A weekly publication of Wine Press Northwest. This week, we put the spotlight on sparkling wine, just in time for the holidays. We also review wines from 8th Generation Vineyard, Anelare, Argyle Winery, Columbia Crest, DiStefano Winery, Domaine Krieger, Domaine Ste. Michelle, Erath Winery, Script & Seal, Snake River Winery, Ste. Chapelle, Treveri Cellars, Tru Cellars, Westport Winery and Willamette Valley Vineyards.
It’s always the right time of year to drink sparkling wine, but the holidays are when we tend to think about bubbly the most.
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Fresh Press is a weekly publication of Wine Press Northwest magazine. In each edition, we review recently released wines from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho. Feel free to forward to your wine-loving friends and family. For more information on our tasting methods and review process, please go to the last page.
Spotlight: Sparkling wineWhen it comes to celebrating, few wines in
the Northwest are more affordable, available and worthy than the sparklers from Domaine Ste. Michelle.
This summer, Rick Casqueiro observed his 15th anniversary as winemaker of Ste. Michelle’s sparkling wine house in Paterson, Wash.
Remarkably, perhaps the turning point for Domaine Ste. Michelle came during Casqueiro’s third vintage with Ste. Michelle, just before the 1998 harvest. Each summer, then-CEO Allen Shoup and then-marketing executive Ted Baseler would gather their winemakers in Yakima for a weekend of golf, dining, relaxation and meetings.
“At that time we were using Riesling as the primary component in the cuvée,” Casqueiro said. “I remember we were in this small restaurant, and Allen sitting across the table from me and Ted was next to me. They asked me what I wanted to do, and I told them I wanted to change the base blends — I wanted to make a traditional cuvée with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and leave the Riesling out. If they wanted to do Riesling by itself, that’s fine, but if we were going to compete with the folks in California, I said we needed to working with the traditional Champagne grapes.
“A week later, Pete Bachman, who was my boss at the time, said, ‘OK, you got your way.’”
The transition — and the timing — brought immediate results, and Casqueiro’s wines earned gold medals and lofty scores from competitions and publications.
“In 1997 and 1998, the marketing department kept asking when they could send samples to Wine Spectator, and I wanted them to wait until we have the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as part of the vinification,” Casqueiro sad. “Then in 1999, I told them to go ahead and submit the samples. It was the perfect timing with our new packaging and the millennium coming.”
Most of the Domaine Ste. Michelle wines can be found for $12 or less. At that price, they are wines to be enjoyed virtually every day of the week. But they also are among the most versatile and food-friendly wines on the market.
“They are food-friendly not just because of the acidity, the neutrality and the texture, but it’s the type of wine critic Dan Berger could like because it is low in alcohol,” Casqueiro said.
And while some winemakers seem to talk in whispers if they rely on Yakima Valley grapes for their wines, Casqueiro has come to boast about the Northwest’s oldest American Viticultural Area.
“It’s the AVA that’s close to perfect for me, and it’s the baseline for my sparkling wines,” he said. “I bring my grapes in at 18 to 20 brix and the Yakima Valley tends to give me the acidity that’s ideal and the pH is perfect for sparkling wine. And that diversity is what makes Washington state such a remarkable place for a winemaker. We make not only dynamite Cab, Syrah and Merlot, but we can make dynamite sparkling wine.”
He sources the Yakima Valley for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Upland Vineyard on Snipes Mountain and Airport Ranches and Olsen vineyards near Prosser.
And his high-end Luxe, — Domaine Ste. Michelle’s only vintage sparkling wine — features little-known Heily Vineyard near the city of Yakima.
“From his vineyard in Terrace Heights I can see Mount Rainier and Mount Adams,” Casqueiro said. “We started working with that vineyard exclusively for the 1997 vintage, and we’ve kept it under the radar on purpose.”
Spotlight: Sparkling winePopularity and production of Luxe soon followed,
prompting him to incorporate fruit from Ste. Michelle’s Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills and Four Feathers near the famed Cold Creek Vineyard for his “halo” wine. Indeed, the Luxe is aged in the bottle 5½ years prior to its release, but that inaugural vintage didn’t make it to the market.
