Interview with Christian Sparkman, Director of Winemaking and Owner of Sparkman Cellars

It is an arduous task for a winemaker to make both excellent red and white wines but Sparkman Cellars is one of the few wineries that can make quality wines from Riesling to Cabernet -- and everything in between (http://www.sparkmancellars.com/). Chris Sparkman has a huge hand in the Washington Wine Industry. Sparkman holds a Master’s Degree in International Environmental Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, he has worked a wide variety of jobs, from being in the Peace Corps to leading a group of students in building a school in Gambia, Africa.

Sparkman boasts an impressive a history of working in high end restaurants and served as general manager of Seattle’s Waterfront Seafood Grill from 2003-2011. In 2010 he was named ‘Sommelier of the Year’ by Seattle Magazine. Previously, Sparkman headed service teams at Olives in Washington, D.C.(1999-2000), The Orangery in Knoxville, TN   (1991-94), Michael’s in Santa Monica, Calif. (1986-87), and the famed Commander’s Palace in New Orleans (1984-86) which has received worldwide acclaim for their wine list.

While at the Waterfront Seafood Grill, Chris Sparkman and his wife, Kelly, decided to start Sparkman Cellars in 2004. Since that time the winery has expanded exponentially. Sparkman has an impressive range of wines from Washington and even produce a Pinot Noir from Oregon. Christian currently serves as Chairman of the Washington State Wine Commission’s Board. He also currently sits on the Boards of Directors of the Auction of Washington Wine and Visit Seattle. I recently had the opportunity to sit down and talk wine with him. Here is my interview with Chris Sparkman, co-owner and director of winemaking at Sparkman Cellars.

WWB: I think you have hit a home run with your 2012 ‘Evermore’ Cabernet. I was very impressed with the structure and purity of fruit to this wine. Can you talk about that wine and that great vintage?

CS: I have been pursuing fruit from Dionysus Vineyard fruit for a few years and have been a fan of old vine Washington Cabernet. This is one of the oldest vineyard in the state and was planted in 1972. For many years I have wanted a chance to get the fruit from Dionysus and in 2012 we were able to procure some of their Riesling, which I called our ‘Birdie’ Riesling. That Riesling ended up being the number seven wine in the world from Wine Enthusiast and we were really proud of the project. There is something special about old vine wine from Washington. This ‘Evermore’ Cabernet, comes from two different blocks in the Dionysus Vineyard -- one planted in 1998 and one planted in 1972. We already had two Cabernets in our Sparkman lineup and our intention was not to make a new wine with Cabernet. But there were six barrels that sat in new wood and they all stood out to such a degree that we started bringing in colleagues, wine club members, and industry folks to taste this great wine. We thought we had something different and exciting with this wine.

I have a background as a sommelier. The restaurant guy in me said that we needed to have the quality in the bottle to sell for this at a high price. After folks kept on telling us ‘yeah this Evermore is special stuff’ we chose to give this one a higher price. Linn Scott was in charge of the 2012 Evermore Cabernet and is in charge of producing all of the wines. He did a fantastic job. At the end of the day I say whether we need a little more of something or not in the wines. We made 150 cases of this wine and have had very nice support for it. I thought somewhere along the line someone was going to call me a greedy bastard but people wanted more of the wine.

The 2012 vintage in Washington was the most average growing season that you can ask for, which means that it was perfect. If you can’t make wine in this vintage then you should think about going something else. With the picking we let it sit a bit and we believe that there are some things that you can measure and some of the things you can’t taste. PH and sugar and acid are all great markers but flavor is the only thing you taste. If the flavor is not wall there then we don’t want to pick it. That is sort of our overriding philosophy. We try to do that with all our Bordeaux varietals. We have four old blocks of Cabernet and this is sort of our firs go around with this. People tend to really enjoy the old single vineyard blocks. We source from Upland Estate which was first planted in 1971, the Bouchey Vineyard, planted in 1980 and the Klipsun Vineyard which was planted in 1984. At Sparkman we now have four different blocks which were all 30 years or older. In the future we are considering doing four different wines, all called ‘Evermore’, and so far in the barrel the wines are telling us this project might be a good idea. Each wine has their own personality. These individual wines tell the story of the place which his really cool. This Evermore idea is really compelling and it is not out of the realm of imagination that we would have four old vine Cabernets with the 2015 vintage.

WWB: I recently had the chance to run through a number of your impressive white wine releases and was impressed with your 2014 white wines, including the excellent ‘Luminere’ Chardonnay. I was very impressed with the structure in those wines, despite the heat of the vintage. Can you talk about how you were able to obtain such nice structure in those wines?

CS: The Stillwater Creek vineyard is the key to the ‘Luminere’ Chardonnay. We find that vines from Stillwater Creek produce wonderful minerality. This is not near Chablis but Chardonnay from Stillwater Creek tends to act differently than some of the hotter sites in Washington, like Cold Creek. I have to give the vineyard a lot of credit. We also do a native fermentation on that and have experimented with multiple yeasts for that wine. The flavors and profile are drawn from the yeast in the winery. It is difficult because the fermentations that we do take longer and are unpredictable but what they yield at the end of the day is what we want. The 2014 vintage I think was really a piece of cake with the winemaking. We have now been wrestling with 2015 vintage white wines and I am interested to see how this thing turns out. What happens is other things come in there with the vintage and you have to control it the best you can. I think we are going to have some really great Chardonnay in ’15, even though ’15 was less easy to work with. People have said this to us, forever, before we got into making wine -- that white wine is way harder to make than red wine. I think that is true. We have noticed that with Washington Sauvignon Blanc, as we have had to track down balance and structure to the wines. But in other, more cool, vintages, white wine is made more easily. It is also bizarre how varietals and barrels that will be in the same yeast and treatment will decide to do things differently. That keeps you humbled. You are on your toes when you work with white wines.

WWB: You make an Oregon Pinot Noir from the famous ‘Temperance Hill Vineyard’.  What got you interested in making Oregon Pinot Noir?  Can you talk about some of the challenges of working with that varietal and the challenges that you faced in the 2013 vintage in Oregon?

CS: We are privileged to work with some great vineyards at Sparkman Cellars. Not everyone gets into Klipsun or Dionysus vineyards. Our friend, Rob Stewart, helped us out with getting some good Oregon Pinot Noir. We were sold some really good Oregon Pinot in 2009 and it turned out to beautiful wine. It is starting to peak right now and is exactly where you want to drink Pinot Noir. Pinot is finicky to work with. In 2010 it was a really tough vintage down there and we were unable to get any fruit from Oregon. We declined to do it and it was hard to find supply that year. We had a cold growing season in Washington and wanted to focus on the Washington fruit in 2010. 2011 was also a hard vintage in Oregon and I was able to secure a younger block, [Dijon] clone 777, and we wanted to work with that. In 2011 we cold soaked the Pinot Noir for eight days just to make it have some color in the wine. There was even some dry ice involved and we had to watch out what was going on there. The 2011 Pinot turned out to be some really nice wine, like a Beaune wine from Burgundy. The wine is something more light and elegant. As it rounds in form here we are curious what happens to this wine. In the near future we will take a harder look at that wine and will re-release the wine later. I know a lot of people did that in Oregon with the 2007 Pinots. The 2012 Pinot Noir from Oregon made itself and the alcohol was low, only 12 percent. I think that the wine might be cresting right now. My opinion is that the alcohol levels are not that important with wine. 2013 in Oregon was really a nice and easy vintage. The fruit was as fine as we have seen but the last two vintages, 2014 and 2015, have been really good as well. Temperance Hill [vineyard] is at 750 feet. It is a cooler site for Pinot and it makes more elegant and earthier wines than Ribbon Ridge in Dundee. Folks are digging it. The 2013 Pinot Noir tastes best early than any of the Pinot that we have made.

WWB: Other than Sparkman Cellars wines, what other Washington wines or wines of the word do you enjoy?

CS: I enjoy the wine in my glass! Being in the wine industry makes me kind of ruined and you can’t drink crap wine when you are ruined. We had a bottle of Grand Cru Champagne last night for our anniversary which was fantastic. We just signed with Noble wines and that is our new distributor. We have been revisiting Italian wines and have been able to try some great Brunello. We like checking out Noble Wine’s impressive portfolio and doing some research on those things. We like a lot of white wines. Erica Orr’s wines are fantastic. She makes an old vine Chenin Blanc that is just delicious. She does a great job at Baer. If it is well-made then I want to taste it and I don’t have any prejudices. I think Washington has so many great flavors in their wines. One of the things that we are trying to capitalize on, being the chairman of the Washington Wine Commission, is that we have a wide variety of high quality wines. It is not one producer or one vineyard or one varietal. Washington has a dizzying array of world class wines. Some of the wines from Kevin White are great. W.T. Vintners are great as well. It is nice to see a new wave of winemakers, trying to figure it out and some of them have already had some great success.

Cobb Wines

A Sonoma coast winery that relies on small, meticulously farmed vineyards, Cobb Wines was founded by David Cobb in 2001. But their story begins in 1989 when David Cobb began cultivating Pinot Noir vines at his small Coastlands Vineyard, perched literally right on the Sonoma coast. David was previously working as a marine ecologist and spent much of his time learning about soils and climatological charts in trying to find the perfect spot for his vineyard. He found that the Sonoma coast was the perfect spot to grow great terroir driven Pinot, which required a good amount of heat, morning fog to keep temperatures moderate, and plenty of wind to protect the grapes from rot. Cobb Wines combines the winegrowing expertise of David Cobb—one of the first big players in Pinot Noir viticulture on the far Sonoma Coast—with the winemaking talents of his son, Ross Cobb. Ross has an extensive history in wine, previously serving at some prestigious wineries in the past, including Ferrari-Carano, and Williams Selyem, where he served as viticulturist and enologist.

Ross came on with his father and became head winemaker at Cobb. He knew that he had something special with their Pinot Noir from the Coastlands vineyard. In 2001, a mere 130 cases of their wines were made. This wine was a huge hit. Cobb has diversified exponentially since then, focusing hand crafted Pinot sourced from small, terroir driven vineyards. Subsequent Cobb Pinot bottlings have received some incredibly high scores from press. I recently had the chance to sample the new Pinot releases from Cobb. Each wine had a personality of their own. The Sonoma Coast style is a bit challenging to define. The Cobb Pinot releases were feminine and compelling wines that showed grace and terroir. For those who have not had Sonoma Coast Pinot, think Sonoma Valley meets Willamette Valley, with a touch of Burgundy. Once constant theme with the Cobb wine releases was the seamless quality to the wines. These wines glide through the imbibing experience, leading to a long and smooth finish. There is a wonderful minerality to these wines as they are all long-agers and will easily cellar well for another decade. While these wines are fairly pricey ($75.00 for each), they are worth some special attention. Cobb Pinot Noirs tend to be a bit difficult to find in the Northwest as you can only get them online through a mailing list or at a rare selection of restaurants. Learn more about Cobb wines at http://cobbwines.com/store/index.html. Here are the impressive new releases from Cobb.

2013 Cobb Wines ‘Coastlands Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- First planted in 1989, the Coastlands Vineyard has some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines on the Sonoma Coast. Due to the fog in the vineyard, the yields tend to be very low from this windy, 14.5 acre plot. The 2013 Cobb 'Coastlands Vineyard' shows the softer side of California Pinot. This expressive bottling begins with aromatics of black tea, red currant, red raspberry and hints of forest floor. There are flavors of red raspberry, lavender, Mandarin orange rind and guava in this light and very Beaune-like effort. Decant this for at least two hours before enjoying. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2013 Cobb Wines ‘Rice-Spivak Vineyard’ Pinot Noir-The 2013 Cobb 'Rice-Spivak' Vineyard Pinot Noir is sourced from a 6-acre vineyard, planted on Goldridge loam and ash, and owned Russell Rice and his wife, Dr. Helene Spivak. While the location of the vineyard is more inland than the other vineyards that Cobb sources from, this vineyard still maintains a very strong maritime influence. This wine begins with aromas of rose petals, lavender, crushed pomegranate seeds and red cherry. There are flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, Meyer lemon oil, and cran-pomegranate. The silky texture makes this feminine style Pinot sing. This is a smooth wine to savor and will cellar well for at least another decade. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2013 Cobb Wines ‘Emmaline Ann Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- David and Ross Cobb founded Cobb Wines in 2001, and craft Pinot Noir from small vineyards on the Sonoma Coast region. The Emmaline Ann Vineyard is slightly inland from the Coastlands Vineyard. Their 2013 'Emmaline Ann Vineyard' Pinot Noir is a gorgeous release that shows its feminine side. Needing more than an hour decant, this wine yields perfumed aromas of cinnamon, red cherry, red currant and cola. There are flavors of guava purée, red cherry, red raspberry and nutmeg. Lovely texture as this wine has a seamless quality. Drink 2016-2026- 93

#cobb #cobbwines #rosscobb #costlandsvineyard #sonomacoast #sonoma #pinotnoir

Matthews Winery and Tenor Wines

Since 1992, Matthews has been crafting some excellent Bordeaux style wines. Family owned and operated, Matthews relies on the winemaking talents of Aryn Morell. Morell has more than an exceptional resume, having previously worked at some of the highest end Napa wineries. In fact he has had previous stints at Joseph Phelps, Quintessa, Hartwell, Chimney Rock, Caldwell Vineyards, Vineyard 29, Chappellet, Rutherford Hill, Spring Mountain Winery, Stags Leap Winery, and Turnbull. He became head winemaker for Matthews in 2007 and in 2008 he launched Tenor Wines, a focus on ultra-premium red and white Bordeaux style wines. Morell sources his grapes from some great vineyards in Washington like Stillwater Creek, Weinbau and Sagemoor. All wines are made at his production facility in Walla Walla.

A recent visit to the Matthews/Tenor tasting room in Woodinville impressed. The wines showed the balance that Morell is known for, as the structure of his red and white wines were exceptional. Morell’s winemaking style is Bordelaise, as his wines are typically more classic, even in warmer years. His 2013 Tenor Sauvignon Blanc (WWB, 92 points) was highly impressive and is one of the best Washington Sauvignon Blancs that I have sampled in the past year. Despite the heat of the vintage Morell was able to obtain lovely structure alongside the dense fruit flavors. Other solid efforts included the 2012 Matthews Claret (WWB, 92 points), which is a blend of 54% Cab Sauvignon, 25% Cab Franc, 10% Merlot, 5% Syrah, 3% Malbec, & 3% Petit Verdot. This wine sings with balance and ripe fruit flavors. While it is hard to resist right now, it will cellar beautifully. Here are some of the great wines that I recently sampled at Matthews and Tenor wines. Learn more about them at http://www.matthewswinery.com/ and http://www.tenorwines.com/

2014 Matthews ‘Stillwater Creek’ Sauvignon Blanc-This wine has nice viscosity in glass and includes some Sagemoor vineyard fruit with the mainly Stillwater Creek fruit. It begins with aromas of cut grass, oak, and cantaloupe. They elected to age 30% of the wine in concrete vessels, while the rest was aged in stainless steel. There are medium weight flavors of orange zest, cantaloupe, poached pear, as the wine finishes slightly sweet. Nice combination of structure and fruit to this solid bottling. Drink 2016-2022- 90

2013 Tenor Sauvignon Blanc- Sourced from the Stillwater Creek and Lawrence vineyards, the wine was aged for 7 months in 100% new French oak, without fining or filtration. This dense white wine begins with aromas of whipping cream, oak, cut grass and ripe Bartlett pear. There are flavors of Fuji apple, honeydew melon and oak with a long finish. Very impressive, with a rich mouthfeel. Drink 2016-2024- 92

2013 Matthews ‘Blackboard’ Red Wine-  The fruit from this wine was sourced from a host of vineyards including Hedges, Bel'Villa, Red Mountain, Canyons, Stillwater Creek, Weinbau, Bacchus, Dionysus, Pepperbridge, XL, and Blue Mountain vineyards.  It was aged in 20% new French oak, 80% once and twice used French oak before bottling in March 2015. This red blend begins with aromas of dill, red bell pepper, anise and spicebox. Three are medium weight flavors of red bell pepper, anise, red cherry and nutmeg. Lovely structure to this solid bottling, as I can see this thing cellaring well. Drink 2016-2024- 90

2012 Matthews ‘Columbia Valley’ Claret-The wine was aged 18 months in 40% new French and 60% once used French oak before bottling in May 2014. It is a complex blend of 54% Cab Sauvignon, 25% Cab Franc, 10% Merlot, 5% Syrah, 3% Malbec, & 3% Petit Verdot. You can see that this has had some time in the bottle to soften. This wine opens with aromas of dill, blackberry pie, and blueberry compote. There are deep flavors of blackberry pie, blueberry, black plum, and graphite. Lovely structure, as this has racy acidity. Give this thing a one hour decant before opening right now. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2012 Tenor 2:2- Grapes were sourced from the Hedges Estate, Red Mountain Vineyard, and Stillwater Creek vineyard. This is their right bank blend, as it is comprised of Merlot, Cab Franc and a touch of Cabernet. It was aged 18 months in 88% new French oak prior to bottling. This wine begins with perfumed aromas of blackberry preserves, anise, and cedar with a touch of black truffle oil. There are flavors of anise, cassis, blackberry jam, black plum and cloves with Turkish coffee alongside mild to moderate tannins. This wine will cellar well but it is hard to resist right now. Drink 2016-2027- 93

2011 Tenor 2:2- This Merlot blend was sourced from the Stillwater Creek, Red Mountain, Weinbau and Bel'villa vineyards. The wine begins with herbaceous aromas of dried sage, red bell pepper and blackberry jam. This leads to flavors of anise, cassis, blackberry and medium weight. Lovely structure but not quite the weight or complexity of the 2012. This will cellar gracefully. Drink 2016-2025- 91

2012 Tenor 1:1- This wine is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. It was aged 20 months in 100% new French oak and was sourced from Hedges Estate, Red Mountain, and Stillwater Creek vineyards. There are complex aromatics of black cherry black plum oak and blackberry cobbler. This leads to flavors of blackberry, anise, coffee grounds and graphite alongside moderate tannins. This will have a very long life in the cellar but if you want to consume it immediately, give this gorgeous wine at least an hour decant. Drink 2018-2029- 92

2010 Tenor 1:1- The Cabernet wine was sourced from the Stillwater Creek vineyard and the Lawrence vineyard.  It was aged 16 months in new French oak prior to bottling. This wine starts with a bouquet of dill, red cherry, red raspberry, lavender and cassis. Slightly on the herbaceous side, but in a good way. This leads to flavors of mocha, black cherry, black olive and pipe tobacco alongside moderate tannins. Drink 2016-2028- 92

 2012 Tenor Syrah- This dark hued wine begins with dense aromas of smoked meats leather and wet rock. There are medium to heavy weight flavors of sagebrush, anise, smoked meats and tar alongside mocha and blackberry jam. Delicious and age-worthy Syrah that will cellar very well. Drink 2016-2025- 92

#matthewswinery #matthews #tenor #tenorwines

Goose Ridge

If you are driving along I-82 north of Tri-Cities, look out on your right hand side. Eventually you will see a massive cluster of vineyards (http://www.washingtonwine.org/wineries/goose-ridge-estate-vineyard-and-winery/) that dominate the horizon. This is the remote but absolutely gorgeous backdrop for Goose Ridge Vineyards. While they were initially based outside of Tri-Cities at their production facility, they set up a tasting room in Woodinville a few years back. Started by the Monson family, Goose Ridge was started in 1998 under the direction of Dr. Walter Clore, the Father of the Washington Wine Industry. The 1,900 acre vineyard is planted on a south-facing slope in Washington's Columbia Valley appellation adjacent to Red Mountain. Goose Ridge focuses on creating value priced Bordeaux and Rhone varietal wines. Their new releases were highly impressive.

