Dutton-Goldfield

Happy 4th of July from Washington Wine Blog! Today we have a very special feature from a Sonomaproducer that specializes in great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In 1998 colleagues Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield decided to start a winery together. Steve Dutton is a 5th generation farmer while Dan has a background in chemistry and later completed the illustrious UC Davis program in winemaking. He had stints at Robert Mondavi and even made wine in Portugal for two years before coming back to California and taking on this project.

I’ve enjoyed Dutton-Goldfield ‘Dutton Ranch’ Chardonnays many years. They appeal with their rich and buttery texture as Dutton Ranch sources from some of the choicest fruit out of Sonoma. The new releases at Dutton-Goldfield impressed. I was particularly impressed with their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay offerings. Their 2013 Dutton Goldfield  ‘Emerald Ridge’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 91) was an earthy offering that exhibited a fruity profile with nice balance. Their 2014 Dutton Goldfield ‘Dutton Ranch’ Chardonnay (WWB, 92) also impressed with the rich and buttery profile. This is a Chard that will cellar beautifully, as I’ve cellared a number of these ‘Dutton Ranch’ Chardonnays in the past and I have found them to pick up some really nice secondary characteristics.  Many of these wines are not distributed to the Northwest, so you might have to purchase them on the Dutton-Goldfield website (http://www.duttongoldfield.com). Some of these wines can be found at Total Wines as well as some specialty Northwest wine shops. Here are the new releases from Dutton-Goldfield:

2014 Dutton-Goldfield ‘Chileno Valley’ Riesling- aromas of orange blossoms, honeysuckle, red delicious apple, lemongrass and grapefruit. There are flavors of lychee, red delicious apple, and hints of pink grapefruit. Drink 2016-2022- 90

2014 Dutton-Goldfield ‘Dry’ Gewurtztraminer- This interesting summer wine begins with aromas of lychee, grapefruit blossoms and mandarin orange. There are flavors of white grapefruit, Pazzaz apple, ripe pear and cantaloupe. Drink 2016-2021- 90

2013 Dutton-Goldfield ‘Angel Camp’ Pinot Noir-The Pinot begins with aromatics of red cherry, lavender, Shitake mushroom and forest floor. There are ripe flavors of red cherry, red raspberry and black truffle. Lovely weight. Drink 2016-2023- 91

2013 Dutton-Goldfield ‘Fox Den Vineyard’ Pinot Noir-This wine opens with aromatics reminiscent of clove, red cherry, red raspberry and cran-pomegranate. The wine has flavors of red cherry, cranberry, pomegranate seed and hints of nutmeg. Lovely acidity. Drink 2016-2023- 90

2013 Dutton-Goldfield ‘Emerald Ridge’ Pinot Noir- This wine starts with aromatics of nutmeg, black truffle, and pomegranate. There are fruity flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, black truffle and a cranberry edge. Drink 2016-2026- 91

2013 Dutton-Goldfield ‘Morelli Lane’ Zinfandel-This wine starts with aromas of boysenberry preserves, red cherry, and sassafras. There are medium weight flavors of prune, red cherry preserves and hints of dill. This is a balanced style of Zin. Drink 2016-2022-90

2013 Dutton-Goldfield ‘Walker Hill Vineyard’ Chardonnay-The delicious Chardonnay wine starts with aromas of nutmeg, Gala Apple and creme brûlée. There are flavors of Meyer lemon oil, creme brulee, roasted pineapple and a long cream finish.  Drink 2016-2024- 92

2014 Dutton-Goldfield ‘Dutton Ranch’ Chardonnay- This wine starts with aromas of Granny Smith apple, poached pear and nutmeg. There are dense flavors of Gravenstein apple, unripe pear, nutmeg with accents of creme brûlée. There is lovely balance and an exotic edge to this Chardonnay that will cellar beautifully and pick up some nice secondary characteristics into the next decade. Drink 2016-2024- 92

Caymus Vineyards

A winery known for extraordinary Cabernet, Caymus Vineyards has gained worldwide prestige for their Cabernet wines. Caymus Vineyards has been in the Napa Valley for decades. Chuck Wagner and his children continue the Napa Valley family winemaking legacy that can be traced back over 150 years and eight generations. Chuck’s parents, Lorna Belle Glos and Charlie Wagner, were both born to families that helped shape Napa Valley’s wine industry in the late 1800’s.  Facing numerable problems including rootvine decline and Prohibition in the 1920s, the Wagners finally replanted grapes in the 1960s, including Cabernet. Their 1973 Cabernet caught attention of wine critics. Then in 1989, Wine Spectator awarded Caymus the “Top Wine of the Year Award” for their 1984 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, and again awarded them five years later for their 1990 vintage.  Caymus ‘Special Selection ‘Cabernet Sauvignon is the only wine in the world twice honored as "Wine of the Year" by Wine Spectator Magazine.

I have had bottlings of ‘Special Selection’ for more than a decade and the last two releases of this wine are up there with the best bottlings that I have sampled. The latest effort, the 2013 Caymus ‘Special Selection’ Cabernet (WWB, 95) was a heavyhitter of a wine that is an intense and exotic treat that really needs at least another year in the bottle. For a slightly less full-throttle effort but still decadent, the 2014 Caymus Cabernet (WWB, 93) is one for Cabernet lovers and shows incredible range of black fruit and aromatics. Here are the fantastic new release Cabernet wines by Caymus. Learn more about Caymus at caymus.com

2014 Caymus Cabernet- The 2014 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon follows up the past two highly impressive releases from this estate. Coming from another hot vintage, this wine is a blend of eight Napa sub-appelations and displays the rich fruit flavors that Caymus has been known for. This plush and silky Cabernet opens with aromatics of black cherry, tar, clove and creme de cassis. This leads to ripe flavors of creme de cassis, anise, black olive, mocha, pipe tobacco and blueberry compote. The wine has an exceedingly plush texture and gorgeous mouthfeel as there is a wonderful array of dark fruit flavors at play. This has some very good cellaring potential and will drink beautifully for the next twenty years. Drink 2016-2035- 93

2013 Caymus 'Special Selection' Cabernet -The 2013 Caymus 'Special Selection' Cabernet Sauvignon is a memorable wine that shows the heat of an epic vintage for Napa Cabernet. Initially aromatically subdued, this wine needs a one hour decant to better assert itself. This intense wine starts with aromatics of mocha, tar, sagebrush, black cherry and black plum. There are exceedingly deep flavors of anise, creme de cassis, coffee grounds, creosote and blackberry cobbler. The fruit weight is exceedingly broad and the plush texture coats the mid-palate. This is a massive, masculine Cabernet that isn't for the weary. Try to give this heavyhitter of a wine at least another year for the fruit to fully amalgamate. Drink 2017-2040- 95

HALL Wines

I have been visiting HALL for more than a decade it has become one of the go-to stops in Napa if you long for choice Cabernet. Katherine and Craig Hall acquired the historic St. Helena Bergfeld Winery in 2003 and re-opened as HALL St. Helena in July of that year. This winery’s location was previously home of the Napa Valley Co-Op, producing 40% of Napa Valley’s wines.  In 2013, The Hall family completed the restoration of the 1885 Bergfeld Winery and merged history and innovation with the completion of California’s first LEED® Gold Certified winery and a really cool gravity flow winemaking facility. HALL has more than 500 acres of estate vineyards, primarily growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc.

I was absolutely blown away with the quality of winemaking in the past two Cabernet vintages at HALL. A recent visit to HALL was highly impressive, none more so than the 2013 HALL ‘Howell Mountain’ Cabernet (WWB, 97) which is one of the finest new world wines that I have sampled in the past year. This massive Cabernet is a memorable wine that will cellar for decades. Also impressive was the absolutely gorgeous 2013 HALL ‘Diamond Mountain’ Cabernet (WWB, 96), that showcased incredible balance and poise, yet packed an incredible rich fruit core. Look for these absolutely fantastic wine releases at http://www.hallwines.com Here are the great new releases from HALL.

2014 HALL ‘T Bar Ranch’ Sauvignon Blanc-The Sauvignon Blanc wine has 25% Viognier blended in.  This wine starts with aromas of lemongrass, orange blossoms and Pink Lady apple. This leads to flavors reminiscent of starfruit, Meyer lemon oil, cantaloupe and Gala apple. Drink 2016-2022- 92

2013 WALT Gaps Crown Pinot Noir- This wine begins with aromatics of rose petals, prune, cherry cola and coriander. There are flavors of cola, black cherry, pipe tobacco and black raspberry with a hint of nutmeg. Drink 2016-2025- 93

2013 WALT ‘Shea Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The wine begins with aromas of mushroom, forest floor, wild blackberry and red cherry. There are flavors of red cherry, cranberry, Shitake mushroom and orange rind. The Pinot has some gorgeous weight and texture. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2012 HALL ‘Coeur’ Cabernet- This starts with aromas of wild blackberry, nutmeg, pipe tobacco and creme de cassis. There are rich flavors of blackberry preserves, creme de cassis, anise and mocha. This wine needs time for the tannins to soften. Drink 2017-2035- 94

2012 HALL ‘Jacks Masterpiece’ Cabernet- The wine is barrel selected from the choicest mountain fruit. The wine starts with aromas of dill, mocha, anise and creme de cassis. There are flavors of mocha, anise, creme de cassis, Turkish coffee and blackberry preserves. The wine has some moderate tannins and is currently needing more than two years in the cellar to unwind. Drink 2018-2035- 95

2013 HALL ‘Diamond Mountain’ Cabernet- This wine begins with aromatics of anise, Turkish coffee, milk chocolate and cassis. There are flavors of creme de cassis, Turkish coffee, anise and wild blackberry pie. This is exceedingly good with its opulent fruit and rich texture. Drink 2018-2040- 96

2012 HALL ‘Bergfeld St. Helena’ Cabernet- This balanced and rich Cabernet begins with aromatics of dill, mocha, anise and creme de cassis. There are flavors of mocha, creme de cassis, anise and blackberry pie. Intense and outrageously good wine that will cellar beautifully for many years. Drink 2018-2040- 95

2013 HALL ‘1873’ Cabernet- This dense Cabernet wine begins with aromas of blackberry, milk chocolate and Christmas spice. This leads to flavors of Turkish coffee, anise, creme de cassis and blackberry cobbler. This is highly tannic and intense right now, with gorgeous fruit weight and complexity. Drink 2018-2040- 95

2012 HALL 'Ellie's Cabernet- The wine starts with aromatics of milk chocolate, anise, blackberry pie and spicebox. There are rich flavors of milk chocolate, red cherry, anise and pipe tobacco. Drink 2017-2035- 92

2013 HALL 'Howell Mountain' Cabernet- This absolutely fabulous and intense wine begins with hedonistic aromas of milk chocolate, anise, creme de cassis, and Turkish coffee. The wine has uber-rich flavors of anise, mocha, blueberry compote and creme de cassis. There is incredible poise and complexity to this Cabernet that all leads to the long and lingering finish. One for the cellar. Drink 2017-2040- 97

DeLille Cellars

A few weeks back I had the great opportunity to try all the new release wines from DeLille Cellars. One of the longstanding Woodinville wineries, under famed winemaker Chris Upchurch, DeLille Cellars was the first winery in Washington to focus on creating Bordeaux style wine blends. The winery is very prominent on the Red Mountain AVA with its own 20 acre vineyard along with other top sites in the Yakima Valley. DeLille Cellars currently produces six Bordeaux-styled wines including Grand Ciel, Chaleur Estate Rouge, D2, Harrison Hill, Four Flags and Chaleur Estate Blanc. Growth has continued for DeLille the past few years. In 2013 Bacchus Capital Management provided significant growth capital to DeLille Cellars, which was first founded in 1992 by Charles and Greg Lill, Jay Soloff and Chris Upchurch. You can taste this great attention to detail in the glass.

Tasting with winemaker Jason Gorski, he talked about his latest vintage releases, as well as the exciting 2014 vintage for red wines. Some of the red wine barrel samples were exceedingly impressive, including the 2014 DeLille ‘Chaleur Estate Red (94-97) which showed intoxicating aromatics and rich viscosity on the mid-palate. Jason is following executive winemaker Chris Upchurch at DeLille, which is not an easy feat, but his new releases show his incredible attention to detail. The texture, viscosity, balance and rich fruit flavors in his wines show that Gorski is truly one of the best young winemakers in the state.

Tasting at the Carriage House in Woodinville is a great spot to enjoy these wines, as they have a fantastic outdoor area that is perfect for a great Seattle summer day. DeLille now has a super chic wine lounge in Kirkland called Maison DeLille Wine Lounge (http://www.delillecellars.com/MaisonDeLille), that has some of their great new releases by the glass, as well as small bites. I had a chance to stop in there the other day and was really impressed with their space, which adds a ton of value to the Kirkland downtown business district. Learn more about DeLille and their great wines at www.delillecellars.com Here are the great new release wines from DeLille.