“I didn’t release it,” Casqueiro said. “I didn’t like it. It was a little too rough. The ’98 (Luxe) was the first one I was happy with.”
Along the way, DSM has stopped making its tasty Frizzante, which was the sweetest sparkler at 4.3% residual sugar. Now, the Extra Dry is the sweetest in the portfolio at 2.3%.
The rest of the lineup hovers around 1%. Certainly, the dosage — the sweet addition after the wine has been aged — determines the final residual sweetness. Grape harvest for sparkling wines comes earlier than all others because acidity is the most important factor.
Casqueiro instructs his growers to shoot for 5-7 tons per acre, resulting in brix levels of 18-20. Most varietal wines begin with grapes at a ripeness of 24 brix. Harvest typically starts around Aug. 12 at Canoe Ridge and concludes at Heily near Labor Day.
His background with making sparkling wine did not come from the Champagne region of France but rather in the trenches of the California. And compared to his former life, lording over Domaine Ste. Michelle is a breeze.
“At Weibel, we were the second-largest sparkling wine producer in the U.S., if you counted everything,” Casqueiro said. “We were making 650,000 cases at Webiel. At Domaine Ste. Michelle, it’s roughly 300,000 cases.”
Bankruptcy at Weibel Family Vineyards & Winery prompted Casqueiro to leave California and look for work in Washington. He landed at Coventry Vale and worked the 1994 and 1995 harvests for the Wyckoff family’s custom-crush winery in the Yakima Valley. There, he worked with Juergen Grieb, who recently resigned from Coventry Vale to launch his new and highly successful Treveri Sparkling Wine Cellars.
“When I sold myself to Wyckoff, I pointed out that I had worked six years at my first winery and 16 years at Weibel,” Casqueiro said. “I told them, I was not a transient winemaker. ‘You don’t have to worry about me jumping ship.’ ”
Before long, Domaine Ste. Michelle invited him to interview to be Allan Pangborn’s replacement.
“When I first got there and saw all the barrels, I’m sure my jaw hit the floor,” Casqueiro said. “Oh my god! Look at all this stuff they get to work with.”
Indeed, he’s come a long way from his days fresh out of Cal-State Heyward (now Cal-State East Bay), armed with a chemistry degree. He spent six years at small family winery in Pleasanton making jug wines that were fortified and sold exclusively to Brooklyn, N.Y.
“I worked with cement tanks and a still, and the winery was on a railroad spur,” Casqueiro recalled. “I bottled them in ½ gallon and gallon jugs and put them on a boxcar bound for New York. I was a one-man show in the lab and UC Davis and Fresno State were just starting put out winemakers.”
Next was Weibel in Mission San Jose.“That was one of the last wineries that was making
everything,” he said. “There were three sherries, and dry and sweet vermouth, something that was like a Grand Marnier, a whole array of sparkling wines and varietal wines for Hilton Hotels. At one point, we were making 1 million cases a year.”
At age 61, Casqueiro says he’s fortunate to have experienced the emergence of the two largest wine producing states in the country — first California and now Washington.
“I’ve been doing this since 1972, and I’m still finding new situations that I have to resolve,” he said. “I’ve watched the industry grow and I’ve watched it with excitement. I’ve watched the Washington State University wine program grow, and I’m excited to see what it’s going to do for the wine industry here.
“It’s the frontier, and when I was in California I was part of the frontier down there,” he continued. “When I started, it was Burgundy, Sauternes and Chablis, and they were just starting to come up with varietal wine.”
In the meantime, he’s not at all surprised to see Grieb succeeding with sparkling wine made with and labeled as Riesling. After all, the collaboration of Bob Bertheau, Ernst Loosen and Wendy Stuckey continues to transform Chateau Ste. Michelle.
“Sparkling Burgundy. Sparkling Riesling. Sparkling Chenin Blanc. I’ve made them all,” Casqueiro said with a chuckle. “Look at what Bob’s doing. I’d be happy to keep living off the coattails of Chateau Ste. Michelle as the world’s largest producer of Riesling. It would be one more thing for our portfolio and we could say, ‘Look at this sparkling Riesling from Washington!”