While I would recommend that you visit their tasting room at their estate, located just outside of Tri-Cities, those based in the Seattle area can take advantage of their Woodinville tasting room. It had been a year since I had run through their lineup of wines and I was very impressed at their current offerings. Most of these wines are priced under 30 dollars. Head winemaker Andrew Wilson has crafted some fantastic new releases. For many years I have been a fan of their Chardonnay. Their new release, the 2013, was no exception (WWB, 91 points) and offered rich fruit flavors of golden delicious apple and bananas foster. This wine over-performs for the price. Many of their red wines have been kept back, particularly those from cooler vintages of 2010 and 2011. Their 2010 ‘Vireo’ was an exceptional value (WWB, 92 points) which showed rich and dense fruit flavors that were surprising considering the coolness of the vintage. This wine is drinking in its sweet spot. You can really see the skill of the winemaker, as Andrew Wilson got the most out of these cooler and more challenging vintages. Learn more about Goose Ridge Vineyards online at http://www.gooseridge.com/Wines/Reserve. You can find these wines at many area grocery stores like QFC and Met Market, as well as Northwest wine shops. Here are my reviews of the great new releasesfrom Goose Ridge:

2014 Goose Ridge Sauvignon Blanc- This wine begins with aromas of cut grass, unripe pear and a dash of Jalapeno pepper. Flavors of red delicious apple, poached pear and lychee with a nice cream finish. Finishes clean. Drink 2016-2020- 89

2014 Goose Ridge Vineyards 'GRV'- The ‘GRV’ is an enticing blend of 50% Viognier, 27% Grenache Blanc and 23% Rousanne . The wine begins with medium weight aromas of starfruit, gala apple, honeydew melon and poached pear. This leads to flavors of red delicious apple, lemongrass, green papaya with a vanilla cream finish. Very solid. Drink 2016-2021- 90

2013 Goose Ridge Chardonnay- The Chardonnay was aged 9 months in 100% French oak (57% new). This wine begins with aromas of brioche toast, honey, golden delicious apple and toasted oak. There are flavors of golden delicious apple, bananas foster and nice extraction. The cream finish lingers. Not for the weary. Drink 2016-2022- 91

2011 Goose Ridge Merlot- The wine was aged 22 months in 70% French, 20% American and 10% European oak barrels(60% new) before bottling. This cold vintage Merlot begins with aromas of tangerine rind, red cherry, red raspberry and dill.  There are medium weight flavors of red cherry, boysenberry and sagebrush. Drink 2016-2024- 89

2010 Goose Ridge Cabernet- The Cabernet was aged 22 months in 55% French, 40% American, 5% European oak barrels (60% new) prior to being bottled. This wine begins with aromas of stewed prune, red cherry, dill and anise. This leads to flavors of cassis, anise and mocha with a slight graphite edge. Very polished. Drink 2016-2024- 91

2010 Goose Ridge ‘Vireo’- The colder vintage wine is a blend of  40% Syrah, 35% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. There is a heavy oak influence as they have aged this 25 months in 76% French, 14% American and 10% European oak. Head winemaker Andrew Wilson has done exceptionally well here. It begins with an absolutely gorgeous perfumed nose with rose petals, anise, creme de cassis and red bell pepper. Medium to heavy weight flavors of anise, creme de cassis, blackberry preserves and mocha coat the palate, alongside mild tannins. Simply delicious right now. Drink 2016-2024- 92

2010 Goose Ridge 'Sol Duc'- This wine begins with aromas of red bell pepper, cedar and red cherry. This leads to flavors of red cherry, red raspberry and vanilla. This wine has a polished texture and finishes smooth. Drink 2016-2025- 91

2011 Goose Ridge 'Sol Duc'- This wine sits in the glass as aromatically shut down and needing at least a one hour decant before serving. The wine has aromas of cedar, red bell pepper and sage in this herbaceous wine. There are flavors of red cherry, anise and spicebox. Lovely texture to this polished effort. Drink 2016-2025- 91

 2014 Goose Ridge Riesling Ice Wine- Weighing in at 23.3% residual sugar the wine begins with aromas of vanilla creme brûlée, bananas foster and apricot preserves. This leads to flavors reminiscent of creme brûlée, French vanilla truffle, apricot preserves and a lingering finish. Gorgeous wine here that has some aging potential. Drink 2016-2025- 93

#gooseridge #gooseridgevineyards #wawine

Interview with Chris Upchurch, Owner and Head Winemaker of Upchurch Vineyard

Interview with Chris Upchurch, Owner and Head Winemaker of Upchurch Vineyard

A winemaker that needs no introduction, Chris Upchurch has achieved a venerable reputation as head winemaker at DeLille Cellars. Before Chris crafting 90 plus point wines at DeLille, he was traveling the world and sampling some of the world’s best wines. Chris completed a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado and the University of Washington and then began working as a wine merchant, which helped him improve his palate through some of the best wines from around the world. Chris then became the founding winemaker and partner of DeLille Cellars. For 23 years Chris has worked as head winemaker at DeLille. There are few Washington winemakers that have received the same level of accolades during that time. For those who have tried the DeLille lineup, you can taste the difference in the glass. Chris crafts some of the best Bordeaux blends and Rhone red and white wines in the state. In fact, my number two wine last year was the 2013 DeLille Cellars ‘Chaleur Estate’ Blanc, a Bordeaux style white wine that DeLille has made famous after being the first in the state to create this style of wine (http://www.washingtonwineblog.com/top-100/#/2015-top-100/). In 2007 Chris started the Upchurch Vineyard on Red Mountain. I recently had the chance to sit down with Chris and talk about his wine, as well as his project at Upchurch Vineyard. Learn more about this impressive winery at https://upchurchvineyard.com/ Here is my interview with Chris Upchurch, head winemaker at DeLille Cellars and Upchurch Vineyard.

WWB: Can you describe some of the changes of being an owner of Upchurch Vineyard, as opposed to your responsibilities at DeLille Cellars?-

CU: That is an advantage and a disadvantage because some winemakers want to just talk about their own product. I am headed to New York tomorrow to represent Upchurch Vineyard. This means the sales end and not only talking about my product. For me going New York and seeing a bottle of my wine on the table -- that makes me feel thrilled. After working 23 years at DeLille I get a kick out of seeing that because I am now going out and meeting a lot of different people in wine. It feels like a full circle thing, now being the owner of Upchurch Vineyards. But sometimes this new process really gets to you, when you are doing a day here, a day there, and sometimes they might not set things up like they should. During my trip to New York I am going to be hitting up some bottle shops and then also visiting some other areas that we can promote Upchurch Vineyards. The general sales aspect tends to be tough but it is part of the show. While I am still an owner for DeLille, most people in wine want to talk to the winemaker. I want to do things in a craftsman like way, which means that you have to go out there and meet people. Connecting with people is a larger part now.

WWB: Can you talk about your experiences being at DeLille for 23 years and seeing the industry change?

CU: At DeLille, we always believed that we didn’t want to do the mainstream types of wines. We wanted to craft the finest wine that we could. We didn’t want to make too much wine and we wanted to educate the people about the wines because we were changing the game a bit. At DeLille our lineup started with Bordeaux blends. Nobody was doing that kind of thing in 1992. DeLille Cellars were the first doing Cab and Cab Franc with Petit Verdot blends. In `95 we made a White Bordeaux which nobody from Washington State was doing at the time. With regards to Chardonnay, I don’t think that Washington’s best varietal is Chardonnay. I think that Chardonnay shouldn’t be grown next to Cabernet in the vineyard. I really liked the fact that Semillon grows so well in Washington. Over time we have learned that Semillon doesn’t grow that well elsewhere in the new world. California has given up growing Semillon, and Australia makes some Semillon but it might be blended with the Chardonnay. We see this is an opportunity for me to make really great and interesting Semillon here in Washington State. Sauvignon Blanc really likes to grow everywhere and knowing that I wanted to create that I could make a white blend that other countries couldn’t do quite as well. The DeLille Chaleur Estate Blanc came out of this idea. We wanted to do something different but that meant that we had to educate people what about what a white Bordeaux is. People say that the Chaleur Estate the best white in Washington State. From there we were excited about our Bordeaux Blanc and we decided to make a Rhone white at DeLille. By making a Rousanne that was a challenge to educate people about how look at that varietal, since Rousanne wasn’t typically made in Washington State at the time. I feel that I can make a Washington Chardonnay as good as anybody in Washington State, but at DeLille Cellars we wanted to make some different wines that we thought we could do better and the wine program has worked well for us.

WWB: I was hugely impressed with your 2013 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc (Washington Wine Blog, 95 points). Can you talk about the Washington Wine Blog #2 wine of 2015, the 2013 Chaleur Estate Blanc? How were you able to get that level of structure in 2013, a hotter vintage?-

CU: At DeLille have many different vineyard sites for this wine. One of the sites is really cool, the Bouchey vineyard, and even in a hotter years the clusters from Bouchey make it to the third week of September for harvest. Bouchey is not a hot site and that is always helpful in a hot year. We also source Sauvignon Blanc from Sagemoor vineyards which is some of the oldest vines in the state for Sav Blanc. Winemakers like to seek out older vines. These vines of Sav Blanc at Sagemoor vineyards are over 30 years old and the sugar doesn’t tend to move as fast during the ripening process and the acidity is there in the grapes. The structure from those components can be seen in the wines. It is important to consider blending with grapes that are capable of obtaining a good deal of structure in a warmer year.
Then we have the Klipsun vineyard site which tends to be warmer each year. That site will help us out in cooler years, like 2010 and 2011. The cooler years typically mean that we will need ripeness from the hotter vineyard sites. The main thing in the hot year that you have to be careful that the sugars in the grapes don’t outrun the flavors and structure of the wine. The flavors are really important and because of that we are usually waiting for the flavors to come on and we always need to watch the sugar level. In terms of vineyard management, there are also ways to slow down the vineyard. It is always helpful if you can build your own vineyard from the ground up and that is like what we are doing at Upchurch Vineyard. We try to produce very concentrated berries but also have the ability to slow things down in terms of ripening. We do the same kind of things, although I can’t change clones too much in older vines. But I can manipulate the canopies, depending on heat during the growing season.

WWB: How did you decide to purchase the site for the Upchurch Vineyard?-

CU: The plot of land became available to me and I offered it to DeLille. For many years I have been interested in having my own vineyard. I had some money for this set aside and I decided to buy this vineyard myself. This worked well thinking that I would maintain my position at DeLille and have most of the grapes go to DeLille for their wines. I have been really happy being at DeLille over the years. DeLille has been my career and I am one of the owners there. But I have a number of business partners there, and many partners mean that Upchurch Vineyards was never was going to be generational. But now that I have purchased the vineyard, it will be. I have my daughter working on the books and management and Upchurch Vineyard will be a generational thing.

WWB: The 2013 Upchurch Vineyard Cabernet (Washington Wine Blog, 94 points) was an outstanding release with rich fruit flavors and structure. Can you talk about the wine?-

CU: With the Upchurch vineyard we like to see it as is one plot, one family, and one wine. The quantum leap is in the vineyard. In the cellar, you can do a lot of things like different yeasts or different barrels. You can do all of things in the cellar but the vineyard is the most important. Once you have the grapes in the cellar you can tweak things but you are not able to truly change the design of the wine. In Red Mountain some of the older vines are dealing with issues. Bottom line is that you can do so many special things when you start from the ground up. That is what we thought and we started with the premise that you plant Cabernet in Red Mountain you probably are going to like the wine produced from that region. We had the idea that we wanted to make exceptional wines from this special place. We operate from trying to produce small yields. When you have lower yields you want to concentrate the fruit. You can have the problem with the sugars coming on too fast, so you have to slow it down the sugar in the wine. When you slow down the vine and get it right, that means October ripening which is what we look for, the later ripening with dense fruit. At Upchurch Vineyard we selected clones that are well-known in the area. We discovered that Red Mountain Clone 2 is slightly slower with the ripening, which leads to fantastic fruit. The Red Mountain Clone 2 tends to ripen week later than some other clones. Red Mountain Clone 2 is actually not a Washington clone and not a Davis clone but it is an old Oakville clone. I assume that it might have been an old Inglenook [winery] clone. This clone really grows well in Red Mountain and I am having a lot of success with it.
Ideally we want to have the yields smaller and last year, despite the heat of the year, we got two and a half tons per acre. We have higher density and tighter spacing in the vineyard. We also do a lot for even ripeness. That is something that plagues a lot of vineyards, working without even ripening. The idea behind this is that you always want to get the grapes ripe. Even 10 percent under-ripeness can come out in the wine. Even if the balance is 25 brix then the lower ripeness grapes can be problematic, getting the lower ripeness grapes up to a higher brix. If you can balance the ripeness, you have a great wine. I have noticed that Chateau Latour in Bordeaux does that perfectly well. If you walk through Chateau Latour’s vineyards it seems like they have even ripeness throughout. That means that they can pick at a lower sugar because everything is even. The even ripeness is important. When planting our vines, we have found that a diagonal orientation works best. We learned that as the sun travels at an arc, the high point is actually 130 degrees, and then you have the majority of the sun on the west side -- whereas if you tilt it to northeast about 10 degrees then you are really catching the top of the vine. It is great to go out to the vineyard and see that around 1:30 in the afternoon and see the shade of the vine right under the rows. That is cutting it right at the 130 degree mark. It is key to work towards having equal sun across the vineyard throughout the summer.
The Upchurch Vineyard is sustainable from the ground up and it is a lot easier to start with sustainable farming because you have everything working together from the beginning. From there we are just tweaking the wine to get it where we want. We have noticed that are getting the right floral character in the vineyard that we want. We have been able to create the Chateau Margaux-like floral aspect in our Cabernet wine. These nuances are perfect because we don’t want our Upchurch Vineyard Cabernet to be the same as the other wines. We like the blend that we have constructed in 2013, with the 9 percent Merlot. The Merlot balances the wine. You don’t always know and when you plant something that it will work out great but we are really happy with the result.

WWB: What is it like having your daughter working with you?-

CU: I love working with my daughter. That makes me feel really good that Upchurch Vineyards is a family winery. My daughter is just one of those girls that is so outgoing and sometimes that just drives me nuts. She was one of those people that would go knock on doors and talk to people when she was little. She has always been so good with people. She would go around and do all these things and she would even want to give the neighbors something. She would ask me to make doughnuts, so that she could would go around and give the neighbors the doughnuts and talk with them. She has always been a people person and she wouldn’t stop talking as a little girl. Whenever we were traveling we get off on airplane and everyone would be talking to her and they would say ‘bye’ to her, like they were all friends. We would go to a ballgame and everyone would talk with. We all have friends or people we know where everyone likes. She has the temperament where everyone likes her. It is a great thing and it is a natural born talent that I envy. I have had people work for me like that and it is just great working with them. I love working with her and that is really fantastic that she wants to be in the family business.

#upchurchvineyard #upchurch #chrisupchurch

Chandler Reach

A winery that focuses on their estate grown fruit, Chandler Reach has been producing some impressive red and white wines for more than a decade. The Perris family dream began in 1997 on a trip to Italy where they decided to launch a winery between Richland and Prosser off I-82. Len Parris was interested in building on his 21.5 acreage and decided to purchase the adjacent land next to his. He called the family who owned the extra land and they agreed to a price. Parris took to a tractor and cleaned up the land, which took a lot of time and was filled with large tumbleweeds. He needed someone to help with planting grapes and sought out help from Den Hoed winery. In 1999 vineyard was planted with starts off from the famous Ciel du Cheval vineyard.