 Barrel Samples:

 2015 DeLille Cellars Rousanne- ‘Barrel Sample’ (91-94)

 2014 DeLille Cellars ‘Signature’ Syrah ‘Barrel Sample’-(92-95)

 2014 DeLille Cellars ‘Grand Ciel’ Syrah ‘Barrel Sample’ (91-94)

 2014 DeLille Cellars 'Doyenne' ‘Barrel Sample’ (91-94)

 2014 DeLille Cellars D2- ‘Barrel Sample’ (92-95)

 2014 DeLille Cellars Merlot- ‘Barrel Sample’ (92-95)

 2014 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Red ‘Barrel Sample’ (94-97)

 New Wine Releases:

2014 DeLille Cellars Rousanne- The 2014 DeLille Cellars Roussanne is an exceptional bottling that showcases the exceptional Rhone fruit from the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. This wine begins with aromas of banana, lychee, cut grass and Gala apple. There are flavors of red delicious apple, Bartlett pear, starfruit and cantaloupe. Rich effort and nice balance. A tremendous effort in this very hot vintage. Drink 2016-2023- 93

2013 DeLille Cellars ‘Signature’ Syrah- The 2013 DeLille Cellars 'Signature' Syrah is a wonderful offering from this estate. Weighing in at 14.9% alcohol, this generous and open style Syrah begins with aromas of bacon fat, cassis, baking spices and black olive. This leads to flavors of black cherry, blackberry preserves, black olive and suggestions of black truffle. The texture is gorgeous and you beg for another sip with this intense combination of structure and fruit weight from this hot vintage. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2013 DeLille Cellars 'Grand Ciel' Syrah- The 2013 'Grand Ciel' Syrah is one of the most impressive Syrah bottlings that I've sampled from this estate and showcases the warmth and intensity of the vintage. With a glass-staining, inky hue, the wine begins with aromatics of black tea, Asian spices, blackberry preserves, smoked meats and roasted figs. This leads to deep flavors of blackberry jam, coffee grounds, mocha and black olive. Gorgeous and generous style wine. Drink 2016-2026- 94

2013 DeLille Cellars Merlot-This winery only Merlot is composed of DeLille's finest barrels of Merlot, according to the winemaker. The wine begins with aromas of prune, red cherry and red bell pepper with anise. This leads to flavors of red bell pepper, red cherry, black tea and black olive. This dense treat is impossible to resist right now. Drink 2016-2028-94

2013 DeLille Cellars 'Four Flags' Cabernet- The 2013 DeLille Cellars 'Four Flags' Cabernet follows up the highly impressive 2012 bottling and is sourced from the Grand Ciel, Upchurch, Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun vineyards. This wine begins with intense aromatics of black tea, Asian spices, dark chocolate and Turkish coffee grounds. The wine has rich flavors of mocha, blackberry cobbler, anise and creme de cassis with suggestions of black olive and creosote. This is exotic and memorable wine that will have a long life. Drink 2016-2031- 95

2013 DeLille Cellars 'Harrison Hill' Cabernet- The 2013 'Harrison Hill' Cabernet from DeLille is a stunner that will reward the patient drinker. The wine is a blend of 65% Cabernet, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This has aromatics of baking spices, mocha, coffee grounds and sagebrush. This leads to flavors of blackberry compote, loganberry preserves, mocha and leather. Lovely viscosity and minerality to this esteemed bottling. This is a polished, dense and layered treat that shows that DeLille's winemaking team are on top of their game. Try to resist this for at least another year. Drink 2017-2031- 95

2013 DeLille Cellars 'Chaleur Estate' Red Wine- The 2013 DeLille Cellars 'Chaleur Estate' Red Wine is a complex blend of 65% Cabernet with 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The wine has a bouquet of creme de cassis, mocha, black olive and black cherry. There are dense flavors of wild blackberry jam, black cherry, crushed Arabica beans, and creme de cassis. The mouthfeel is exceptional and voluptuous in this hot vintage red wine. Drink 2017-2031 - 94

Interview with Ron Bunnell, Owner and Head Winemaker of Bunnell Family Cellar

One of the big name winemakers in Washington, Ron Bunnell was the former head winemaker at Col Solare prior to starting his own winery, Bunnell Family Cellar. Originally from Memphis, he completed a degree in plant ecology from the University of Tennessee, and began working as a botanist. Like many eminent winemakers, Ron caught the wine bug and enrolled in the UC Davis viticulture program. He became enchanted by Napa Cabernet and then worked for famed wineries Charles Krug and Beringer before landing at Kendall-Jackson. Ron was then hired by Chateau St. Michelle in 1999 and took over their red wine program, including their Col Solare bottlings. Ron had wanted to have his own winery for many years, so in 2005 he took his chance and started Bunnell Family Cellar. Bunnell has tasting rooms both in Woodinville and Prosser. Their restaurant, Wine O' Clock (http://www.bunnellfamilycellar.com/Page.aspx?PageID=1003) is an absolutely fantastic stop for food in wine, with a marvelous outdoor patio to soak up the Eastern Washington sun.  I recently had the chance to sit down with Ron and talk about his fantastic Rhone style wines, as well as his background in winemaking. Learn more about Ron and his winery at www.bunnellfamilycellar.com/ Here is my interview with superstar winemaker, Ron Bunnell.

WWB: You have incredible range in your winemaking career, previously working at Kendall-Jackson to Beringer to Chateau St. Michelle and Col Solare. Can you talk about how some of your previous winemaking experiences have made you a better winemaker for Bunnell Family Cellar? Are there any particular people in wine that have influenced you and your winemaking?

RB: I was very fortunate to work for progressive, research oriented wine companies, which allowed me a steep learning curve early in my career. For instance, Beringer, Kendall-Jackson and Ste. Michelle all had extensive barrel evaluation programs. That experience has served me well in the small setting of our family winery. As Syrah program leader for Kendall-Jackson, I began my long association with my favorite grape variety. While Head Red Winemaker at Ste. Michelle, I established relationships with many of the growers in Washington. This has been invaluable in deciding which growers to work with at Bunnell Family Cellar.

There are many winemakers who have had a significant influence on my career. Patrick Leon, formerly of Georges Duboeuf and Chateau Mouton Rothschild, and Jean-Louis Mandrau of former winemaker at Chateau La Tour were both consultants during my years at Beringer Vineyards. Ed Sbragia, Winemaker Emeritus at Beringer was my friend and supervisor. Randy Ullom of Kendall-Jackson, Piero Antinori and Renzo Cotarella of Antinori and Col Solare have all been important influences.

WWB: Your 2009 Bunnell Family Cellar 'ALX' Syrah was a stunning wine that landed on my Top 100 wines of 2015 (http://www.washingtonwineblog.com/top-100#/2015-top-100/). Can you talk about the winemaking behind this rich, layered and decadent Syrah, that is named after your son, Alex?

RB: Conceptually, we wanted to segue from the three “Rhone” style blends we were making to two blends, one of which would be modeled after the Southern Rhone, Grenache based, style and the other, a Syrah-dominant Northern Rhone style. The French might use the terms “feminine” and “masculine” to describe these divergent styles. We named the feminine wine “LIA” after our daughter, and the masculine wine “ALX” after our son, Alex. The winemaking of ALX is an aggressively extractive fermentation, utilizing a minimum of four punch downs daily. In addition, we employ saigner method to concentrate the skin: juice ratio of the fermenting must. The rest is no secret, it takes great grapes to make great wine.

WWB: You source from a range of vineyards, everywhere from Lake Chelan (Gewurtztraminer) to Snipes Mountain (Aligote) to Red Mountain (Bordeaux blends). Can you talk about the incredible range of terroir that you work with and some emerging regions in Washington that you think have good potential?

RB: My tenure at Ste. Michelle exposed me to grape sources throughout the Columbia Valley. I have drawn on this experience to select specific vineyards and growers to work with. Today, I am especially excited about two new viticulture areas. The first is a corridor immediately adjacent to the Columbia River, just south of Lake Chelan, near Orondo. This corridor is quite warm and so can easily ripen Bordeaux and Rhone red varieties, but benefits from the moderating influence of the river. This area has historically been planted to apples, but is starting to be planted to grapes by a few pioneering growers. I am very excited by the 2015 first crop reds from Double D Vineyard, my client in this new area.

The second emerging area which I am focusing on is Painted Hills Vineyard on the north facing slope of the Horse Heaven Hills, south of Sunnyside in Yakima Valley. The site is outside the boundaries of both Horse Heaven AVA and Yakima Valley AVA. Like the Orondo site, this land has never been planted to grapes before. I have never seen such young Cabernet vines perform so well. I am also sourcing Malbec, Petit Verdot and Syrah from this vineyard.

WWB: At Bunnell Family Cellar you have gained a nationwide reputation for producing high quality Rhone varietals. Can you talk about some of the recent vintages, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and how these varietals fared in these warm vintages? Do you have any concerns regarding the frost during the winter of 2014 and the heat during the summer of 2015? Out of these three vintages which one do you feel has the best potential for red wines and which one has the best potential for white wines?

RB: Generally, warmer vintages in Washington yield excellent results over a wider range of varieties unless the heat events occur during critical periods of fruit development such as flowering and fruit set. Having said that, there are some Rhone varieties which I believe produce more interesting wines in cooler seasons, such as Grenache and Counoise in 2010 and 2011. The cooler weather and longer hang time aids in color development and aromatic complexity.  

Regarding cold events, I am always concerned about the long-term effects of cold events, whether they are early frost events which can harm vines not yet dormant or extreme winter temperatures which can kill the vines.  It is not always predictable, even if vine and buds survive a cold event, what the long-term damage is.

I am always reticent to predict the ultimate potential quality of a particular vintage because I have seen too many exceptions to such predictions. However, of the three most recent vintages, I am especially excited about the 2014 reds and 2015 whites.

WWB: When you are not enjoying your wines, what is typically in your glass? Any particular wines of the world or regions of the world that you gravitate towards?

RB: I tend to drink more red than white, and am a long-time fan of French Rhones, and Italian reds from Tuscany and Piedmonte. In the New World, I am enjoying Argentine Malbec.

Duckhorn Vineyards

One of the few new world wineries that has been made famous for Merlot, Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded Duckhorn Vineyards in 1976.  Duckhorn began with 800 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and 800 cases of Merlot in 1978, and began producing Sauvignon Blanc in 1982. There were very few wineries that were focusing on Merlot in the late 70s, as most Napa wineries were using Merlot as a blending grape, but Dan Duckhorn knew the grape’s potential from his travels to Bordeaux. The winery now leans on seven estate vineyards for their wines and makes some of the best Merlot in the valley.

In early 2014, Renée Ary became the fourth head winemaker for Duckhorn Vineyards winemakers that began with Tom Rinaldi in 1978. Her promotion came after 11 years after serving as both assistant and associate winemaker. Born and raised on the East Coast, Renée moved to California to attend Saint Mary’s College, where she earned a degree in chemistry and art. Fascinated by the intersection between science and an art, winemaking quickly became Renée’s passion, career and way of life. She began her winemaking career working in a lab at Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, where studied under famed head winemakers Genevieve Janssens, Steve Leveque and Richard Sowalsky. During that time she took classes in winemaking and viticulture at UC Davis and Napa Valley College.

In August of 2003, Renée joined the Duckhorn Vineyards team under then winemaker, Mark Beringer. Throughout her first decade at Duckhorn Vineyards, Renée learned every detail of production moving from lab manager to enologist to assistant winemaker to associate winemaker in charge of Duckhorn’s Sauvignon Blanc and Monitor Ledge Vineyard wines. I was very impressed with her new release wines. One of the big hits of the new releases was her 2014 Duckhorn Chardonnay (WWB, 92), a wine that showed rich fruit flavors but nice balance and moderate oak. This is a Chardonnay that will really appeal to those who enjoy some oak but want balance in their Chardonnay. Her 2013 Duckhorn ‘Three Palms Vineyard’ Merlot (WWB, 93) was a dense and layered Merlot – a real Cabernet lovers Merlot. This is one of the better Merlot releases that I have sampled from Napa in the past year. Finally, not to be missed was the 2012 Duckhorn ‘The Discussion’ Red Wine (WWB, 93), which showed nice balance and richness from a spectacular vintage.

Linus from the movie 'Sideways' was dead wrong. . . you have to check out these silky and rich Merlots that are some of the best in Napa. For more information on Duckhorn check out www.duckhorn.com/ Here are the great new releases from Duckhorn Vineyards.