1 Spotlight: Sparkling wineOutstanding! 8th Generation Vineyard 2010 Confidence Frizzante-style Rosé, Okanagan Valley, $23. This winery north of Penticton, B.C., is one of the Okanagan Valley’s most exciting young producers. It is operated by Bernd and Stefanie Schales, whose family winemaking history goes back eight and 10 generations respectively. This pink sparkler is 75% Pinot Noir and 100% delicious. It opens with aromas of strawberries and raspberries, followed by flavors of delicious fresh fruit that is beautifully balanced. It is superb with great length. (418 cases, 12.1% alc.)Outstanding! Argyle Winery 2007 Brut, Willamette Valley, $27. Winemaker Rollin Soles uses mostly Chardonnay (63%) with Pinot Noir from two estate vineyards to craft this dry and delicious sparkler. It opens with aromas of big tropical fruit, tart apples and lemons. On this palate, this opens with beautiful flavors without being overbearing. It reveals harmonious notes of fresh bread and rich orchard fruit, all backed with great acidity. (11,620 cases, 12.5% alc.)Recommended. Domaine Krieger NV Brut, Willamette Valley, $24. This is a second label for longtime Yamhill County winery Kramer Vineyards, which already has a strong reputation for making bubbly from such grapes as Müller-Thurgau. This is a classic style of sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay and crafted in the “methode traditionnelle” style. It combines grapes from the 2006 and 2007 vintages. It opens with aromas of lemon zest, caramel and vanilla, followed by flavors of apples, sweet limes, yellow grapefruits and Asian pears. (247 cases, 12% alc.)Excellent. Best Buy! Domaine Ste. Michelle NV Blanc de Blancs, Columbia Valley, $12. Domaine Ste. Michelle winemaker Rick Casqueiro grew up in California’s Bay Area and worked at a variety of Golden State wineries before emigrating north to take over Domaine Ste. Michelle’s winemaking duties in 1996. Since his arrival, the brand has grown exponentially in size and quality. This white bubbly is crafted from 100% Chardonnay and is a pretty dry wine. It opens with aromas of buttered toast, yellow grapefruits, sandalwood, quince, tangerines and white pepper. The palate shows off refined bubbles backing up a plethora of flavors, including luscious citrus. This will pair beautifully with shellfish, chicken, pasta with a cream sauce or a plate of soft cheeses. (32,640 cases, 11.5% alc.)Outstanding! Best Buy! Domaine Ste. Michelle NV Brut Rosé, Columbia Valley, $12. For many years, Rick Casqueiro’s best wine has been the Blanc de Noirs, a sparkling rosé made from 100% Washington
Pinot Noir (!). It will continue to be, though with a new moniker. DSM’s Blanc de Noirs will change to Brut Rosé in February, when the freshly renamed wine heads to distribution channels. Expect to see Blanc de Noirs on labels for a few months during the transition — but also expect to see no difference in quality, as the name change is purely aesthetic. As has become a tradition, we granted this wine our top rating under blind conditions. It opens with classic Champagne notes of toast, yeast, pecan pie, apricots and white strawberries. On the palate, it is bright and dry with flavors of Granny Smith apples, yellow grapefruits, lychee and peach pie. We love this wine with oysters, as well as spicy Indian and Thai dishes. (17,700 cases, 10.5% alc.)Excellent. Best Buy! Domaine Ste. Michelle NV Brut, Columbia Valley, $12. How Rick Casqueiro manages to make nearly 200,000 cases of this superb sparkling wine is a modern mystery — and will remain so because the winemaker for DSM is loathe to share secrets. For this wine, he blended Chardonnay (88%) with Pinot Noir to craft a bubbly that is remarkable in quality and value. It opens with exotic aromas of sandalwood, bay rum, lychee, fresh ginger, Gala apples and spun sugar. On the palate, the mild (1.19%) residual sugar melds with flavors of watermelons, minerals and rangpur limes. We like this wine on its own as a celebratory sparkler, but we could also see pairing it with mussels, clams, calamari or oysters. (191,000 