what’s already here, it’s equally important to look to the future. Woodinville is still a small community and one that’s just now embracing tourism. This is a critical area of focus if we are going to realize the goal of becoming a world-class wine destination. This will take all the wineries and tasting rooms working together—with the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Woodinville—to make it happen. I’m looking forward to being part of it!

How do you and your husband, Steve, divide the duties at the winery?
Great question! This has been the most eye-opening aspect of working together. You really do need to divide things up so you can play to your strengths and get everything it takes to run a winery done. That said, and simply put, Steve is “all things wine and the vineyard” and I am “all things marketing”. Although we both work together to make the wines, he runs the show in that area. And, while he and I both work in the tasting room, plan events, manage wholesale accounts, and promote Hollywood Hill Vineyards, I suppose I run that part of it!

As the mother of two boys, how do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?
This way of working is so different from the 9-5 I did for 25 years. The beauty of it is the flexibility. I find now that work and life are completely interwoven and there isn’t really an end to one and a beginning to the other.  I know I work harder than ever now, but with it comes the ability to say “I’m going to go read in my son’s classroom for the afternoon” without the stress of worrying when I’ll get back to the office. I love that. With this business, Steve and I started on a personal quest of sorts to make a good living at something we love, while spending a lot of time together as a family. I’ll let you know when we get there!

What is your vision for the future of Hollywood Hill Vineyards?
We’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. If you had said to me 3 years ago we would be releasing our 2nd vintage, with critical acclaim for a couple of our wines, all while meeting literally thousands of people, I would have been suspicious, at best! Now we’re sitting here, about to open a new “Tasting House” in a fantastic location, with a list of wonderful customers and many wines sold out, and releasing our 2007’s to a lot of enthusiasm. It’s thrilling when you step back and think about it that way. Our vision has always been to stay small and hands on. Steve and I both love meeting customers and sharing the love of wine and food. I can’t imagine that will ever change. We’ll grow, but Hollywood Hill Vineyards will remain a boutique winery making the best possible Rhone Valley and Southern French style wines we love.

—

Many thanks to Becky for sharing her story and thoughts with us. I wish her and Steve all the best and will be following their work and Hollywood Hill Vineyards with great interest, and I hope that you will too.

The wine trails guy, Steve Roberts, has done it again, completing his trifecta of Northwest wine guides with this book, WineTrails of Idaho. Earlier this year when I was visiting with Steve about his WineTrails of Oregon book, I asked him what was next and he mentioned this book, so I wasn’t surprised when I recently received a review copy.

I thought Steve’s first book, WineTrails of Washington, was a very good book and it has been extremely helpful to us in our wine country travels in the state of Washington. Then I was amazed that he found over 200 wineries that he organized into 24 wine trails in his second book, WineTrails of Oregon. But when he told me about this book on Idaho wineries, I thought to myself, “This ought to be a short one.” I’ve been to Idaho wine country and remembered only about half a dozen wineries, albeit some pretty good wines. To my surprise, Steve found 21 Idaho wineries with regular tasting room hours that he organized into 4 wine trails; and 12 more Idaho wineries open by appointment.

Once again, Steve’s book is attractive, well organized, and easy to follow as you travel in Idaho wine country. He not only tells you about the wineries but gives you excellent suggestions for traveling in wine country, including tasting room etiquette, wine tasting 101, descriptions of the popular Idaho wine varieties, and helpful hints on decoding an Idaho wine label.

Before you visit Idaho wine country (or visit it again), be sure to pick up a copy of WineTrails of Idaho. For that matter, pick up a copy of all three of his WineTrails books. They are all excellent.

Congratulations again, Steve!

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

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Beer and milk may be sold in crates but, contrary to popular usage, wine is sold in cases. A case typically holds a dozen bottles, the basic trading unit in the fine wine trade and much of the wholesale wine trade. It is posited that the case contains 12 bottles because that is as many as a man can comfortably carry.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
A case of wine contains twelve bottles. Many retailers offer a discount if you purchase a case.

Even though it’s only two weeks until Christmas, if you are like me, you still have some Christmas shopping to do. If you know the person that you are shopping for is a wine lover or at least has an interest in wine, here’s a list that I hope will help you figure out what to buy for them. Or maybe it will even give you an idea of something to put on your own wish list.

Some of these items I actually own and can recommend from personal experience, some I’ve had wine-loving friends tell me about, and some are actually on my own wish list this year. This list is certainly not exhaustive, but hopefully it will give you a place to start.

Wine Books:

• For those new to wine, A Year of Wine by Tyler Colman and Drink This: Wine Made Simple by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl.
• For those interested in wine and food, What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page (my pick as “Most Useful Wine Book of 2009”).
• For those interested in Northwest wines, WineTrails of Washington by Steve Roberts, WineTrails of Oregon by Steve Roberts, and WineTrails of Idaho by Steve Roberts are all excellent guides to winery tasting rooms.