2015 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc- This is a fantastic new release wine from Duckhorn who has developed a strong reputation for Sav Blanc. The wine is a blend of 79% Sauvignon Blanc and 21% Sémillon that was aged 5 months in 10% new French oak prior to bottling. This impressive hot vintage white wine starts with aromatics reminiscent of Pink Grapefruit blossom, freshly cut lime, green papaya and cut grass. There are flavors reminiscent of Mandarin orange, honeydew melon, and starfruit with a creamy finish that lingers. The winemaking is there as this is a really nice and structured effort considering the heat of the vintage. Drink 2016-2020- 91

2014 Duckhorn Chardonnay- Duckhorn has crafted an outstanding new release here with their 2014 Napa Valley Chardonnay. 90% of this wine was aged in 45% new French oak for 10 months prior to bottling. This wine starts with aromatics of mushroom, roasted pineapple, and Pazzaz apple with suggestions of vanilla cream and nutmeg. There are ripe flavors of starfruit, golden delicious apple, heavy whipping cream and creme caramel, with hints of marzipan. The rich palate leads to a wonderfully long vanilla cream finish that lingers for more than 30 seconds. Not for the weary, this has rather intense fruit and oak influence but in a good way. I could see this cellaring rather well and picking up nice secondary characteristics. Drink 2016-2023- 92

2013 Duckhorn Merlot- The 2013 Duckhorn 'Napa Valley' Merlot is another great effort from this estate. This wine begins with aromatics of black plum, black olive and black cherry with hints of eucalyptus. There are flavors of black cherry, roasted figs, coffee grounds and milk chocolate. This is delicious and open style Merlot that improves considerably with a one hour decant. There is nice richness with a seamless mouthfeel. Drink 2016-2028- 91

2013 Duckhorn 'Three Palms Vineyard' Merlot- Even better than their regular 'Napa Valley' designate, the 2013 Duckhorn 'Three Palms Vineyard' Merlot is a tremendous effort. Duckhorn has crafted this single vineyard wine since 1978. This vintage has 8% Cabernet, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot blended in. This decadent Merlot starts with aromatics of coffee grounds, milk chocolate, black cherry and cassis. There are flavors of blackberry preserves, black cherry, black plum and creme de cassis. This structured and rich hot vintage gem will cellar beautifully into the next decade. The texture is plush, dense and just lovely on the mid-palate. Drink 2016-2033- 93

2012 Duckhorn 'The Discussion' Red Wine- The 2012 'The Discussion' Red Wine by Duckhorn is a layered and polished effort from this estate. This intriguing wine is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot that was aged in 100% French oak. The wine starts with aromas of graphite, anise, creme de cassis and Turkish coffee. There are concentrated flavors of black cherry, blackberry pie, anise and hints of blueberry compote resonating through its core. The plush mouthfeel leads to a very long, supple finish. Overall a fantastic wine which will cellar beautifully well into the next decade. Drink 2016-2033- 93

Interview with Rotie Cellars Owner and Head Winemaker, Sean Boyd

Originally from Tacoma, like many winemakers, Sean Boyd has taken an intriguing path to Rotie Cellars. Previously working as a geologist for ten years in oil and gas exploration, Sean worked his first harvest at Waters Winery in 2004. He decided to start his own winery 2007, focusing solely on Rhone varietals. Sean’s background in soil and mineralology has been a great asset for him. He tends to craft more Old World style Washington Red and White wines, focusing on minimal intervention. Sean started Rotie Cellars in Walla Walla but has recently opened a tasting room near Kerloo and Structure in the SoDo district of Seattle.

Some of his recent bottlings at Rotie are just gorgeous. His 2013 ‘Little g’ Grenache (WWB, 93) is a rich and layered effort that will cellar marvelously. I recently sat down with Sean and talked wine. He was just a delight to talk to as I really liked his straightforward and down to earth style. I think you will really enjoy hearing more about him. Here is my interview with Sean Boyd, owner and head winemaker of Rotie Cellars.

WWB: How did you decide to start Rotie Cellars?

SB: It started being enamored by Rhone wines. I liked the freshness, structure and range within the region then like many things a passion led me blindly into winemaking. I was working for two different winemakers learning 2 very different styles and was figuring what I liked and didn't (2004). After 3 harvest tasting barrels, friends barrels, and friends of friends barrels I started understanding what I liked/didn't out of vineyards and varietals in such a vast growing region with is Washington State/Oregon. In 2007 I convinced my employer to make my own for a reduced salary and Rotie Cellars was born. Walla Walla might be the best place to grow all Whites and Syrahs, and anywhere within the middle part of our state that's planted in rocky, steep relief, and next to a large river is probably the best place to grow Grenache and Mourvedre. Like any passion, or addiction, is that 1 contract leads to 10 and then into our own vineyards. I think we have found one of the best places in the world to grow Rhone varietals and as a region are in our infancy so the future is bright.

WWB: What intrigues you most about the Rocks region? I know you are shifting to having more of your wines from this region. Can you talk about your vine training style and how you expect this training style for the vines at your vineyard to increase extraction, minerality and intensity of your wines?

SB: For me it's the first fingerprint of terroir we have within the state. In blinds you can tell what has rocks district fruit. Many other areas have tell tails but are more focused on heat indices rather than the all-encompassing terroir. The money pit we call a vineyard is one of the best things I have ever done. I wasn't born a farmer or on a vineyard so learning the intricacies has been a challenge but paramount as wine is mostly grown not made. The Rocks District is not without its challenges. We are on low lying land which is susceptible to frost and freeze episodes so burying canes and keeping heads/wood low is how we have choosen grow. Both the Grenache and Syrah are on a hybrid head pruning system, hybrid being we have a trellis to support the weight of Syrah. Syrah is known for flopping and growing major canopies that cannot be kept up without trellising. More to your question the closer to the ground also helps us to grow less wood and focus energy into the ground rather than growing wood. The pruning is 1 cluster/shoot on relatively tight spacing so we are focusing on 6-8 clusters/plant which will develop the concentration and depth we want.

WWB: Your oak treatment in your wines tends to be very minimal. Can you talk about that style of winemaking and the problems that can be associated with using more new oak?

SB: If I won the lottery tomorrow I would buy all the cooperages I love and make my friends use them for a year or two. For me there's popsicle stick tannins in new wood that I can do without. When I'm drinking Rhones I don't want to be chewing on wood. Grenache and Mourvedre need little to no oak while Syrah can benefit from a little more. I'm liking to barrel ferment the whites but that's mainly because Kevin Masterman (Winemaker I work with) has shown me the way.

WWB: One of the best Grenache wines from Washington that I reviewed last year was your 2013 Rotie Cellars 'Little G' Grenache (WWB, 93), that showed incredible character and balance. Can you talk about this fantastic wine?

SB: Yes Little g is one of our favorite kids. Year in and year out this is from a site 40-50' up from the Columbia river just down from Goldendale. It's picked the latest possible in the state in the beginning of November and is hanging at 24.5 Brix. This translates to long hang time with incheck Alcs. Most of our Grenache is coopered in 500L Puncheons so we usually pull out 100-150 cases of this pure Grenache that looks more like a Pinot, yet it has the backbone of Grenache. Here you have the dichotomy between a rugged grape that needs the highest heat indices to produce which is comparable to a temperate varietal that requires the least.  

WWB: You have now released some of your 2014 red and white wines. Are you excited about this hot vintage? Can you talk about how you feel this vintage turned out and how the vintage influenced the wines? How was this vintage different an then new, 2015 vintage?

SB: Number one is we have our estate coming online for Syrah within the Northern Red. We are starting the shift into what will be 100% Rocks District fruit within the 2015 vintage Reds. The barrels are getting darker and deeper so we cannot wait for this transition. Right now we are 70% Rocks District with the remaining 30% coming from higher elevation Walla Walla which helps the acidity. In 2015 we had a hot start to the year yet August and September were cooler than normal which saved us. Hope the same to be true for this year as we are 2 weeks ahead of last year on 5/31 as I write this. 2014 was hot but our Syrah and white vineyards in Walla Walla did very well and our GRE and DRE are from areas near steep relief, wind and large rivers. We are so far North that the diurnal shift helps us to retain the acidity naturally and there are tricks within management that can help retain acidity.

Interview with Spencer Spetnagel, Winemaker at King Estate

Happy Monday to you all! Today we have another exciting interview from a very big producer of Oregon Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. A winemaker with a passion for great Pinot Gris, Spencer joined King Estate for the 2012 harvest and in two short years has moved up the ranks to winemaker. Spencer has a background in marketing and has previously worked at Ravenswood before going back to school and working on an enology degree at Lincoln University in New Zealand for three years. He then returned to Ravenswood, serving as contract winemaker. In 2009 he took an assistant winemaker position at Bargetto, the oldest winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where he met his wife.

Spencer talked about his interest in aging Pinot Gris, which was really cool considering the recent King Estate retrospective that I enjoyed a few months back. Spencer was first drawn to wine through fine dining and has found his niche making high quality Pinot and Pinot Gris in Oregon. I think you will really enjoy hearing about his journey in wine. Here is my interview with Spencer Spetnagel, winemaker at King Estate.

WWB: Can you talk about your first winemaking jobs? What was it like working at Ravenswood in Sonoma during that vibrant period?

SS: I moved to Sonoma, CA in 2004 for my first Harvest.  I had just finished my Undergrad work (Marketing) in Atlanta.  I had decided during the last few semesters of school that I was going to move out West and try my hand at making wine.  I got interested in wine from waiting tables in fine dining in Atlanta during University.  I knew I was never going to be able to work at a cubicle.  Being so closely tied to Mother Nature really appealed to me…  Now to the actual Harvest.   I moved everything across country to be a seasonal intern for Ravenswood.  I decided that since I was moving my whole life out there that I was going to work so hard that Ravenswood would have no choice but to offer me a full time position at the end of Harvest.  As soon as the fruit started rolling in that year I knew I had made the right career choice. 

I loved the long hours and extremely physical work that it takes to make it through a Harvest successfully.  I loved the team atmosphere of everyone being tired and drained, but working together for the benefit of the wine.  The smell of Fermentations and barreling down fresh wine into brand new barrels is extremely intoxicating for me.  Ravenswood was a phenomenal atmosphere to learn from.  They had a great team that I loved working with.  Since I came out West with no real idea about winemaking I decided to stay at Ravenswood for 3 years to see the process from start to finish for a few vintages (they offered me a position after Harvest).  Over the next few years I tasted more wine, met more winemakers and learned as much as I could in Sonoma and Napa.  I was hooked.  After that time I knew for sure that I loved the industry and this was going to be my career.    Then I decided to go back to school to get my Oenology/Viticulture degree.  Instead of going up the road to Davis I decided to see a completely different side of winemaking and decided to attend Lincoln University in New Zealand.  Partly to travel, partly to learn about cool climate winemaking and work with new grapes for me. 

WWB: How much more complicated is it working with Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir than Zinfandel? 

SS: I worked for the first time with Pinot Noir and Gris down in New Zealand.  Pinot Noir is quite a finicky grape in that as far as red grapes are concerned it has quite a thin skin which makes it quite susceptible to disease pressure during the growing season.  That is compounded by the fact that most growing regions for Pinot Noir can have more frosts in the spring and more wet conditions closer to Harvest, since it is grown in cooler climates than what Zinfandel needs.

Zinfandel on the other hand is pretty thick skinned grape and is much more hearty as far as withstanding disease pressure.  Couple that with the fact that I was working with Zinfandel in California, where rain events at time of Harvest are extremely rare, The Zin grape was easier to grow and ripen fully.   

Oregon is a phenomenal growing region for Pinot Noir, specifically because of the Climate, but in years like 2011 disease pressure can wipe out huge amounts of your fruit before you ever get the grapes picked.  I have been quite lucky since I moved up to Oregon.  We have had numerous warm, almost too hot, summers and the rain has stayed away during most of Harvest.  So I’ve had the pleasure of working with lovely clean fruit throughout my Oregon career.  The threat of inclement weather during any Harvest is always in the back of my mind though.

Once the grapes have survived Mother Nature and are in the winery the changes in complication slow down.  You treat the Zin and Noir grapes differently as far as Cap Management and barrel regiment, but as long as the fruit was ripe and clean, winemakers should become glorified babysitters.  You don’t have to do too much to the wine when you start with fantastic grapes. 

Gris is very similar to Noir as far as growing is concerned, but since you pick earlier the disease pressure can be less intense.  Frosts and wind/rain can be issues in the spring.  And since we make white wine from it there is no cap management or barrel regiment.    

WWB: I recently had the opportunity to do a retrospective of Pinot Gris bottlings from 2005-2012. I was very impressed with how some of the older bottlings matured. Can you talk about the aging ability for the varietal? 

SS: The first thing I would point to is the acid content.  Acid has long been known to preserve whites for long aging.  Acid is something we do not lack in Oregon, especially in our very own King Estate Vineyard.  Our vineyard is quite a cool site, even by Oregon standards.  The elevation in our vineyard ranges from 800’-1200’ and I think the elevation definitely helps keep our vineyard cooler with larger diurnal temperature variations, which help develop more flavor and retain the acid content. 

The second piece to the aging puzzle that I would point to is our Sur Lies program.  Once Fermentation is finished we leave some Lees in the tanks of Pinot Gris.  We stir these tanks on a weekly basis to keep the Lees suspended in the wine.  There is a dual effect here.  Suspending the Lees gives more contact with the wine.  This process can help increase mouthfeel and even soften some of the sharp edges that the high acid content can have.  The other effect we have is that the contact between the Lees and the wine increases the mannoprotein content which also helps in the long aging ability.