cases, 11.5% alc.)Outstanding! Best Buy! Domaine Ste. Michelle NV Extra Dry, Columbia Valley, $12. This is DSM’s sweetest bubbly and a favorite for weddings because it is pleasing to a broad range of palates (translation: Your grandma will love it). Like the DSM Brut, it is a blend of 88% Chardonnay and 12% Pinot Noir, though the residual sweetness is a bit higher at 2.3%. It opens with aromas of minerals, dusty apples, a hint of toasted marshmallows and premium vanilla ice cream. On the palate, it explodes with flavors of Jonagold apples, ginger, oranges, limes and pears. We love this wine with a wide variety of dishes, from sushi to barbecued pork to Kung Pao chicken. It’s an opulent wine. (51,919 cases, 11.5% alc.)Excellent. Pacific Rim Winemakers NV White Flowers Sparkling Riesling, Yakima Valley, $16. Winemaker Nicolas Quille has had a lot of fun making this sparkling Riesling, and it has been an incredible hit for the West Richland, Wash., winery. This opens with classic aromas of lemons, apples and pears, followed by pure flavors of citrus and orchard fruit. There is just a hint of toasty, yeasty flavors to provide a sophisticated finish. (4,200 cases, 11.5% alc.)
All wines reviewed here are tasted blind after being submitted by producers. They are rated Outstanding, Excellent and Recommended by a tasting panel.
Outstanding: These wines have superior characteristics and should be highly sought after.
Excellent: Top-notch wines with particularly high qualities.
Recommended: Delicious, well-made wines with true varietal characteristics.
Best Buy: A wine that is $15 or less.Priced are suggested retail and should be used as
guidelines. Prices are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.
Wine ratings
Excellent. Ste. Chapelle Best Buy! NV Sparkling Riesling, American, $9. Idaho’s largest and oldest winery also is its leader in sparkling wine, and this is made from the Gem State’s signature grape. It offers aromas of bright apples, white peaches and oranges, followed by flavors of pears and tropical fruit. Its ample acidity balances the 3% residual sugar, leading to a beautiful and memorable finish. (3,000 cases, 11.5% alc.)Outstanding! Treveri Cellars NV Blanc de Blanc Demi-sec Gewürztraminer, Columbia Valley, $17. Owner and winemaker Juergen Grieb turns to his German roots for this off-dry wine that uses an unusual variety for a sparkling wine — and it’s magnificent. It opens with gorgeous and classic aromas of rose water, lychee, tropical fruit and candied orange peel, followed by flavors of grapefruit, lemon zest, cloves and lychee. It captures the essence of the grape without giving up any acidity. (500 cases, 12% alc.)Outstanding! Best Buy! Treveri Cellars NV Blanc de Blanc Extra-Sec Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley, $15. This is the first release from Juergen Grieb young winery, and it is a stunner with expressive lemon and pear aromas that invite further exploration.
On the mouth, this opens with creamy, intense flavors of honey and fresh-off-the-tree orchard fruit. It’s a beautifully crafted bubbly. (500 cases, 12% alc.)Excellent. Tru Cellars NV Blanc de Blanc, Washington, $47. One of the few wines not part of the Walla Walla Valley legacy is bubbly, but Chad Diltz is going out of his way to change that, making sparkling wine his signature. This opens with gorgeous aromas of orchard fruit and toast, followed by an entry of creamy flavors that lead to notes of Granny Smith apples and a long, robust finish. (200 cases, 12% alc.)Outstanding! Westport Winery 2009 Going Coastal Sparkling Gewürztraminer, Washington, $35. Dana Roberts continues to craft first-rate wines for his family winery on the Washington coast, and this bubbly made from an unusual variety for the style is impressive. It opens with classic Gewürztraminer aromas of cloves, grapefruits, lychee and ripe apples. At 3% residual sugar, this shows a bit of sweetness along with flavors of rose water, orange zest and big apple notes on the finish. It’s a charming and fascinating bubbly with a great name. (222 cases, 11% alc.)
