Best Washington Wines 2012

Best Washington Wines: 22 Top Tasting Rooms

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:59:00 -0700

Washington’s wine regions are rich in character and characters, so in the equivalent of a many-months-long wine crawl, we went in search of some of the state’s most classic, quixotic, and even iconic places to taste wine. Here, 22 memorable tasting rooms across the state (numbers in parentheses denote wines featured in our Top 100 Washington Wines list)

Best Place to Meet Wine Pioneers
Chinook Cellars
220 Wittkopf Loop, Prosser, 509-786-2725;
chinookwines.com
In a little house just off Interstate 82, winemaker Kay Simon and viticulturist husband Clay Mackey welcome visitors to one of the state’s founding wineries. The quaint farmhouse tasting room, which pours reds, whites, and rosé from the Yakima Valley, is bedecked with signed books by some of the couple’s biggest fans—Tom Douglas, for example. Here, Kay will tell you a bit about what life was like as a Washington wine pioneer in the early ’80s and ply you with viticultural reading recommendations if you ask. Step outside and stroll past the little lemon tree drooping with fruit to a sprawling lawn perfect for picnicking, which is where the daughters of Dick Boushey, one of Washington’s legendary grape growers, took dates during high school. Open weekends, May through September and by appointment year round.

Best Place to Sip in a Secret Room
Alexandria Nicole Cellars
2880 Lee Rd, Ste D, Prosser, 509-786-3497;
alexandrianicolecellars.com
This tasting room is for anyone who ever dreamed of having a secret room behind a bookshelf. The locals who congregate in this unassuming strip mall location delight in taking newcomers on a tour. The standard trick: They walk up to the bookcase, pull on a John Le Carré mystery, and pretend that’s the secret to getting in. Truth is, the whole wall slides from side to side; no need to search the shelves for the entrance. The bookshelf-door leads to a hidden room, reserved primarily for wine club members’ social gatherings. It’s also where Alexandria Nicole showcases a rotating selection of its limited-production library wines. If you’re holding a 2007 Rockstar Red in your cellar, here you can see how it’s aging without uncorking your own bottle. Open 11 to 5 daily.

Best Place to Watch the Sun Set Over a Cabernet
Col Solare (96)
50207 Antinori Rd, Benton City 509-588-6806;
colsolare.com
The green slopes of Red Mountain sprawl beneath Col Solare’s hilltop perch. Few places dress to impress like this winery, a partnership between Tuscany’s Marchesi Antinori and Chateau Ste. Michelle. The deck yields impressive views of the vines, the Horse Heaven Hills in the distance, and a startling blue sky. Once upon a time, it took advance scheduling and an insider’s edge to gain entrance and sample its cabernet sauvignon–based reds, but these days it’s simple. May through September the tasting room—with wine available by the glass, flight, or bottle—is open to the public on Saturdays from noon until sunset, and tours happen every Sunday at 3. Open weekends May through September, other times by appointment.

Image: Andrew Waits

Rasa Vineyards

Best Place to Get Sun Kissed
J. Bookwalter Winery (20, 81)
894 Tulip Ln, Richland, 509-627-5000;
bookwalterwines.com
Sure, there are the literary themes—red blends named the Antagonist and Protaganist (20), for example—and the tempting allure of bocce ball courts amid a swath of plush green grass, but the real reason to stop at J. Bookwalter Winery has to be the plethora of outdoor seating. From the sun-dappled terrace out back, which leads to a small garden, to the full sunshine patio out front, this is the place to go if you’re short on vitamin D. Plus, when the sun goes down, the live music comes up (on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays), attracting tourists and locals alike. Open Wednesday through Sunday.

Image: Andrew Waits

Long Shadows Sip under the Chihulys in Walla Walla.

Best Place to Check Out Chihuly
Long Shadows (14, 60, 97)
1604 Frenchtown Rd, Walla Walla, 509-526-0905;
longshadows.com
On a hill surrounded by a sea of vines and rolling wheat fields sits this grand tasting room and its adjacent production facilities, which make some of the best wines in the state. For $15, you can sample all the wines in the portfolio while surrounded by Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures (the artist is friendly with owner Allen Shoup and created works especially for the winery). Double the price gets you a cheese plate and a tour of the production facility downstairs, including the barrel room where the sound system plays classical music for the wines. A little New Agey? Perhaps. Though the owners deny it, rumor has it some days the wine gets juiced on heavy metal, too. On Fridays, Long Shadows opens the patio and serves $10 pours ($5 for Poet’s Leap) with live music from 6 to 9pm—perhaps the best cheap date in town. Open Friday nights or by appointment.

Image: Andrew Waits

Tasting at Long Shadows

Best Place to Drink with a Horse
Foundry Vineyards
1111 Abadie St, Walla Walla, 509-529-0736;
foundryvineyards.com
It’s sunny, the sky is a brilliant azure, and the cast bronze horse by sculptor -Deborah Butterfield casts its leggy shadow across the citrusy viognier blend in your glass. This must be Walla Walla’s Foundry Vineyards, the boutique winery started by Mark Anderson with grapes from his residential vineyard and designed to commemorate his foundry clients. Prints by Jim Dine hang in the gallery-slash-tasting room, while a palatial outdoor patio is lined with towering metal sculptures by Butterfield, Dine, Ed Humpherys, and Brad Rude. Visitors are typically the first to see the sculptors’ latest work: After a work has been cast at the foundry, it is often installed at the vineyard while waiting to be shipped or received. Open Saturdays from 11 to 5 and by appointment.

Best Place to Get Hitched
Januik (59, 77) and Novelty Hill (64)
14710 Woodinville-Redmond Rd NE, Woodinville, 425-481-5502;
januikwinery.com, noveltyhillwines.com
These sibling wineries are housed in a modern space designed to mimic the geometry of the landscape and boast soaring concrete walls and linear design elements that suggest a vineyard’s neat rows of grapes. Now that the Station Pizzeria has arrived in town, this tasting room is no longer the only place in the neighborhood to get pizza with a pour, but it remains a distinctive place to wed in Woodinville. Above, there’s the grand event space that opens on to the tasting room and gardens. Below, the glorious, intimate reserve room, with its salvaged Western red cedar table and room for 26. Outside, bocce balls and beanbags await—as well as plenty of singles to mingle with, even when a wedding party isn’t in progress. Open daily, 11 to 5.

Image: Andrew Waits

Bookwalter barrel

Best Place to Get Funkadelic
Sleight of Hand (47, 92)
1959 J. B. George Rd, Walla Walla, 509-525-3661;
sofhcellars.com
Some days this place sounds more like a college dorm room than a winery. That’s because winemaker Trey Busch has lined the vermillion walls of his Walla Walla tasting room with a jukebox and old-fashioned vinyl LPs. More than 650 albums sit on a shelf waiting to be cued up on the turntable, just steps away from a custom concrete tasting bar where they’re pouring Funkadelic Walla Walla Valley syrah (47) or the Columbia Valley red blend the Illusionist (92). Luckily, Busch takes requests and doesn’t mind when tasters want to put another dime in the jukebox, baby. Open Thursday through Sunday and by appointment, April through December.