Pinot Gris is not often thought of as an ageable grape, there are areas of the World where it has been used as such for a long time.  My favorite representation of this is the Alsace region, which makes plenty of Pinot Gris built to age gracefully. 

WWB: The 2012 'Domaine' Pinot Gris (WWB, 93) was a highly impressive and dense bottling of Pinot Gris. Can you talk about this fantastic release wine? 

SS: 2012 was a welcome warm, clean vintage after the more difficult vintages of 2010 and 2011.  All fruit that came in was ripe and disease free.  It was warm enough though that holding onto the traditional acid content while allowing the flavors to fully develop could be a touch of a challenge.  Again, enter our site.  Being higher elevation and having larger diurnal temperature variation than much of the Willamette Valley.  This allowed our grapes to ripen a touch slower than the rest of the Valley allowing flavors to fully develop while still retaining a nice fresh acidity.  All of the fruit that year came in extremely clean with hardly any disease pressure.  Our Domaine bottling is always picked from our favorite lots of wine in that vintage and once it is blended together it has the longest time of Sur Lies.  All of those aspects came together to create a fantastic wine that is built to withstand the test of time.  We pick the cleanest and best grapes/wine from our vineyard, with the most Lees contact to richen, soften and lengthen the body of the wine, along with our sites ability to hold onto nice acid, even in warm years.  Combine all of this and you get the end product which is a brilliant representation of what a World Class site can do to craft a World Class wine.

WWB: What are some of your other favorite producers of Oregon Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir? What are some of your favorite producers of wine from around the world?

SS: A few of my favorite producers in Oregon are mostly Pinot Noir driven.  Soter, Beaux Freres, Antiquum, Antica Terra to name a few.  There are plenty of others that are making gorgeous wine, but these were the first few I thought of.  As far as other Pinot Gris producers, I don’t actually search out Pinot Gris when I taste.  We taste other Producers in competitive lineups, but I taste so much Gris at work I don’t tend to drink it once I am away from work.  I do drink King Estate often enough when I need a Gris with dinner.  I feel like King Estate has been setting the standard for Oregon Pinot Gris long before I arrived and I hope to continue that tradition while I am here.

 As far as favorite producers worldwide, I like well-made wines of most all varietals.  So I drink French, Spanish, Italian, there will always be a special place in my heart for New Zealand since I lived there for a few years, Chile, Argentina, Australian, Washington, Oregon, and CA, plus more.  I couldn’t begin to name all my favorite producers from each region.  Variety is the spice of life.  And there are brilliant winemakers around the world crafting phenomenal wines of all varietals.  I have definitely not tried all of them or even most of them so to pick a few is really difficult for me.  Unfortunately/Fortunately I always tend towards the wines that I cannot afford to drink on a regular basis.

Chateau de Beaucastel Vertical Tasting

Last night at a Washington Athletic Club's Wine Club tasting event I had the tremendous privilege to taste some of the most famous Chateauneuf du Pape in the world. Located in the Southern Rhone region of France, Chateauneuf du Pape was first mentioned in 11th century historical records. The town of Avignon, in this region, was the previous site of the papacy, following a Roman invasion. Bertrand de Got, archbishop of Bordeaux, was elected pope in 1305, and took the name of Clement V. He transferred the papacy from Rome to Avignon in 1309. The register of pontifical letters reveals that Clement V visited Châteauneuf on several occasions, sometimes for long periods.

Wine would have existed considerably before the arrival of the papacy but there are no historical records of wine growing prior to this time. We do know that most of the wine grown in this region prior to the 18th century was drunk within a year. In 1923, the local wine producers led by the lawyer Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié started a campaign to establish legal protection for the wine from the commune. The wine classified as Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) is produced from grapes grown in the commune of Châteauneuf-du-Pape as well as in portions of the four nearby communes in the Vaucluse department. The vineyards cover an area of approximately 3,200 hectares.

Chateau de Beaucastel has a longstanding history in Chateauneuf du Pape. The winery is named after the Beaucastel family which lived in this region in the 16th century. Records show a Pierre de Beaucastel buying a barn and some associated land at Coudoulet in 1549, and this land is still part of Château de Beaucastel's holdings. In the 19th century, when the Phylloxera epidemic struck the region, the owner decided not to replant the vineyards but rather to sell the property. In 1909, it was bought by Pierre Tramier, and the vineyards were rebuilt under his ownership. After him, his son-in-law Pierre Perrin took over management and expanded Château de Beaucastel's vineyard holdings considerably. The property has stayed in the Perrin family since.

I have had been able to sample some very old bottlings of this estate, back to 1990. These wines are extremely complex, acid driven and age-worthy. Chateau de Beaucastel is one of the few wineries that uses 13 different Rhone varietals in its Châteauneuf du Pape, and typically uses a high proportion of Mourvèdre. I was very impressed with the vertical tasting, as these wines show as well as any other estate in Chateauneuf du Pape. I was hugely impressed with them all, particularly the feminine and absolutely scintillating 2007 Chateau de Beaucastel (WWB, 97), which showed incredible poise, richness and terroir. The more feminine 2009 Chateau de Beaucastel (WWB, 96), showed incredible purity of fruit and floral edges. Finally, the 2010 Chateau de Beaucastel (WWB, 97), while not quite ready to drink, showcases this incredibly rich vintage with deep, brooding flavors and incredible tension and minerality. Learn more about Chateau de Beaucastel at http://www.beaucastel.com/en/ Here are the fantastic Chateau de Beaucastel wines that I have sampled, including those last night at the WAC tasting event.

2005 Chateau de Beaucastel- This wine begins with aromatics reminiscent of smoked pork shoulder, provencale herbs, green olive, with hints of wild blackberry preserves. There are flavors reminiscent of black cherry, anise, dried sage, black raspberry, smoked brisket and hints of tar. Lively and lithe, this wine is drinking beautifully right now. This shows a surprising feminine side, considering the heat of the vintage. While this has lost some fruit, this is just gorgeous right now.  Drink 2016-2028- 94

2006 Chateau de Beaucastel - This intense bottling begins with aromatics of graphite, provencale herbs and anise. This rich and layered wine has flavors of cassis, anise, red currant and red cherry. This is herbaceous and novel wine that is hugely age-worthy. Drink 2014- 2025-95

2007 Chateau de Beaucastel- 2007 was an amazing vintage and this incredible Chateauneuf showcases this rich vintage. The wine starts with deep aromatics of creosote, smoked ham, provencale herbs, and thyme crusted rack of lamb. There are rich flavors of blackberry cobbler, black olive, cloves, anise, cassis and leather. The wine is currently showing a darker fruit profile than most of the other vintages and showcasing the heat of the vintage right now There is a gorgeous range of flavors, with incredible intensity and poise. Drink 2016-2030- 97

2008 Chateau de Beaucastel- This incredible red wine begins with aromas of raspberry garrigue, provencale herbs, white truffle and tarragon. It has a lovely herbaceousness throughout, indicative of this earthier vintage. The wine has flavors of red raspberry, red cherry, red currant and vanilla cream. Lovely and viscous wine with a finish that lingers for nearly a minute. Sumptuous stuff from this estate. Drink 2016-2028- 96

2009 Chateau de Beaucastel- This impressive Chateauneuf starts with aromas of thyme, smoked pork belly, Bulls blood, wet rock and hints of blood orange. The rich aromatics continually take you back to the glass. As the wine lingers on the palate there are rich flavors reminiscent of red currant, anise, cassis, blood orange rind, allspice and tar. Very feminine considering the heat of the vintage, this wine has nearly a minute long finish. Drink 2016-2033- 96

2010 Chateau de Beaucastel- This gorgeous wine opens with aromatics of rose petals, smoked brisket, pipe tobacco, anise and spicebox. There are deep flavors of cassis, anise, black cherry seltzer, and black raspberry. The moderate tannins and bright minerality suggest this still could benefit from another year or two in the bottle. This is the masculine expression of Beaucastel. Right now this is a bit of a slumbering monster. Drink 2017-2035- 97

2012 Chateau de Beaucastel- One of the best estates in the Rhone, the wine starts with intense aromas of lavender, provencale herbs, coffee grounds, blackberry and leather with anise accents. There are deep flavors of milk chocolate, coffee grounds, anise and smoked pork shoulder with tar elements. This is a memorable bottling that has a long future ahead of it. Drink 2016-2028- 95

Mark Ryan Winery

One of the major hits in Woodinville, Mark Ryan is a rock and roll themed tasting experience that is almost always busy with eager thirsty visitors. With walls filled with rock décor, from guitars to platinum records, Mark Ryan is the perfect place for the music enthusiast to sample their highly impressive lineup of wines. There is something electric about tasting wine there. Founded in 1999, head winemaker, Mark Ryan is a self-taught winemaker, which is remarkable considering how their Long Haul and Dead Horse wines have built a cult following in Washington wine. Mark Ryan are also becoming more and more known for their Viognier, which carries a nice price tag a well. The 2013 Mark Ryan Viognier (WWB, 91) is a balanced and lithe effort, with plenty of rich fruit flavors.
Mark Ryan is most known for their red wines and their current lineup makes that no surprise. If you like a dense and full-throttle style of Cabernet and Syrah, Mark Ryan does this while maintaining nice structure. Check out their 2013 ‘Dead Horse’ (WWB, 94) is a massive wine which shows the warmth and structure of a great vintage. It will cellar beautifully for many years to come. Finally, the 2013 Mark Ryan ‘Lonely Heart’ Cabernet (WWB, 94) also shows great terroir and density that rivals some of the best Cabernets in the state. Learn more about the winery at markryan.com
Here are the impressive new release wines from Mark Ryan

2013 Mark Ryan Viognier- This is a great bottling by Mark Ryan. The wine begins with bright aromatics of honeysuckle and pear with light spice accents on the nose. The palate is lithe and has pear, red delicious and cantaloupe. Fantastic expression of the varietal, with the balance and poise that you would want. Drink 2016-2021 -91

2014 Mark Ryan 'The Vincent' Chardonnay- This wine begins with aromas of honeysuckle, Bartlett pear and lychee. Nice range of aromatics at play. This leads to flavors of pear, golden delicious, and done in the smooths and lithe style. Light and refreshing style of Chardonnay. Drink 2016-2021. -92

2013 Mark Ryan 'The Chief'- This wine begins with aromas of blackberry, creme de cassis and green olive and oak. This leads to flavors of blackberry, coffee, milk chocolate and black olive. Drink 2016-2022. -90

2013 Mark Ryan ‘Crazy Mary’- They have utilized Ciel du Cheval and Force Majure fruit for this wine. The wine opens with a smoky nose with smoked meats, blackberry, coffee and oak. The palate yields dense flavors of blackberry, cigar box, milk chocolate and black olive alongside smoked pork shoulder. Delicious wine that you want to savor in your glass. Drink 2016-2023. -92

2013 Mark Ryan ‘The Dissident’- This wine has a lovely terroir driven aromatic profile with aromas of black cherry, blackberry and anise. There are rich flavors of anise, creme de cassis and black olive. With a silky smooth texture, this is rock solid wine. Drink 2016-2023. -92

2013 Mark Ryan ‘The Wild Eyed’ Syrah- This Syrah wine opens with rich aromas of blackberry, smoked meats and cassis. This leads to intense flavors of blackberry, anise and red currant. The structure of this wine suggests that it will be long lived. This is pretty difficult to resist right now. Drink 2016-2025. -93

2014 Mark Ryan ‘Numbskull GSM’- This wine is a blend of 83% Syrah with 14% Mouvedre and 3% Grenache. The wine begins with aromas of oak, blackberry pie and black olive. There are flavors of black olive, blackberry and smoked meats. Lovely texture but needs time. There is a really nice balance and poise to this red wine. Drink 2017-2025- 92

2014 Mark Ryan ‘Numbskull BDX’- This Merlot dominant blend begins with aromas of dill, blackberry, black cherry and black olive. This leads to flavors of black cherry, blackberry preserves and black olive with suggestions of smoked meats. This wine possesses some lovely minerality. Drink 2017-2026- 92

2013 Mark Ryan ‘Lost Soul’ Syrah- This blend is 3% Mouvedre (Ciel du Cheval fruit) with the rest Syrah that is sourced from the famed Red Willow vineyard. The wine begins with earthy aromatics of baking spices, anise, smoked meats, sagebrush, leather and red cherry. Lovely terroir. There are dense flavors of red cherry, blackberry cobbler, smoked meats and sagebrush. Outstanding effort. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2013 Mark Ryan ‘Dead Horse’ Red Wine- The wine is sourced mostly from Red Mountain, with a touch of Red Willow fruit. This wine begins with aromatics of blackberry compote, creme de cassis and sage. The wine has flavors of blackberry, cassis, in this sense full bodied effort. Lovely texture and tannic structure to this impressive red wine. Drink 2016-2028- 94

2013 Mark Ryan ‘Lonely Heart’ Cabernet- This wine begins with aromas of sagebrush, blackberry jam, anise mocha and cassis. This leads to flavors of black cherry, black tea, anise and creme de cassis. This is a hugely massive wine that needs time. Drink 2018-2028- 94

Pepper Bridge

If you are a fan of the elegant side of Washington wines, Pepper Bridge is a must visit for you. The winery is located in an absolutely gorgeous location outside of Walla Walla and is built into a hill, with sweeping views of the estate vineyards. Pepper Bridge’s estate vineyards -- Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills and Les Collines, are some of the most famous sites in Walla Walla and in the state. This winery is the first to be a gravity-flow facility in Washington State, which moves the grape pulp and juice from the sorting table to the tanks to the barrels via gravity, rather than by pumps. The technique helps prevent the shearing of seeds and the introduction of bitter tannins, which contributes to the elegance of the wines. Head winemaker Jean-François Pellet, has a longstanding history in the Washington wine industry.