Wine Magazine:
If you like Washington State wine or simply want to learn more about Washington State wine country, there’s probably no better place for good information on a regular basis than through a subscription to Washington Tasting Room Magazine. Kori writes for the magazine, so you know it must be good!

Wine accessories/gadgets:

• Electric Bottle Opener – Light and mobile, you simply remove the opener from its charger base, place it over the top of the bottle, and it removes the cork with a touch of a button. Then, with another touch of a button, it releases the cork from the “worm”.
• Cork Pops – This is an air-pump cork remover that we previously reviewed and demonstrated in a video. You insert a hollow needle through the cork and then push on the end of the cartridge to force propellant into the bottle, which “pops” the cork out.

Wine:
A bottle or two (or three, or twelve) of wine itself can be a great gift but sometimes can be a bit daunting to select. There are thousands and thousands of wineries and wines out there and a lot depends on how much you would like to spend and the taste of the person for whom you are buying. Rather than recommend a few specific wines here, I’d like to refer you back to a recent post that listed our “go-to” Washington wineries for 2009. The wineries listed in bold had multiple high quality, high QPR wines that we tasted. You can generally buy with confidence from these producers. Use the Wine Peeps “Search” feature for information about specific wines from these producers.

If you have other wine gift ideas, please share them in the comments.

Happy Holidays!

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 2007 Bogle Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley in California.

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

With the holidays rapidly approaching, more and more folks are thinking about special foods for holiday meals. And Pinot Noir is definitely a food wine. While regular Wine Peeps readers know that Pinot Noir is a finicky grape and we find good Pinot Noirs difficult to find at reasonable prices with good QPRs, this Bogle Pinot Noir is a great buy that you should find easy to locate in your area.

Bogle Winery was established in 1978, ten years after the father and son team of Warren (Sr.) and Chris Bogle planted their first 20 acres of wine grapes in Clarksburg, California. Patty Bogle, Chris’s widow, is the winery owner; her son, Warren (named for his grandfather), is the vineyard manager; and her daughter, Jody, is in charge of customer affairs, international sales, and their wine club. Six generations of the Bogle family have farmed the fertile Delta region along the Sacramento River. Today, Bogle Vineyards farms over 1,200 acres of wine grapes. It is apparent that the hands-on involvement of the Bogle family is a big reason for their continued success.

“The cool confines of the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County provide a near perfect climate for the development of delicate Pinot Noir aromatics and flavors. Cloaked in morning fog with warm sunshine through the later day, these valley floor vineyards grow tiny, perfect clusters of deeply colored fruit. Soft suggestions of violets and rose petals couple with notes of wild cherries and cola. Subtle cocoa and toasty oak notes closely follow the lasting fruit flavors, creating an earthy finish of both structure and finesse.” –Winemaker Notes for the 2007 Bogle Pinot Noir

2007 Bogle Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California): Medium ruby red in color. Beautiful cranberry and jalapeno aromas lead to flavors of red fruits, spice, a hint of barnyard, and finally some coffee. Medium-bodied with soft tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long, spicy finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle) $14; Available elsewhere, $12 to $18

Earlier this year, we featured Washington Syrah from the 2005 vintage in one of our monthly wine tasting dinners. As I’ve mentioned previously, many consider the 2005 vintage to be one of the best in the history of Washington State. And I personally believe that the 2007 vintage may ultimately be considered the best ever in Washington State. But before we jump to the 2007’s, many of which have just been recently released, we wanted to do a tasting of the 2006 vintage which has been somewhat forgotten amid the hype about 2005 and 2007.

As one winemaker told us, “In good years like 2005 and 2007, almost anyone can make good wine. It’s the more challenging vintages like 2006 that separate out the great winemakers.”

With that in mind, this tasting proved that Bill Owen (O*S Winery), John Duval (Sequel), Mike Wade (Fielding Hills), Dave Stephenson (Stephenson Cellars), Charles Smith (K Vintners), and Ray Einberger (Columbia Crest) are all great winemakers. This was an extraordinary wine tasting dinner! All six wines were excellent and received a Quality rating of 4 stars (out of 5) or higher and five out of six wines received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Last Friday was an extremely cold winter evening in Seattle, the perfect weather for enjoying big, bold Washington Syrah. All six wines paired perfectly with Mom’s dinner of creamy tomato basil soup, mixed green salad, savory sausage bake, French green beans, garlic toast, and German chocolate dessert.

I am thrilled to report that we discovered another “Wow!” wine: the 2006 O*S Winery Syrah Dineen Vineyard which we rated a rare 5 stars (out of 5). With a $25 price tag, the O*S Syrah is an absolute steal! It was so good that Dad (John) made a trip to O*S on Saturday to pick up a case.