Best Place to Go Off the Grid
Boudreaux Cellars
Winery: 4551 Icicle Creek Rd. Tasting Room: 821 Front St, Leavenworth, 509-548-5858;
boudreauxcellars.com
Across a wooden bridge, over the banks of Icicle Creek, four miles away from the nearest power grid, stands Boudreaux Cellars winery. Rob Newsom built this place—lighted and heated by battery and generator—himself. Outside, climbing ropes hang from the granite whole-stone walls; if you don’t call ahead, there’s a chance of finding Newsom or his assistant winemaker 25 feet aboveground. Inside lie the production area and press, which gravity-feeds wine into casks in the subterranean barrel room, where the temperature consistently hovers around 50 degrees. Cool, right? And practical, although Newsom has discovered his wines tend to need one year more in barrel than most. For visitors who like to remain on the power grid, Boudreaux Cellars also has a charming downtown Leavenworth tasting room—lined with sconces and huge granite chalkboards. At either location, the winery pours Newsom’s current releases of muscular, fruit-forward reds. Winery is open by appointment; the downtown tasting room is open daily.

Image: Andrew Waits

Rasa tractor

Best Place to Study Math
Rasa Vineyards (80, 85)
4122 Powerline Rd, Walla Walla, 509-252-0900;
rasavineyards.com
The big barn of a tasting room mixes mathematical principles, the laws of motion, and some world-class Washington wines. A geekily good Principia syrah, sourced from the likes of Les Collines, Seven Hills, and other vineyards, is named for Sir Isaac Newton’s work on the laws of motion. Sip on the Occam’s Razor, a single-vineyard syrah, while the tasting room staff schools you on how this concept rules Rasa’s winemaking process. Open by appointment.

Best Place to Drink Wine in a Man Cave
Gramercy Cellars (8)
635 N 13th Ave, Walla Walla, 509-876-2427;
gramercycellars.com
That “self-portrait” of Greg Harrington hanging on the wall isn’t actually the vintner (and master sommelier), but rather an 1843 painting by American portraitist Robert Street. That it’s called a self-portrait is a practical joke played by Steve Wells, Gramercy’s tasting room director. Still, with huge, stuffed leather chairs, old-fashioned, swiveling metal-and-wood stools, a tasting bar framed by a wall of white subway tiles, and a dartboard by the door (weapons available upon demand), men and women alike will want to bring their A game—and linger over a syrah—at this self--proclaimed “man cave” tasting room. Open Wednesday to Friday by appointment; Saturday from 11 till 5.

Image: Andrew Waits

Tasting at Long Shadows

Best Place to Flirt with Staff
Charles Smith Wines
35 S Spokane St, Walla Walla, 509-526-5230;
charlessmithwines.com
Seattle architecture firm Olsen Kundig turned a former auto-repair facility in downtown Walla Walla into a warehouse--inspired tasting room for one of the biggest personalities in the state’s wine community. Expansive bay doors open onto a streetside table space, while music pulses out of the sound system (punk, reportedly, when Charles Smith himself is in the house). And, if you’re lucky, you’ll get a story out of charming, loquacious tasting room attendant Marcus Mejia while he pours something vintage—a 2006 Kung Fu Girl riesling, for example—from the K Vintners library. Open daily.

Best Place to Get Naughty
Hard Row to Hoe
300 Ivan Morse Rd, Manson, 509-687-3000;
hardrow.com
Boudoir lighting, exceptionally racy wallpaper, saucy wine names, and a constantly busy outdoor game space make this winery, perched above the indigo waters of Lake Chelan, home to all sorts of revelry, especially of the bachelor- or bachelorette-party variety. Convince the tasting room staff to part with some Good in Bed brut rosé and they may even divulge the highly entertaining story behind the winery’s name. Hint: It’s more of a boats-and-broads tale than the Depression-era or dustbowl saga the pure-minded visitor might be expecting. Open daily.

Image: Andrew Waits

Chinook welcome sign.

Best Place to Float In
Rio Vista
24415 State Route 97, Chelan, 509-682-9713;
riovistawines.com
The first thing you see upon arriving may be the dock. The second? A speckled hen tailed by a brood of chicks. Rio Vista, wedged between a tiny dirt road and the mighty Columbia River, may not be renowned for an epic oenological program, but it is likely the only winery in the state served by seaplane. (The website even offers satellite coordinates.) Boaters bob in regularly, and a floatplane makes near-daily visits during high season to drop off tasters. For those consigned to less glamorous transport, the rolling, manicured lawns lead to a small vineyard and a beach, perfect for sipping and dipping. Open Wednesday through Sunday.

Best Bastion of Bubbly Underground
Karma Vineyards
1681 S Lakeshore Rd, Chelan, 509-682-5538;
goodkarmawines.com
In its perch overlooking Lake Chelan, Karma makes sparkling wine in the traditional mode—methode Champenoise—which means the wine isn’t carbonated, but rather goes through secondary fermentation in the bottle. The outdoor seating area offers blue views, tasting flights, and bites, but most impressive is the tour of the yawning wine cave (which doubles as a wedding and party space). Take the bubbly belowground and you’ll be surrounded not only by the cool, dim light, but also by rows of bottles in A-frame shaped riddling racks. Closed Mondays.

Image: Andrew Waits

Best Essence of Puget Sound
Rolling Bay Winery
10314 Beach Crest Dr, Bainbridge Island, 206-419-3355;
rollingbaywinery.com
On one side of this Bainbridge Island winery, the briny smell of the sound rises up from the beach below. On the other, well, there’s the wine, all sourced from the Snipes Mountain AVA in Yakima Valley. How much more Northwesty can you get? Inside Rolling Bay Winery’s tiny tasting and barrel room, winemaker Alphonse de Klerk can often be found pouring his Manitou red blend, sourced from Upland Vineyard, the oldest continually operating vineyard in the state. Outside there’s a peekaboo view of Seattle and Mount Rainier across Murden Cove. Earn your sips by arriving on the ferry, then biking to the winery, where a barrel has been sweetly modified to serve as a bike rack. Be warned, though: With all the hills between the dock and the red blends, the ride is not for the faint of heart. Open for frequent winery events and by appointment.