A third generation wine grower, Pellet’s wines have received considerable acclaim. Pellet has degrees in both enology and viticulture and has previously interned in Germany, Switzerland and the Napa Valley. After graduating, he managed vineyards and made wine in Switzerland and Spain. Along with making wine in Spain, he was responsible for managing 500 acres of vineyards, designing a new winery and developing a market for the product. He then worked at famed Heitz Cellars for four years until he was recruited to work at Pepper Bridge. His new release wines were fantastic and maintained his trademark elegance yet showcased more richness than I had noticed in the past few years which might be attributed to the heat of the 2012 and even hotter 2013 vintage. Pepper Bridge not only has a tasting room at their Walla Walla winery but also a tasting room in Woodinville, not far from the center of town. Learn more about Pepper Bridge at www.pepperbridge.com. Here are the great new release wines from Pepper Bridge winery.

2013 Pepper Bridge Merlot- This Merlot is a blend of 78% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Malbec that was sourced from the Seven Hills (48%), Pepper Bridge (45%), and Octave (7%) vineyards. This wine begins with aromas of black cherry, black tea, and coffee grounds. This leads to flavors of blackberry cobbler, black olive, and black cherry with tremendous structure and nice viscosity. Try to cellar for another year. Drink 2017-2027- 92

2012 Pepper Bridge Trine- The wine is an intriguing blend of 37% Cabernet Franc, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23%Merlot, 7% Malbec and 6% Petit Verdot that was sourced from the Seven Hills (57%), Octave (30%), and Pepper Bridge (13%) vineyards. This wine begins with aromas of anise, smoke, and cassis. This leads to flavors blackberry jam, anise, cassis and black olive. This is currently needing another year or two in the bottle for the fruit to fully integrate. Nice weight and balance. Drink 2018-2028- 93

2012 Pepper Bridge Cabernet- The wine is a blend of 76% Cabernet, 9% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot.  This complex wine begins with aromas reminiscent of mocha, blackberry jam, coffee grounds and sandalwood. This leads to deep flavors of cassis, graphite, anise and wild blackberry. Give it another two years for the tannins to soften. Drink 2018-2028- 93

Interview with Alpha Omega Head Winemaker, Jean Hoefliger

Today we bring you a very special interview with Alpha Omega head winemaker Jean Hoefliger. Winemaking has been in Jean Hoefliger’s blood. His career path didn’t originally start with wine but he could not help become entrenched in the wine world. Jean Hoefliger was born and raised in Switzerland. His passion for wine brought him from Switzerland to Bordeaux, and South Africa, as he made wine at esteemed estates of Chateau Lynch-Bages, Chateau Carbonnieux, as well as Meerlust. Completing a winemaking and viticulture degree at the Swiss federal school of Changins, Jean then moved to California where he spent five years as winemaker for Newton Vineyard before joining Alpha Omega. Jean is able to source from some of the best vineyards in Napa valley including Beckstoffer's To Kalon and Missouri Hopper in Oakville, Dr. Crane and Las Piedras in St. Helena, Georges III in Rutherford, Stagecoach in Atlas Peak and Sunshine Valley in Oak Knoll District. Jean also works with eminent consulting winemaker, Michel Rolland, who consults for some of the most famed wineries of the world.

I was very impressed with a recent visit to Alpha Omega. Jean’s recent lineup of wines were exceptional, showing great poise and terroir. One the highest rated Chardonnays that I have reviewed in the past year, the 2013 Alpha Omega ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay (WWB, 95) just won Best of Show at the International Chardonnay Symposium competition.  Jean talked about his background in wine as well as his family experience that brought him into winemaking. I found him a delight to speak with and I think you will truly enjoy hearing from this exceptional winemaker. Learn more about him and his wines at aowinery.com Here is my interview with Jean Hoefliger, head winemaker at Alpha Omega Winery.

WWB: What were some of your first inspirations as a winemaker?

JH: It all started being born from an American mother and a Swiss father. All of the males went to Law school and I decided to go to law school. I realized that I learned to play cards and drink wine so I didn’t want to waste more of my time there in school. Being in Switzerland I wanted to do some wealth management and I went into that side for about the same amount of time, two years. The same thing happened -- every time that I had a dime, I would visit a producing region or taste wines with friends. I got the recurring message. I went to my godfather that owns one of the oldest founding winery, started in 1536 in Switzerland. I wanted to learn from their winemaker as a cellar rat for a few months. He told me that was not a problem. The first day I walked in and he told me to go taste in the cellar. We tasted 62 different lots and I didn’t know better than to swallow. I swallowed all of the samples and then told everyone that I this was the career for me. Since then I have learned how to spit when I try wine. I think what made me fall in love with wine is the balance between the scientific side and the artistic side that you can’t control. You can’t control the weather and the vintage and it is really an interaction between the soil the plant and the climate. In winemaking, there are only a few things that you can do with the grapes and the rest is an expression of an art.

WWB: What was your experience working in Bordeaux at the famed estates Chateau Lynch-Bages and Chateau Carbonnieux? Have those experiences prepared you well to make great Napa Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet?

JH: That is an interesting question and probably the first time I have heard this question. That relates to the 2011 vintage, the coldest vintage in Napa. We were in the level of the acidity that we have in Bordeaux. You have these kind of conditions in Bordeaux so in the colder climate it helps managing the acidity in the wine. I think Bordeaux brought balance to the equation. I try to travel a lot and explore different climates and as a winemaker you only have one shot a year if you only make one wine in one area. I am 43 today and I probably have another 30 vintages to go. By traveling I think that I am able to learn faster about different soils, conditions and different things. Bordeaux brought me the concept that in any given appellation, winery, and country, you have to work on what you lack. You don’t focus on what you have but if you are already good you should focus on bringing average quality up.

In Napa balance is something that we don’t have sometimes. We have a very consistent climate -- probably the most consistent climate that I have worked at. You have the consistency of climate because of the heat and profiles that are ripe makes the wines consistent. To get a great wine you have to work in making sure that you find the elegance and the acidity. I think in any given wine that backbone is acidity. Because of the hotter climate in Napa this is key. You want the elegant factor and the balance factor in making Napa wines. I was in Bordeaux for a few years and was assistant winemaker at Chateau Carbonnieux and was under the winemaker helping him. That was really interesting because that was one of the first experiences where I was left alone to make wine. That was outstanding from the professional side of things and you know that your decision will have a direct impact. This was 1998 and I had not completed all my studies and degrees, so my winemaking was based on previous experience in the cellar. The winemaker at the time trusted that I would come in with my previous knowledge to make good Cabernet and Sauvingon Blanc. Of course he was keeping a close eye but that was really the first time to have the freedom of vintage. Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux is the polar opposite of Napa. Napa can lack acidity but Bordeaux has the acidity for great Sav Blanc. You can acidify wines in Napa but you have plenty of acid in Bordeaux. I am not a big proponent of adding things to the wine. I think most of the time there are other ways to improve than adding to the wines. As a winemaker you have to allow yourself to have changing conditions. You have to adapt. I think in Bordeaux that you have some years where you have to chaptalize and you need to add sugar to reach these levels. You have to maximize the potential in the vintage. It is the winemaker’s job to adapt to the vintage. 1998 in Bordeaux I had to work with the acidity and the ripeness issues and that might not be perfect so you have to adapt how you are going to treat the grapes. The polar opposite was 2013 in Napa you have to adapt to the warm vintage.

WWB: I had the chance to review your 2012 Alpha Omega ‘Era’ Cabernet (WWB, 96) which is one of the highest scoring Napa Cabernets that I have sampled in the past year. What makes that wine and the vintage so special?

JH: A lot of things make the wines so special. The 2012 was a ripe vintage but a bit cooler than2013 so the backbone of acidity was there. The tannins were the skeleton of the wine. Era is the flagship of Alpha Omega and we take the best lots and the best blocks to blend for that wine. We have diverse soil in Napa and that helps make this wine so special, the diversity of the soil. My theory in 2006 starting out was using the diversity and using blocks that represent the true beauty of the region. By having all these components when you blend them it fits the gaps. I don’t believe that everything is perfect. When you blend you don’t focus on aromatics, solely on the structure of the wine. Aromatics evolve with age but you want to focus on the soul and structure of the wine. The other big difference with Era is when I went from Chateau Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux to Newton [Napa] in 2001 I learned that most wine is consumed right away. I love older wines but I have to make wines that are consumable earlier. How can I do that? I thought about the past in Bordeaux. Six months after harvest when the press has the wines and the wines are rated, we do malolactic in barrel and the wine tastes better earlier. It is a known fact that this can’t be tasted a year later. This makes the wine more accessible earlier. I was interested to learn how I can push that principle further? So we had to expose the grapes earlier in the wine and I took a barrel and used a 59 gallon barrel as a mini tank. This integrates the wood but it also gives it some contact with air. That will connect the unripe tannins and will bind the rest meaning that it creates a chemical bridge between the aromas and the tannins and makes the structure of the wine more stable. This makes the wine more roundness and velvety texture but you have the agability. I started to do this in 2001 in Newton and last year I did 1000 barrels. I think wine is about sharing so now all of Napa is doing this. The 2012 ‘Era’ Cabernet is 100 percent barrel fermented and you always have the dense mouthfeel and velvety texture because of the barrel fermentation.

WWB: At my recent tasting to Alpha Omega I had the chance to run through your impressive lineup of Chardonnays. Your 2013 ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay (WWB, 95) is one of the highest rated California Chardonnays that I have sampled in the past year, up there with the 2013 Kongsgaard Chardonnay (WWB, 95). Can you talk about this special wine and how you were able to achieve the length, complexity and almost Chablis like minerality?

JH: What I am trying to create is two factors. You have the grapes from Chardonnay that are the cooler climates so you protect that acidity. You have nice ripeness so that you can improve this. Chardonnay has three things, acidity and freshness which makes you able to stir. This can be compensated with re- releasing polysaccharides in the wine that are in the yeast and you give it a bit more mouthfeel. In order wines to be balanced, you need the acidity. If you can stir you can regulate the impact of the wood and the yeast has the wood component for the balance of the wine. Once you have that you have to think of what you are missing. In Napa we are missing limestone. Burgundy has the amazing component to the acidity and minerality with the limestone. How can I compensate for the lack of limestone? I decided to kind of apply a compensation factor where I take the wine out of barrel, after they are barrel aging, and put it in stainless steel for three months, locked. This takes away from the oxygen, whereas when it is in the barrel there is oxygen. In stainless steel there is not the reductive aspect of the wine. By doing this you are reinjecting acidity and minerality to the wine. I think that is how I try to get the balance in the Chardonnay. I started doing this in 2010 and like everything in winemaking this change has to be slow. The more we did that it worked great and we continued to increase the percentage on that.

WWB: During my tasting at Alpha Omega I had the chance to barrel sample some of your 2014 Cabernets and was very impressed. What are you expecting from the 2014 vintage red wines?

JH: Everybody has raved about the ‘13s and because of the density and concentration of the vintage. If you look at 2014 that is closer to 2012 meaning that we had ripeness but we had a bit more acidity. I think that 2014 is actually a wine that is less Napaesque in the blockbuster sense but maybe a bit more balanced. I think the people that liked the 2012 vintage they will like 2014. It is hard to judge your own work. I was tasting with Michel Rolland and we make wine together now. He is the doubter here and we had the 2014s here and he thinks this is the best vintage ever. He said that for him it has the concentration but the backbone of acidity to support it. It is hard to judge my own work but it is hard to disagree with that. 2014 reminds me a little bit of 2002 even though 2002 might be closer to 2013. The closest vintage to me would be 2012 or before that would be 2008. 2008 was a bit more lush and velvety than 2014.

Robert Mondavi Winery

A trip to Napa would not be complete without a trip to the Robert Mondavi Winery Reserve Tasting Room.  A few years back I was lucky enough to enjoy a bottle of the 1996 Reserve Cabernet and this trip I sampled the 1979 Reserve Cabernet. Few places open such special older bottlings. Robert Mondavi Winery was founded in 1966 and the To Kalon Vineyard, planted at that time, has been renowned for producing some of the finest Cabernet in the world. Many people in the United States wine industry have been pushing to have the To Kalon Vineyard recognized as one of the first growth (finest) vineyards in North America. Along with To Kalon Vineyard, Robert Mondavi Winery sources grapes from some of Napa Valley’s great vineyards, including those from Stag’s Leap (particularly Cabernet) and Carneros (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay).

