Emory Cole has a longstanding history in the Seattle area restaurant industry. Being in the industry for nearly 40 years, Emory’s on Silver Lake has become well-known location for its stunning lake views and fantastic food. The wine list at Emory’s boasts some of the best priced wine in the state. In fact, I have never seen so many bottles that are priced near to cost. This translates into some incredible values for Seattle area wine lovers. Emory’s has achieved the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine three years in a row. On their list there is everything from entry level Columbia Crest to high end Cabernet bottlings of Quilceda Creek, Caymus, and even Opus One. Emory is incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. I recently had the chance to sit down with Emory at his Lakehouse Restaurant and he talked about his love for Washington and Napa Cabernet, and talked about the incredible array of wines that he has had on his wine lists over his years at his restaurant. A passionate and stand out guy, Emory was a delight to talk wine with. Here is my interview with Emory Cole, owner of Emory’s On Silver Lake Restaurant.
WWB: You have been in the restaurant business for more than 30 years. What are some of the changes that you have seen in the Washington wine industry since you first began?
EC: Actually, I've been in the restaurant business in Washington for almost 38 years, not counting the entry level jobs I had back in high school when the starting minimum wage in Washington was $1.25/hour, but who's counting?! In the early 1970's and before, wine choices in most restaurants were comprised of bulk wines offered in caraffes {Burgundy, Chablis and Rose}. The "really good wines" were Portuguese Roses {Mateus and Lancers}, Blue Nun Liebfraumilch from Germany, Cold Duck sparkling wine, and the occasional "Claret" from California. Then things really started to change in the mid to late 1970's when the California wine industry really took off which was soon followed by Washington and Oregon, and European imports began expanding substantially, especially from France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
WWB: You have had Quilceda Creek on your menu since the 1980s. What are some of your favorite wines from Quilceda Creek?
EC: Yes, we had the original 1979 vintage of Quilceda Creek on the menu at my first restaurant located in Mukilteo, WA. {The Seahorse}. I think it shared the highest priced Cabernet Sauvignon on our wine list along with one of my all-time favorites from California, Silver Oak, in the 1980's. I think those wines wholesale prices were around $25 at the time and were the highest priced on our list at around $45. The wholesale and retail price for those wines have more than quadrupled since. Of course, a lot of customers were still ordering the "house wine" back then, but people were starting to "trade up" as new quality varietals were introduced. I wish I had a nickle for every bottle of Chat Ste Michelle Johannisberg Riesling that has been sold. The more recent vintages of Quilceda Creek over the past 10 -12 years have been exceptional.
WWB: You have traveled extensively throughout Napa Valley. Do you have any favorite wineries that you have visited? Can you talk about your love for Napa Cabernet?
EC: There are so many great wines being produced in and around Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, and many other regions of California. I do have a particular fondness for Cabernet Sauvignon, in particular those wineries that still produce 100% varietal, as opposed to blending like has been done in France for many years. Some of the "iconic" Cabs I personally have enjoyed over the years have come from wineries such as Silver Oak, Newton, Corliss, Heitz, Robert Mondavi, Beringer, Rombauer, Staggs Leap, Joseph Phelps, etc. I haven't had "Screaming Eagle" because I haven't yet been invited to visit your cellar. My love for Cabernet in general is I have requested to be embalmed with it before I travel to the next level.
WWB: Your wine list has some incredible wine values like the 2009 Garrison Creek Cabernet ($89.00), the 2013 Caymus Cabernet ($125.00) and the 2012 Joseph Phelps Cabernet ($100.00). What are some of your favorite wines from your excellent value wine list? How are you able to offer so many excellent wine values to your customers?
EC: I and my management team have tried hard to provide a comprehensive list that includes very well made wines with good values for our guests. As you know, Washington has a thriving wine industry and is producing grapes and wines that I think rival many of California's vintners today. Chateau St. Michelle, for example, does a marvelous job of producing many wine varietals in great volume that are consistently great in terms of both quality and value. Occasionally we come across some smaller Washington wineries that are producing exceptional wines on a smaller scale such as Garrison Creek, Rulo, Woodward Canyon, and Sleight of Hand from Walla Walla, and Mark Ryan, DeLille, and Betz Family from Woodinville.
We try to focus on our market area, support our state's industry, and keep prices reasonable. We don't mark up our wines like many restaurants do, especially higher cost wines. We want our guests to be comfortable to experiment and try higher end wines. We also don't warehouse a huge cellar like many of the higher end restaurants and hotels that are sitting on, literally, hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory.
WWB: What are some of your favorite producers of wine from Washington and other regions?
EC: I am an "equal opportunity" wine enthusiast. I've named some of my favorite producers but there are simply too many to name. France is still the "benchmark" the world uses to compare their wines with. Unfortunately, the good Bordeaux Chateau wines have become so expensive that I find myself looking to the south of France {Provence} for great wines with better values. Of course, those are not Cabernet blends but blends of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, as well as Cabernet and other lesser known varietals. Washington is now producing some of those same great varietals from Provence, Italy, Germany and Spain and doing a great job with them.