Best Place to Meet Your Maker
Woodinville Warehouse District
195495–19501 144th Ave NE, Woodinville. 18510–18658 142nd Ave NE, Woodinville woodwarewine.com
Elegant they aren’t, but Woodinville’s two warehouse district tasting room areas deliver pretty phenomenal experiences. Not only is it possible to sample 40 wineries within a single mile, but most of the rooms are staffed by the winemakers themselves, so it’s no surprise to run into the men and women behind the juice as you stroll past a chop shop wedged in between wineries. At the more established of the two warehouse districts, Woodinville Park North, are wineries such as Sparkman Cellars (25, 87), Guardian Cellars (63), or Darby Cellars, and someone often has a barbecue going out front. Across North Woodinville Way, on any given day you might walk in on Two Vintners winemaker -Donavon Claflin (who with his partner makes a delicious grenache blanc) sewing a button on his shirt with the help of a YouTube video and a Buck knife, or Stevens Winery cofounder Tim Stevens punching down Black Tongue syrah grapes just inches away from the pouring station. Tasting rooms at both locations are open mostly on weekend afternoons.

Image: Andrew Waits

Award-Winning Whites The tasting room at Long Shadows.

Best Place to Pretend You’re in Bordeaux
Adams Bench (40)
14360 160th Pl NE, Woodinville, 425-408-1969;
adamsbench.com
Straddling a hill above the Hollywood Schoolhouse district is a rare Woodinville winery with an Old World wine-country feel. Past the manicured lawn, the dancing fountain, and the barn surrounded by lavender and tall ornamental grasses, Adams Bench winemaker Tim Blue welcomes sippers into his year-old firelit tasting room. After sharing a few of the structured reds—including the nearly opaque ’09 cabernet sauvignon—Blue is also likely to offer multiple recommendations for dinner after your tasting. Open by appointment.

Best Place to Play Pinball
Gorman Winery
14505 148th Ave NE, Woodinville, 206-351-0719;
gormanwinery.com
A woman attempting to feed coins into Chris Gorman’s (free) AC/DC-themed pinball machine shoots the winemaker a pleading look as he steps out from behind the bar to help. Moments later Gorman is out from behind the bar again, pulling a guitar off the wall and trying to convince a patron who has just arrived to play a few chords. Kinda funny what happens at Gorman’s newly opened tasting room in the former gas station at the Hollywood Schoolhouse roundabout in Woodinville. The stereo bumps, the song “Hells Bells” randomly rings from that AC/DC pinball machine, and bay doors open out onto a large cement patio lined with chairs and tables. Sharing the building are Station Pizzeria and Patterson Cellars, which makes this a great place to snack on something Italian while sipping something regularly award winning and quintessentially Washington. Open Thursday through Sunday, 1 to 5.

Image: Andrew Waits

J. Bookwalter Winery Alfresco tasting beneath the vines.

Best Place to Experience a Staytasting
Seattle Urban Wineries
Various locations around Seattle,
seattleurbanwineries.com
Not to be outdone by Washington’s more established wine regions, a handful of wineries have banded together to form an association dedicated to urban tasting experiences. One small contingent is tucked in among the rows of large, metal industrial warehouse buildings in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood. On a sunny Saturday, the 15-foot steel door at Nota Bene Cellars will be thrown open for visitors to sip a variety of reds and blends. Around the corner at Cadence, Gaye McNutt and Benjamin Smith will pour out their love story (of grapes, too) as well as some fantastic wines from Red Mountain vineyards, such as the 2009 Camerata (12) red blend. Further north, along the Queen Anne side of the ship canal, five or so wineries—including Almquist Family Vineyards and Siren Song—share the industrial space attached to the Book Bindery. Schedules vary but most are open the second Saturday of each month.

Best Place to End a Trip Around Green Lake
Eight Bells Winery
6213B Roosevelt Way NE, Roosevelt, 206-321-5120;
8bellswinery.com
At the end of a Roosevelt neighborhood pedestrian alley awaits a burgundy door. Inside, the founders—two NOAA scientists and a businessman—stand behind a tall wooden table pouring pinots (of both varietals) from Oregon grapes and reds from Yakima Valley and Red Mountain. Tour of the industrial space and the founders will gladly show off their chemistry sets upstairs, maps of the AVAs that source their grapes, and ornate commemorative certificates of various maritime accomplishments, which also explain how the Shellback, a cabernet, merlot, and syrah blend, got its name. (Hint, they’ve crossed the equator, traversed the Panama Canal, and more.) Open Saturdays 11 to 4.

Best Place to Play Tourist
The Tasting Room
1924 Post Alley, Pike Place Market, 206-770-9463;
tastingroomseattle.com
What’s convivial, quaint, communal, and winecentric? A Washington winery co-op—the Tasting Room—at the periphery of Pike Place Market. This is the place to come to take a break from the market crowds and sip Eastern Washington in a glass. Tastes are available in ounce pours, by the glass, or by the bottle. Mix and match samples from Harlequin, Wineglass Cellars, Wilridge Winery, Camaraderie Cellars, Latitude 46˚N, Naches Heights Vineyards, or Mountain Dome, or choose from established flights. Open noon to 8pm daily.

Best Washington Wines: The 2012 List

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 08:05:00 -0700

Image: Andrew Waits

Let’s take a moment to appreciate just how lucky we are. Over the last 15 years the state’s wine industry has blossomed. Washington is now home to more than 700 wineries, and more with each passing month. Quality has never been better, and the wines being produced—many of which never make it out of our state—are increasingly diverse.

Submissions for this year’s top 100 list included more than 500 wines—white, red, and rosé—and spanned more than 30 grape varieties. We’re not simply growing a lot of different grapes, our state is growing a lot of different grapes well. It’s not every day that you get to watch a premier wine region being born, let alone see it happen in your backyard. So let’s raise a glass to the wines of Washington–our annual list gives you more than 100 ways to celebrate.

Methodology

Seattle Met solicited the wines via the Washington Wine Commission newsletter, which gets distributed to wineries across the state. Wineries could submit a maximum of four wines, one in each of the following categories: $25 or less, $25–$50, $50 or higher, and one white wine of any price. Alternatively, wineries submitting in just one price category could send two wines. Wines were stored for at least two weeks after shipment and before sampling.

All wines were sampled blind in groups of four to six, organized by varietal, and rated on a 100-point scale by Sean Sullivan, editor of the Washington Wine Report (wawinereport.com). The scale: 80–84 Decent; 85–89 Good; 90–94 Excellent; 95–100 Exceptional. Wines were subsequently ranked by score, price, and overall excitement about the wine. A 91-point cutoff was used to create the list of the best 100 (actually 104). Seattle Met raises its glass to Urban Enoteca and the Zino Society for the use of their facilities during the tasting.