The winery itself is an incredible marvel with picturesque statues and incredibly beautiful vineyards in the background. If you have never made your way to Robert Mondavi Winery, it is truly a must-see for those interested in wine and also those taking in the aesthetic beauty of the accompanying vineyards. The iconic mission style reserve room at Robert Mondavi is one of my favorite stops in the valley. Having visited this spot for more than 10 years, this visit was one to remember. One of the coolest wines I sampled on my visit to Napa was the 1979 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Cabernet (WWB, 91). This was a profound wine that is showing its age but still displays a lovely range of fruit flavors. The heavyhitter of the bunch was the 2012 Robert Mondavi Winery ‘Reserve’ Cabernet (WWB, 95) which is a special occasion wine that is drinking beautifully at its young age. These wines are known for aging beautifully and this wine was no exception. Learn more about Robert Mondavi Winery at http://www.robertmondaviwinery.com/ Here are the fantastic new release wines that I recently sampled at Robert Mondavi Winery.

2012 Robert Mondavi ‘Oakville’ Cabernet- This gorgeous wine opens with aromas of anise, wild blackberry, and mocha with creme de cassis. There are dense flavors of creme de cassis, blackberry pie, coffee grounds, creosote and suggestions of black olive. This is viscous and mineral driven wine that will need time in the bottle for the fruit to fully integrate and for the moderate tannins to settle. Drink 2018-2035- 93

2013 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay - This opens with rich flavors of brioche, poached pear, nutmeg and toasted hazelnuts. There are opulent flavors of banana, apricot, orange rind, Gala apple and a lingering cream finish. There is an exotic edge to this rich Chardonnay Drink 2016-2024- 93

2012 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Fume Blanc- This impressive wine starts with aromatics of cut grass, Jalapeño, cedar and macadamia nut. There are flavors of Bartlett pear, nutmeg, and aala Apple. Lovely weight and texture that is one of a kind. Drink 2016-2024- 93

2012 Robert Mondavi ‘I Block’ Fume Blanc- This dense Sauvignon Blanc wine begins with aromas of lemongrass, Meyer lemon, and unripe pear. This leads to flavors of Meyer lemon oil, Bartlett pear, starfruit and citrus blossoms. There is marvelous intensity and richness, showcasing this great vintage. Drink 2016-2024- 93

2013 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Pinot Noir-The wine begins with aromas of cardamon, red currant and red raspberry with dried sage. There are rich flavors of red raspberry, pipe tobacco, dried cranberry and red cherry with hints of blood orange rind. There is a gorgeous and subtle citrus component to the wine. Impossible to resist right now, this drinks beautifully straight out of the bottle. Drink 2016-2025- 93

2011 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Cabernet- This cold vintage wine starts with aromas of dried sage, blackberry cobbler, pipe tobacco and anise. There are flavors of blackberry pie, mocha, and anise. This has wonderful range and complexity considering the coldness of the vintage.  Drink 2016-2028- 93

2012 Robert Mondavi ‘Stags Leap District’ Cabernet- This wine begins with aromas of graphite, cassis, blackberry pie, mocha and anise. There are rich flavors of blackberry pie, creme de cassis, coffee grounds and anise. This Cabernet has gorgeous depth and complexity and is drinking beautifully straight out of the bottle right now. Grab a juicy ribeye steak for this one Drink 2016-2033- 94

2012 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Cabernet- This impressive bottling starts with rich aromatics reminiscent of mocha, creme de cassis, graphite and black olive with suggestions of Black Forest cake. There are deep flavors of anise, spicebox, creme de cassis, mocha and pipe tobacco. This is a profound wine that is up there with the best of Napa Valley. It is impossible to resist right now. Drink 2016-2035- 95

1979 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Cabernet- This is a wine to savor. While it is slowing down, it is still drinking marvelously despite being more than 35 years old. This wine opens with dried figs, prune, red cherry and barnyard. There are flavors of anise, red currant, red cherry, and dried sage. Just incredible for its age but try to enjoy this wine within the next few years. Drink 2016-2020- 91

Interview with Revelry Vintners Head Winemaker and Owner, Jared Burns

Fellow Whitman graduate, Jared Burns, has followed his dream with Revelry. A few weeks back I had the chance to speak to Jared about his winery and excellent wines that showcase the Columbia Valley. He first began making wine more than 10 years ago, with the first vintage in 2005. Jared makes a host of wines at Revelry. His new 2015 Rosé release (WWB, 89) was absolutely crisp and fantastic for a hot summer day. For those who are Cabernet lovers, try his 2012 D11 Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 92) which showcases the richness and balance of the great vintage. Look for more of his wines at revelryvintners.com. Here is my interview with Jared Burns, owner and winemaker of Revelry Vintners in Walla Walla.

info@revelrywines.com

WWB: How did you decide to start Revelry?

JB: I came about wine in a unique way.  When I was about nine years old my Dad started a company called Supreme Corq, which was the world’s first synthetic wine cork manufacturer.  He had a passion for wine, and growing up he would let my sister and I taste and try wines, so I had a familiarity and connection to wine at a young age.  It wasn’t until I was in college here in Walla Walla where I myself truly discovered wine.  I was out at dinner with my folks and we had a 1997, I think it was, Woodward [Canyon] Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was delicious.  We asked Bob, the owner of Backstage Bistro which is sadly no longer around, what he thought would hang with that wine.  He was gone for some time and came back with a 6 pack of 1998 Canoe Ridge Reserve Merlot which just looked impressive.  He said he had called Rick Small and asked him to recommend a wine, and that this was his pick.  That Merlot really influenced me.  I was in love with that wine.  It struck me that both of these wines along with others, were all grown right here in Washington where I was raised.  For all of the amazing wines - first and second growths, you name it - that I tried growing up, it was Washington wines I was most drawn to.  I left Walla Walla after graduating in 2003 and found myself getting more and more curious about the wine industry and making wine.  In 2005 I started Revelry with the concept to create varietal wines representative of the quality of wines here in Walla Walla, but to sell them for less than $20.  I was 24 at the time and wanted to my peers to have access to wines like I did.  Its been an evolution since that time.  We now make 15 different wines ranging from $12 to $60 a bottle.

WWB: What are some of the challenges with the booming Washington wine industry?

JB: I don’t look at the world through obstacles. I think that has been true since day one. When we want to do something we make it happen, however that might be. There is more competition right now both in the Washington wine market and internationally. Since day one we have had a distribution focused business model. We sell a lot of our wine through distribution and we have found some nice success with that in this economy. We have always had a segment that is under 20 dollars and that struck a core through the recession and beyond. Distributing wines is extremely competitive.  Washington itself is a growing category but we are just beginning to tell our story.  I think that is one of the great challenges for Washington wine, but it is changing quickly. Not all our 900 wineries are able to travel abroad and tell the story. Ultimately the more wineries working together to tow the line and share the story of Washington wine the faster we will all grow. Every year we try to further cement our place in the global wine industry and tell not only our story better but the Washington story as well and we try to do our part with that. If it wasn’t a challenge, we wouldn’t want to do it.

WWB: I had the chance to try your 2012 D11 Cabernet and was very impressed with the bottling. Can you talk about that wine and what makes it special?

JB: I think the vineyard makes it really special. With all of our wines we try to let the fruit shine. I think there is a lot of intensity and structure in that fruit, and it tends to have less tannic structure than Red Mountain. As we might do with a Syrah and Rhone varietals we work to mitigate oak tannin in our winemaking, letting the natural grape tannin carry the load. The D11 has beautiful fruit, and a very round and full profile.  A lot of that happens in the vineyard. That is complimented by what we do there. We are not trying to amplify the scale structure of the wine.

WWB: What are some of the challenges of sourcing from other vineyards and what are some of the advantages?

JB: I think the advantage is, being an 11 year old winery, we have vineyard sites that are three times our age. They have great viticulturists on their staff. They care for the vineyards on a daily basis. From this model we have access to great diversity in our vineyard sites.  This is where the Aerials Series was born.  We are pinpointing specific clones of grape varieties, planted in a particular soil type, in an area with a unique exposure and microclimate.  That series evolved naturally from our sourcing model, and over time we came to appreciate the distinct qualities of each wine and site in the series. On the other hand, the challenges are you totally can’t control your costs. In some cases if you contribute to making a vineyard more known, effectively raising your own costs. That just comes with the nature of the industry.

WWB: Can you talk about how you obtained your space here at the Walla Walla Airport?

JB: When I started the winery there was no suitable industrial space available for winemaking. The history of this area is really cool. The airport was funded 7 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor for construction as a training base for heavy bomber crews. The Memphis Belle in fact originated in Walla Walla. It was the first plane to complete 25 missions in the war which at the time was a feat. I started the winery on a shoestring and this space was what was available. I think this is true for most wineries out here. We now have four buildings out here, all of which had a purpose on the old base, and we’ve retrofitted them for winemaking.  We love the history here and it has been a great home.  We are however in the early stages of design on a new winery and property.  Be on the lookout for that in 2017.

WWB: I was also very impressed with your new 2015 Revelry Vintners Rosé (WWB, 89), one of my recommended wines for spring, which showed a wonderful array of fruit and had nice balance considering the heat of the vintage. Can you talk about this fantastic new release wine?

JB: Thank you.  I love that wine.  If I could replicate a Rosé I would make this one over and over again.  We have been making Rosé from Cabernet Franc and Grenache for five years now, only in scant amounts.  This year we made about 400 cases and it is already just about sold out and its only the beginning of April.  Its 83% Cabernet Franc and 17% Grenache.  The Franc tends to set the vibrance and hue of the wine, while the Grenache gives the wine amazing texture and aromatics.  Its the perfect wine for just about everything.  We spend a lot of time outdoors here in the spring and summer and drink a lot of this wine.

Rombauer Vineyards

One of the storied houses in Napa, founders Koerner and Joan Rombauer moved to Napa Valley in 1972, and came from a family that had a great appreciation for food and wine. Koerner’s ancestors originated from the famed winegrowing region of Rheingau, Germany, where wine was constantly on the table. Rombauer Vineyards was established in 1980. The winery remains family-owned and operated by first, second and third-generation members of the family.

I’ve had the chance to visit Rombauer Vineyards on several occasions. The winery is set on a mountain in a lush setting. There are beautiful gardens everywhere, as the expansive property is one of a kind in Napa. I recently had the chance to review their new release red and white wines and found them to be highly impressive from these recent great vintages. One of the great values in white wine is the 2014 Rombauer Vineyards ‘Carneros’ Chardonnay (WWB, 93) which is a dense yet balanced Chard and is a wine to buy by the case. Their 2015 Sauvignon Blanc (WWB, 92) is another fantastic value, which shows bright acidity and fruit, which was hard to achieve during this very hot vintage. Head winemaker, Riche Allen, certainly knows how to craft great Chardonnay. He absolutely nailed his latest Sauvignon Blanc as well. For those who enjoy fruity and ready to enjoy Cabernet, his Cabernet releases are for you as well. Learn more about their fantastic wines at http://www.rombauer.com/ Here are the great new release wines from Rombauer Vineyards in Napa.

