There are plenty of great boutique Washington wineries out there that impress. Go ahead and add La Chanterelle to the list. Based out of Bellingham, this is a very small production winery as the winery only makes 72 cases of their Cabernet each year! La Chanterelle was originally a home project that was finally founded into a winery in 2012. This is one to look out for, as they produced some exceptional wines from an exceptional vintage, 2012.
Head winemaker Donatas Pocus has created a nice combination of balance and richness in his Syrah and Cabernet. And their 2012 Cabernet was recently the only Gold Medal winner out of Washington wines entered in the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. I had a chance to meet Donatas at a recent wine event in Kirkland and he talked about his passion for winemaking and the potential for the future. This thing is no longer a home project, look for them to expand their production in the future. I know I’ll look forward to their 2013 releases! While their 2012 Cabernet is currently sold out, you can find their Syrah online at lachanterellewine.com. Here are the 2012 releases from La Chanterelle.
2012 La Chanterelle Syrah- Dark purple hue with flavors of blackberry, black olive and black cherry persisting with bright acidity. Delicious and open but could cellar well for a few more years. Drink 2015 on. -90
2012 La Chanterelle Cabernet- Perfumed nose with anise and blackberry. Nice roundness on the palate with flavors of cassis, black olive, anise and mocha. Nice richness, indicative of the vintage. Drink 2015 on. -92