1 / 97 points
Cayuse Vineyards Syrah Cailloux Vineyard Walla Walla Valley 2009
Fruit for this sublime, perfumed wine comes from winemaker Christophe Baron’s first vineyard, planted on an ancient cobblestone riverbed in the southern section of the Walla Walla Valley in 1997. The 2008 vintage was our top wine last year, and the winery is once again in fine form, displaying all of the mineral, earth, and savory notes it is (deservedly) famous for. $75

2 / 96 points
Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
When Quilceda Creek founder Alex Golitzin started the winery in 1978, finding locally produced fine wines meant a drive to Portland. While times have changed, Quilceda Creek continues to lead the way in the state, crafting wines densely packed with fruit and tannins that boast tremendous cellar potential—if you can keep your hands off them. $135

3 / 95 points
Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 2009
More than 30 years after Gary and Nancy Figgins founded the winery—the first in the Walla Walla Valley—Leonetti Cellar continues to make lay-down-worthy wines that stand among the state’s best. Here second-generation winemaker Chris Figgins crafts a cabernet sauvignon for the ages, loaded with opulent fruit, earth, and barrel flavors. $88

4 / 95 points
Betz Family Winery Pere de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
Brace yourself for loads of aromatic appeal in the form of coffee, dark cherry, and floral notes. On the palate, this is a complete “Wow!” wine, exploding with earth and cherry flavors and enough tannins to go the distance. It’s just a baby now; give this wine a good two years in the cellar to grow up. $65

5 / 95 points
Cayuse Vineyards God Only Knows Grenache Armada Vineyard Walla Walla Valley 2008
This wine sings from the mountaintops with a burst of mineral, black olive juice, floral, iron, and red fruit aromas that lead to shimmering, intense, savory flavors and an endless finish. $80

6 / 95 points
Reynvaan Family Vineyards The Unnamed Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2009
Hailing from the Rocks region of the Walla Walla Valley that Cayuse vigneron Christophe Baron made famous, this wine displays smoke, light game, ash, umami, and abundant mineral notes that draw you instantly into the glass. The palate is perfumed with savory, meaty flavors and crushed stone. $55

7 / 94 points
Maison Bleue Gravière Red Wine Upland Vineyard Snipes Mountain 2010
When winemaker Jon Martinez left a promising career as a dentist in Kansas City to come to Washington, it was with the goal of making wines like this. Three-quarters mourvedre, this southern Rhone-style blend has compelling aromas of white pepper, mineral, herbal notes, and red fruit. The palate has an ethereal lightness and fruit flavors come through with astonishing purity. $45

8 / 94 points
Gramercy Cellars Lagniappe Syrah Columbia Valley 2009
The name derives from the Cajun term for “something extra,” and this syrah from master sommelier and winemaker Greg Harrington delivers on that promise. This wine is all about elegance and subtlety, overflowing with smoked meat, floral notes, and savory aromas and flavors, with a hyperextended finish—a little extra something to linger over. $45

9 / 94 points
Force Majeure Vineyards Collaboration Series VI Red Wine Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red Mountain 2009
The winery’s Collaboration Series pairs top Washington winemakers with fruit from Red Mountain’s sought-after Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. The inaugural release of this mourvedre, grenache, and syrah blend from winemaker James Mantone calls out to the wines of France’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape region with rich, pure fruit flavors. $50

10 / 94 points
Reynvaan Family Vineyards The Contender Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2009
This syrah from winemaker Matt Reynvaan is cofermented with marsanne grapes, which provide extra weight and volume to match the wine’s intense flavors. The palate is loaded with floral notes, smoked meat, and black olive juice. $65

11 / 94 points
Efeste Big Papa Old Block Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
Fruit for this 100 percent cabernet sauvignon comes from four of Washington’s oldest vineyards—Klipsun, Sagemoor, Bacchus, and Kiona—with the vines used here averaging 31 years of age. The palate is simultaneously bold and refined with dark cherry and chocolate flavors that persist on the finish. $49

12 / 93 points
Cadence Camerata Red Wine Cara Mia Vineyard Red Mountain 2009
Winemaker Ben Smith spent 14 years as a mechanical engineer at Boeing before turning his attention to winemaking full time. Here, notes of scorched earth, red currant, mineral, and floral elements lead to rich but restrained fruit flavors on this cabernet sauvignon–dominant blend that will age gracefully in the cellar as long as you care to hold it. $55

13 / 93 points
Soos Creek Wine Cellars Red Wine Champoux Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills 2009
Over the years Soos Creek has made its mark with wines that consistently over-deliver for their price, and this 2009 vintage is no exception. This red mixes compelling aromas of currant, floral, and herbal notes with elegant fruit flavors and firmly structured tannins. $40

14 / 93 points
Long Shadows Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley 2008
French vintner and flying winemaker Michel Rolland has consulted for wineries all over the world. Here he uses Washington fruit to craft a wine that is definitely not your mother’s merlot, with a big, bold blast of dark fruit flavors and a firm grip of tannins. Put this one in the cellar and forget about it for a few years. $55

15 / 93 points
Figgins Estate Red Wine Walla Walla Valley 2009
Leonetti Cellar winemaker Chris Figgins launched this single-vineyard wine project last year with a stunning 2008 vintage release. The follow up is another beautiful mixture of grace and power, full of scorched earth, incense, and floral notes. $85

16 / 93 points
Avennia Arnaut Syrah Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley 2010
This inaugural release from Woodinville’s Avennia—a project from Marty Taucher and former DeLille Cellars assistant winemaker Chris Peterson—is a dark, glass-staining wine with compelling aromas of white pepper, bacon fat, mineral, and blue and black fruit. The palate is silky and plush with soft fruit flavors heightened by this particular vintage’s crisp acidity. $45

17 / 93 points
Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 2009
Former NFL star quarterback Drew Bledsoe returned to his native Walla Walla to team up with Chris Figgins, the winemaking equivalent of an NFL star quarterback, to craft one of the state’s most memorable cabernets, marrying dark cherry flavors and firm tannins. $89

18 / 93 points
Rotie Cellars Southern Blend Red Wine Washington State 2010
Winemaker Sean Boyd is dedicated to making “Old World wines from New World vines.” This southern Rhone–style blend—three-quarters grenache with the balance syrah and mourvedre—offers vibrant white pepper, red fruit, and herbal aromas and flavors accented by the vintage’s bright acidity. $40

19 / 93 points
Corliss Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2007
Walla Walla’s Corliss Estates gives its wines extended time in the barrel and bottle prior to release, making them more immediately approachable than many wines of this caliber. The first allure here is an aroma of ground coffee, black cherry, herbal notes, and spice. The palate is both bold and refined, full of cherry flavors and barrel accents with well--integrated tannins. $75

20 / 93 points
J. Bookwalter Winery Protagonist Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
Winemaker John Bookwalter called in Frenchman and wine consultant Claude Gros to fine-tune a number of his winemaking practices in 2009. The results speak for themselves via dark fruit, dusty chocolate, char, and floral notes on this delicious blend of cabernet sauvignon (75 percent) and cabernet franc. $55