2014 Rombauer ‘Carneros’ Chardonnay- The 2014 Rombauer 'Carneros' Chardonnay is an excellent new release effort from this estate. This Chardonnay was sourced from Carneros vineyards owned by the Rombauer family and other growers including the Sangiacomo family. The wine was aged 9 months in French and American Oak (33% new) prior to bottling. This wine opens with bright aromas of poached pear, creme brûlée and ripe pineapple. This leads to flavors of Pazzaz apple, Meyer lemon zest with a rich cream finish. Superlative bottling here with a bright minerality. Drink 2016-2024- 93

2014 Rombauer 'Buchli Station Vineyard' Chardonnay- Rombauer has crafted a great single vineyard Chardonnay here. Needing about 30 mins in the decanter to develop, this limited production Chard starts with aromas of roasted pineapple, creme brûlée and lemon custard. There are flavors of pineapple upside down cake, nutmeg, creme brûlée and hints of toasted Marcona almonds. A slight saline streak to this wine that lingers on the palate. Having lovely texture and fruit weight, I could see this Chardonnay cellaring beautifully for another decade. Only 125 cases made of this great wine.. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2015 Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc- The 2015 Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best of its kind at this price point. Coming from the earliest harvest in history, this wine was 90% fermented in stainless steel, while the rest was fermented in neutral French oak for three months and then placed back in steel. This wine opens with aromas of cut grass, jalepeno, unripe pear and Granny Smith apple. There are flavors of Gala apple, Japanese pear, gooseberry, starfruit, and lemon zest that sits alongside bright acidity. Gorgeous balance to this expressive Sav Blanc. This is absolutely perfect for a hot summer day. Drink 2016-2021- 92

2013 Rombauer 'El Dorado' Zinfandel- The El Dorado Vineyard is perched 1,650 feet above sea level in the Sierra Foothills and is known for its sandy soils that grow some great Zinfandel. This impressive new release wine begins with aromatics reminiscent of prune, red cherry, dill, sage and pipe tobacco. There are flavors of blackberry jam, roasted figs, and prune with gobs of milk chocolate. Gorgeous range here with lovely texture and complexity.  This is delicious on its own. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2013 Rombauer Cabernet- Grapes for this wine were sourced from a host of vineyards in the Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Mount Veeder, St. Helena, Calistoga, Rutherford and Howell Mountain AVAs. This impressive bottling begins with aromatics of blackberry, anise, mocha and hints of creme de cassis. There are flavors reminiscent of anise, cassis, mocha and dried figs. Lovely length and balance. Drink 2016-2026- 91

2012 Rombauer 'Diamond Selection' Cabernet- This is a gorgeous and polished Cabernet by head winemaker Richie Allen. Grapes for this wine were sourced from the Howell Mountain, Stags Leap, Calistoga, Atlas Peak, and St. Helena AVAs. The wine was aged 18 months in 100% new French oak prior to bottling and is a blend of 85% Cabernet, 9% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot.  This impressive wine starts with aromas of black tea, blackberry, cassis and anise. There are flavors of blackberry, black tea, coffee grounds and black olive with black cherry. Fruit driven and balanced wine. Drink 2016-2030- 92

Epoch Wines

A winery that produces some absolutely gorgeous, deep wines in Paso Robles, Epoch Wines is one to watch. The wines not only exude richness, they show some marvelous terroir. All Epoch fruit comes from estate vineyards, which are two specific and unique sites that they purchased and planted -- the Paderewski Vineyard and the Catapult Vineyard. Owners Bill and Liz Armstrong are both Geologists who saw the great potential for these vineyards. The Paderewski Vineyard is a 67 acres plot that is comprised of steep, limestone rich hillsides within 350 rural, spring-fed acres. In the early 1900’s, this vineyard was farmed by world-renowned pianist, polish diplomat, and vintner, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. This vineyard was dormant for many years until Epoch purchased the land in 2004. The vineyard was planted to Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Grenache Blanc, and Picpoul Blanc which were mostly grafted onto Phylloxera resistant Native American rootstock. Near the middle of the Paso Robles’ Templeton Gap, near the famed L’Aventure and Booker Vineyards, lies the Catapult Vineyard. The 45 acre plot of land was purchased in 2008 as they saw some very rocky soils with silicious shale and little limestone content as a nice contrast to their Pederewski vineyard. At the vineyard they encourage the vines to struggle while finding nourishment deep within the ground.
The wines all come from the stellar 2012 vintage which was marked by high heat but nearly ideal growing conditions. One of the best wines that I have tried this year is the 2012 Epoch ‘Authenticity’ Red Wine (WWB, 96). This is a dense, deep and intense wine that showcases the richness of the vintage and has a silky mouthfeel. Also highly impressive was the 2012 Epoch ‘Block B’ Syrah (WWB, 95) which also is one of the best Syrahs in North America that I have sampled in the past year. This absolute heavyhitter of a wine is for those who enjoy the darker side of Syrah, as this extracted beauty will continue to sing into the next decade. Learn more about Epoch wines at http://www.epochwines.com/ Here are the fantastic new release wines from Epoch.

2012 Epoch Authenticity-The 2012 'Authenticity' is an incredible blend of 71% Syrah, 28% Mouvedre and 1% Viognier that was aged for 18 months in 51% new French oak barrels prior to bottling. This majestic, towering red opens with intense aromatics of star jasmine, anise, crème de cassis, and Turkish coffee which explode from the glass. This is full-bodied, layered and the texture is absolutely gorgeous, bordering ethereal, as it continues to deliver intense flavors of milk chocolate, crème de cassis, roasted figs, and tar which resonate through the wine. Despite its profound weight, this has a wonderful sense of freshness and seamless quality leading into the long multi-tiered finish. Overall, this 2012 is a fabulous effort from winemaker Jordan Fiorentini. Drink 2016-2030- 96

2012 Epoch 'Paderewski Vineyard Block B' Syrah- Epoch has crafted a heavyhitter of a Syrah here with their Paderewski Vineyard 'Block B' Syrah. Utilizing clone 174, the wine was aged 18 months in 44% new French oak barrels prior to bottling. This dense wine opens with aromatics of milk chocolate, crème de cassis, allspice, white pepper all taking shape around boysenberry jam. On the palate this full-bodied and multi-layered, offering deep, concentrated flavors of wild blackberry preserves, black cherry compote, roasted figs, creosote, anise and mocha. While this intense Syrah is not for the weary, it delivers an gorgeous velvety texture and opulent mouthfeel, which is absolutely impossible to resist. This is a decadent treat, needing at least a two hour decant for it to show its best. Drink 2016-2028- 95

2012 Epoch Tempranillo- The 2012 Tempranillo by Epoch is one who enjoys the intense side of the varietal. The wine is a blend of 94% Tempranillo with the rest Grenache. Sourced from the Paderewski Vineyard, the wine begins with aromas of roasted prune, coffee grounds and black cherry with suggestions of boysenberry preserves. There are dense flavors of black cherry, black olive, blackberry pie and Turkish coffee. This is an exotic wine that needs a two hour decant prior to enjoying. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2012 Epoch Ingenuity-The wine is gorgeous a blend of 58% Syrah, 18% Mourvèdre, 14% Grenache, and 10% Petite Sirah that was aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak prior to bottling. 80% of this red wine was sourced from the Paderewski vineyard, while 20% was sourced from the Catapult vineyard. This red blend begins with aromatics reminiscent of pipe tobacco, anise, black olive, black cherry and black raspberry. There are rich flavors of milk chocolate, creme de cassis, anise and Turkish coffee. Intense, dense and layered, this will have a very long life. Give this at least two hours in the decanter to unwind before trying. Drink 2016-2030- 94

Cougar Crest

I recently had the chance to visit one of the great tasting rooms in Walla Walla, Cougar Crest. Whether you are a Husky or a Coug, this is one not to miss. Cougar Crest pours a hugely varied range of wines at their tasting room, so you are able to sample everything from a Rhone blend to Viognier to their Late Harvest Dessert wine. Having tasted at Cougar Crest for over 10 years, the new lineup of wines is as good as any I have sampled. The quality is there across the board for these releases.

Cougar Crest was founded by two Washington State University Grads. Founded in 2001 by David and Debbie Hansen, they first planted vines in 1997 and decided to leave their careers as Veterinarian and Pharmacist to form a winery. After taking classes in enology from UC Davis, Deborah Hansen became the head winemaker, while her husband took over the winery operations side. Deborah’s new releases excelled. Cougar Crest tends to hold back their wines more than most wineries, so you are able to sample red wines from the 2009 and 2010 vintages – and they are showing beautifully right now and drinking at their peak. This makes for a wonderful tasting experience, as some wineries pour their red wines that aren’t ready to drink quite yet. The 2014 Cougar Crest Viognier (WWB, 91) is as good as any Viognier that Deborah has made over the past 10 years, and exudes rich fruit flavors. The 2009 Cougar Crest Cabernet Franc (WWB, 92) is also up there with the best expressions in the state, relying on its feminine and herbaceous side. For those with a sweet tooth, check out the 2009 Late Harvest Viognier (WWB, 92) which is a steal for only $20.00 and has nice richness and intensity.

Many of the Cougar Crest wines can be found at Northwest wine shops, but some of their wines can be found at Costco as well. These wines offer really good value and are made to drink right away, especially their 2009 and 2010 releases. Look for them at grocery stores like QFC and Metropolitan Market, as well as Pete’s Wine Shop. Here are the new release wines from Cougar Crest. Learn more about Cougar Crest at cougarcrest.com

2014 Cougar Crest Viognier- Viognier is one of their best bottling each year and this vintage is no exception. This lovely expression begins with bright aromas of beeswax, lychee and ripe pear. This leads to flavors of Gala apple, starfruit and roasted peaches. Absolutely delicious wine. Drink 2016-2022- 91

2014 Cougar Crest Grenache Rose- This wine has lighter aromas of rose petals, guava and strawberry. There are delicate flavors of pink bubblegum, ripe strawberry and guava puree. Lovely stuff that is perfect for a hot summer day. Drink 2016-2021- 89

2012 Cougar Crest Dedication Nine Red Wine- This wine begins with aromas of scorched earth, blackberry and roasted figs. This leads to flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, coffee grounds and cloves with nice weight and intensity. I could see this cellaring rather well. Drink 2016-2025- 90

2009 Cougar Crest Cabernet Franc- This Cab Franc brings aromas of red bell pepper, red cherry and red raspberry with hints of lavender. This leads to flavors of red cherry red raspberry and guava. Absolutely outstanding wine that is drinking in its prime. Drink 2016-2022- 92

2010 Cougar Crest Anniversary Cuvée Red Wine- This wine opens with aromas of red cherry, red raspberry and blackberry jam with clove accents. This leads to flavors of red cherry, smoked pork shoulder, wild blackberry alongside bright minerality. There is a really nice range of flavors and aromatics in this colder vintage blend. Drink 2016-2024- 91

2010 Cougar Crest Cabernet- This wine begins with aromas of red bell pepper, anise, blackberry and cassis. This leads to flavors of blackberry cobbler, black cherry and mocha. Lovely richness and intensity to this wine that is drinking beautifully right now. Drink 2016-2023- 91

2010 Cougar Crest Tempranillo- The wine begins with aromas of black pepper, smoked meats and blackberry. This leads to flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, sagebrush alongside dusty tannins. Nice expression of this varietal, which is done in the fruity, Washington style. Drink 2016-2022- 90

2012 Cougar Crest Malbec- This wine begins with aromas of green bell pepper, blackberry and mocha. This leads to flavors of blackberry, anise, and coffee grounds. Would like a little more weight, given the vintage. Drink 2016-2021- 89

2009 Cougar Crest Minstrel- This is a blend of 86% Grenache and 14% Syrah. The wine begins with bright aromas of prune, red cherry and red raspberry. The wine has flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, guava puree and crimini mushroom. Lively wine that is drinking beautifully right now. Drink 2016-2021- 91

2009 Cougar Crest Late Harvest Viognier- This dense dessert wine begins with aromas of buttercream, roasted almonds, poached pear and pineapple. This leads to flavors of apricot, lychee, pineapple and creme brûlée. Lovely range of flavors and intense aromatics to this impressive bottling that is impossible to resist right now. Drink 2016-2022- 92

#cougarcrest #wawine #wallawalla #washington #viognier #washingtonwineblog

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2012 Pinot Noir Retrospective

As part of Oregon Wine Month, we bring you an exciting Oregon Pinot Noir retrospective today. One of the founding wineries in Oregon, Willamette Valley Vineyards has been producing high quality Pinot Noir since the early 1980s. I recently had the chance to taste some of their single vineyard Pinots from the excellent 2012 vintage. 2012 was as perfect as it gets for winemakers in Oregon and followed up two previous cool vintages. The 2012 vintage was marked by a dry summer which produced some nice ripe fruit. While alcohol levels were higher than the previous two vintages, acid levels remained rather high in the wines, which led to some rich and highly structured Pinot Noirs that you can experience in the glass.
Willamette Valley Vineyards head winemaker Joe Ibrahim has a long history in wine, starting with Chateau St. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington. He also previously worked for Gallo in California and was part of their Sparkling wine production team. Ibrahim moved to Edna Valley winery as head winemaker and became familiar with crafting cool climate Pinot Noir. His 2012 releases showcase the terroir and the fruit that the vintage is known for. I was particularly impressed with their ‘Hannah’ bottling (WWB, 93 points). This wine is sourced from a specific block in their Tualitin estate and had a lovely intensity. Their 2012 ‘Chehelem Mountains’ Pinot Noir bottling was sourced from the Alloro Vineyard and shows wonderful ripeness, persistence and terroir. Kudos to Ibrahim and his winemaking team for creating some special wines in 2012. Learn more about these wines at http://wvv.com/ Here is my 2012 Pinot Noir retrospective from Willamette Valley Vineyards:

2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Hannah’ Pinot Noir- This expressing bottling begins with bright aromas of rose petals, prune and red cherry. This leads to mid-weight flavors of red cherry, cran-pomegranate, wet rock and black truffle. Absolutely outstanding and dense effort that showcases this brilliant vintage. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Chehelem Mountains’ Pinot Noir- The Pinot begins with aromas of cherry pie, raspberry and pomegranate with suggestions of lavender. This leads to feminine flavors of red raspberry, pomegranate, gooseberry and crushed white flowers. Nice balance and finesse, with an intriguing range of fruit and non-fruit flavors. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘McMinnville’ Pinot Noir- This wine begins with aromas of wet granite, smoked meats, red raspberry and black truffle shavings. There are medium to heavy weight flavors of black cherry, black raspberry and teaberry alongside leather and suggestions of smoked meats. Gorgeous and intense bottling, with lovely structure and fruit weight. This captures the best of the vintage. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards 'Elton' Pinot Noir- This lighter style bottling begins with aromas of rose petals, red raspberry, and mulling spices. This leads to medium ripe flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, cran-pomegranate and baking spices. Lovely wet rock characteristics to this feminine style of Pinot. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Bernau Block’ Pinot Noir- This is a gorgeous wine by Willamette Valley Vineyards. The wine starts with aromatics reminiscent of red cherry, red raspberry and dill. This leads to medium weight flavors of mushroom, forest floor, red cherry, and red raspberry alongside lovely minerality. This is hard to resist right now and has the structure to cellar well. Drink 2016-2024- 92

#willamettevalleyvineyards #oregonpinotnoir #oregon #willamettevalley #pinotnoir

Interview with Brian Marcy, Head Winemaker at Big Table Farm

As part of Oregon Wine Month, we bring you an enticing new interview with a superstar producer of Oregon Pinot. Winemaker Brian Marcy has crafted some absolutely stunning new release Pinot Noirs. Brian sources from diverse vineyards across the Willamette Valley. The new 2014 Pinot Noirs sing with wonderful personality and Burgundian elegance. The absolutely massive 2014 ‘Earth’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 95) is an incredible wine that showcases the richness of the vintage but has a strong mineral driven and terroir driven flair. Brian’s Chardonnay releases are also excellent and excelled in both the 2013 and 2014 vintages.