1New releases we’ve tastedCabernet SauvignonExcellent. Anelare 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $44. This winery with tasting locations in Kennewick and Spokane provides special access to its members, though some of the wines are available to anybody who stops by for a tasting. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon uses grapes from Gamache, Weinbau and West Hills vineyards and opens with aromas of black fruit, shoe leather, cherries, chocolate and mint. On the palate, this is an intense wine with flavors of black cherries, boysenberries cherry cola, black currants and black licorice. This is a boldly structured wine that should age well for the next decade or more. (90 cases, 14.1% alc.)
Excellent. Best Buy! Snake River Winery 2008 Arena Valley Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Snake River Valley, $15. Idaho’s Snake River Valley offers some fascinating natural advantages for viticulture. First and foremost is the elevation. Many of the vineyards are above 2,500 feet (compared with less than 1,000 feet for many Washington vineyards), which means the grapes have a better chance of retaining all-important acidity. The grapes for this wine came from one of Idaho’s top vineyards, Arena Valley, which is the estate vineyard for Snake River Winery. This opens with aromas of black olives, leather, cola, black currants and oregano. On the palate, it reveals flavors of cherries, white chocolate and bright red fruit. It’s a beautifully balanced red wine with medium body and bright acidity. (315 cases, 13.8% alc.)
MerlotOutstanding! Best Buy! Columbia Crest 2009 Two Vines Merlot, Washington, $8. This vintage was the first of three difficult weather years in Washington’s Columbia Valley. In 2009, a freak frost Oct. 10 ended the growing season about three weeks earlier than usual. Fortunately, Merlot is an early ripener, and the grapes for this large-production wine were harvested in the third week of September. Any way you look at this wine, it’s superb. Add in the price (which will be a couple of dollars lower depending on the retailer), and you are holding a bottle that will serve most of your red wine needs. It opens with aromas of cherries, chocolate, mint, slate and subtle oak, followed by delicious flavors of cherry cola, sweet vanilla, raspberry jam and charming dark chocolate in the finish. At around $75 per case, you can make this your midweek house red. (116,000 cases, 13.5% alc.)
SyrahExcellent. Anelare 2009 Syrah, Columbia Valley, $39. Winemaker Victor Cruz made his reputation a
decade ago with this variety for his own label, Cañon de Sol, and he continues the tradition of crafting world-class Syrah for Anelare, a winery in Kennewick, Wash. This small-production wine uses grapes from Gamache and West Hills vineyards, and it shows aromas of Italian plums, blackberries and black olives, which lead to flavors of juicy, jammy dark fruit, black tea, black cherries and boysenberries, as well as delicious dark chocolate on the finish. (91 cases, 13.8% alc.)Excellent. Columbia Crest 2008 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Reserve Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, $20. When the Northwest’s largest winery decides to carve out a wine and put your vineyard’s name on it, you have to figure you have something pretty special. But the Andrews family, which has farmed land in the Horse Heaven Hills since just after World War II, already knows that. In fact, most of the grapes from this vineyard go to Columbia Crest and then-head winemaker Ray Einberger wanted to showcase them in this limited bottling. It opens with aromas of blackberries, boysenberries and classic Côte-Rôtie gaminess, along with graphite and pencil shavings. On the palate, this reveals remarkable acidity, thanks in part to the vineyard’s elevation. It also shows off flavors of black licorice, blackberries, black tea, huckleberries and a sprinkling of cocoa. (400 cases, 14.2% alc.)
Cabernet FrancRecommended. DiStefano Winery 2007 Sogno, Columbia Valley, $25. This Woodinville, Wash., winery helped break ground when it began producing Cabernet Franc as a single variety bottling in 1997. Its theme of high-toned red fruit includes cassis and strawberry, and it’s balanced by a strong thread of tannin. Just underneath are strips of cedar and a pinch of oregano. (580 cases, 15.5% alc.)