21 / 93 points
Baer Winery Arctos Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
Woodinville’s Baer Winery has made its mark over the years with two Bordeaux-style blends, this cabernet sauvignon–dominant wine, and the cabernet franc–dominant Ursa (45). Arctos is aromatic with dark raspberries, floral notes, bittersweet chocolate, and oak spices. The palate lowers the boom with rich dark fruit flavors and a firm scaffolding of tannins. $55

22 / 93 points
Bergevin Lane Vineyards The Princess Syrah Francisca’s Vineyard Walla Walla Valley 2009
The Princess, a classically Washington creation, draws you into the glass with blueberries, chocolate, smoked meat, and violets. The palate is lithe and perfumed with blue fruit, savory flavors, and a light, minerally funk—all hallmarks of syrah from the Walla Walla Valley. $52

23 / 92 points
Cadence Bel Canto Red Wine Cara Mia Vineyard Red Mountain 2009
“It’s early! Why did you wake me up!” this lay-me-down-in-the-cellar wine seems to say. For now it’s locked up tightly with intriguing aromas of red currant, floral notes, mineral, and earth. The palate is restrained and structured with a firm framework of tannins over light fruit flavors. Like all Cadence wines, this one is built to last—give at least two additional years in the bottle or extended time in a decanter. $55

24 / 92 points
Dowsett Family Winery Gewurztraminer Celilo Vineyard Columbia Gorge 2011
Last year was one of the coolest vintages on record in Washington and Celilo Vineyard is one of the cooler sites in the Columbia Gorge. And yet winemaker Chris Dowsett says the gewurztraminer grapes that came in that year were the most uniform color he had ever seen. It shows on this stunning white wine, loaded with spice, citrus, and floral notes. $22

25 / 92 points
Sparkman Cellars Preposterous Malbec Red Mountain 2010
The color may be pitch black, but the fruit absolutely sings in this hallmark malbec, which is all plum and peppery spice, accented by Klipsun Vineyard’s distinct minerality and firm tannins. Eat your heart out, Argentina. $38

26 / 92 points
Mark Ryan Winery Long Haul Red Wine Red Mountain 2009
Mostly merlot and cabernet franc along with a dash of malbec and petit verdot, Long Haul is wound up like a spring right now with cherry, raspberry, mineral notes, chocolate, and spice. The palate has silky cherry flavors backed by well-integrated but firm tannins and has a long finish. Take a cue from the name and give at least two years or a long decant. $48

27 / 92 points
Maison Bleue Jaja Red Wine Yakima Valley 2010
Opening this bottle—almost equal parts grenache, syrah, and mourvedre—unleashes an aromatic tour de force with aromas of white pepper, dark fruit, and herbal notes. The palate is light-bodied, tart, and fresh with vibrant black raspberry flavors. Wine doesn’t get much better at this price. $25

28 / 92 points
Kerloo Cellars Syrah Les Collines Vineyard Walla Walla Valley 2009
Winemaker Ryan Crane says his goal at Kerloo Cellars is to create “palate--challenging” wines, and this single--vineyard syrah certainly fits that -description with a diverse range of aromas and flavors including orange peel, violets, smoked meat, and spice, accented by tart, lip-smacking cranberry notes. $34

29 / 92 points
Chateau Ste. Michelle and Dr. Loosen Eroica Riesling Columbia Valley 2010
The Eroica project brings together Chateau Ste. Michelle and famed winemaker Ernst Loosen of Germany’s Mosel Valley. This off-dry wine is a riot of lime zest, white peaches, and green apple flavors, accented by tart, crisp acidity. $20

30 / 92 points
Betz Winery Clos de Betz Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
Bob Betz is one of the few individuals in the U.S. to hold a master of wine qualification and also serve as a winemaker. His expertise shows on this merlot-dominant Bordeaux-style blend that is loaded with chocolate and red fruit flavors with soft, velvety tannins. $52

31 / 92 points
Syzygy Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2008
Syzygy—pronounced “SIZ-uh-jee”—is a term for the alignment of three celestial bodies. And, yes, the stars aligned perfectly to produce this fruit-filled syrah loaded with game, smoke, lavender, and blueberry. $33

32 / 92 points
Leonetti Cellar Merlot Walla Walla Valley 2010
This winery helped establish Washington as a premier region for merlot. So when winemaker Chris Figgins says, “This may be the finest merlot in Leonetti’s history,” it’s time to take notice. One sip of the wine, packed tightly with red fruit, coffee, spice, and earth, explains his sentiment. Hold on to it for at least two years. $70

33 / 92 points
àMaurice Cellars Artist Series The Cummings Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
Each wine in this series is named for an artist, this one for Northwest School painter William Cumming. The Bordeaux-style blend of 47 percent cabernet sauvignon, 33 percent merlot, and 20 percent cabernet franc creates a wine with earth, abundant dark raspberries, and spice. The palate is fresh and loaded with red fruit flavors with enough structure to lay down in the cellar. $35

34 / 92 points
Mark Ryan Winery Dead Horse Red Wine Red Mountain 2009
Tightly wound when first opened, this cabernet sauvignon–dominant blend gradually uncoils to reveal a jumble of cherries and raspberries along with mineral and floral notes. The palate is lush and full with sweet, dark fruit flavors and chocolate. Have a decanter at the ready when uncorking this—or give it at least two years. $52

35 / 92 points
Fall Line Winery Red Wine Artz Vineyard Red Mountain 2009
Seattle-based Fall Line Winery excels at delivering high-quality single-vineyard blends that don’t break the budget. This cabernet franc–heavy blend has floral and mineral notes and tar, as well as the structure to last in the cellar for years to come. $30

36 / 92 points
Rotie Cellars Northern Blend Red Wine Washington State 2010
The northern yin to the southern blend’s yang (18) this syrah-viognier co-ferment boasts arresting aromas of mineral, pepper, and black olive juice. On the palate, it’s a light, lively wine that features savory flavors and floral notes with refreshing acidity. $40

37 / 92 points
Tulpen Cellars Coalescence Red Wine Columbia Valley 2008
Tulpen winemaker Ken Hart says that the best way to sell 1,000 cases of wine is to make 500. Offering his small-batch wines at can’t-be-beat prices helps, too. This fruit-forward Bordeaux-style blend is full of raspberries, currants, and chocolate and brings a level of seriousness seldom found at this price. $26

38 / 92 points
Mackey Vineyards Merlot Columbia Valley 2009
This compelling but restrained wine—a riot of red fruit, cocoa, and spices—is guaranteed to change more than a few people’s minds about this oft-disparaged grape. $36

39 / 92 points
Woodward Canyon Artist Series #18 Cabernet Sauvignon Washington State 2009
Whereas the majority of Washington wineries have set up shop in the last 10 years, Woodward Canyon is in its 18th vintage of its Artist Series cabernet, which boasts luscious cherry and coffee flavors and moderate tannins. This wine is high in alcohol but holds it well. $54