The Chandler Reach winery has an absolutely stunning Tuscan style villa overlooking the valley and Yakima river. It is an absolutely gorgeous setting to taste their wines. If you have never had the chance to visit this villa, it is a must for any Washington wine lover. The Chandler Reach red wines are all estate grown and show ripe and flavorful qualities. You can typically taste the richness of the heat in that area, especially in hotter vintages. They have received considerable recognition for their red wines, especially their Cabernet Franc and their Monte Regalo, a Cabernet blend. Their white wines are also impressive as Kestrel vineyards provides the fruit for their Chardonnay and Viognier bottlings. Their Reserve tier bottlings called Parris Reserve are highly impressive. At a recent visit to their Woodinville tasting room, I was particularly impressed with their reserve lineup. One thing that makes these current releases so great is that they are all held back, so that they are drinking beautifully right now. All of the new release wines showcased beautiful and rich fruit flavors. Owner and head winemaker Len Parris has impressed with his recent lineup. Check out more about Chandler Reach wines at http://www.chandlerreach.com/#estate-winery

Some of these wines can be found at Costco. They can also be found at great Northwest wine shops like Met Market and Esquin, as well as online at the Chandler Reach website. Here are some of the fantastic new release wines from Chandler Reach winery. #chandlerreach

2013 Chandler Reach Chardonnay- The wine has aromas of ripe pear, banana and golden delicious apple. Flavors of Granny Smith apple, green papaya, poached pear and wonderful freshness. Nice minerality and lip smacking acidity to this wonderful summer wine. Drink 2016-2022- 91

2011 Chandler Reach ‘Brevetatta’- This wine is a blend of 73% Syrah, 18% Merlot, and 9% Sangiovese. The wine has aromas of red cherry, sandalwood, red raspberry and blackberry. Flavors of red cherry, blackberry and anise. Lovely fruit flavors considering the vintage. Nice minerality and balance, considering the coldness of the vintage. Drink 2016-2023- 92

2009 Chandler Reach ‘Parris Estate Reserve’ Cabernet Franc- This wine begins with dense aromas of red bell pepper, thyme, anise and cassis. There are rich flavors of anise, sagebrush, red raspberry and cherry pie. The wine has seamless texture and wonderful richness and minerality. Impressive effort here, as this represents one of the best Cab Francs in the state. Drink 2016-2024- 93

2010 Chandler Reach ‘Monte Regalo’- Aged 22 months in oak before bottling, the wine is a blend of 68% Cabernet with 20% Cabernet Franc and 12% Merlot. This outstanding wine begins with lovely black fruit aromatics of blackberry preserves, black olive and tar. There are flavors of blackberry, black cherry, black olive tapenade and mocha. Nice structure and fruit flavors to this very solid wine. Drink 2016-2022- 92

2010 Chandler Reach ‘Parris Estate Reserve’ Cabernet- The wine has aromas of anise, sagebrush, cassis and black olive. This leads to dense flavors of creme de cassis, black cherry, black raspberry and black truffle. Absolutely polished and lovely effort, with nice structure from the cool vintage. It is particularly impressive that they managed this fruit profile in 2010. Drink 2016-2023- 93

2013 Chandler Reach Parris Estate Reserve’ Barbera- The compelling wine has aromas of wild mushroom risotto, sage, anise and red currant. Flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, gooseberry and sage persist. This is hugely novel. Fantastic texture and viscosity to this wine. This is one to savor. Drink 2016-2023- 93

Banshee

A top Sonoma producer of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Banshee focuses on providing single vineyard bottlings that showcase terroir and finesse. In the Sonoma Coast region, Banshee sources from Coastlands, Emmaline, and Rice-Spivak vineyards.  These vineyards have unique terroir, elevation and oceanic influence that you can taste in the bottle. Banshee also sources from other Sonoma sites such as Vineyards such as Tina Marie in Russian River, Hurst in Sebastopol Hills, and Sullivan on Sonoma Mountain show the range of terroir and flavor profiles that is only Sonoma. Founded by three friends from the Midwest and East Coast that grew up tasting flights of wine in college rather than chugging cheap light beer, Banshee was first started in 2009. These guys have received considerable acclaim in only a few years. Noah Dorrance heads the winemaking team that includes superstar wine consultant Ross Cobb (founder/winemaker of Cobb wines) and Katy Wilson (formerly Flowers assistant winemaker). Dorrance and his team work on capturing the Burgundian side of Pinot and Chard.

The new releases were gorgeous and balanced. These are some very early releases but I was surprised how nicely the ’14 Pinot and Chard releases were showing. Their 2014 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (91 points) bottling shows good value and displays a wide range of flavors while showcasing the Sonoma terroir. While the range of Pinots were very solid, the most impressive one was the 2014 Sullivan Vineyard (93 points) which captured a huge range of flavors and impressed with its vibrant minerality and long finish. Check out this solid lineup of Pinots and Chards at www.bansheewines.com  

2014 Banshee Sonoma Coast Chardonnay- This wine was 90% barrel fermented for 11 months (40% new) and was sourced from the Heintz vineyard as well as the Bohemian vineyard in Green Valley. This wine begins with Aromas of orange blossoms, ripe Bartlett pear and Gala apple with nutmeg accents. There are flavors of golden delicious apple, starfruit, Bartlett pear and creme brûlée. There is a slight saline streak alongside a long finish. Nice viscosity here. Drink 2016-2023- 91 $25.00

2014 Banshee Bohemian Vineyard Chardonnay- This wine comes from a very small, 1 acre, vineyard located in the town of Occidental in the Green Valley. Lively aromatics of Meyer lemon oil, oak, pineapple and Granny Smith apple. This leads to flavors of red delicious apple, unripe pear, and vanilla cream with a slight grassy element. Lovely range of flavors. Drink 2016-2024- 92 $40.00

2014 Banshee Sonoma County Pinot Noir- The wine comes from largely Sonoma coast fruit (79%) and was aged 11 months in French oak (20% new). This wine has aromas of cherry cola, raspberry, baking spices and pomegranate seed. Flavors of red raspberry, dill, sagebrush, red cherry with hints of vanilla persist. Drink 2016-2024- 89. $35.00

2014 Banshee ‘Marine Layer’ Pinot Noir- This hand sorted wine come from three vineyard sites, Coastlands, Rice-Spivak, Jack Hill and Thorn Ridge. This has aromatics of red bell pepper, red cherry, red raspberry and sage. This leads to flavors of cherry cola, orange rind, and cran-pomegranate. Delicious and balanced wine here that shows the Burgundy meets Sonoma arrangement. Drink 2016-2027- 92 $50.00

2014 Banshee ‘Tina Maria Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- This ten acre site is slightly west of Graton, CA. The high density plantings are farmed by Ron Black. This wine has aromas of red cherry, cranberry, and nutmeg. There are flavors of red cherry, cranberry, and orange rind with a hint of Christmas spice. Delicious and tangy effort by these guys that has delicate texture and lovely nuances. Drink 2016-2026- 92 $50.00

2014 Banshee ‘Sullivan Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- This vineyard comes from the Sonoma Mountain AVA, on an elevation of 750-900 feet. The wine underwent 10% whole cluster fermentation and spent 20 months in French oak (20% new) prior to bottling. Aromas of crushed white flowers, lavender, red cherry and red raspberry. This leads to flavors of red cherry, red raspberry with a long and lingering finish that coats the palate. Very solid and lovely balance. Drink 2016-2027- 93 $60.00

2013 Banshee ‘Coastlands Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Owned and farmed by the Cobb family, Coastlands Vineyard was first planted in 1989, and contains some of the oldest pinot noir vines on the Sonoma Coast. This wine was aged 20 months in 20% new French oak prior to bottling. The wine begins with aromas of red currant, red cherry, guava and nutmeg. There is a lovely red fruit meets black fruit flavor profile at play with flavors of red cherry, dill, boysenberry and Shitake mushroom. Lovely wine that will cellar beautifully for another decade. Distinctive bottling with lovely terroir. Drink 2016-2027- 92 $70.00

2013 Banshee ‘Jack Hill Vineyard’ Pinot Noir-This is the coolest site that Banshee sources from and has a west facing aspect that’s surrounded by an old forest. The 2 acre vineyard is located near the town of Occidental. The wine opens in the glass with aromas reminiscent of teaberry, red raspberry, lavender and cherry pie. This leads to flavors of red cherry, pomegranate, kumquat and red raspberry. A bit lean but tasty. Drink 2016-2025- 90 $60.00

2013 Banshee ‘Rice-Spivak Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- This vineyard was first planted in 1999 and utilizes both Dijon and Swan clones. It was aged 20 months in French oak (25% new) prior to bottling. This Pinot has aromas of red cherry, red raspberry and cloves. This leads to flavors of cherry pie, guava, pomegranate and vanilla. Lovely bottling that has character. Drink 2016-2026-92  $70.00

#banshee #bansheewines #sonoma #sonomacoast

Result of A Crush

When the Reynvaan family is involved, good things happen. Reynvaan Family Vineyards opened up their Walla Walla winery in 2004. This quickly developed into a Washington State superstar winery by creating some incredible Syrah wines (http://www.reynvaanfamilyvineyards.com). The 2012 Reynvaan ‘In The Hills’ Syrah was my #9 wine of 2015 (http://www.washingtonwineblog.com/top-100/#/2015-top-100/) and was a hugely impressive dense and terroir driven effort. But not everyone can afford a 50 plus dollar bottle of Washington Syrah.

Result of A Crush was started by Amanda Reynvaan and Angela Reynvaan Garratt, sisters of consulting winemaker Matt Reynvaan. The idea behind Result of A Crush was to produce distinctive and terroir driven wines that are more affordable than the Reynvaan wines. I have recently had the chance to try both of the new red wine releases here and they are both highly impressive, bright and rich bottlings. They are different animals. While the 2012 Red Wine utilizes a lighter, more red fruit flavor profile, the 2013 has a darker fruit profile, with some smokier components at play. They are both very impressive releases, considering the price. Here are their prices at the winery:

Result of a Crush Rose NV --$20.00

Result of a Crush Red Blend 2011 --$28.00

Result of a Crush Red Blend 2012 --$28.00

Result of a Crush Rose 2012 --$24.00

They haven’t released their 2013 Red Blend quite yet, but it is definitely one to look out for. Learn more about Result of A Crush at http://resultofacrush.com/or on Facebook at facebook.com/ResultofaCrush You can also stop by their Walla Walla tasting room. Here are the new releases from Result of A Crush:

2012 Result of A Crush Red Wine- This outstanding value out of the Reynvaan Family is an absolute delight to savor right now. The wine has aromas of crushed rock, red cherry, red raspberry, and pomegranate. This leads to rich flavors of red currant. red raspberry, cran-pomegranate and blackberry. Delicious and open style wine that retains some Walla Walla rocks terroir. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2013 Result of A Crush Red Wine- This wine is every bit outstanding as its '12 younger brother. This also captures some lovely Walla Walla rocks characteristics with a stony fruit profile. The wine begins with aromas of creosote, tar, sagebrush, red cherry, and wet rocks with blackberry. Flavors of black olive, minerals and smoked meats and black cherry persist. This has a slightly darker fruit profile than the '12. Impressive stuff. Drink 2016-2026 -92

Sanguis

I recently was invited to sample some of the new releases from Sanguis and they were all gorgeous. While they were extracted and manipulated, you cannot help but notice the exceptional attention to detail at Sanguis. This is among the best total lineup of California wines and most compelling range of California wines that I have sampled in the past year. Superstar winemaker Mattias Pippig is one to watch. Latin for blood, Sanguis is German-born Matthias Pippig’s brain child. Pippig has previously worked as a wine importer for Marc DeGrazia Selections, and Estate Wines, as well as a brief stint at the famous Le Brea Bakery. He finally decided to start his own winery in the Santa Ynez Valley. His winemaking abilities are absolutely outstanding as I was absolutely blown away with his new release wines.

Pippig hand sorts his wines. Munich born, Pippig does the typical German thing to do for quality control. He changes blends yearly in his Rhône and Bordeaux style wines and never makes the same wine twice. Many of his wines weigh in at over 15% alcohol but they do not present as highly alcoholic. These wines are sourced from some of the best vineyards in the Santa Barbara and Central Coast area. The releases are so impressive that is hard to write about them – you just really need to try them. Check out more at sanguiswine.com or visit their hip tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara, which is by appointment. The wines are not easy to find but some online retailers carry them.

2012 Sanguis 'Verve' Grenache- The 2012 'Verve' is a Grenache wine that is co-fermented with small amounts of Syrah and Viognier. This involves roughly 21% whole cluster inclusion, and was aged for 23 months in a combination of new and French oak. Grapes were sourced from vineyards John Sebastiano and Watch Hill. Needing more than two hours in the decanter to develop, the wine begins with aromas of black plum, candied pomegranate, red cherry and rose petals. Beautiful aromatic profile here. The wine has flavors of red raspberry, cherry pie, Meyer lemon oil, crushed rock, lavender and blackberry. Wonderful mouthfeel and texture to this plush and layered Grenache. Winemaker Matthias Pippig has created a wonderfully complex wine, with excellent aging potential. Only 175 cases produced. Drink 2015-2025- 94

2013 Sanguis 'John Sebastiano Vineyard' 'Loner R13-a’ Pinot Noir- This stunning release comes from the Sanguis Pinot Noir plantings at the John Sebastiano vineyard. It was unfined and unfiltered, as the winemaker did not use any new oak to show the purity of fruit.This Santa Rita Hills bottling needs more than two hours in the decanter to open up. Once aroused it begins with aromatics of cherry cola, red raspberry preserves, lavender and nutmeg. There is a viscous and velvety texture to this scintillating wine. Flavors of cherry pie, cherry cough syrup, cola and red raspberry persist. An absolutely seamless wine, with brightness and decadence, yet showing the refined elegance of the best seen from this AVA. Drink 2016-2026- 95

 2012 Sanguis 'Pilgrim' Syrah- Sanguis' winemaker Matthias Pippig has crafted this one from the Bien Nacido vineyard. This dense and layered Syrah has aromas of roasted figs, black olive, black cherry and creosote. This yields flavors of black olive, cassis, black cherry, milk chocolate and smoked meats. There is a gorgeous texture to this wine, with wonderful richness and viscosity, yet maintaining a feminine side. A joy to drink right now, kudos to Pippig for creating another stunner. Enjoy this over the next decade. Drink 2016-2027- 94

 2012 Sanguis 'Chinese Fortune' Proprietary White Wine- This wine is an absolutely superlative and intoxicating blend of Rousanne, Marsanne, Chardonnay and Viognier. This has the kind of aromtics that makes you go back to your glass for one hedonistic whiff after another.  It is drinking absolutely out of this world at this time. Following a two hour decant, this wine opens up considerably. This blend begins with aromas of lemongrass, honeydew melon, and star jasmine. This leads to flavors of lychee, red delicious apple, poached pear, nutmeg and bananas foster. This has a long and lingering finish that coats the tongue. There is a botrytis like character to this exceptional viscous white blend. Drink 2016-2028- 96

 2012 Sanguis 'My Soul Is Rested' Proprietary Red Wine- Needing more than two hours to open up in the decanter, this is aromatically invigorating wine. A bouquet of creme de cassis, mocha, pencil shavings and blackberry pie explodes out of the glass. There are dense flavors of mocha, red bell pepper, creme de cassis, anise and blackberry cobbler. Highly seductive, the intensity and richness showcases this outstanding vintage. Try to cellar for at least one more year. I have never sampled a better red blend from this region. Drink 2017-2035- 95

#sanguis #sanguiswine #santabarbara #californiapinot #california

Interview with Mike Januik, owner and head winemaker at Januik and Novelty Hill Winery

Mike Januik is one of the big name winemakers in Washington. Not only has he been named as one of the world’s ten “Masters of Merlot” by Wine Enthusiast magazine, Januik has had more than a dozen wines appear on Wine Spectator’s famous “Top 100” list. Januik began making wine in the Columbia Valley in 1984. He holds a master’s degree in enology and viticulture from the prestigious University of California, Davis, and served as head winemaker for Chateau St. Michelle for many years. Januik was so good at his craft that he started his own winery in 1999 a few blocks down the road from St. Michelle. His winery, Januik and Novelty Hill, has been an incredible success.

I started sampling these wines more than ten years ago and was instantly impressed. It was not only the quality of winemaking that showed through, but the hugely impressive range of wines that he has at Januik/Novelty Hill. There are really few Washington winemakers that can take on so many wines and do them all so well. Januik, with his vast background of working with so many varietals at Chateau St. Michelle, has taken that experience and brought it to his winery. Januik sources from some of the best vineyards in the state like Champoux and Stillwater Creek, their estate vineyard. Mike Januik’s superstar wine program is an absolutely joy to run through. I recently had the chance to interview Mike Januik. He was incredibly humble about his success in the industry. I think you are going to really enjoy his interview. Learn more at http://www.noveltyhilljanuik.com/ Here is my interview with Mike Januik, head winemaker and owner of Januik and Novelty Hill Winery.

 WWB: Can you talk about the 2012 growing season vs the 2013 growing season?-

MJ: Well, I know these vintages were a lot different than what we have had in 2010 and 2011. 2010 was the sort of vintage where your experience of making wine made a big difference, because of the cold growing season. The beginning of 2011 was a lesser version of that and it was a late vintage in terms of ripening. But 2012 and 2013 was more typical of what I have come to expect from the Columbia Valley. I have done 32 vintages and the ’12 spring was relatively cool but the summer temperatures in 2012 were warm and consistently warm. They were not too hot and that weather continued through harvest which contributed to some nice wines. At the time, 2013 was the warmest vintage of the decade, but 2014 and 2015 turned out to be even warmer. In 2013, we had an earlier than normal bud break and warm temperatures through August and then we started picking earlier than normal. We picked Sauvignon Blanc at the end of August and fortunately it cooled down in September, which helped in the quality of grapes. 2013 was a nice vintage – one I really enjoy.

WWB: Januik has such a wide range of wines. Can you talk about working with all these varietals and the huge range of wines that you make?-

MJ: I come from the background at Chateau St. Michelle where I was the head winemaker. As head winemaker there I had to learn how to do a lot of things at the same time. Because of that experience I am comfortable with working with so many varietals.  I like putting blends together and I like harvest because we work with so many lots of wine and use more than a hundred lots of wines -- probably more. Because with Januik and Novelty Hill we are making over 30 wines. Now my son is working at the winery, Andrew. He just came out with his second wine with his label and is working on a third one. Andrew crafted the Lady Hawk from the Horse Heaven Hills, his second wine.  I think it is a really excellent wine and I think this fascination with doing many different wines is probably a trait that he inherited from me.