SangioveseExcellent. Snake River Winery 2009 Arena Valley Vineyard Estate Sangiovese, Snake River Valley, $20. One of the prettiest vineyards in the Pacific Northwest is Arena Valley, owned by Scott and Susan DeSeelhorst, proprietors of Snake River Winery. The vineyard is in the shape of a half-bowl and sits above the Snake River west of Caldwell near the town of Wilder. This beautiful Sangiovese opens with aromas of pomegranates, red plums, cranberries and black cherries, followed by expressive flavors of cherries, chocolate and even a hint of lime. The focus of this wine is on fruit and acidity, with tannin and oak playing mere complementary roles on the palate. (215 cases, 13.6% alc.)
1New releases we’ve tastedRed blendsOutstanding! Anelare 2009 Nonna Viola, Columbia Valley, $29. This boutique winery in Kennewick, Wash., has a history of crafting small levels of high-quality wine, thanks to the winemaking prowess of Victor Cruz, owner of Cañon de Sol. This is a blend of Syrah (66%), Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon (17% each) using grapes from several top vineyards, including Gamache, Weinbau and Goose Ridge. It opens with aromas of ripe blackberries, vanilla, roasted black pepper and cedar, followed by plush flavors of blackberry ice cream, blueberries and high-quality dark chocolate. It’s a beautifully balanced wine with plenty of acidity and tannin to back up the ample fruit. (300 cases, 13.9% alc.)
Excellent. DiStefano Winery 2008 Meritage, Columbia Valley, $20. Mark Newton’s blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Cabernet Franc (20%), Merlot (19%) and Petit Verdot leads with aromas of boysenberry, pomegranate and blueberry, backed by scents of charcoal and shoe leather. There’s a sweet entry of blueberry on the palate, followed by more boysenberry, a pinch of moist earth and a squirt of huckleberry. It’s a big wine with lots of fruit, acidity and black tea tannins. No doubt it’s featured regularly by George Stevenson, the chef at winery’s new on-premise restaurant. (600 cases, 15% alc.)Excellent. Best Buy! Script & Seal 2008 Red, Washington, $13. This new label is part of Dusted Valley Vintners’ Blind Boar Wine Co. project, which essentially is a new brand for retailers, including Haggens and Top Foods. This is a negociant-style wine, meaning the guys at Dusted Valley had the wines custom-made to their specifications. It’s a blend that leads with Syrah that also includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It opens with aromas of boysenberries, pomegranates, blackberries, Swisher Sweets and even something that reminded us of a grape Tootsie Pop. On the palate, this is a lively wine that emphasizes balance. It reveals flavors of cranberries, red currants, Bing cherries and black olives. Regardless of price, it shows of a certain level of sophistication that may well surprise you. (4,200 cases, 13.9% alc.)
ChardonnayExcellent. Willamette Valley Vineyards 2010 Dijon Clone Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, $22. Winemaker Forrest Klaffke uses grapes from the Estate and Elton vineyards for this clone-designated Chardonnay. It is a delicious and elegant wine with aromas of pears, apples, minerals, honeysuckle and
spearmint, followed by approachable flavors of lemons, pineapples, limes, white peaches and Golden Delicious apples. Pair this with seared scallops, grilled halibut or baked chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce. (2,741 cases, 13% alc.)Excellent. Best Buy! Columbia Crest 2009 H3 Chardonnay, Horse Heaven Hills, $15. An amazing amount of work goes into the wines of Columbia Crest, and that shows in the bottle — if not the price. In this case, the Chardonnay for Crest’s second-tier label (between the Reserve and Grand Estates lines) goes through barrel fermentation — 38% in new oak — then every barrel is hand-stirred weekly for six months, an incredibly labor-intensive process. On the nose, it opens with aromas of lemons, pineapples, hazelnut cream and butter, followed by round, full flavors of butterscotch, butternut squash, Fuji apples and juniper berries. The oak intensity shows up in the nose and on the palate, but there’s plenty of acidity to lift the fruit. (36,000 cases, 13.5% alc.)Excellent. Columbia Crest 2009 Reserve Chardonnay, Horse Heaven Hills, $20. As the Northwest’s largest winery, Columbia Crest brings in grapes from throughout the vast Columbia Valley — which is 11 million acres in size and takes up about one-third of the entire state. But for this reserve wine, then-head winemaker Ray Einberger used grapes from Crest’s estate vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. These grapes were harvested just four days after an early freeze Oct. 10 effectively ended the 2009 growing season. This opens with aromas of lemons, butterscotch, mint, pears and butter. On the palate, it opens with flavors of lemon oil, apricots, pears, apples and lemon zest, as well as hints of papaya and pineapple. It’s a full-flavored wine with plenty of oak backing up the fruit. (200 cases, 14.4% alc.)