40 / 92 points
Adams Bench The V Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
So dark it’s almost opaque, the V cab sauv’s rich, polished, dry chocolate and dark fruit flavors and a distinctive floral accent are wound up tightly at present. Like all of the Adams Bench wines, this is one for the cellar. $49

41 / 92 points
Force Majeure Vineyards Collaboration Series II Red Wine Ciel du Cheval Red Mountain 2009
While a trademark dispute forced a name change from Grand Reve last year, the quality from this budding cult winery remains the same. Mostly syrah with a splash of viognier and roussanne, this dark, glass-staining wine from winemaker Ross Mickel is loaded with red and black fruit, mineral notes, and violets. Give at least two years or decant extensively. $55

42 / 92 points
Kerloo Cellars Chelle den Millie Malbec Yakima Valley 2009
Winemakers often blend across several vineyard sites when making malbec in Washington, so this single-vineyard offering is a rarity. Dark and redolent with plum, cranberries, and spice, the pure fruit flavors linger on the palate. $40

43 / 92 points
Pepper Bridge Winery Merlot Walla Walla Valley 2009
Hailing from renowned Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills vineyards, this beautiful interpretation of merlot is equal parts grace and power with coffee, cherries, boysenberries, and spice backed by firm tannins. Lay it down for two years and your patience will be rewarded. $50

44 / 92 points
Tero Estates Windrow Red Wine Walla Walla Valley 2008
Tero Estates Windrow Red wine is a field blend, an extreme rarity for Washington: All four grape varieties—cabernet, merlot, cabernet franc, and malbec—are picked at the same time in proportion to their plantings at Windrow Vineyard and subsequently cofermented. No wimpy wines here, this is bold and brawny with exceptionally well-integrated tannins. $45

45 / 92 points
Baer Winery Ursa Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
A sibling to the Arctos earlier on this list (21) this cabernet franc–-dominant blend is loaded with high-toned herbal notes, spice, dark fruit, and chocolate, with enough tannins to earn it a place in the cellar. Like all of Baer’s wines, this one is 100 percent Stillwater Creek Vineyard. $39

46 / 92 points
DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Red Wine Red Mountain 2009
The cabernet sauvignon–based blend hails from two of Washington’s finest vineyards—Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun—and shows all of their grace and power. The palate delivers a big boom of dark fruit flavors, spices, and mineral notes with the structure to age in the cellar for decades to come. $70

47 / 92 points
Sleight of Hand Cellars The Funkadelic Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2010
The name is a double entendre for Richard Funk’s vineyard, which provides the fruit and outrageously funky aromatics of the Rocks region of the Walla Walla Valley. The wine pops with ash, black olive juice, white pepper, floral notes, and earthy funk. The palate is light and perfumed with savory and umami flavors. $60

48 / 92 points
JM Cellars Founder’s Reserve Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
Red Mountain is known for bold fruit flavors and firm tannins, and this blend of three-quarters cabernet sauvignon lives up to that tradition. This wine will go up against your biggest steak and live to tell the tale. Well, the empty bottle will. $45

49 / 92 points
Fidélitas Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills 2009
Champoux Vineyard creates some of Washington’s most coveted cabernet sauvignons, and this 100 percent varietal wine is certainly one to seek out. It’s aromatic with high-toned herbal notes, floral notes, dark fruit, and bittersweet chocolate. The palate is filled with sweet, luscious dark fruit and chocolate flavors with well-integrated tannins. Cellar it for two years. $65

50 / 92 points
Hestia Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
The winery is named for the Greek goddess of the hearth, and its cabernet sauvignon brings together fruit from two of the state's warmer growing regions, Horse Heaven Hills and Wahluke Slope. The palate is big, broad, and expressive with dark cherry flavors, cola, medicinal notes, and chocolate accented by soft tannins. $35

51 / 92 points
DeLille Cellars D2 Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
Named after the famed D2 highway in Bordeaux, this predominantly merlot and cabernet sauvignon blend explodes with chocolate and cherry flavors accented by aromas of coffee, floral notes, and dark fruit. $38

52 / 92 points
Chateau Ste. Michelle Ethos Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
Ste. Michelle’s Ethos series is designed to show the best traits of each vintage. This 2009 cabernet sauvignon is all that and more, rich with ripe fruit flavors in a big, bold style. $38

53 / 92 points
L’Ecole No. 41 Estate Perigee Red Wine Seven Hills Vineyard Walla Walla Valley 2009
L’Ecole has more than 20 years of experience making wines from Seven Hills Vineyard, experience which shines through on this blend, where flavors from both the fruit and the barrel share the spotlight; it also features all five Bordeaux varieties. $50

54 / 92 points
Spring Valley Vineyard Uriah Red Wine Walla Walla Valley 2009
Born in Walla Walla in 1866, Uriah Corkrum purchased the land now known as Spring Valley in 1897. Flash forward 100 some odd years to the 2009 wine that bears his name and boasts all the floral notes, herbal tones, and luscious red fruit flavors that have made this merlot and cabernet franc–centric blend a consistent standout. $50

55 / 92 points
Bergevin Lane Winery Intuition Reserve Red Wine Stone Tree Vineyard Wahluke Slope 2008
Though labeled simply as a red wine, this could just as easily be called a cabernet sauvignon; the grape makes up 83 percent of this rich, hedonistic blend with the balance made up of brawny petit verdot. $59

56 / 91 points
Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
An aromatic wine with roasted coffee bean, spice, chocolate, herbal notes, and dark cherries. The palate is rich with soft, plump cherry flavors and well-integrated tannins. Winemaker John Abbott recommends music pairings of Danzig’s “Mother” and the Deftones’ “Change”—both as gripping and ageworthy as this wine. $44

57 / 91 points
Woodinville Wine Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley 2011
Be prepared, for this wine leaps up from the glass with herbal notes, lime zest, and citrus. The palate is medium bodied with a creamy feel and lime flavors that draw out across the finish. $18

58 / 91 points
Syncline Wine Syrah McKinley Springs Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills 2010
Two thousand ten was the first vintage when winemaker James Mantone began fermenting some of his wines in concrete, which he says brought greater clarity and purity to the fruit. It shows on this deep purple wine, which is full of blackberry, cranberry, pepper, and espresso aromas and flavors. $30

59 / 91 points
Januik Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
Winemaker Mike Januik spent 10 years as head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle before starting his eponymous winery in 1999. This is cabernet sauvignon at its most aromatic and rich with vanilla, cocoa, and dark cherry. $30

60 / 91 points
Long Shadows Poet’s Leap Riesling Columbia Valley 2011
Acclaimed German winemaker Armin Diel’s riesling is consistently among the state’s finest, with the 2011 vintage bringing concentrated stone fruit and citrus flavors that linger on the finish. $20