WWB: The 2012 Reserve Red Wine was on my Top 100 for 2015. It was an exceptional wine that combines lovely structure and dark fruit flavors. Can you talk about this impressive red wine?-

MJ: The Reserve Red Wine is Cabernet focused and ordinarily it is from a couple of different vineyards and the Cabernet portion came from Weinbau and Champoux vineyard and it has Merlot, which comes from the Klipsun vineyard and Cabernet Franc and Malbec both come from the Weinbau vineyard. The wine is mostly from Weinbau and Champoux vineyards and the Klipsun portion is around nine percent of the blend. This is the first blend that we put together each year. In fact, we just put together our 2014 Red Reserve Wine today! We have been working on it for a number of weeks and have been trying to figure out the right blend that want. This is the first blend that we work on and we primarily use a Cab base and like the vineyards and we want the style to remain the same. So we have a lot to choose from in those vineyards and they produce really consistently well-made wines. We are always looking for length in the red wines that we make.

WWB: How were you able to get that texture and balance in the wine?-

MJ: The most important time of the year is during harvest and how we handle harvest. This is something that I have learned with my many years in winemaking. Harvest has much greater impact on the quality of wines than for everything else. We pay a lot of attention to when we are picking and the right time to do that. We are over in Eastern Washington tasting the grapes every week. Over time Andrew [Januik] has taken on more of that, the tasting portion. Sometimes we will go over and spend the night and spend two days over there doing the tasting in the vineyards. You need to constantly taste the berries to make things right.

The other thing that really gets a lot of attention is our macerations. We don’t macerate our reds as much as others do. Our macerations usually are six to eight days but there are reasons for that. One of the challenges in Washington State is having fruit coming in in October and having it be like 45 or 50 degrees. If it is that cold, the fruit will sit on its skins for 10 days before fermentation kicks in. But when we built our winery we built it so we could cool our tanks and we also have capacity to warm our tanks. When our fruit is crushed into fermenters we turn our heat on and are able to get our must up to 70 degrees in 24 hours. That means that our fermentations begin earlier. One of the truths in winemaking is that the best extraction occurs with the presence of alcohol. If you are doing that early on that is different than if the must is sitting there for seven to eight days and warming up. It is extracting in a completely different way. Alcohol is a solvent and a great solvent at that. It pulls things that are quite different than without alcohol for me that is a big deal. The other thing that happens is punching down. I am not a big fan of that and I don’t think you have as much control over your maceration. I might do that if I was doing Pinot Noir. We pump over and every time we pump over in the mornings and in the evening when we leave. We also change the fermenter and decide how long we want to pump over. There are times when we do it longer or do it less and there is a lot of experience with that that makes a big difference. There is nothing cookbook about it and it is coming in and tasting and having our brain tell us how it should taste. Sometimes we don’t think we should pump over until the next morning because it is not the weight that we want to be. So that is a big part of what we do and is really important to me. When I was head winemaker at Chateau St. Michelle I was doing eight hundred or more lots of wine and that is a lot of tasting. That is a lot of opportunity to learn things too and one of the things that I have always thought is that if you start out making wine, only doing a couple of wines, you don’t have as many opportunities to learn things. That is why I like the amount of wine that we make now but having that experience making a lot of wine helped a lot because you are learning so much more.

WWB: I have really been impressed in the quality of your aromatic white wines, which are some of the best in the state. Can you discuss the winemaking in some of those wines?-

MJ: With Sauvignon Blanc it is important to have Semillon to make that wine great. That always makes a better wine and more aromatically interesting if you don’t have any at all. I have made Sauvignon Blanc for at least 20 years and that has always been my experience. I wouldn’t want to make it without high quality Semillon. That is very important, the blending in the wine. With Rousanne, another aromatic varietal, it is important not to pick it too soon. That actually takes on a pinkish hue when it is ready to pick. The hue is important to look examine when you are picking. Sometimes it is tempting to pick Rousanne based on the brix but if you wait and you get that change in the skins then it helps a lot. The Sav Blanc and Rousanne are both done in oak barrels. For Chardonnay we used some new oak but for the Rousanne we use neutral oak. Sav Blanc is about 10 percent pretty neutral because I don’t think it needs as much new oak.

I think one thing that really contributes to the aromatics in a white wine is not fermenting it with too warm a temperature. A lot of challenges for people is being able to control the temperature if the grapes are not in a refrigerated tank. We made sure when we built the winery that we had good refrigeration capacity and our barrel rooms are kept to 55 degrees and the fermentation doesn’t get much warmer than that. I think the challenge for a lot of people is that they put it in barrels and the temperature is in the high 60s, which can make a big difference in terms of aromatic structure. The classic line with fermentation is that higher temperature you have more esters but you also can blow more esters off that way. I think there is an increase in ester compounds when you ferment at a lower temperature. Another thing we do with our whites is before we press the grapes we add an enzyme that helps clarify the juice and I think it is important with those varietals to have clean juice when you ferment it. The more solid you have your juice the more likely that you are going to end up with a good wine. Probably the biggest thing of all is that we don’t shoot for high yields. If someone wanted to get high yields you could have that. We stay away from that because the more you press the grapes the more phenolic it gets.

#januiknoveltyhill #januik #mikejanuik #noveltyhill #wawine

Interview with Daniel Ferreli, Owner of Woodinville based winery, EFESTĒ

EFESTĒ owner, Daniel Ferreli, has an amazing story in wine. I recently had the chance to sit down with him and talk about his past, as well as the future endeavors for EFESTĒ . Daniel’s winery has achieved incredible success in a very short amount of time. With high scores from a host of wine publications, EFESTĒ is hitting their mark with red and white wines. I was very impressed with my recent tasting there and the quality of fruit and winemaking shows. Here is my interview with Daniel Ferreli, owner of EFESTĒ .

WWB: How did you become interested in wine? Can you talk about your grandfather’s influence?

DF: My grandfather has a wonderful story. He was born in 1886 in Calabria Italy and those people were starving, and his folks gave him money to get to America and get out of there. He wouldn’t read or write and bounced around and ended up in Chicago and got a job in distilleries. They always make wine in Italy and he continued to make it in America. He made it during prohibition and sold it. When prohibition was over he kept making wine because it was good and my dad moved me here when I was 6 months old to Seattle and then grandpa followed in 1959 and then he came and lived her and started making wine. That old press that is in the tasting room [at EFESTĒ] was the original that we used in making wine. My grandfather and I made wine together. When he died, my dad and my brother lost interest in making wine but I kept doing it and keeping it in the family. My grandpa was a great guy. We made Zinfandel, which is Primitivo in Italy, and went on from that and after a few weeks we made it every year. We were getting the fruit from Lodi, California. The grapes would come up in refrigerated box cars. We would go to the trains and buy the fruit.  It was cold, and we would have to let it sit in the basement. Later we would crush it and then ferment and press it out and then drink it after midnight mass Easter. We would come home and have a little food celebration with the wine. That process went on for years and years, and then I kept making the wine. I learned a lot from my grandpa.

Grandpa couldn’t read or write but he got along fine in the United States. He couldn’t even sign his name and I even had to teach him how to sign his name. He was just a hard working guy and I think I took after him in that respect. Grandpa lived across the street from us and we spent a lot of time with them growing up which was great. It was a wonderful relationship I had with him. He loved that I loved making wine too, so we had the same passion. When I was young I remember going there in Chicago and we walked there everywhere because he couldn’t drive. He had a garden and grew spinach I would eat it even though I wouldn’t eat it in Seattle. I just loved him a lot and it was great being around him. My grandpa had this very practical common sense intelligence that worked well for him. He was able to raise his kids and had some money when he died. The work he did and what he accomplished in his life was amazing.

The tradition of winemaking in our family went on and then my now son in law, Kevin Taylor, was dating my daughter in the 80s. Kevin wanted to know about making wine and we made a quick bond and then he made wine with me every year when he got back from college. After many years of making wine we decided to go commercial and Kevin was a big part of that process. Kevin is the one that owns the vineyards that we use for EFESTĒ. There are several vineyards that we own, two on Red Mountain – Angela’s Vineyard and Taylor Mag Vineyard - and Oldfield Estate in Yakima. We bought property from Dick Boushey and planted there and also planted a vineyard right smack in the middle of Red Mountain. Some big names in wine are now are buying the excess grapes from us. Duckhorn [Napa] is buying some and they are not the only ones. There is a lot of interest right now. We are really loving the fruit that we get from Red Mountain.

WWB: Can you talk about your winery and how you decided to start EFESTĒ?

DF: In 2004 we formed EFESTĒ. My son in law kept saying that we should sell the wine we were making. I said that the Zinfandel we were making wasn’t good enough to sell and I would laugh at my son in law, as I told him that we needed to work on improving the quality of wine. Finally I got a hold of Chris Upchurch at DeLille and invited him for dinner. Upchurch agreed with me that the winemaking fun and liked what we were doing but our Zinfandel wine wasn’t a sellable product?  We started talking to him during the dinner and Upchurch agreed to take us under his arm. At that time we didn’t realize what a break that was. Upchurch has had many years of success and he made our wine for several years but he got us in vineyards where we had no business getting into. Then in 2006 we produced a red wine, 100% Syrah, from Red Mountain, and also a Syrah from Yakima, Jolie Bouche. Our Red Mountain Syrah was on the Top 100 wine, number 36 in the world, from Wine Spectator. Two years later the Jolie Bouche got on the Top 100 from Wine Spectator and now wine writers are calling us to make appointments to go pour. We have had some good luck and I thank God for that. I see a lot of wineries that start and then fumble for many years. We have been very happy to get some good breaks and to be where we are after a decade.

WWB: With the white wines I have noticed that you source from some of the best vineyards in the state. Can you talk about your portfolio of white wines?

DF: We source primarily from the Evergreen Vineyard which is in George, Washington, and is a cool site for grapes. Our white wines tend to be great food wines and the Sauvignon Blanc [Feral bottling] gets bought by many restaurants and is a glass pour at many places. We make another Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvage, from Yakima which is softer and was on the Enthusiast 100 in 2014, 1st place Sauvignon Blanc in the Seattle Wine Awards, and “Best of Northwest” by Sip Northwest.. I think the best white wine we make is the Lola Chardonnay. Not only is Lola the name of my granddaughter but I think that the wine is very French like. It is oaked but not over-oaked, which is just right. The Chardonnay received 96 points from Wine Enthusiast the first year out and that was a big accomplishment for us. That was the highest rating that any white wine from Washington had received from Wine Enthusiast. We are very proud of our Riesling as well. Our Riesling is on the dry side and I read in this country that one percent to 1 to 1.8 percent residual sugar is off dry but it still has the nice acid and makes it a nice food wine. Our Riesling has won many awards and was on the “Enthusiast 100” this year, giving it the distinction of being the only white wine from Washington state on the list. Sommeliers pour it by the glass at many restaurants and it tends to sell well overseas. London ordered a whole pallet of it, 55 cases or so, and we thought that was a big compliment, given that Germany is so close to London. The Riesling is always one of our best sellers.

WWB: I had the chance to review your wines. The 2012 Final Final impressed and has received a ton of acclaim over the years. Can you talk about how you created this wine?

DF: We knew that was a good wine when we originated it [Final Final] in ’05. It is a great value for the quality and brings people into the tasting room and that is how we built our club up. The wine is approachable young and is easy to find at retailers and restaurants.

WWB: You have a major presence with your wine club. Can you talk about how you created your wine club?

DF: The wine club has been a really big part of the winery. We do a lot of events with the wine club and have all kinds of dinners and pizza parties, preparing the food in-house with our own recipes. Many of our wine club members rave about our wine club and the perks. We craft club wines that are a cut above and very limited. We really give them no reason to quit the wine club.

WWB: Can you talk about the family influence in your business?

DF: We have a lot of family influence at EFESTĒ. It is a wonderful thing to have family work with you. My daughter Angela, is also an owner in the winery. I am down there at the winery a lot. I have another daughter, Tina, that works at EFESTĒ, and it is just great to come in to work and see the family. My wife works there too, and she helps out with a lot of projects.  We do a lot of the cooking for the wine club and that is really fun that we can be involved in these projects together. EFESTĒ is a family deal, a family business, and the people coming for wine tasting really like that aspect. They can see how close we all are. They like that the family is always there at the winery and is involved.

Lauren Ashton

Located in Woodinville, Lauren Ashton was founded only a few years back in 2009 by dentist Dr. Kit Singh. I was only introduced to these wines a year ago and I was extremely impressed. Kit’s 2013 Lauren Ashton Cellars Rousanne (WWB, 92) was #69 on my 2015 Washington Wine Blog Top 100. It was a gorgeous effort that wonderfully showcases the structure and fruit of the varietal. Kit is a highly talented winemaker and his wines are gaining more and more national recognition. Kit first became introduced into the wine world in college and he learned more throughout his travels to Napa and Sonoma. Kit had a thirst for knowledge and began taking viticulture and enology education at South Seattle Community College and then furthered his education from the illustrious University of California at Davis enology program. He then interned at South Seattle Community College, Seattle and spent two years interning at DeLille Cellars in Woodinville, one of Woodinville’s finest. These internships greatly helped in his education as winemaker. Like many winemakers, he began his winemaking journey making wine in his garage, but he knew that would lead to something much bigger. With Kit’s background in science, he has an upper hand in the winemaking process, as he is constantly measuring the wine and tasting for variances. In 2009 Kit made everything official by founding Lauren Aston Cellars, naming the winery after the names of his two children, Ashley Lauren and Ashton Troy.
Kit sources from a range of fruit from Columbia Valley to Red Mountain. These are some of the best vineyards in the state including Quintessence, Weinbau, Sagemoor, Ambassador and Dineen vineyards. His new releases were highly impressive, none more than his 2012 Proprietor’s Blend (WWB, 94 points), which beautifully captures the delicate art of blending. His new release 2012 Syrah (WWB, 93 points) was a powerful, rich and viscous effort that is delicious straight out of the bottle and offers excellent value at $35.00. Learn more about the winery at http://laurenashtoncellars.com/

Here are some of the fantastic new release wines from Lauren Ashton Cellars: ‪#‎laurenashton‬ ‪#‎laurenashtoncellars‬

2014 Lauren Ashton Riesling- This wine was sourced from the Dineen vineyard and has aromas of pear, nutmeg, and poached pear. There are flavors of red delicious apple, poached pear, starfruit and crushed wild flowers. Lovely combination of fruit and structure. Drink 2016-2022- 90

2012 Lauren Ashton Semillon- This Semillon begins with aromas of brioche, ripe banana and golden delicious apple. There are flavors of red delicious apple, unripe pear, brioche toast and honeydew melon. Delicious and open effort. Drink 2016-2021- 91

2014 Lauren Ashton Chardonnay- This wine comes from Harker vineyard. This wine begins with aromas of mango, starfruit, brioche and ripe pear. There are flavors of Gala apple, navel orange, pear and starfruit. This has lovely texture and richness. Drink 2016-2023- 92

2011 Lauren Ashton Cuvee Estelle-This is a blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petite Verdot. The wine opens with aromas of red currant, red cherry, blackberry pie and dill. Leading to flavors of red currant, red cherry, dill, red bell pepper and blackberry with sage. Herbaceous and tasty effort. Drink 2016-2023- 91

2012 Lauren Ashton Syrah- This comes from the Ambassador Vineyard on Red Mountain. He wine has aromas of smoke, sage, blackberry and anise. Flavors of black cherry, black olive, creme de cassis and sage. This is absolutely delicious right now. Drink 2016-2025- 93

2011 Lauren Ashton Reserve Syrah- This comes from the Ambassador Vineyard on Red Mountain. The wine has aromas of sagebrush, anise, black olive and red cherry. Flavors of black cherry, snise, smoke and black olive. Lovely got the vintage. Drink 2016-2022- 92

2012 Lauren Ashton Proprietor's Cuvee- This wine is a blend of 65% Cabernet, 19% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc, 3% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot. The blend has aromas of smoke, red cherry, blackberry and with sage and mocha. Flavors of mocha, red cherry, red raspberry, green bell pepper and anise. Delicious and layered effort that truly captures the art of blending. Drink 2016-2026- 94

2012 Lauren Ashton Malbec- This wine comes from the Upland vineyard. It has aromas of smoked meats, blueberry compote, rose retails and lovely aromatics. Flavors of blueberry preserves, blackberry, mocha and anise persist. This wine is rich and polished, showing a wonderful range of flavors. Drink 2017-2024- 92

Foxen

There are few better places in Santa Barbara to taste wine. Set in the countryside roughly an hour outside of Santa Barbara, Foxen has two lines of wines – one that focuses on Bordeaux style wines and another that produces Burgundian styles, along with an impressive single vineyard Syrah. With its gorgeous setting, it is no surprise that the movie Sideways decided to film one of their big scenes here. While Foxen has developed considerable prestige for their Pinot Noir, I found their Bordeaux varietal wines to be just as compelling. Superstar winemaker Bill Wathen is absolutely on point with his recent releases. The fact that he can produce incredible Pinot and Bordeaux varietals is really a tribute to the winemaking ability.
Foxen’s winemaking team under Bill Wathen and David Whitehair has been creating incredibly high scoring wines for many years. I've been tasting wines there for more than ten years and I have never been disappointed with a bottling. There is wonderful care and attention to detail in each wine that Bill crafts. Bill's has strived to craft wines that feature the terroir of each vineyard site while having the least amount of intervention possible. The terroir found in the Chardonnays, Pinots and Syrahs is evident. If you are in the Santa Barbara area, a visit to Foxen winery is a must. Learn more about them at http://www.foxenvineyard.com/
Here are some of the fantastic new release wines from Foxen. ‪#‎foxen‬ ‪#‎foxenwinery‬

2014 Foxen Vogelzang Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc- The Sav Blanc is a blend of 70% Clone 1, 30% Musque. It was aged 3 months in neutral oak barrels. This wine has aromas of lychee, pear, and cut grass. There are flavors of pear, red delicious apple and wonderful minerality. A striking effort that is one of the best of its kind. Only 280 cases produced. Drink 2015-2022- 92

