One of the great Washington wineries, Betz Family Winery was founded under Washington wine legend, Bob Betz, Currently at the helm is the Uber-talented Louis Skinner whom I interviewed last year. We were not able to get together in person this year but did enjoy a wonderful chat on Instagram Live. Like many winemakers, Louis had a previous career prior to catching the wine bug which in his case was highly contagious. Louis literally read everything he could on wine and got a job working at a wine shop which allowed him to taste wines of the world constantly.
Having some seriously good pedigree, Louis has trained under legendary winemakers, Chris Upchurch and Bob Betz, MW, prior to taking over for Betz at his namesake winery. Louis is an unabashed Burgundy lover who has an encyclopedic knowledge of wine. His wines are technically very well-made as each wine tells a story with a beginning, middle and end. I am very excited about the wines he continues to produce from their estate ‘Old Stones Vineyard,’ located adjacent to the River Rock Vineyard in Milton-Freewater.
The wine from this vineyard, the 2018 Betz Family Winery ‘Domaine de Pierres’ Syrah (WWB, 95) which has a great core of fruit and nice weight but is wonderfully complex and stony. This is a wine for any serious collector of The Rocks District wines. Just as good was the 2018 Betz Family Winery ‘Heart of The Hill Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 95) which is inky, dark and highly gratifying yet shows a vibrant sense of minerality. Learn more about these beautiful wines at https://www.betzfamilywinery.com Here are the great new wines by Betz Family Winery.
2019 Betz ‘Rose Cache’ Rose- The ‘Rose Cache’ is lightly colored, opening with intriguing nutty and damp earth tones that mingle with rose water and bright red raspberry on this expressive nose. The palate has great verve and freshness with a silky texture. The length and mouth-watering acidity of the wine its truly outstanding as delicate red fruits dance with wet stone and earthy undertones. Enjoy this beautiful new bottling over the next several years. Drink 2020-2024- 92
2018 Betz Family Winery ‘Besoleil’ Red Wine- The 2018 ‘Besoleil’ is a downright sexy blend of mostly Grenache (55%) with smaller portions Mourvedre, Counoise and a small dusting of Syrah all sourced from the Yakima Valley AVA. High toned blood orange zest and red cherry candy with guava puree combine with damp earth undertones on this evocative nose. The palate is plush, showing off a wonderful sense of mouthfeel. Layers of pretty red fruits dance with rose water, orange rind and damp earthy tones on the palate. The weightless effect mid-palate may be the most impressive aspect at play. Complex and delicious in its youth, the 2018 ‘Besoleil’ will cellar well for the next ten plus years. Drink 2020-2032- 94
2018 Betz Family Winery ‘Domaine de Pierres’ Syrah- Farmed from their ‘Ancient Stones Vineyard’ in the Walla Walla Rocks AVA, this whole cluster fermented Syrah was aged for sixteen months in oak barrels before bottling. Right away you smell the wonderfully stony aromatics of the wine, with horse manure, green olive tapenade and white pepper dusted potpourri with bacon fat that take shape in the glass. The palate is soft and plush, with a great sense of elegance and tension. This effortlessly glides across the mid-palate delivering a core of wild blackberry cobbler, charcuterie, green olive and salty, stony terroir. Nothing short of outstanding, kudos to Louis Skinner for crafting this heavyhitter of a wine that is best enjoyed within the next eight to ten years. Drink 2020-2028- 95
2018 Betz Family Winery ‘La Serenne’ Syrah- The 2018 ‘La Serenne’ Syrah is entirely sourced from the Yakima Valley AVA and underwent 100% whole cluster fermentation before being aged in French oak for sixteen months. A core of dark and red fruits meld with shades of baking spices, and dried herbal tones on the nose. The palate has good freshness and balanced with layers of sour red fruits that dance with Mandarin orange zest, cinnamon and cloves, with sagebrush undertones. Drink 2020-2028- 92
2018 Betz Family Winery ‘La Cote Rousse’ Syrah- A blend of nearly all Syrah (94%) with the remainder Viognier, this wine was sourced from the famed Ciel du Cheval Vineyard and underwent 50% whole cluster fermentation. The alluring high tones from the Viognier really captivate with pink grapefruit blossom and bright red fruits that meld with menthol and damp earth on the nose. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a great veil of tension. Layers of red and dark fruits are woven together with suggestions of wintergreen, milk chocolate and dusty terroir on the palate. The length and elegance of this wine is seriously good as the 2018 ‘La Cote Rousse’ Syrah will be best enjoyed over the next decade. Drink 2020-2030- 93
2018 Betz Family Winery ‘La Cote Patriarch’ Syrah- The 2018 ‘La Cote Patriarch’ Syrah is a sensational new wine by the talented Lous Skinner. Sourced from the Yakima Valley, right away you are drawn to the deep dark fruit aromatics with smoky and damp earthy tones melding well. The palate is plush, showing an utterly fantastic sense of texture. Deep dark fruits combine with undertones of kumquat, coffee grounds and salted meats. The terroir here is seriously good, as is the exceedingly long finish. Enjoy this stunning new Syrah over the next decade or more. Drink 2020-2032- 94
2018 Betz Family Winery ‘The Untold Story’ Red Wine- Entirely sourced from the Columbia Valley, ‘The Untold Story’ is a sensational blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Syrah, with equal parts Merlot and Grenache. Rich, layered and decadent, the wine shows a soft mouthfeel with pretty red fruits that dance with chocolate, sagebrush and milk chocolate tones. Medium-bodied and highly elegant, this beautiful wine will cellar well over the next seven years. Drink 2020-2027- 91
2018 Betz Family Winery ‘Clos de Betz’ Red Wine- The 2018 ‘Clos de Betz’ is a compelling blend of 55% Merlot with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remainder Petit Verdot. The wine shows nice herbal tones on the nose with the core of dark fruits, coffee grounds and chocolate. The texture is soft and seamless with bright acidity that really entices. Layers of dark fruits and Turkish coffee line the palate, with marvelous length and a great feeling of tension. This is seriously good for the price. Drink 2020-2033- 93
2018 Betz Family Winery ‘Pere du Famille’ Cabernet Sauvignon- I absolutely adore the 2018 Betz Family Winery ‘Pere de Famille’ Cabernet Sauvignon for its weight, elegance and depth. Dark fruits march with anise, creme de cassis and tobacco leaf with tar accents on this gorgeous nose. The palate is rich and marvelously viscous with a great veil of tension that runs through the core of cassis, mocha, tar, graphite and blackberry compote flavors. The seamless texture is really outstanding, as this gorgeous new bottling will enjoy at least another fifteen years ahead of it. Drink 2020-2038- 94
2018 Betz Family Winery ‘Heart of the Hill’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2018 Betz Family Winery ‘Heart of the Hill’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a sensational effort by superstar winemaker Louis Skinner. The evocative nose entices with layers of blueberry compote, espresso bean, graphite and tar that all march in unison in the glass. Soft and silky on the palate, this has a great err of elegance despite showing off its hedonistic bent. Layers of Black Forest Cake, blueberry pie, espresso grounds and creosote all mingle marvelously together on the palate. WIth great weight, length and mouth-watering acidity, this show-stopping Cabernet Sauvignon will enjoy an exceedingly long life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2039- 95