61 / 91 points
Fjellene Cellars Reserve Proprietary Red Wine Walla Walla Valley 2009
This blend from winemaker Matthew Erlandson is half cabernet, half syrah, all hailing from Yellow Jacket Vineyard in the Rocks region of the Walla Walla Valley. Aged in a mere 25 percent new French oak—the rest in older barrels—the focus here is clearly on the fruit. $50

62 / 91 points
Fall Line Winery Red Wine Red Willow Vineyard Yakima Valley 2009
Fall Line’s blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc is full of earth, tar, violets, and herbal notes and comes at a fraction of what many bottles from this premier cru, or first growth, vineyard typically cost. Give this one some time to open up, or a couple years in the cellar, to see it at its best. $30

63 / 91 points
Guardian Cellars Chalk Line Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
A hedonistic delight from policeman by day, winemaker by night Jerry Riener, Chalk Line is 34 percent cabernet sauvignon with the rest near-equal parts merlot, syrah, and cabernet franc. It shows aromas of espresso, dark berries, and toasty oak spices complemented by luscious cherry and chocolate flavors. $25

64 / 91 points
Novelty Hill Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
Winemaker Mike Januik has a knack for making top-quality cabernet sauvignon at affordable prices. This appealing wine’s sweet cherry flavors are accented by vanilla, spice, and other oak notes. It’s a steal at this price. $25

65 / 91 points
Efeste Riesling Evergreen Vineyard Columbia Valley 2011
Evergreen Vineyard has established itself as one of Washington’s premier riesling sites, creating a lively combination of mineral notes and steely acids. A rarity, this green-apple-filled delight from longtime winemaker Brennon Leighton (now working with Charles Smith) all comes from a single block within the vineyard. $18

66 / 91 points
Owen Roe Chapel Block Syrah Red Willow Vineyard Yakima Valley 2010
Red Willow is the site of Washington’s first syrah plantings, and here Owen Roe expertly captures all this vineyard has to offer, resulting in a wine full of blue-berries, cranberries, mineral notes, and black pepper. $55

67 / 91 points
Tulpen Cellars Merlot Columbia Valley 2008
This is a very pretty, classically Washington version of merlot, showcasing all the raspberry, milk chocolate, and coffee tones that make the varietal so appealing here. The palate is soft with rich chocolate and cherry flavors with ripe tannins. $28

68 / 91 points
Avennia Parapine Syrah Yakima Valley 2010
The Parapine syrah is named after a ghost that winemaker Chris Peterson says inhabits his house. This haunting wine from the 2010 vintage calls out to the Old World with its mineral, white pepper, earthy funk, and savory notes. $35

69 / 91 points
Abeja Chardonnay Washington State 2011
Year after year, winemaker John Abbott creates some of the state’s best chardonnay. This wine is lightly aromatic with spice, straw, yellow apple, and light tropical fruit. The palate is soft and silky with a creamy feel and tart acidity. $36

70 / 91 points
Fielding Hills Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Riverbend Vineyard Wahluke Slope 2009
Named after a turn in the Columbia River near Priest Dam, Fielding Hills’ Riverbend Vineyard provides the fruit for this brightly aromatic wine. You’ll know it by its dark fruit, sweet oak spices, floral and high-toned herbal notes. $42

71 / 91 points
Amavi Cellars Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2009
The aroma is a force of violets, chocolate, earth, dark fruit, and mineral notes. The palate is perfumed with blue and black fruit flavors, simultaneously bold and restrained. $29

72 / 91 points
Andrew Will Winery Red Wine Ciel du Cheval Red Mountain 2009
Winemaker Chris Camarda uses only 35 percent new French oak on this merlot, cabernet franc, and cabernet sauvignon blend, allowing the storied Ciel du Cheval vineyard’s currant, cherry, and mineral aromas and flavors to shine. $55

73 / 91 points
Walla Walla Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon Sagemoor Vineyard Columbia Valley 2009
Year after year, Walla Walla Vintners produces one of the finest expressions of Columbia Valley elder statesman Sagemoor Vineyards. Fruit for this wine dates back to the vineyard’s original 1972 plantings. $40

74 / 91 points
Five Star Cellars Malbec Walla Walla Valley 2009
Cherries, plum, and spice fill this perfumed, classically Washington malbec. The palate is soft and plush with dark fruit flavors, leading to a long, persistent finish. $38

75 / 91 points
Fielding Hills Winery Cabernet Franc Riverbend Vineyard Wahluke Slope 2009
While Fielding Hills excels with cabernet sauvignon and merlot, its cabernet franc continues to be a cult favorite. This 2009 vintage wine leaps up from the glass with sweet oak spices, cherry, and floral notes. The palate of cherry and chocolate flavors is especially rich and hedonistic. $30

76 / 91 points
Pepper Bridge Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 2009
Though labeled cabernet sauvignon, this wine boasts all five Bordeaux varieties, giving it layers of complexity. Like all of the wines from Pepper Bridge, a few years of cellaring will bring out its best. $60

77 / 91 points
Januik Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills 2009
This rare 100 percent cabernet sauvignon from one of the state’s top vineyard sites is as structured as a drill team, with chalky tannins and restrained fruit flavors. It should last in the cellar as long as you care to hold it. $55

78 / 91 points
Dowsett Family Winery Devotion Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
Winemaker Chris Dowsett makes only two wines at his winery–both of which appear on this list. This syrah, mourvedre, and grenache blend from vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley, Red Mountain, and Horse Heaven Hills is brightly aromatic and full of soft, pure fruit flavors. $30

79 / 91 points
Forgeron Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2008
Aromas of blackberry, cherry, cedar, and spice lead to a palate of dark fruit flavors and tightly wound tannins. It’s delicious on its own, even better when paired with food. $30

80 / 91 points
Rasa Vineyards In Order to Form a More Perfect Union Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
A lightly aromatic Bordeaux-style blend with coffee, dark berries, earth, and spice. The palate is soft and restrained with light cherry flavors gliding along to a pleasantly prolonged finish. $95

81 / 91 points
J. Bookwalter Winery Foreshadow Merlot Columbia Valley 2009
This tasty merlot exemplifies Book-walter’s style of bold fruit flavors and generous barrel accents. Barrel notes of coffee and toasty oak spices are followed by raspberries and maraschino cherries on a sweet, succulent wine. $40

82 / 91 points
Tempus Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
Old-vine Sagemoor fruit gives this wine grace; Klipsun fruit gives it power. Together, the two deliver notes of licorice, earth, graphite, and red fruit, complemented by a firm structure. $32

83 / 91 points
Northstar Winery Merlot Columbia Valley 2008
Merlot specialist Northstar hits a high note with a moderately aromatic wine filled with coffee, raspberry, vanilla, and spice. The palate has silky red and black fruit flavors accented by milk chocolate. $41