2012 Foxen Pajarito- The wine is a blend of Merlot (45%) from the Vogelzang Vineyard and Petit Verdot (55%), from the Grassini Family Vineyard. The wine was aged 22 months in American oak barrels (33% new). The blend has aromas of dill, red bell pepper, and red cherry. There are flavors of dill, sage, red cherry and raspberry. This feminine style wine is rich and has wonderful balance. Only 220 cases made. Drink 2015-2025- 91

2012 Foxen Vogelzang Vineyard Cabernet- The Cabernet was aged 22 months in French oak (Taransaud, 80% new). This polished wine opens with aromas of red cherry, dill and anise. There are flavors of blackberry, anise and great acid structure. The wine is a delight to drink right now but can also cellar for another decade. Drink 2015-2025- 91

2012 Foxen Range 30 West- This was aged 22 months in French oak (Taransaud and Nadalie) prior to bottling. The wine a blend of 60% Merlot with 40% Cab Franc. It opens with aromas of dill, red bell pepper and anise. There are flavors of dill, red bell pepper and red cherry. This is forward and delicious that is hard to resist right now. Drink 2015-2022- 90

2012 Foxen Guillermo Grosso- This is a blend of Sangiovese (50%) and Cabernet (50%). Lovely spicebox and red cherry aromas with oak. There are flavors of dill, raspberry and red cherry with mild tannins. Delicious and open style wine. Drink 2015-2025- 90

2012 Foxen Cabernet Franc- This comes from the Tinaquaic vineyard. This opens with aromas of sage, red bell pepper and red cherry. This has light tannins with flavors of red cherry, raspberry and dill. Delicious and lithe. Drink 2015-2024- 91

2013 Foxen Mission Barbarena Vineyard Port- This has 10.9 residual sugar. There are aromas of methane, red cherry and smoke. Flavors of red cherry, raspberry and has lovely acid structure. Very defined. Drink 2015-2022- 89

2013 Foxen Block UU Bien Naciedo Vineyard Chardonnay- The wine begins with aromas of cut grass, Meyer lemon, and poached pear. There are flavors of pear, golden delicious apple, Mushroom and lemon rind with lovely rich mouthfeel. This impresses with a long finish. Drink 2015-2022- 92

2013 Foxen Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard Chenin Blanc- This is 49 year old vine Chenin Blanc. This has aromas of nutmeg, buttered toast, and pear. Flavors of pear, red delicious apple and lovely minerality with a long cream finish. This has an impressive and rich mouthfeel. Drink 2015-2020- 91

2012 Foxen Tinaquaic Vineyard Chardonnay- This had 25% new French oak. There are intense aromas of toasted hazelnuts, pear and banana. Flavors of pear, Marcona almonds and brioche with a lovely saline streak. The minerality is pronounced and the finish is long and lingering. Drink 2015-2022- 92

2013 Foxen Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir- This comes from Bien Nacido, Riverbench and Solomon Hills vineyards. This has aromas of nutmeg, dill and red cherry. This leads to flavors of red cherry, dill and raspberry. This has a wonderful minerality. Drink 2015-2022- 92

2012 Foxen John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir-This has aromas of black cherry, mushroom and raspberry. This has flavors of mushroom, black raspberry, black cherry and black tea. This is rich and layered. Drink 2015-2024- 93

2012 Foxen Block 43 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir- Dijon clones 667 and 777. Perfumed aromas of rose petals, black cherry, and black truffle. Flavors of black cherry, pomegranate and mushroom. This is every bit outstanding with a rich and lovely mouthfeel. Drink 2015-2024- 93

2012 Foxen Block 8 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir- This comes from the highest point in the vineyard in the south section in the vineyard. It has aromas if rose petals, red cherry, dill and raspberry. There are flavors of raspberry, red cherry and dill in this feminine style wine. Fruity and delicious. The minerality and saline accents are wonderful. Drink 2015-2024- 92

2012 Foxen Solomon Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir- This was planted in 1997 and is on the far west side of the AVA that is a north to south facing vineyard. This has aromas of nutmeg, black cherry and raspberry. There are flavors of red cherry, pomegranate and wonderful acidity. This has good balance and richness. Drink 2015-2025- 93

2013 Foxen Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir- This vineyard designate is owned by Cambria. It is 100% Pommard clone. The Pinot has aromas of nutmeg, cherry cola and raspberry. This has flavors of red cherry, raspberry in this fruity and delicious effort. Drink 2015-2023- 92

2006 Foxen Pinot Noir- This is one of their library release wines. This wine has aromas of prune, red cherry and raspberry. This has flavors of red cherry, prune, raspberry and nutmeg. This is still alive and kicking. Drink 2015-2018- 92

2012 Foxen Timaquaic Vineyard Syrah- This was code emended w about 5% Viognier. It has aromas of smoked meats, orange rind, blackberry and creosote. Flavors of blackberry, orange rind, black cherry and anise. Drink 2015-2022- 92

Willamette Valley Vineyards

I have not previously had the opportunity to sample the entire lineup of these wines, and was very impressed. Founder, Jim Bernau, purchased the Estate site in 1983 and cleared the old plum orchard hidden in scotch broom and blackberry vines. Bernau planted Pinot Noir (Pommard and Wadenswil clones), Chardonnay (Dijon and Espiguette) as well as Pinot Gris. Because of the lack of water sources, he initially used a 75 foot garden hose to water the vines. Bernau took winemaking classes at UC Davis and finally started the winery full time in 1989. Willamette Valley Vineyards has grown considerably in the past 20 years, as they merged with Bill Fuller of Tualatin Vineyards (established in 1973), the O'Briens for Elton Vineyard (established in 1983) and Loeza Vineyard (planted in 2015). The winery now sources all of its Pinot Noir from its nearly 500 estate-grown vineyards.
There is a wonderful terroir with these wines. They have received considerable press in their past, primarily from their house bottling but their single vineyard bottlings were complex and lithe. In a vintage where many Oregon Pinots lacked power and finesse due to the rains at harvest, Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinots were all excellent. Their ‘Elton’ bottling was rich and Burgundian, having the wonderful combination of forest floor and rich fruit. I rated this one 93 points and one of the highest rated wines from this vintage. Here are the new releases from Willamette Valley Vineyards and check out their impressive lineup of Pinots at http://wvv.com ‪#‎wvv‬ ‪#‎willamettevalleyvineyards‬

2013 Willamette Valley Vineyards Tualitin Estate Pinot Noir- This wine is sourced from Dijon clones 114, 115, 667 and 777 as well as Pommard and Wadenwswil. The vineyard was planted in 1973 by Bill Fuller and vines are grown on Laurelwood soil. The wine was aged 15 months in 40% new French oak prior to bottling. The wine begins with aromas reminiscent of orange rind, pomegranate and red cherry. This has flavors of red cherry, guava, raspberry and is done in the open style. Drink 2015-2023- 90

2013 Willamette Valley Vineyards Elton Pinot Noir- This wine comes from a vineyard planted in 1983 that is set on Jory soil. The wine aged 10 months in 45% new French oak prior to bottling. The wine begins with aromas of nutmeg, thyme, black truffle and forest floor. The Pinot has flavors of cherry cola, spicebox, cran-apple and raspberry. This is absolutely delicious right out of the bottle, with a striking mineral streak. Drink 2015-2026- 93

2013 Willamette Valley Vineyards Hannah Pinot Noir- This wine is sourced from vines grown in the upper part of the Tualitin Estate vineyard where Dijon clones 667 and 777 are utilized. The Pinot Noir was aged 10 months in 60% new French oak prior to bottling. The wine begins with aromas of black truffe, forest floor and red cherry. This leads to flavors of orange rind, pomegranate seed and a lithe minerality. On the lighter side, but elegant wine that will be long aged. Drink 2015-2025-92

2013 Willamette Valley Vineyards Bernau Block Pinot Noir- Sourced from 15 acres of Pinot Noir from the first plantings at the Estate Vineyard in 1983, Founder Jim Bernau planted these vines using a Christmas tree planter pulled behind his 33 horsepower tractor. He grafted the French clones 667 and 777 on a portion of the vines when they became available. This wine has aromas of red currant, red raspberry and red cherry with thyme. There are flavors of Bing cherry preserves, shitake mushroom, pomegranate and cran-orange. Delicious and lithe effort, with a finish that lingers. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2013 Willamette Valley Vineyards Signature Cuvee Pinot Noir- This solid bottling comes from their estate vineyard as well as the Tualitin and Elton vineyards. The wine was aged 10 months in 50% new French oak and comes from a host of soils including Jory, Laurelwood and Nekia (shallow and volcanic). This Pinot begins with aromas of forest floor, red currant and red raspberry. This leads to flavors of cran-orange, pomegranate, guava and cremini mushroom. A delight to savor right now, with a lithe minerality. Drink 2015-2025- 91

2014 Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Estate Pinot Noir- This wine comes from the estate vineyard as well as the Tualitin and Elton vineyards. This is one of their larger production wines with 380 barrels produced. This wine opens with aromas of Welch’s grape juice, red raspberry and stewed red cherry. This leads to flavors of black cherry, cherry cola, guava and cran-pomegranate. The Pinot is done in the ripe and forward style, meant for early consumption. A lovely effort by these guys. Drink 2015-2022- 89

Interview with Nina Buty, Owner of Buty Winery

Nina Buty is a Whitman College graduate that started Buty Winery, located in Walla Walla, in 2000 with Caleb Foster. Buty was born in 1998 when Nina and Caleb were on a backpacking trip in the Cascades. They created their business plan on a napkin to start a winery and focus on different style blends, such as their signature Bordeaux style white blend, sourcing from some of the best vineyards in the state, including Champoux and Conner Lee. Buty debuted in 2000 with five wines. They brought on Zelma Long to do consultant winemaking, and now Chris Dowsett serves as head winemaker. Nina, not only a owner but a mother with small children, continues to run the impressive boutique style of winery that has received accolades from innumerable wine publications. Talented head winemaker Chris Dowsett impressed with his new releases, as Buty are in very good hands with Chris. I recently had the chance to sit down with Nina Buty, owner of Buty Winery. She told me about her story in wine and I think you’ll find this interview as interesting and engaging as I did. Here is my interview with Nina Buty:

WWB: I visited Buty this fall and was very impressed with your overall lineup of wines. Can you talk a bit about the style of winemaking for your red and white wines?

NB: Our winery was founded on a belief in the artistry of the blend. In fact, with the exception of our Conner Lee Vineyard Chardonnay, all of our Buty wines are blends (and even our Conner Lee Chardonnay is approached much like a blend). While each wine has its own distinctive personality that reflects the varietals, the vintage and the vineyards the wines come from, there are certainly common threads that run through our wines, including beautiful aromatics and silky textures. To achieve this, our style of winemaking is very natural, but this does not mean that it is hands off. Though we apply gentle winemaking techniques such as minimal handling, and often uses little-or-no-new oak, every choice made about fermentation, extraction, cooperage, blending, racking and aging is intended to help achieve a stylistic vision. We also don’t do any enhancements, which means we don’t add acid, use dehydrators, concentrators, water additions, spinning cones, or other such “enhancement tools.” This ensures that the authentic character of the wines is rooted in the soil of the sites they come from.

WWB: The Rockgarden Estate vineyard produces some wonderful earthy and terroir-driven red wines. Can you talk more about the vineyard in terms of the soil and climate? What are the typical characters in the wines produced from this vineyard?

NB: In 2006, after years of searching for the ideal site to establish an estate vineyard, we purchased 10 acres of land in the Milton-Freewater Fan region of Walla Walla Valley. For over a hundred years, this region has been the valley’s most coveted farming land, and over the past two decades it has earned a reputation for being home to some of Walla Walla Valley’s greatest vineyards. In fact, this past year, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater earned official status as an American Viticultural Area—a process that we were actively involved in. Our own Rockgarden Estate is named in honor of the famous basalt cobblestones that help to make this section in the southeast part of the valley such renowned winegrowing land. These rocks amplify, and radiate back, heat from the sun. In addition, Rockgarden Estate is ideally situated in the highest part of the cobblestones. These factors, and others, contribute to wines that have beautiful lush fruit characteristics at relatively modest alcohol levels, but also wonderful savory qualities. Along with enticing lavender and violet aromas, Rockgarden yields these really fascinating beach smoke notes that hint at sea spray. As the vines evolve, these qualities are becoming more and more complex, and even more compelling.

WWB: Can you talk a bit about your background in wine and how you decided to start Buty in 2000?

NB: I was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in various parts of the state. I fell in love with the pace, climate and people of Eastern Washington early on, and attended Whitman College, where I earned a degree in art history, with minors in studio art and geology. While I wasn’t consciously aware of it at the time, what I was studying laid a really strong foundation for my future in wine. I was also developing a real love of wine, most significantly Washington wine, and its amazing potential. After several years of working in public service, I founded Buty in 2000. For me, the creation of wine was a natural extension of my background in art and geology. It also allowed me to combine my desire to work with nature in a creative way.
From the outset, our goal has been to make exceptional wines that showcase masterful blending, while being true to their Washington roots and the great vineyards they come from. Working with our longtime Winemaker Chris Dowsett, and our good friend Zelma Long, I think we’ve stayed very true to those ideals.

WWB: I am also a Whitman grad and I feel like the balance of education at Whitman prepared me well for my business life. Can you talk about how your educational background has influenced your ability to run a successful winery that has gained a very strong national reputation?

NB: To expand a bit on my last answer, I would just say that for me, I found incredible value in receiving a well-rounded liberal arts education from Whitman. Studying art history and geology, I spent most of my time in the arts building and the science building. What’s fascinating looking back is how much this foundation ended up being relevant to Buty. When it comes to wine, the arts and science are remarkably intertwined.

WWB: You must be an incredibly busy person. What are the challenges with owning a successful winery and raising children?

NB: When you run your own business, the boundaries between work and life are very porous—the business will expand to fill all the space you will allow it. Children are like that too. I’m always thinking of my children, and my business. Because of this, I approach life and making wine with a very similar philosophy. I see the two as deeply interwoven. My children have grown up playing in the vineyards. They have a deep understanding of the seasons, and a very developed awareness of a rural agricultural life, and how this life can be the foundation of a business. They know the difference between soil and dirt. They have that connection to the land and farming, which is a gift. They also see their mother working hard and fully investing herself doing something she loves, which I hope will set a positive example.

Buty

A Walla Walla mainstay that was first created in 2000, Buty’s strong lineup of wines continue to impress. A visit to their Walla Walla airport area tasting room impressed. Winery owner Nina Buty is a fellow Whitman grad and has taken 100% of the controlling ownership of Buty. Being a mother and a winery owner is not an easy task, but based on my recent tasting Nina is performing exceptionally well. The range of my scores given to the wines were 92-94, which is exceptionally rare for all of a winery’s releases to fall in that range. The biggest wine was a compelling blend from the rocks area, the 2012 ‘Redviva of the Stones.’ This impressive bottling was rich and viscous with great terroir, Walla Walla rocks character and minerality. The white wines from Buty also impressed, as they typically do each year. Bordeaux style white wines are sometimes difficult to masterfully craft in Washington, but Buty makes one of the state’s best in their ‘White.’ The wine is smooth and has a wonderful range of fruit and secondary flavors. A major theme with the Buty offerings is the terroir and structure. These wines have the structure to pair beautifully with a variety of foods. It is no surprise that many Buty bottlings are being poured at great Seattle area restaurants, as I have noticed an increase of these wines on top wine lists in the past five years. Check these great wines out at great Northwest wine shops like Esquin and Met Market, as well as Total Wines. ‪#‎buty‬

2014 Buty White- This Bordeaux style white wine begins with aromas of gardenia, lemongrass and pear. There is a lithe texture and mouthfeel to this smooth blend. This silky wine has flavors of cut grass, Meyer lemon and pear. This delicious blend is hard to resist right now. The structure suggests this will have a long life. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2014 Buty ‘Conor Lee Vineyard’ Chardonnay- This rich and viscous Chard begins with aromas of pear, golden delicious apple and oak. There is a rich and silky mouthfeel, leading to flavors of brioche, Japanese pear and minerals. Simply delicious wine that is one of the best of its kind in the state. Drink 2016-2023- 93

2013 Buty ‘Conor Lee Vineyard’ Merlot/Cabernet Franc- This wine is a blend of 61% Merlot with the rest Cabernet Franc. This has rich aromas of sagebrush, dill, red cherry and blackberry. This leads to flavors reminiscent of red cherry, anise, dill, and raspberry in this feminine style red wine. There is a wonderful structure here. Drink 2015-2025- 93

2013 Buty ‘Rockgarden Estate’ – This wine is a blend of 75% Mouvedre and the rest Syrah and Grenache, coming from their Rockgarden vineyard. This begins with aromas of gravel, red cherry and smoked meats with white pepper. There are flavors of red cherry, smoked meats, wet stone and cranberry in this lithe and mineral driven red. Drink 2015-2025- 92

2012 Buty ‘Columbia Valley Redviva’- This wine is a blend of 84% Cabernet with the rest Syrah. They mentioned that this is the highest percentage of Cab ever used in the blend. The wine has aromas of milk chocolate, black cherry and black olive. This leads to flavors of blackberry, mocha and anise. This is dense and delicious juice that is hard to resist right now. Drink 2015-2025- 93

2012 Buty ‘Redviva of the Stones’- This fascinating blend is comprised of 79% Syrah, 13% Cabernet and the rest Mouvedre. The wine has aroms of green olive, black pepper, smoked meats and blackberry. This leads to delicious flavors of wet stone, anise, blueberry and blackberry. There is a silky mouthfeel and a long finish. What a wonderful bottling. Drink 2015-2025- 94

Caymus Cabernet

One of the biggest players in Napa, Caymus has established themselves as superstar producers of Cabernet. Parker and other famous wine writers have talked about Caymus Cabernet for decades. If you haven’t had the chance to check out the past two vintages of Caymus Cabernet, you are in for an incredible treat. The 2012 bottlings of Cabernet celebrated Caymus’s 40th anniversary. Caymus has created rich and viscous efforts in the 2012 and 2013 vintages, working with near ideal growing conditions. Caymus also produces a reserve Cabernet wine, bottled as their ‘Special Selection.’ While I’ve only sampled a few previous vintages of this special wine, the 2012 Special Selection Cabernet was an incredible success.