Excellent. Best Buy! Columbia Crest 2009 Two Vines Chardonnay, Washington, $8. The grapes for this high-production wine were picked a full three weeks prior to the killer frost that abruptly ended Washington’s wine grape harvest Oct. 10, 2009. As one might expect from this value-priced Chardonnay, it’s bright, refreshing and shows little oak, emphasizing instead ample fruit and bright acidity. This opens with aromas of apples, pears, mint leaf and lemon oil, followed by delicious flavors of Granny Smith apples, Asian pears and a touch of creaminess on the midpalate. This is an easy-drinking wine that will pear nicely with seafood, chicken in a cream sauce or pasta tossed with roasted vegetables. (195,000 cases, 13.5% alc.)
1New releases we’ve tastedPinot GrisExcellent. Best Buy! Erath Winery 2009 Pinot Gris, Oregon, $14. Pinot Gris overtook Chardonnay as Oregon’s No. 1 white grape in 2000, bucking the national trend. Today, Oregon produces about three times as much Pinot Gris as Chardonnay. While Erath is far from the largest, it is a pretty major player with this bottling. This opens with aromas of lemons, peaches and a hint of toast, followed by flavors of yellow grapefruits, ripe peaches, oranges and slate. It’s a bright wine, perfect for shellfish or halibut. (16,000 cases, 13.5% alc.)
Multi-state appellations Columbia Valley: This multi-state appellation is 11
million acres in size and takes up a third of Washington. Established in 1984.
Columbia Gorge: This multi-state appellation begins around the town of Lyle and heads west to Husum on the Washington side of the Columbia River. It was established in 2004.
Walla Walla Valley: Walla Walla Valley: This multi-state appellation is in the southeast corner of Washington and around Milton-Freewater, Ore. Established in 1984.
Snake River Valley: This is in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon. It covers 8,263 square miles and was established in 2007.
WashingtonYakima Valley: The Northwest’s oldest appellation
(established in 1983) stretches past Wapato in the west to Benton City in the east and includes Red Mountain, Rattlesnake Hills and Snipes Mountain.
Red Mountain: Washington’s smallest appellation is a ridge in the eastern Yakima Valley. It is 4,040 acres in size. Established in 2001.
Horse Heaven Hills: This large appellation — 570,000 acres — is south of the Yakima Valley and stretches to the Oregon border. It was established in 2005.
Wahluke Slope: Approved in early 2006, this huge landform north of the Yakima Valley is an 81,000-acre gravel bar created by the Ice Age Floods. It is one of the warmest regions in the entire Pacific Northwest. Established in 2006.
Rattlesnake Hills: This appellation is in the western Yakima Valley north of the towns of Zillah, Granger and Outlook. The appellation is 68,500 acres in size with about 1,300 acres of vineyards. It was established in 2006.
Puget Sound: This sprawling appellation is in Western Washington. It stretches from the Olympia area to the Canadian border north of Bellingham. It also sweeps through the San Juan Islands and to Port Angeles. Established in 1995.
Snipes Mountain: This is one of Washington’s oldest wine-growing regions. At 4,145 acres in size, it is the state’s second-smallest AVA. Grapes have been grown on Snipes Mountain and at the adjacent Harrison Hill (also part of the AVA) since 1914. This AVA is within the Yakima Valley appellation and was approved in 2009.
Lake Chelan: This area in north-central Washington is almost entirely within the Columbia Valley. It is a young area, with the oldest vines dating to 1998. About 250 acres are planted here. It was approved in 2009.
OregonWillamette Valley: Oregon’s largest appellation stretches
roughly from Portland to Eugene. Established in 1984.