Brian has a longstanding history in the wine industry, having worked for some highly esteemed properties like Marcassin and Neyers in the past. He brings his winemaking skills to Big Table Farm, a true boutique producer of Oregon Chardonnay and Pinot. In 2006 he and his wife, Clare Carver, moved to Oregon from Napa, where Brian had been making wine for ten years. They bought at 70 acre property in the Willamette Valley where Brian could make wine and Clare could work on her art, while they both could attend to their spectacular garden and farm. I recently had the chance to sit down with Brian and discuss some of his exciting new release wines. He told his story about coming to Oregon and I think you will be very excited to hear more about his journey in wine. Learn more about him and his wines at the Big Table Farm website, bigtablefarm.com Here is my interview with Brian Marcy, winemaker at Big Table Farm winery.

WWB: Can you talk about your stops before coming to Oregon and how you decided to come to Oregon?

BM: I have always loved to cook. I also love to eat and drink. I think that sensibility carries through into winemaking. Using your senses is really important to understanding the raw material you are working with. I always loved to make things. It doesn’t really matter what it is. I started out as a brewer and went to UC Davis, there is a fermentation program there. I studied brewing and saw a lot of fermentations. I understood sanitation from a brewing perspective. I was working in Sonoma during the end of the first craft beer boom. I had already started drinking wine so I had friends in the wine business. I wanted to work at a winery and landed at Turley in 1999. I worked harvest there and went to Australia and worked a harvest there. Ehren Jordan was the winemaker at Turley and was a partner at Neyers. He hired me to work at Neyers when we got back from Australia and I worked there for three harvests and that was where I was really exposed to Chardonnay and Syrah and the aspects of whole cluster fermentation. From there I worked with Larry Turley’s sister Helen Turley, at her winery, Marcassin. In 2004 I worked there in the cellar which was a great experience. They had a lot of clients and I worked with some of the Cabernet clients, one was Blankiet estate in Yountville. I was asked to stay there and get the project moving in the right direction so I worked there in 2005 for Claude Blankiet to get his winery set up on his property. That is the about the time when we decided to move to Oregon. We had a small house in downtown Napa. We had watched it change in value dramatically. We had chickens in our back yard and we wanted more space. We weren’t going to be able to afford to do that in California given our occupations and we wanted to move somewhere that we could have some property and keep working but also be close to a big city. Where we are now really fits all aspects. We were able to afford to buy our place and both of us work in the wine industry. Clare was designing wine labels and me in the cellar. We are about an hour outside of Portland even though it feels like we are in the middle of nowhere.

WWB: What are some of the similarities and differences that you notice in the Pinot Noirs from the 2013 and 2014 vintages?

BM: 2014 was a warmer summer, as we had more degree growing days than we had in 2013. 2014 was a bigger crop which was good because we could leave things out there longer without having sugar spikes. In 2014 September was warm then but we did get a rain that I thought was great for the wine. This helped the vines finish ripening the fruit and then tone down the accumulated sugar that might have been less than desirable. I think we ended up getting some really great Pinot Noir. All of my Pinots are under 14% alcohol and that rain did that for us. 2013 has been described as a great sleeping summer, meaning that it never got too hot. It was a beautiful summer, the most beautiful that I can remember in the 10 years that I have been here in Oregon. This allowed the vines to continually ripen the fruit. We had pretty thin skins and I think the fruit was very ripe but oddly enough didn’t accumulate much sugar because September was pretty cool.

You really had to be paying attention to what was going on in the vineyard physiologically as opposed to just using numbers. I realized this and then we started picking. The first few vineyards I brought in I realized that the fruit was ripe even though it was around 20 brix. We were pretty much done picking all our fruit by the end of September in 2013. I felt that the fruit was complete and ripe. I chose not to chaptalize though we had lower sugars. Some of our wines were below 12% alcohol which is really low. I think that might have been a bit of a risk. People are generally moving in the direction of lower alcohol but the alcohol levels are not always related to ripe and flavorful wines. With the rains that came we had made a really good picking decision. We didn’t get hit by the rain in 2013 really. A few vineyards we had got caught in it and they were OK. I can’t remember if there was a huge difference in the wines before and after the rains. I think the rains were more sensational than really what happened. You can work around those things sometimes. The real lesson from 2013 is grapes can be ripe without showing ripe sugar, at 22, 23 or 24 brix. In 2014, we waited for the rains to come, and that toned down the sugar and gave the wines balance.

Some absolutely gorgeous labeling done by Brian's wife, Clare Carver, on the 2014 'Earth' Pinot Noir.

WWB: Can you talk about this tremendous bottling, the 2014 Big Table Farm ‘Earth’ Pinot Noir?

BM: The bottling that we barrel select is the ‘Earth’ Pinot Noir. Every winemaker will tell you that there are a few barrels that stand out and are heads and shoulders above everything else. Certain barrels speak to you for a variety of reasons. I think one of the most important aspect is the completeness of the wine. Each barrel has to be complete and balanced, and, of course, delicious. They have all the aspects in the right place. Those chosen for our 2014 ‘Earth’ are beautiful aromatically and have complex palates and a long and lingering finish. All the barrels combined all of those aspects of the wine. Sometimes I will taste from the barrel and then it won’t have any finish or mid-palate. Sometimes they don’t smell bad but don’t jump out at you but then have a great mid-palate. These barrels had everything. I don’t do that special wine every year and barrels don’t always make it into a blend or any blend -- they might be cast out for various reasons. As far as the winemaking goes, I am pretty democratic as far as the grapes that come into the winery. I try to work with each vineyard regardless of my history with the vineyard. These are all fermented in the same way. I am diligent at record keeping during fermentation so I can monitor progress and the temperatures and what it smells like. This is what I pay attention to. The barrels that they go into, the new barrels are spread across so when it comes to put together the blends then there is an evenness to what is in the cellar. I think that winemaking, you can push in certain directions but you are never going to get exactly what you expect. If you focus on only one thing, the best vineyard or the best grapes, I think you would realize that you are not as powerful as you think you are. I try to be democratic in terms of how I approach everything that comes into the winery.

We are finally at a size that if we pull out those barrels and bottle them as their own blend, the effect on the rest wines that we produce won’t be as dramatic as when we were only making about 100 cases in the beginning. Now we are making about 700 cases of Chardonnay and 3000 cases of Pinot Noir. I can pull out 100 cases and it is not going to have a huge effect on the rest of the wines. This is the wine that speaks to us and stands head and shoulders above the rest. I brought Clare into the winery for the barrel tasting. When I picked what I thought were the best barrels, she confirmed that I wasn’t crazy, and sure enough we have made something pretty special. The labels for Earth and the elusive queen are her creations and they are great looking labels. I look forward to seeing what she will do in the future for earth and the elusive queen without the constraint of the iconic aspect that our labels typically carry. This is going to be really fun.

Interview with Emory Cole, Owner of Emory's On Silver Lake Restuarant

Emory Cole has a longstanding history in the Seattle area restaurant industry. Being in the industry for nearly 40 years, Emory’s on Silver Lake has become well-known location for its stunning lake views and fantastic food. The wine list at Emory’s boasts some of the best priced wine in the state. In fact, I have never seen so many bottles that are priced near to cost. This translates into some incredible values for Seattle area wine lovers. Emory’s has achieved the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine three years in a row. On their list there is everything from entry level Columbia Crest to high end Cabernet bottlings of Quilceda Creek, Caymus, and even Opus One. Emory is incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. I recently had the chance to sit down with Emory at his Lakehouse Restaurant and he talked about his love for Washington and Napa Cabernet, and talked about the incredible array of wines that he has had on his wine lists over his years at his restaurant. A passionate and stand out guy, Emory was a delight to talk wine with. Here is my interview with Emory Cole, owner of Emory’s On Silver Lake Restaurant.

WWB: You have been in the restaurant business for more than 30 years. What are some of the changes that you have seen in the Washington wine industry since you first began?

EC: Actually, I've been in the restaurant business in Washington for almost 38 years, not counting the entry level jobs I had back in high school when the starting minimum wage in Washington was $1.25/hour, but who's counting?!  In the early 1970's and before, wine choices in most restaurants were comprised of bulk wines offered in caraffes {Burgundy, Chablis and Rose}.  The "really good wines" were Portuguese Roses {Mateus and Lancers}, Blue Nun Liebfraumilch from Germany, Cold Duck sparkling wine, and the occasional "Claret" from California.  Then things really started to change in the mid to late 1970's when the California wine industry really took off which was soon followed by Washington and Oregon, and European imports began expanding substantially, especially from France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

WWB: You have had Quilceda Creek on your menu since the 1980s. What are some of your favorite wines from Quilceda Creek?

EC: Yes, we had the original 1979 vintage of Quilceda Creek on the menu at my first restaurant located in Mukilteo, WA. {The Seahorse}.  I think it shared the highest priced Cabernet Sauvignon on our wine list along with one of my all-time favorites from California, Silver Oak, in the 1980's.  I think those wines wholesale prices were around $25 at the time and were the highest priced on our list at around $45. The wholesale and retail price for those wines have more than quadrupled since.  Of course, a lot of customers were still ordering the "house wine" back then, but people were starting to "trade up" as new quality varietals were introduced.  I wish I had a nickle for every bottle of Chat Ste Michelle Johannisberg Riesling that has been sold.  The more recent vintages of Quilceda Creek over the past 10 -12 years have been exceptional.

WWB: You have traveled extensively throughout Napa Valley. Do you have any favorite wineries that you have visited? Can you talk about your love for Napa Cabernet?

EC: There are so many great wines being produced in and around Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, and many other regions of California.  I do have a particular fondness for Cabernet Sauvignon, in particular those wineries that still produce 100% varietal, as opposed to blending like has been done in France for many years.  Some of the "iconic" Cabs I personally have enjoyed over the years have come from wineries such as Silver Oak, Newton, Corliss, Heitz, Robert Mondavi, Beringer, Rombauer, Staggs Leap, Joseph Phelps, etc. I haven't had "Screaming Eagle" because I haven't yet been invited to visit your cellar.  My love for Cabernet in general is I have requested to be embalmed with it before I travel to the next level.

WWB: Your wine list has some incredible wine values like the 2009 Garrison Creek Cabernet ($89.00), the 2013 Caymus Cabernet ($125.00) and the 2012 Joseph Phelps Cabernet ($100.00). What are some of your favorite wines from your excellent value wine list? How are you able to offer so many excellent wine values to your customers?

 EC: I and my management team have tried hard to provide a comprehensive list that includes very well made wines with good values for our guests.  As you know, Washington has a thriving wine industry and is producing grapes and wines that I think rival many of California's vintners today. Chateau St. Michelle, for example, does a marvelous job of producing many wine varietals in great volume that are consistently great in terms of both quality and value. Occasionally we come across some smaller Washington wineries that are producing exceptional wines on a smaller scale such as Garrison Creek, Rulo, Woodward Canyon, and Sleight of Hand from Walla Walla, and Mark Ryan, DeLille, and Betz Family from Woodinville.

We try to focus on our market area, support our state's industry, and keep prices reasonable.  We don't mark up our wines like many restaurants do, especially higher cost wines.  We want our guests to be comfortable to experiment and try higher end wines.  We also don't warehouse a huge cellar like many of the higher end restaurants and hotels that are sitting on, literally, hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory. 

WWB: What are some of your favorite producers of wine from Washington and other regions?

EC: I am an "equal opportunity" wine enthusiast.  I've named some of my favorite producers but there are simply too many to name.  France is still the "benchmark" the world uses to compare their wines with.  Unfortunately, the good Bordeaux Chateau wines have become so expensive that I find myself looking to the south of France {Provence} for great wines with better values.  Of course, those are not Cabernet blends but blends of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, as well as Cabernet and other lesser known varietals.  Washington is now producing some of those same great varietals from Provence, Italy, Germany and Spain and doing a great job with them.