I have been able to sample many vintages of Caymus Cabernet in the past but the past two bottlings have been the most impressive in terms of richness, viscosity and terroir. Both the 2012 and 2013 Cabernets had rich fruit structure. I rated the 2012 (WWB, 94) just in front of the 2013 (WWB, 93), as I liked the structure just marginally better in the ’12. The 2012 Special Selection Cabernet (WWB, 95) is even better than the 2012 Cabernet. This hedonistic and dense bottling is intense and memorable, carrying a much higher pricetag as well ($150.00 compared to $60.00). For a very special occasion, check out the 2012 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet (WWB, 95). This one is a heavyhitter of a wine, with mountains of fruit alongside wonderful graphite and mineral components. This is up there with the best Napa Cabernet bottlings that I have sampled this year. These Cabernets just marvelous special occasion wines that any California Cabernet drinker is sure to enjoy. These dense Cabernets are somewhat difficult to pair with dishes and are just a joy to drink on their own. I feel that these wines don’t need a rich ribeye steak and would be best suited to sip and enjoy, as they are a meal in themselves. Look for these wines at great Northwest area wine shops like Met Market, Esquin, Total Wines and Bev Mo. #caymus #caymusvineyards

2012 Caymus Cabernet- Iconic wine and iconic vintage that delivers. This dense wine has aromas of blackberry jam, cassis and violets, followed by flavors of creme de cassis, blackberry and mocha. Dense and round, this thing is ready to drink and expresses the best of this wonderful vintage. Drink 2015-2030. -94 $60.00

2013 Caymus Cabernet- This impressive follow up to the exquisite 2012 rendition comes from another great vintage. The 2013 is sourced from eight of the sixteen sub-appellations in Napa Valley. As the wine itself opens, it delivers aromas of blackberry, cassis, milk chocolate and anise. On the palate there are delicious flavors of black cherry, smoke, milk chocolate, anise and graphite through a rich and voluptuous body. The mouth coating finish is long and persistent, leaving behind layers of dark fruits. This will only get better with time, but will certainly be long-lived. Drink 2016-2030- 93 $60.00

2012 Caymus ‘Special Selection’ Cabernet- This opulent wine comes from the winery’s 40th anniversary and an outstanding vintage. Even more dense and intense than its outstanding sibling (Napa Valley Cabernet), the 2012 Special Selection Cabernet is an absolute joy to savor. The wine begins with aromas reminiscent of violets, graphite, crème de cassis, coffee grounds and lavender. The bouquet is intense and has a wonderful sense of terroir. There are flavors of mocha, blackberry preserves, graphite, blueberry and wonderful minerality. This showcases the exceptional vintage with fruit weight and structure. This has a long and lingering finish that persists for more than a half second. The texture and mouthfeel is intense with light tannins that make the wine impossible to resist right now. Drink 2015-2035- 95 $150.00

Le Cadeau

This boutique Willamette Valley winery was first introduced to me roughly a decade ago. I was impressed with what they did with the 2002 and 2003 vintages. There is a trademark Burgundian feel to this wine, as their fruit tends to pick up on mushroom and forest floor characteristics. I have found that regardless of vintage, hot or cold, Le Cadeau bottlings bring this character, which is due to the fantastic soil quality in their estate vineyard. If you are a fan of earthy Oregon Pinots, this estate is for you.

The property lies on a 28-acre parcel on the south slope of Parrett Mountain which is near Newberg in the Dundee Hills. The land was previously overgrown with poison oak, wild berries, and scrub oak before being removed. This 14-acre, high-elevation (610’ – 725’), vineyard was developed to only provide estate Pinot Noir for Le Cadeau. Le Cadeau is known as "the rockiest vineyard in Oregon." The volcanic soils of the estate provide excellent drainage for the sometimes rainy conditions. There is a wide variety of Pinot Noir clones planted in the vineyard, including Dijon, Heritage (Heirloom), Pommard, and Mariafeld. Winemaker Jim Sanders continues to produce with exceptional, Burgundian bottlings. I was particularly impressed with their 2012 ‘Merci’ reserve bottling which had wonderful terroir and rich fruit flavors. I rated it 93 points and up there with the best in the valley for the year. They also produced one of the best 2011 Pinots that I have sampled, their ‘Equinoxe’ which I rated 92 points. This bottling captured the essence of the vintage, creating a earthy profile wine that is drinking beautifully right now. The winery also produces second label, Aubichon, which was introduced in 2007 and is made from from non-estate fruit that carries a slightly lower price tag. Here are some of the wonderful new releases from Le Cadeau. #lecadeau

2013 Le Cadeau ‘Rocheaux’ Pinot Noir- This wine opens with aromas of mushroom, forest floor, raspberry and red cherry. This leads to flavors of raspberry, Bing cherry, provencale herbs and mushroom. An expressive effort with nice weight. Drink 2015-2022- 91

2012 Le Cadeau ‘Merci’ Reserve Pinot Noir-This wine begins with aromas reminiscent of mushroom, forest floor, wild blackberry and raspberry. There are flavors of cherry pie, raspberry and sage. Layered and rich effort with a striking mineral edge. The mouthfeel is silky throughout, leading to a long and lingering finish. Drink 2015-2023- 93

2011 Le Cadeau ‘Equinoxe’ Pinot Noir- Taken from a cool vintage, this wine opens with aromas of smoke, anise, raspberry and sage. There are flavors of raspberry, cran-cherry, orange rind and mushroom. This is delicious and open considering the coolness of the vintage and has come into its own right now. There is nice richness and texture on the mouthfeel. Drink 2015-2022- 92

2013 Aubichon Pinot Noir-This is a blend of 3 vineyards with 70% Estate fruit and the rest coming from the Armstrong and the Riverside vineyard, which is a two acre vineyard near McMinneville. The wine has aromas of oak, red cherry and raspberry with light white pepper bodes. There are flavors of raspberry, red cherry and guava. Light but tasty effort. Drink 2015-2022- 91

2011 Aubichon Pinot Noir- This wine is made from 35% estate fruit and the rest comes from the Vista Hills vineyard. This reticent and Burgundian style wine opens with aromas of mushroom, forest floor, raspberry and oak. There are flavors of cran-raspberry, red cherry and orange rind. This has lovely terroir and a silky mouthfeel. The winemaking here is evident. Drink 2015-2022- 91

2011 Aubichon "Armstrong Vineyard" Pinot Noir- The Armstrong vineyard utilizes organic farming. This is is the first single vineyard bottling Aubichon has done. There are aromas of red cherry, orange rind, cranberry and is almost Riojaesque. Leading to flavors of red cherry, raspberry and citrus notes. This is novel and delicious now. Drink 2015-2023- 92

Liquid Farm

One of the premier boutique producers of Chardonnay in Santa Barbara, Liquid Farm has impressed with their old world style of winemaking. The winemaker sought to produce Chardonnay that is terroir and mineral driven from cool climates with little or no new oak intervention. To achieve these qualities the owners were drawn to one of the coolest of all California AVA's, Sta. Rita Hills. These Chardonnays are sourced from some of the region’s most exceptional vineyards such as the Bien Naciedo vineyard and the Clos Pepe vineyard. I recently had the chance to sit down with one of the owners, Jeff Nelson, and he shared their recent successes, starting with 4 barrels of wine in 2009 to their current much larger production. Jeff has been in the wine business for the past 20+ years, working for some of the top Champagne and Burgundy houses and had some incredible stories about the wine business. Liquid Farms wines do not stay on wine lists and shelves very long. They have incredible balance and minerality, as I was very impressed with their fantastic new lineup of wines.. Most of these exceptional Chardonnay releases would seriously pass for something out of Burgundy. Learn more at http://www.liquidfarm.com ‪#‎liquidfarm‬

2014 Liquid Farm Rose- This is made from 95% Mouvedre and 5% Grenache. The wine begins with aromas of smoked meats, mushroom, gala apple and cut grass. This leads to flavors of watermelon, Gravenstein apple, Meyer lemon and orange rind. This is a complex Rose that has a wonderful acid structure. Drink 2015-2020- 91

2014 Liquid Farm ‘White Hill’ Chardonnay- This wine is sourced from 10 vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills and is done in a Chablis style of winemaking. 90% of this was aged one year in neutral oak while 10% was aged in stainless steel prior to bottling. The winemaker is a proponent of blending the vineyards. This has aromas of Meyer lemon, poached pear, in the somewhat subdued nose. There are flavors of pear, golden delicious apple, with a long and lingering finish. This is done in the refreshing style with a nice minerality and saline streak. Drink 2015-2025- 92

2013 Liquid Farm 'Golden Slope' Chardonnay- The owner notes that this wine is made in the Mersault style. It is a blend of six Santa Rita Hills vineyards including Bent rock, Clos Pepe, Rita's Crown, Zotovich, Kessler-Haak and Esperanza. This Chardonnay had 10% new oak with the rest neutral oak. The wine has butter, hazelnut, and golden delicious apple. There are flavors of pineapple, golden delicious apple, and mushroom with a long finish of vanilla cream. This has wonderful texture and depth. Drink 2015-2025- 93

2014 Liquid Farm' La Hermana' Chardonnay- This is a blend of Bien Naciedo and Solomon Hills Chardonnay. This has aromas of lemon meringue, banana and golden delicious apple. There are flavors of red delicious apple, nutmeg with a long finish. There is nice weight and richness to this wine. This is very terroir driven and Burgundian. Drink 2015-2025- 93

2014 Liquid Farm 'Bien Bien' Chardonnay- This is a blend of Bien Naciedo and Solomon Hills Chardonnay. This has aromas of lemon meringue, banana and golden delicious apple. There are flavors of red delicious apple, nutmeg with a long finish. There is nice weight and richness to this wine. This is very terroir driven and Burgundian. Drink 2015-2025- 93

Top 100 Domestic Wines of 2015

Top 100 Domestic Wines of 2015

I wanted to offer my warmest holiday greetings from Washington Wine Blog. I hope you all are enjoying a wonderful holiday season. It has been an absolutely fantastic year here at Washington Wine Blog. I want to wish you all of my deepest thanks for supporting the blog. A lot has happened for me professionally this year. I am now the associate editor at International Wine Report, reviewing wines for them primarily from Washington, Oregon and California. This has brought a lot of excitement to Washington Wine Blog. In 2015 I was able to meet and interview some incredible people in the wine industry and feature them on my blog. I have also been fortunate to review some exceptional wines this year from our incredible nation. This year I have chosen 100 exceptional domestic wines, as I have been able to sample many more exceptional wines and visit many more tasting rooms. Value wines are considered in my Top 100, and there are several incredible well-priced selections that I simply could not leave out.

The wines from Washington continue to impress and rise to the top of the list. At the top of the Top 100 is the 2012 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Cabernet. This exotic, intense and rich treat was an absolute delight to sip and savor in the glass. Hats off to the Golitzin family for producing an absolute stunner. The 2012 Quilceda Creek Cabernet is up there with the absolute best that estate has produced, including the incredible 2005 and 2006 Columbia Valley Cabernets. Thank you again for your support of Washington Wine Blog. Here’s to an even better 2016 for every one of you!

 

1)     2012 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Cabernet- The 2012 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Cabernet is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from 97% Champoux Vineyard along with 3% Wallula Vineyard fruit. This displays a dark, opaque appearance, followed by lovely aromas of dark fruits, crème de cassis, anise and mocha folding in some graphite and hints of fresh bell pepper notes. This continues to impress on the palate with its rich and viscous mouthfeel backed by a remarkable silky texture which expands beautifully onto the long, layered finish. This level of Cabernet Sauvignon that is unparalleled in Washington, and although just about impossible to resist today, it is certain to improve even further with bottle age. This is Washington State Cabernet at its finest, as this wine is up there with the 2005 and 2006 in terms of the best Quilceda Creek Cabs I’ve had.  Best 2017-2030. – 99 $150.00

2)     2013 DeLille Cellars ‘Chaleur Estate’ Blanc- This impressive wine is a blend of 65% Sav Blanc and 35% Semillon. The rich aromatics include lemongrass, cantaloupe and mushroom with forest floor. The palate has bright acidity with flavors of Meyer lemon, cantaloupe, lemon lime flavors and incredible balance. Finish lingers. Drink 2015-2025. -95 $45.00

3)     2012 Woodward Canyon ‘Artists Series’ Cabernet- This is a wine that has 76% cabernet sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Peitit Verdot and 4% Syrah. It is sourced from the Woodward Canyon Estate, Champoux, Spring Creek, Mirage, Discovery, Sagemoor, Andrews, Summit View and Les Collines vineyards. There is a wonderful rich nose with graphite and cassis aromas. Dense wine with creme de cassis, blackberry and mocha. Incredible depth. Best 2015-2030. -95 $50.00

4)     2012 Horsepower Vineyards ‘Sur Echelas Vineyard’ Grenache- The 2012 is the second release of this wine from the esteemed Sur Echalas Vineyard, which has the highest density planting in the Walla Walla Valley. As this begins to unwind it releases incredibly rich aromas of smoke, wet stone, tarragon, lavender and bing cherry which are simply intoxicating. On the palate this leads to lush flavors of raspberry, cherry cola, essence of lavender, Mandarin orange rind and a wonderful effervescence. This continues to impress as the fruit just glides effortlessly onto the finish where it lingers on. This is a completely compelling and very memorable wine from Christophe Baron who is on top of his A game, as this represents the best of its kind that I have tried this year. Drink 2015-2030- 97 $90.00

5)     2014 Long Shadows Julia’s Dazzle- This is a Pinot Grigio rose with a splash of Sangiovese in there. Nose has strawberry, guava and white peach. Palate has vibrant minerality with flavors of strawberry, guava, pear and a long finish. Up there with the best rose in the state. Drink 2015-2018. -93 $15.00

6)     2012 Darioush Merlot- This wine combines 5% Cabernet and 5% Cabernet Franc for the blend. It is a monster of a Merlot, having aromas of cherry tomato, dill, and red cherry. There is a wonderful rich and smooth mouthfeel with flavors of black cherry, anise, and blackberry jam alongside moderate tannins. This is an opulent wine that will drink well for many decades to come. Drink 2015-2030. -95 $50.00

7)     2013 Chateau St. Michelle 'Cold Creek' Riesling- This aromatic wine begins with aromas of orange blossom, jasmine and pear in this perfumed nose. The palate has great minerality with flavors reminiscent of pear, starfruit and red delicious apple. Tasty wine that is an astonishing value. Drink 2015-2018.-92 $12.00

8)     2014 Long Shadows Poets Leap Riesling- Made famous by German winemaker Armin Diel. The wine opens with aromas of pear and red delicious apple followed by gravel on the aromatic nose. Delicious and lovely mineralogy through the mid-palate. Flavors of green apple, cantaloupe and green papaya. Lithe and expressive, one of the best made Washington Rieslings out there. Drink 2015-2022. -93 $20.00

9)     2012 Reynvaan ‘In The Hills’ Syrah- The 2012 'In the Hills' is a striking effort, made from 90% Syrah and 10% Viognier, a blend which is typical of the winemaking style in Côte-Rôtie. This incredible wine opens with rich and complex aromas of provencale herbs, gravel, green bell pepper, tar and blackberry which all take shape in the glass. It possesses wonderful minerality and elegance to the mouthfeel, combining fruit and citrus flavors, having cassis, blackberry, anise, raspberry alongside orange rind. This is a stunning wine that is one of the best from this stellar vintage. Best 2015-2025.- 96 $70.00

10) 2012 Quilceda Creek ‘Galitzine Vineyard’ Cabernet- Another stellar showing from Quilceda Creek in 2012 is the Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2012 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the gravel soils and one of the hottest micro-climates in Red Mountain. As this opens in the glass it releases beautifully perfumed aromas and flavors of dark cherries, cassis, raspberry compote along with mocha, graphite, anise and pretty floral accents of rose petals. The viscous mouthfeel is rich and concentrated, backed by moderate tannins, ending with a long, mouth coating finish. This is an absolutely incredible Cabernet that is already absolutely delicious and also shows wonderful aging potential. This is the best Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet that I have tried since they first offered this bottling many years back. Drink 2017-2030. -98 $125.00

11) 2013 Leonetti Cellar Merlot- This wine comes from Loess vineyard, Mill Creek vineyard, Upland vineyard as well as Leonetti Old Block. This is a blend of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, with a higher percentage of Cab Franc than I have ever seen being used for this blend, as Cab Franc was most recently used in this blend from 2001-2003 and then in 2009. The wine saw 15 months in new and once filled French oak. The nose begins with aromas of black cherry, prune, cassis, and dill with lightly herbaceous aromatics. The palate has silky texture and wonderful weight. There are flavors of blackberry, red cherry, dill and black plum in this tremendous effort. Chris Figgins has created some serious juice is hard to resist now. Drink 2015-2030- 95 $80.00

12) 2013 Dunham Cellars ‘Shirley Mays’ Chardonnay- This excellent bottling is made from Lewis Vineyard fruit. The wine begins with aromas reminiscent of pear and honeysuckle on the nose. There is pear, golden delicious and oak with nice richness on the palate. This has a silky texture and is their best one yet. This impresses at this price point. Drink 2015-2022. -93 $25.00

13) 2012 Col Solare- The 2012 is a monster of a wine that will take some time to develop in the bottle. Composed of 85% Cabernet, 7% Cab Franc, 4% Merlot and 4% Syrah, this wine has rich aromas of cassis, anise and some oak. It possesses a velvety mouthfeel with flavors of mocha, creme de cassis and black cherry. Persistent, savory and rich wine that's drinking beautifully now but will also age gracefully. One of the best Bordeaux style wines from a great vintage. (Best 2016-2030)- 94 $75.00