Ribbon Ridge: This is the Northwest’s smallest appellation at 3,350 acres. It is best known for its Pinot Noir and is within the Chehalem Mountains AVA. It was established in 2005.
Yamhill-Carlton: This is a horseshoe-shaped appellation that surrounds the towns of Yamhill and Carlton. It was established in 2005. The “District” was dropped in 2011.
Chehalem Mountains: This is the largest within the Willamette Valley. This 62,100-acre appellation is northeast of the Dundee Hills. It was established in 2006.
Dundee Hills: Many of Oregon’s pioneer wineries are in the Dundee Hills within Oregon’s Yamhill County. The appellation is 6,490 acres in size. It was established in 2005.
Eola-Amity Hills: This important region stretches from the town of Amity in the north to the capital city of Salem in the southeast. It is 37,900 acres in size. It was established in 2006.
McMinnville: The hills south and west of the Yamhill County city of McMinnville are more than 40,000 acres in size. It was established in 2005.
Umpqua Valley: This Southern Oregon appellation surrounds the city of Roseburg north of the Rogue Valley. It can produce Pinot Noir as well as warm-climate grapes. It was established in 1984.
Rogue Valley: The Northwest’s southern-most appellation surrounds the cities of Medford and Ashland, just north of the California border. It is known for its warm growing conditions. Established in 2001.
Applegate Valley: This small valley within the Rogue Valley is known for a multitude of microclimates that can result in wines of distinction and complexity. Established in 2004.
Southern Oregon: This AVA encompasses the Umpqua, Rogue and Applegate valleys and Red Hill Douglas County. It was established in 2005.
Red Hill Douglas County: This tiny appellation — just 5,500 acres — is within the Umpqua Valley. Fewer than 200 acres of wine grapes, primarily Pinot Noir, are grown here. Established in 2005.
British ColumbiaOkanagan Valley: In the province’s interior, this 100-
mile valley stretches from the border in Osoyoos to Salmon Arm in the north. Most wineries are near Oliver, Penticton and Kelowna. It was established in 1990.
Similkameen Valley: This warm valley is west of the southern Okanagan Valley. It was established in 1990.
Vancouver Island: This marine-influenced appellation is in the southwest part of the province. Established in 1990.
Fraser Valley: This farming area is in the Lower Mainland, south of Vancouver. Established in 1990.
Gulf Islands: This appellation includes approximately 100 islands spread out between Vancouver Island and the southern mainland. Established in 2005.
Recent Releases are evaluated under strict conditions to ensure objectivity. Northwest wineries submit wines to Wine Press Northwest for evaluation by Wine Press Northwest’s tasting panel. After wines are received, they are stored for at least two weeks and a third party serves them “blind,” meaning the tasting panelists do not know the producer. In addition, the panelists are served glasses of wine and are not able to view the bottles or their shapes prior to tasting. Wines are stored in temperature-controlled conditions, allowing them to be served at perfect cellar temperatures.
Price is not a consideration in these evaluations, nor is a winery’s advertising activity with Wine Press Northwest, as the magazine’s editorial/wine evaluation activities and advertising/marketing efforts are kept strictly separate.
The panel has a combination of technical and consumer palates. If at least three of the four panelists consider a wine technically sound and commercially acceptable, it is included here as “Recommended.” The panel may also vote the wine as “Excellent” or “Outstanding,” our top rating. Wines considered
unacceptable by the panel are rejected and not included. Reviews are grouped by variety or style and listed alphabetically by winery. Prices listed are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.
To ensure we maintain an international perspective, our tasting panelists judge thousands of wines annually at various competitions, including: Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition, Riverside International Wine Competition, Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, Indy International Wine Competition, Virginia Governor’s Cup, Sonoma County Harvest Fair, Grand Harvest Awards, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru, Washington State Wine Competition, Seattle Wine Awards, Northwest Wine Summit, British Columbia Wine Awards, New York Wine and Grape Foundation Competition, Tri-Cities Wine Festival, Capital Food & Wine Fest, North Central Washington Wine Awards and Idaho Wine Competition.
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Wine Press Northwest is a quarterly consumer magazine that focuses on the wine regions of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho.