O*S Winery, located in South Seattle, was founded in 1997 by Bill Owen and Rob Sullivan. They produce about 3,000 cases per year. We visited their tasting room during the holidays last year and looking back at my notes reminded me of the high quality of wines they are producing across the board. If you are in the Seattle area, I highly encourage you to visit O*S. In addition to producing excellent wines, they offer a fun, welcoming tasting room experience.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2006 O*S Winery Syrah Dineen Vineyard (Yakima Valley, Washington): Dark, dense purple and very aromatic. Black olives, green olives, and a hint of asparagus come through on the nose; more olives and gorgeous black fruits on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with good acidity, medium to high tannins and a long finish. Extremely smooth, well-balanced, and very complex. Just blew me away from the first sip and kept evolving throughout the meal. Wow!
Quality: 5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $25

2006 Sequel Syrah [Long Shadows] (Columbia Valley, Washington): Deep, dark purple and very aromatic. Aromas of vanilla and buttered popcorn lead to flavors of black fruit and spice. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $50; Available elsewhere, $44 to $55

2006 Fielding Hills Syrah Riverbend Vineyard (Wahluke Slope, Washington): Deep, dark purple and very aromatic. Fruit-forward with luscious blackberry and black cherry aromas. More black fruits, cherry cobbler, and cocoa dominate the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and medium tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $40; Avalon Wine (Corvallis, OR), $42.95

2006 Stephenson Cellars Syrah (Washington State): Deep, dark purple and very aromatic. Black fruits come through on the nose; black and red fruits, black pepper, mint, and spice on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with good acidity, and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $27; Available elsewhere, $29 to $33

2006 Charles Smith Wines “Royal City” Syrah Stoneridge Vineyard (Columbia Valley, Washington): Deep purple in color. Cinnamon and vegetal aromas lead to black fruit and spice flavors. Medium to full-bodied with medium tannins and a medium finish. Well-balanced.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $80; Available elsewhere, $87 to $150

2006 Columbia Crest Reserve Syrah (Columbia Valley, Washington): Dark purple and aromatic. Tobacco, oak, and earth come through on the nose; black fruits and a bit medicinal on the palate. Medium to full-bodied and smooth with medium tannins and a long finish. Well-balanced.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $20; Available elsewhere, $20 to $29

Oftentimes, wineries in the United States produce blends from their leftovers. They put their best grapes into their varietal wines and then produce a blend from the grapes that don’t quite make the cut. There are some wineries, however, who strive to produce Bordeaux-style blends using the very best grapes that they can get. Two such Washington wineries are Grand Rêve and Côte Bonneville.

Recently, we had what turned out to be a showdown between two vineyard-designated Washington Red Blends in one of our double blind private tasting dinners featuring two wines from the 2005 vintage, the 2005 Grand Rêve Collaboration Series I Red Wine from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard and the 2005 Côte Bonneville Carriage House Red Wine from DuBrul Vineyard. For a more complete description of how we set up these private tastings, please refer to How We Taste.

Grand Rêve Vintners produces vineyard-designed wines from Red Mountain grown fruit by an all-star cast of Washington winemakers including Ben Smith of Cadence Winery, Mark McNeilly of Mark Ryan Winery, Ross Mickel of Ross Andrew Winery, Carolyn Lakewold of Donedei, and Chris Gorman of Gorman Winery. Founded in 2004 by Paul McBride and Ryan Johnson, Grand Rêve (French for Great Dream) has planted their own estate vineyard on the upper slopes of Red Mountain above Col Solare. Their first harvest from the estate vineyard is planned for 2010. In the meantime, they are focusing on fruit from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard.

Côte Bonneville, located near Sunnyside, Washington, is the estate winery for DuBrul Vineyard. Both the winery and the vineyard are owned by Hugh and Kathy Shiels. The Shiels planted their first wine grapes in 1992 and started their own winery in 2001 after their last child left home. They are running a first class operation: amazing fruit, amazing wines, and amazing people.

Both of these wines are excellent and paired perfectly with Mom’s dinner of prime rib, baked yams, and sautéed green beans. We had tasted both of these wines previously. It is always fun and quite interesting to revisit wines over time to see if and how they change. Both wines have consistently received high marks from us.

2005 Grand Rêve Collaboration Series I Red Wine (Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, Red Mountain, Washington): 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 13% Petit Verdot, 12% Merlot. Winemaker Ben Smith of Cadence Winery. Very dark purple with dark black fruit aromas, especially black cherry, and hints of licorice, spice, cinnamon, cloves, and mothballs. More black fruits, spice, vanilla, and coffee come through on the palate. Full-bodied with high, drying tannins. Big, bold, well-balanced, and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $55; Available elsewhere, $46 to $70

2005 Côte Bonneville Carriage House Red Wine (DuBrul Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Washington): 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc. Dark purple and very aromatic. Black fruits, oak, and bacon come through on the nose; more black fruits, bacon, as well as licorice on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with high, drying tannins. Lively acidity and a long finish. Improves with food and the longer it is open.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $50; Available elsewhere, $41 to $65