14) 2012 Rasa ‘Creative Impulse’- This outstanding Bordeaux style red is a heavyhitter. Unlike the 2011 which was slightly Merlot dominant, this one is comprised of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot. The wine opens with a complex nose with red bell pepper, cherry pie and dill with sagebrush in this herbaceous and terroir driven nose. There are flavors of red cherry, cherry tomato, raspberry, blackberry and anise. This is a rockstar wine that is balanced, rich and has an incredible mouthfeel. This long ager has 152 cases made so grab some before it sells out. Drink 2015-2035-96 $95.00

15) 2014 L'Ecole No. 41 Chenin Blanc- This represents a tremendous value in Washington wine. The wine begins with pear, baked apple and cinnamon on the nose. Palate has red delicious, starfruit, pear and vibrant acidity. Delicious, as one of the best Washington value whites out there. Drink 2015-2019. -90 $15.00

16) 2012 Kosta Browne 'Keefer Ranch' Pinot Noir- The Keefer Ranch Vineyard spans 50 acres and was planted in 1988 by Marcy Keefer and her husband Robert. There are some Chardonnay plantings but the vineyard is mostly devoted to Pinot Noir. The vineyard is particularly known for early morning fog and Goldridge soils. Kosta Browne has absolutely nailed this wine from Keefer. The Pinot begins with dill, red cherry and red currant. This leads to rich flavors of cherry pie, raspberry and cranberry. There is lovely weight to the mouthfeel and the right amount of acid backbone. This strikes an absolutely delicious balance and is extremely hard to resist right now. Drink 2015-2030.- 94 $100.00

17) 2012 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Syrah – This lovely wine opens with aromas of black cherry, blackberry and blueberry. The palate has flavors of black olive, blackberry, black cherry and is open and delicious. This represents a wonderful value that combines fruit and terroir. Drink 2015-2022. -92 $28.00

18) 2013 Delmas Syrah- The wine is a blend of 91.9% Syrah and 8.1% Viognier from SJR Vineyard in the rocks region of Walla Walla. This was aged 14 months in French oak (65% new), prior to bottling. This compelling wine opens with aromas of wet stone, smoked meats, creosote and oak. There are rich flavors of milk chocolate, blackberry, cedar and smoked pork shoulder. This is mineral driven and is special wine made in this hot vintage. Aerate this for an hour before enjoying. Drink 2015-2025- 95 $70.00

19) 2012 White Rose ‘Winemakers Cuvee’ Pinot Noir- This Pinot comes from 5 vineyards and the winemaker thinks this is the best of the vineyards. Rich nose with pomegranate, red cherry, strawberry and mushroom. Palate has red cherry, pomegranate, mushroom, forest floor and raspberry. Delicious and layered wine that represents the best of the great vintage. Drink 2015-2030. -95 $100.00

20) 2012 Paul Hobbs ‘Nathan Coombs Estate’ Cabernet- This rich colored wine has wonderful aromatics on the nose, including anise and blackberry. The richness obtained is profound. There are flavors of milk chocolate, anise and blackberry with moderate tannins. Very serious. Drink 2018-2035. -95$250.00

21) 2012 Foxen Winery ‘Melville Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- This wine begins with aromatics of mushroom, black cherry and black tea. This leads to flavors of black cherry, cola, raspberry, and vanilla. Nice weight and viscosity with the lingering finish. 125 cases made of this exceptional Pinot. Best 2015-2025. -94 $64.00

22) 2012 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet- This is an intense blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot comes from the Seven Hills vineyard, the Loess vineyard, Mill Creek vineyard, Upland vineyard and Leonetti Old Block. It saw 22 months in new and once used French oak barrels. The winemaker says this wine reminds him of the 2008 Cabernet. In the glass the wine explodes with ripe flavors of Turkish coffee, cassis, black olive and black cherry. There are flavors of anise, crème de cassis, blackberry and moderate tannin structure. The richness and mouthfeel is there. This seamless wine glides on with a long finish. This is a memorable wine. Drink 2015-2035-95 $100.00

23) 2012 Sixto ‘Rosa Hills’ Chardonnay- The Rosa Hills vineyard stands at 1350 feet and is a southern sloping bowl that sits on the southern slope of Rattlesnake Hills. There are aromas of brioche, lemon zest and pear. The wine has nice richness on the mouthfeel with flavors of creme brûlée, pear, golden delicious and a long, lingering finish that lasts for half a minute. This is an impressive bottling. Drink 2015-2025. -94 $45.00

24) 2012 Chalk Hill ‘William P. Foley’ Cabernet- This is Chalk Hill's most esteemed Cabernet wine. This is a dense Cabernet that will need a ton of time to fully come together. There are wonderful aromas of graphite and blackberry with creme de cassis. The depth and richness is there. Flavors reminscent of blackberry, graphite and creme de cassis persist. A sleeping giant. Drink 2019-2030 -95 $160.00

25) 2013 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay- This pale yellow colored wine has a bright and effusive nose. This spent 14 months in French oak (20% new). There are lovely aromas of tangerine, grapefruit and honeydew melon with a slight cut grass element. The palate is lithe and mineral driven. There are bright flavors of pear, white peach, pink grapefruit and Granny Smith apple. The finish is long and lingering. Serene is on top of their game with their last few years of Chard releases. Best 2015-2024- 94 $55.00

26) 2013 K Vintners ‘The Boy’ Grenache- This wine was sourced from Walla Walla Valley fruit (Northridge and River Rock vineyards) and they utilized 12% Syrah into the blend. This warm vintage wine stands in at 14.5% alcohol, as this wine was Charles Smith’s first non-Syrah wine that he made. Lovely aromatics with aromas of dill, gravel, orange peel, raspberry and red cherry. The mouthfeel is smooth as this seamlessly glides along. There are flavors of red cherry, Mandarin orange, gravel and raspberry. This is novel, terroir driven and simply delicious. Drink 2015-2028. -94 $50.00

27) 2012 La Jota ‘Howell Mountain’ Cabernet Franc- This wine comes from a very small vineyard, the Winery Block Vineyard, planted next to the winery on Howell Mountain. It spent 20 months in French Oak (81% new) prior to bottling. The wine has intense aromas of red bell pepper, dill, red cherry and raspberry. There are flavors of red bell pepper, anise, red cherry and black olive. The minerality and acid scripture is impressive. This is very hard to resist right now but try to cellar this one for another year. Drink 2016-2030 -94 $80.00

28) 2014 Dunham Cellars Late Harvest Lewis Vineyard Riesling-Aged in stainless steel, the wine was released in May 2015 and weighs in at only 7% alcohol. This has lovely aromas of orange marmalade, Lemoncello, and jasmine in this compelling nose. This wine has 30% residual sugar and there is wonderful richness and balance. There are ripe aromas of pineapple, golden delicious apple, white raisin and creme brûlée. This is ripe, concentrated and delicious. Drink 2015-2030- 95 $25.00 (.187L)

29) 2012 Rasa Vox Populi ‘Monette’s Vineyard’ Mouvedre- This 100% Mouvedere wine opens with ripe fruit nose with blackberry, cassis and black olive alongside smoked meats. This is a rich and viscous palate, reminiscent of a great vintage. Wonderful depth with flavors of blackberry pie, creme de cassis, anise, cherry cola and red currant with a long, 20 plus second finish. This is the best WA Mouvedre I've had. Drink 2015-2030. -95 $55.00

30) 2012 Chalk Hill ‘Clone 17’ Chardonnay-This one is a winery only bottling that has a different, more earthy, nose than the Estate bottling. The aromas are reminiscent of has mushroom, and forest floor, alongside golden delicious and pear. Exceptional brightness in this mineral driven effort. Nice richness on the mouthfeel, leading to flavors of golden delicious, pear and a long cream finish. This is one of the best Sonoma Chardonnay bottlings I’ve sampled this year. Drink 2015-2022. -94 $75.00

31) 2013 Avennia ‘Arnaut’ Syrah- This is a Bouchey Vineyard Syrah with no blending involved, sourced from old blocks of the vineyard. 15% whole cluster fermentation which adds to the complexity of the wine. Perfumed nose of rose petals, bacon fat and smoked pork shoulder. Incredible mouthfeel, smooth and silky texture that glides into flavors of black cherry, black olive, raspberry and smoke. You can tell this comes from a very warm vintage. This has a long finish that lingers, as this is one of the best 2013 Washington Syrah's I've sampled this year. Hard to resist now but could improve with another year in the bottle. Drink 2015-2025. -95 $50.00

32) 2012 Ridge ‘Home Ranch’ Cabernet- Ridge is known for beautifully balanced wines, and year after year the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is an overachiever. There is certainly no exception in 2012. Ridge sources the 76% Cabernet Sauvignon along with 24% Merlot from the esteemed Monte Bello vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The wine itself offers gorgeous perfumed aromas of freshly crushed blackberry and raspberry woven together with graphite and anise. On the palate this is well balanced with wonderful polish and acidity which lead to the flat-out delicious finish. Overall this is a sensational effort from legendary winemaker Paul Draper along with Eric Baugher and the winemaking team at Ridge Vineyards. Drink 2015-2030 – 93 $50.00

33) 2012 Gramercy Cellars ‘The Deuce’ Syrah- This Syrah wine is blended from two sources in the Walla Walla Valley and sees 100% French oak with only 14% new. Deep, glass staining purple color. The wine opens up with aromas of smoked meats, bacon fat and black plum with black tea. Delicious and lithe on the mouth, with rich viscosity. There are flavors of crème de cassis, blackberry, anise, black cherry and nice minerality. This has an intriguing combination of being a rich and mineral driven wine. An excellent effort, one of the best of its kinds and this thing begs for a slow roasted shortrib. Drink 2015-2025. -94 $66.00

34) 2012 Long Shadows Pedestal-Famed wine consultant Michel Rolland makes one of the best Washington Merlots in the country. Made of 81% Merlot with the rest Cab, Cab Franc and Petite Verdot. Nose has black cherry, dill and black olive. Rich and viscous wine with flavors of mocha, black cherry, black olive and wonderful mouthfeel throughout. This is delicious wine for a special occasion. Drinking incredibly now but will have a long life. Drink 2015-2030 -94 $75.00

35) 2012 B. Leighton Syrah- This has a dark and inky color. The wine begins with  impressive aromas of smoked meats, white pepper and blackberry. There is a rich mouthfeel with flavors of blackberry, black cherry, mint, black olive and vibrant minerality. This generous wine is simply delicious. Drink 2015-2030. -95 $45.00

36) 2013 Columbia Crest H3 Chardonnay- This value white wine begins with aromas of butter with mushroom and cut grass. Light and lithe palate with green apple, pear, minerals and limited oak flavors. The new Washington style Chard. One of the best value whites from WA out there. Drink 2015-2020. -90 $12.00

37) 2013 Abeja Chardonnay- This wine impresses each year. The Chard opens in the glass with aromas reminiscent of mushroom golden delicious and pear. There are flavors persistent of butter, pear, red delicious and star fruit. The mouthfeel is full and fat. The winemaker talks about the attention to detail with the pressing of this wine. You can really taste the richness and choicest fruit selected into this wine. Drink 2015-2022. -93 $40.00

38) 2013 Woodward Canyon ‘Washington State’ Chardonnay- Woodward Canyon has crafted another wonderful and dense Chard, following up their excellent 2012 effort. The Washington State bottling has has bright and rich aromas of banana and oak, followed by flavors of vanilla, red delicious and starfruit. There is a long finish that lingers. One of the best Chards in the state. Drink 2015-2022. -93 $40.00

39) 2013 Fidelitas 'Klipsun Vineyard Optu White'- This wine was made from Klipsun Vineyard fruit. It opens in the glass with aromas of butter, pear, honeysuckle, and cantaloupe. Lovely fruit and structure. Palate has white peach, pear, red delicious, butter, and vanilla. The finish lingers. This is up there with the best Optu Blanc that Fidelitas has made in the past 10 years. Drink 2015-2022. -93 $32.00

40) 2013 Airfield Estates Late Harvest Riesling- This impressive bottling is made from frozen grapes and has 20% Residual sugar and only 9.6% alcohol. This wine required twice the typical amount of yeast, due to the high sugar levels. There are rich aromas of pineapple, golden delicious and ripe Bartlett pear. This has a wonderful texture and richness, leading to flavors of white raisin, nectarine, golden delicious apple and honey. Viscous and mineral driven wine that's serious. I would easily pay double the price for this. Drink 2015-2025-94 $15.00 (.187L)

41) 2012 Michael David Petite Petite- This value wine is a blend of 75% Petite Sirah and 25% Petite Verdot. The wine begins with a perfumed nose of blueberry pie, nutmeg and oak. This leads to dense flavors of blueberry, coffee, blackberry and tar. The wine has nice richness and concentration, as this hedonistic wine represents a tremendous bargain in California red wine. Drink 2015-2020. -91 $15.00

42) 2013 Dutton-Goldfield 'Dutton Ranch' Chardonnay- Dutton Ranch farms over 80 vineyards in Sonoma. The vineyards selected for this wine include 75% of old vine Chardonnay, over 30 years of age and includes the Mill Station, Walker Hill and Rued vineyards. The wine opens with aromas of buttered popcorn and mango with pear on the nose. Palate has mushroom, pear, golden delicious and vibrant minerality. This is classic Dutton Ranch in the hedonistic style. Drink 2015-2022. -92 $40.00

43) 2012 Amavi Syrah- This is the follow up to the impressive 2011 bottling. There is a rich nose with mocha, blackberry, and cigar box. Lovely mouthfeel with flavors of boysenberry, smoked meats, black cherry and black olive. Rich and layered, as this wine represents a wonderful value in Washington Syrah. Drink 2015-2022- 92 $25.00

44) 2009 Cote Bonneville ‘Carriage House’- One of my perennial favorite red blends, this year follows up the excellent 2008 bottling. This wine has rich aromas of boysenberry preserves, strawberry and red cherry.  This leads to dense flavors of red cherry, blackberry, anise, Christmas spice and is open and polished. Nice weight and balance to this elegant and rich wine. Drink 2015-2025. -93 $50.00

45) 2012 Januik Reserve Red Blend- This wine has a rich mouthfeel and has dense aromas of blackberry, anise and black cherry. Palate has nice richness with blackberry, anise, black olive and tar. Mike Januik has been hitting his stride. Drink 2015-2030. -94 $80.00

46) 2012 Stags' Leap Petite Sirah-This is a unique blend of 75% Petite Sirah, 12% Syrah, 8% Grenache, 2% both Carignane and Mouvedre with a splash of Viognier. This spent 12 months in American oak (25% new) prior to bottling. This opens with aromas of milk chocolate, roasted figs, and black pepper with coffee grounds. Leading to flavors of blueberry, anise, cassis, in this mineral driven effort. Not for the weary. Drink 2015-2025- 92 $42.00

47) 2012 Rasa ‘Principia’ Reserve Syrah- This beautiful Syrah was sourced from the Les Collines, and Seven Hills vineyards, weighing in at 15.1% alcohol – but you wouldn’t know it from the mid-palate. It opens with a smoky nose with smoked meats, bacon fat, blackberry, in this expressively aromatic wine. This is amazing acid structure and has flavors of black olive, blackberry, black cherry and anise. Wonderful terroir and balance. Drink 2015-2025-95 $75.00

48) 2012 Evening Land ‘Sonoma Coast’ Pinot Noir- This is fruit taken from the esteemed Gap’s Crown vineyard. The wine opens with a perfumed nose of raspberry, red cherry, and strawberry. The palate has great acid structure, leading to flavors of cherry cola, raspberry, and guava. The finish keeps going. The wine really needs two plus years for fruit to integrate. Drink 2017-2025.-93 $45.00

49) 2012 Baer Star- This wine saw 22 months in French oak and is a blend of 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc. A softer style of wine with a plush mouthfeel. Flavors of black cherry, black tea and black olive. Deep and rich with a long life ahead of it. Drinking nicely now but can improve. Drink 2017-2028. -93$30.00

50) 2012 Foley-Johnson ‘Rutherford’ Cabernet- This Cabernet wine is sourced from two Rutherford vineyards, the the Peral Vineyard, having heavier soils and gravel and the Main Vineyard which is more loamy soil of gravel, clay and sand. It weighs in at 14.6% alcohol and is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot. After 19 months of aging in French Oak barrels (35% new) the wine was bottled July 2014. This wine opens with aromas of anise, black plums, red bell pepper and cassis. There are flavors of creme de cassis, anise, black cherry, mocha and graphite. Lovely weight on the mouthfeel, this dense and delicious Cabernet that improves with an hour of aeration. Hard to resist now but this beauty for two more years. Drink 2017-2035.- 93 $75.00

51) 2013 Tenet ‘The Pundit’-The wine is made from 94% Syrah, 3% Grenache, 2% Mourvèdre, 1% Viognier that’s cofermented with Viognier. The wine was aged 12 months in 61% neutral oak with 23% new French oak and 16% new American oak. The resultant Columbia Valley Syrah has an super dark color. There are lovely aromatics of smoked meats, tar, black olive and black cherry. Flavors of blackberry, cloves, black olive and smoked meats. Lovely smooth finish as this one glides. This open and polished dense wine is one to pair with a juicy ribeye and is strikingly familiar to the Ethos style of Syrah. Drink 2015-2022. -92 $20.00

52) 2012 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Rouge- The wine opens with a lovely bouquet of red cherry and red currant with oak in the nose. Palate has ripe layers of red cherry, cherry tomato, blackberry and anise. This is incredible juice now and can benefit from 2-5 years of cellaring. This special occasion wine is one of the best DeLille red wines, if not the best that I’ve had in 10 years. Drink 2017-2040. -95 $80.00

53) 2012 Spring Valley ‘Fredrich’- This wine is a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 8% Malbec, and 3% Petit Verdot. The wine opens with an herbaceous nose with blackberry, anise and oak. The palate brings flavors of blackberry, anise, oak and mocha flavors. This is serious and masculine, yet balanced. Drink 2015-2028. -93 $45.00

54) 2012 Chimney Rock Elevage Blanc- Weighing in at 14.2% alcohol, the grapes saw 6 months in French oak (33% new, 33% used) and stainless (33%).  This wine has been bottled for more than two years and it is showing beautifully. This is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc (57%) and Sauvignon Gris (43%). There are aromas of pear and cut grass, as well as red delicious apple. The palate is smooth and viscous, as the wine offers a silky mouthfeel. There are flavors of ripe pear, star fruit and red delicious with vibrant minerality. This is a very serious Bordeaux style white wine. Drink 2015-2022. -93 $45.00

55) 2012 Chateau St Michelle 'Indian Wells' Cabernet- This value wine impresses for the price. The nose begins with anise, smoke and oak. The palate is viscous with flavors of anise, blackberry liqueur, black cherry and a long finish. This is the rockstar out of the 15 and under Cabernet category. Run to the store and grab a case of this juice. Drink 2015-2022. -92

56) 2012 Stolpman Vineyards ‘Orignals’ Syrah- This wine has a rich and smoky nose. There is bacon fat, Provencale herbs, and lavender aromatics. The palate has incredible depth, richness and terroir with flavors of smoked meats, minerals, blackberry, anise and black cherry and black olive. This wine is delicious now but will also have a long life in the cellar. Drink 2015-2030.-94 $40.00

57) 2013 Gard ‘Freyja’- Made from 81% Viognier and 19% Rousanne. The nose opens with aromas reminiscent of lychee and jasmine. This leads to flavors of pear, red delicious and starfruit. The wine represents incredible complexity for the price. Drink 2015-2018. -90 $12.00

58) 2013 Chateau St. Michelle Gewürztraminer- This is one of the best value white wines out there. The wine opens with aromas of honeysuckle and orange blossom on the nose. The palate has ginger, lemon zest and starfruit flavors. Excellent wine for an incredible price, hats off to Bob Bertheau and the St. Michelle winemaking team on this one. Drink 2015-2017. -89 $8.00

59) 2012 Caymus Cabernet- Iconic wine and iconic vintage that delivers. This dense wine has aromas of blackberry jam, cassis and violets, followed by flavors of creme de cassis , blackberry and mocha. Dense and round, this thing is ready to drink and expresses the best of this wonderful vintage. Drink 2015-2030. -94 $60.00

60) 2012 Colene Clemens 'Margo' Pinot Noir- This wine opens with lovely rich aromas of strawberry and raspberry. Cherry pie, raspberry and cola on the palate. This wine is drinking somewhat more Cali than Willamette in terms of fruit flavor profiles. Delicious juice that is meant for enjoyment now. Drink 2015-2025. -93 $35.00

61) 2012 Tranche Slice of Pape Blanc- This effort follows up the highly impressive 2011 bottling. Nose has honeydew, pear and red delicious. Palate has pear, red delicious and star fruit. Nice richness and density. One of the best new world Rhone style whites out there. Drink 2015-2022. -93 $35.00

62) 2013 Melville Pinot Noir ‘Block M’- Classic nose that is more on the earthy side with cranberry, mushroom, and red cherry. This yields flavors of raspberry, cherry cola and minerals with mushroom. The Pint is a rich and layered wine that will have a long life but is hard not to drink now. Drink 2015-2025- 93 $60.00

63) 2012 Doubleback Cabernet- This wine is made by Chris Figgins and follows up the impressive 2011 bottling. The wine opens with an herbaceous nose with red bell pepper and anise. The palate has nice density with mocha, blackberry flavors, alongside heavy tannins. This will need a few years for the fruit to fully integrate. Drink 2017- 2030. -94 $100.00

64) 2012 La Rata- Elizabeth Bourcier, Cayuse’s assistant vigneronne, was inspired by Clos Erasmus wines and crafted this blend. She chose to use Grenache from Armada Vineyard and Cabernet from En Cerise Vineyard. The wine was named “The Rat.” And then Spanglish-cized:  La Rata. The name connects with Elizabeth, as her zodiac sign is the rat and despite being assistant winemaker at Cayuse, she still considers herself a cellar rat. The wine opens with prototypical Walla Walla rocks aromas of wet stone, smoke, provencale herbs, red currant, dill and blackberry. There is wonderful balance and texture to this wine. The blend has flavors of blackberry, anise, blueberry, red currant and prune. This is just a delicious and vibrant wine with a strong minerality. Kudos to Bourcier. Drink 2015-2025- 94 $75.00

65) 2012 Figgins Estate Red- This wine is sourced from the Figgins Estate vineyard and is a mystery blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. 70% was aged in few French oak (22 months), while 30% was aged in second fill French oak (also for 22 Months) prior to bottling. This wine was released in September 2015 and is showing beautifully right now. Speaking to winemaker, Chris Figgins, at the release, he mentions the purity of fruit from this fantastic vintage. This wine is considerably more open than the '11 Figgins Red upon release. The wine begins with aromas of blackberry, mocha, roasted figs and cassis. There are flavors reminiscent of blackberry, mocha, smoked meats, black olive and black plum. This is a rich and open wine with a lively mouthfeel. This wine gets better and better with every sip. A tremendous effort from a great vintage.- 94 $85.00

66) 2009 Boudeaux Cellars Merlot- This ripe wine opens with aromas reminiscent of rose petals, black cherry, anise and raspberry preserves. This is a rich and full bodied wine with flavors of black cherry, boysenberry and mocha. Delicious, seductive and impressive rendition of Merlot. Drink 2015-2025- 92 $50.00

67) 2014 Liquid Farm 'Bien Bien' Chardonnay- This is a blend of Bien Naciedo and Soloman Hills Chardonnay. This has aromas of lemon meringue, banana and golden delicious apple. There are flavors of red delicious apple, nutmeg with a long finish. There is nice weight and richness to this wine. This is very terroir driven and Burgundian. Drink 2015-2025- 93 $65.00

68) 2013 Acacia Pinot Noir- Made from Carneros fruit. Strawberry and rapsberry on the palate with dried herbs. Palate has cherry pie, raspberry, strawberry and guava flavors. Balanced, with nice minerality. This is an impressive value for the price. Drink 2015-2020. -91 $20.00

69) 2012 Lauren Ashton Rousanne- This wine impresses for the price. The wine begins with aromas of honeydew melon and pear on the nose. This leads to flavors of cut grass, stardust and pear. Viscous and tasty wine that has a wonderful mineral streak. -92 $25.00

70) 2012 Seven Hills ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet- This is a wine that has been impressing for the price. This 2012 version picks up where it left off with the fantastic ’11 release. The nose has aromas of cherry cough syrup, anise and blackberry. The palate has blackberry, black cherry and anise with mocha. Delicious and rich wine that needs a bit more time to develop in the bottle. Drink 2016-2025. -92 $21.00

71) 2013 DeLille Cellars Rousanne- The wine has aromas of cantaloupe and pear with light spice on the nose. The palate has flavors of pear, starfruit, honeydew and vanilla. Nice balance of flavors and structure here. This is up there with the best Washington Rousanne I’ve tried this year. Drink 2015-2019. -93 $35.00

72) 2013 Alexandria Nicole ‘Crawford Vineyard’ Viognier- The wine opens with a perfumed nose of orange blossoms, white peach, and honeysuckle. Almost like enjoying the aromatics of a gardenia on the nose. The palate has good structure and light saccharin flavors with ripe pear and red delicious apple. Drink 2015-2019. -90 $20.00

73) 2012 Belle Pente ‘Belle Pente Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- This wine comes from the east side of the estate. There are ripe aromas reminiscent of red cherry, raspberry and cinnamon. The palate is ripe with flavors of red cherry, raspberry, guava and a long finish. This will drink better in a few years. Drink 2017-2025. -92 $44.00

74) 2011 Zaca Mesa ‘Mesa Reserve’ Syrah- This rich wine has a smoky nose with red currant, black olive, blackberry and black cherry. This leads to flavors reminiscent of blueberry, blackberry, and dried herbs. Nice minerality. This is a solid and sturdy effort that is meant for short term consumption. Drink 2015-2020. -92 $50.00

75) 2012 HALL ‘Jack’s Masterpiece’ Cabernet- This wine has a somewhat subdued nose of blackberry and black olive. There is nice viscosity and richness, indicative of the fantastic vintage. The palate has rich flavors of black olive, blackberry and coffee. This is one for the cellar and the patient wine drinker. Drink 2018-2040- 94 $100.00

76) 2012 Merry Edwards ‘Sonoma Coast’ Pinot Noir- Merry has taken this Pinot from the coolest vineyards she sources from. Powerful nose with red cherry and cranberry with cinnamon. Palate has ripe cherry, cranberry, raspberry and black tea. Very impressive from this wonderful vintage. Drink 2015-2028. -93 $42.00

77) 2013 Tensley Syrah- This Syrah is made from a blend of 5 vineyards. There is a rich, smoky nose with smoked meats, blackberry, anise and oak. Palate has blackberry, cran-cherry, coffee and blueberry. This is a balanced Syrah that will drink nicely for many years. Drink 2015-2025. -93 $30.00

78) 2011 Northstar 'Premier' Columbia Valley Merlot- This colder vintage Merlot needs a one hour decant to open up. In the glass there are aromas of milk chocolate, roasted figs, stewed prune and anise. Lovely minerallity and rich mouthfeel that is very right bank Bordelaise. There are flavors of black cherry, black olive, mocha and cassis. This delicious and dense effort begs for another sip as its of the best Merlots from this vintage. Drink 2015-2028. -93 $75.00

79) 2012 Lancaster ‘Nicole's Red’- This is a special cuvee made by the winemaker. There is a herbaceous nose with dill and red bell pepper. The palate has nice richness and viscosity. Blackberry, blueberry and crème de cassis flavors, with striking minerality. Drink 2017-2030. -93 $115.00

80) 2009 Cougar Crest Anniversary Cuvée- This winery has the nice tendency to hold their wines back. This release comes from an exceptional year. The wine begins with anise, spice box and red cherry on the nose. The palate has anise, red bell pepper, red cherry and light tannins. Drink 2015-2022.-92 $25.00

81)  2012 Cristom ‘Matriarch Cuvee’ Pinot Noir- This high end bottling has a wonderful dark color which leads to flavors of clove, black cherry, raspberry and oak. There are flavors of blackberry, black cherry, raspberry and guava, with nice minerality and balance. The dark fruit profiles are novel, but this will improve with a year in the bottle. Drink 2016-2025. -94 $75.00

82) 2009 Bunnell Family Cellars ‘Alex’ Syrah- These guys have the wonderful ability to hold their wines back. This wine has a perfumed nose of blackberry, anise, black cherry and oak. There are wonderful ripe and dense fruit flavors on the palate, alongside wonderful mineral backbone. Flavors of black cherry, anise, crème de cassis and mocha persist. This wine is drinking beautifully now. Drink 2015-2022. -94 $48.00

83) 2012 JM Cellars ‘Klipsun Vineyard’ Syrah- This rich wine opens with aromas of smoked meats, black cherry and blackberry on the nose. This leads to flavors of blackberry, anise, black cherry and black olive. This is a dense and delicious wine that is hard to resist right now. Drink 2016-2025.  -93 $50.00

84) 2010 Five Star Merlot-This winery has a lovely tendency to hold back their releases. The Merlot wine is blended with 4% Malbec. This has a highly perfumed nose of red cherry and red tomato. The Merlot has dense flavors of red cherry, raspberry and blackberry. Harmonious and smooth wine that is nearly impossible to resist right now. Drink 2015-2022. -93 $25.00

85) 2012 Barnard Griffin Cabernet- This tremendous value wine opens with violets, oak and blackberry on the nose. Palate has nice minerality with blackberry, black olive, black cherry and anise. Excellent juice for the price. Drink 2015-2020. -90 $10.00

86) 2012 Chateau Montelena- The 2012 Montelena Cabernet is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. The wine was aged 14 months in French & Eastern European Oak (16% new). It opens with aromas of red bell pepper, dill, blackberry and milk chocolate. This leads to flavors of blackberry, black cherry, black olive and cloves. Lovely mouthfeel and mineral backbone. Done in the open style, this is approachable right now and is delicious right out of the bottle. (Drink 2015-2025)- 91 $50.00

87) 2013 Stonestreet 'Estate' Chardonnay- The Chard had monthly lees stirring and was aged 10 months in 47% new French oak prior to bottling. This wine opens with aromas of brioche, pear and golden delicious apple. There are flavors of nutmeg, ripe pear, and creme brulee. Delicious and rich wine that is impossible to resist right now. Drink 2015-2022- 92 $35.00

88) 2012 Pendulum Red- This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Grenache, Petit Verdot, and Mourvedre. The wine begins with aromas of stewed strawberry and blackberry on the nose with some oak. Palate has blackberry, anise, plum and Christmas spice. Delicious now, this represents a well-balanced effort. Drink 2015-2018. -90 $10.00

89) 2013 Les Trouves Red- This is an unknown blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre that the winery leaves as a mystery to the consumer. Based on my testing, I’d speculate a higher percentage of Grenache, rather than Syrah, as this has lovely finesse and is slightly on the feminine side. Made from declassified barrels from around the state, this wine has a light red color with a brownish hue. Lovely nose with provencale herbs, anise and raspberry. The mid palate offers a polished mouthfeel that asks for another glass. The flavors of raspberry, spicecake, and vanilla cherry. The winery owner views as a crack and pour. Delicious now, drink-2015-2021- 91 $20.00

90) 2013 Archery Summit ‘Arcus Estate’ Pinot Noir- This vineyard site is 39 acres and name of this wine translates to 'bow' in Latin. There are many microclimates to this vineyard, as there's a 400 foot elevation change in the vineyard. Some of the vines predate to 1973. Aged 19 months in French oak (50% new) prior to being bottled in August 2014. This has aromas of black truffle, red raspberry and oak. There are flavors reminiscent of cran-raspberry, Tangerine rind, Bing cherry and vanilla. This has tremendous weight and texture. Drink 2017-2030- 94 $100.00

91) 2013 Etude ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir- This wine is sourced from Grace Benoist Ranch fruit that saw 12 months in French oak (25% new). This wine has aromas of black cherry, pomegranate, forest floor and raspberry. This delicious and open style wine has flavors of cherry cola, mushroom, orange peel, and a long and lingering finish. This is a rock solid entry level bottling. Over 22,000 cases made. (Best 2015-2025)- 92 $40.00

92) 2012 Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay- This is a rich and layered Chard that is one of the best of its kind out there. It opens with aromas of buttered toast and creme brûlée on the nose. The palate has flavors of banana, golden delicious and butter. Delicious and complex Chard that is hard to put down now. Drink 2015-2025. -93 $40.00

93) 2012 Willakenzie Estate ‘Emery’ Pinot Noir-The Pinot Noir is named after the owner’s grandfather. This is a perennial value wine out of Oregon. There are lovely soft aromas of raspberry, nutmeg and red cherry. Palate has raspberry, red cherry, guava and vibrant minerality with a long finish. Drink 2016-2025. -92 $30.00

94) 2012 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc- This Sav Blanc is blended with 17% Semillon. The wine begins with aromas of cut grass, lemongrass and dried herbs on the nose. Palate is bright and acidic. Gooseberry, pear, minerals, and light cream finish. The finish lingers. Drink 2015-2018 -92 $30.00

95) 2012 Maison Bleue ‘Voyageur’ Syrah- 100% Syrah wine that impresses for the price. The wine opens with aromas of smoked meats, tar and black cherry. The palate has nice depth, as well as a nice mineral streak. Black cherry, anise, smoked meats in this plush wine. Layered. Drink 2015-2022. -93 $55.00

96) 2012 Groth Reserve Cabernet- This rich wine, coming from the 28 acre Reserve Block at the Estate vineyard, was aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak, utilizing Vernou, Sylvain, Quintessence coopers. This also had over a year of bottle-aging prior to its recent release. The impressive bouquet opens with aromas of mocha, cassis and blackberry. There are boysenberry preserves, mocha, figs, graphite, and creme de cassis. Drinking beautifully now but this will be a long-ager. Try to resist popping the cork on this one for at least another year. Drink 2016-2035-94 $125.00

97) 2012 Merryvale Malbec- This impressive wine was sourced from a high elevation vineyard on the Mayacamas Mountains. This is the first Merryvale Malbec ever made. Fruit was hand picked and double sorted before going under cold soak. The wine opens with a dense nose of dark chocolate and blackberry. Palate has nice density with blackberry, mocha and graphite. Very impressive wine and one of the best pure Napa Malbecs I’ve had this year. Drink 2015-2027 -93 $75.00

98) 2012 Le Cadeau ‘Merci’ Reserve Pinot Noir-This winery is known for earthy and terroir driven Pinots. They absolutely nailed this effort from a fantastic vintage. The wine begins with aromas reminiscent of mushroom, forest floor, wild blackberry and raspberry. There are flavors of cherry pie, raspberry and sage. Layered and rich effort with a striking mineral edge. The mouthfeel is silky throughout, leading to a long and lingering finish. Drink 2015-2023- 93 $80.00

99) 2012 Buty ‘Redviva of the Stones’- This fascinating blend is comprised of 79% Syrah, 13% Cabernet and the rest Mouvedre. The wine has aroms of green olive, black pepper, smoked meats and blackberry. This leads to delicious flavors of wet stone, anise, blueberry and blackberry. There is a silky mouthfeel and a long finish. What a wonderful bottling. Drink 2015-2025- 94 $50.00

100) 2013 Argyle 'Nuthouse' Pinot Noir- Southeast facing, at 250-400 ft. elevation, the Lone Star vineyard is known for producing some of the best Pinot in the valley. On September 18th, the crew at Argyle picked the best blocks of Lone Star Pinot Noir fruit prior to the torrential rains, which was hugely important in capturing the rich fruit flavors of this wine. This impressive Pinot begins with aromas of black truffle, black cherry and raspberry. Flavors of cran-cherry, pomegranate, crimini mushroom and blackberry combine for this silky textured treat. This is absolutely beautiful Burgundian style Pinot. Drink 2015-2025- 93 $50.00

 

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