84 / 91 points
Barnard Griffin Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2008
While Barnard Griffin is known for its high-quality value wines, the winery is at its best with limited-production reserve releases. Here winemaker Rob Griffin uses fruit from Sagemoor and Caroway vineyards in the Columbia Valley to create a rich cabernet loaded with cherry flavors and chewy tannins. $40

85 / 91 points
Rasa Vineyards QED Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
In a nod to winemaker Billo Naravane’s background in mathematics, this wine is named after the expression quod erat demonstrandum, which is often abbreviated at the end of mathematical proofs. This aromatic blend of syrah, grenache, mourvedre, and viognier boasts red fruit, mineral notes, white pepper, and herbal tones. $50

86 / 91 points
Dusted Valley Vintners Petite Sirah Columbia Valley 2009
The Dusted Valley boys drop the hammer with this seldom-seen varietal bottling of petite sirah, which features dark fruit, toffee, and coconut shavings. The palate is gigantic, exploding with fruit and barrel flavors. $42

87 / 91 points
Sparkman Cellars Kingpin Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain 2009
Like their creator, Chris Sparkman, Sparkman wines are never shy, and this cabernet from Red Mountain’s famed Klipsun Vineyard announces itself with bold red and black fruit flavors and chalky tannins. $62

88 / 91 points
Pamplin Family Winery Proprietary Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
Owner Robert Pamplin Jr. has a business background that spans mining, milling, media, and farming. He also happens to own one of the Northwest’s more exciting new wineries, producer of this beautiful cabernet sauvignon–dominated blend. $55

89 / 91 points
Matthews Estate Claret Columbia Valley 2009
Named for the British term for a Bordeaux-style wine, this merlotcentric blend is filled with cranberries and cherries backed by firm tannins. Give it a little extra bottle age or some time in the decanter. $38

90 / 91 points
Chateau Ste. Michelle Artist Series Meritage Red Wine Columbia Valley 2008
This is the first year that Chateau Ste. Michelle’s meritage (i.e., a Bordeaux-style red) contains all five Bordeaux varieties, giving this wine a nice bit of added complexity. A touch over half cabernet sauvignon, it has abundant cherry, coffee bean, licorice, and herbal notes. $55

91 / 91 points
Tenor Wines Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley 2010
Winemaker Aryn Morrell says that, with this wine, he threw out everything he knew about making sauvignon blanc and started over—giving the wine extended skin contact during fermentation and aging it in 100 percent new French oak. The result is a bold, aromatic wine that sings with herbal notes, spice, mango, and kiwi. The palate is rich and full bodied with bold tropical fruit on top of some spicy oak flavors. $48

92 / 91 points
Sleight of Hand Cellars The Illusionist Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
The blend is the creation of winemaker and audiophile Trey Busch, who named the winery after a favorite Pearl Jam song. No magic tricks here, just cabernet sauvignon to provide the cherry flavors and structure, and syrah and cabernet franc adding raspberries, cola, and leafy spices. $45

93 / 91 points
Den Hoed Wine Estates Andreas Cabernet Sauvignon Wallula Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills 2008
Winemaker Gilles Nicault’s cabernet is all about holding variables constant: one vineyard, one grape, and one cooper for the oak barrels. The result is a heavily structured, restrained wine with a long life ahead of it. $80

94 / 91 points
Dusted Valley Vintners Tall Tales Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2009
The addition of 9 percent viognier makes the aromas explode on this wine, redolent with boysenberry, floral notes, and milk chocolate, and sweet and perfumed on the palate, which is loaded with blueberry and chocolate flavors. It’s aged in tight-grained Wisconsin oak in a tribute to the cheesehead roots of winemakers Chad Johnson and Corey Braunel. $53

95 / 91 points
Tamarack Cellars Sagemoor Vineyard Reserve Red Wine Columbia Valley 2008
Half cabernet sauvignon and a quarter each of merlot and cabernet franc, this aromatic blend from one of Washington’s older vineyard sites is packed with spice, high-toned herbal notes, incense, and cherries. The palate is soft and supple with understated cherry flavors and soft tannins. $50

96 / 91 points
Col Solare Red Wine Columbia Valley 2008
Aromatically closed up right now, this wine shows promises of spice, chocolate, licorice, and dark cherries. The palate has abundant dark cherry and dry chocolate flavors. Let it get acquainted with your cellar; there’s enough structure to lay this bottle down for years to come. $75

97 / 91 points
Long Shadows Chester Kidder Red Wine Columbia Valley 2007
Long Shadows owner Allen Shoup named his cabernet sauvignon– and syrah-dominant blend in honor of his grandfather Charles Chester and his grandmother Maggie Kidder. He’s done them proud with appealing aromas of cranberries, dark, brambly fruit, and tea leaves. The palate is structured with dark fruit flavors that make for an incredibly persistent finish. $50

98 / 91 points
Corvus Cellars Corbeau Sauvage Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain 2009
Corvus Cellars is a partnership between grower Randall Hopkins and former Whitman Cellars winemaker Steve Lessard. This nanoproduced (46 cases) cabernet is full of cranberry aromas and flavors with well-structured tannins. $39

99 / 91 points
William Church Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2009
Cabernet sauvignon from Dineen Vineyards is accented by 10 percent petit verdot from Northridge Vineyard. The palate is softly structured and bursting with sweet fruit flavors lingering long after the last sip. $32

100 / 91 points
Convergence Zone Cellars Storm Front Red Wine Red Mountain 2009
Red Mountain wines at this price are a rarity, and with only 25 percent new oak used, the focus here is on the fruit. Better yet, with a blend of 39 percent merlot, 26 percent cabernet sauvignon, 20 percent cabernet franc, and 15 percent malbec, no one grape steals the show, allowing this chorus to sing. $28

101 / 91 points
Brian Carter Cellars Le Coursier Red Wine Columbia Valley 2007
Winemaker Brian Carter is devoted to blends. Here he has created a Right Bank Bordeaux-style wine that benefits from a full five years of age. $30

102 / 91 points
Milbrandt Vineyards Sentinel Red Wine Northridge Vineyard Wahluke Slope 2009
This third vintage of Milbrandt’s flagship wine—mostly cabernet sauvignon with a splash of merlot and petit verdot—is full of blackberry and cherry flavors accented by sweet oak spices. $55

103 / 91 points
Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills 2009
An outstanding cabernet sauvignon for the price; a rich, hedonistic wine loaded with chocolate and cherry flavors. $28

104 / 91 points
Den Hoed Wine Estates Marie’s View Red Wine Wallula Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills 2008
An intriguing blend of cabernet -sauvignon, syrah, merlot, petit verdot, cabernet franc, and sangiovese, this wine displays winemaker Rob Newsom’s trademark style of cherry cola and medicinal notes, backed by firm tannins. $80

Best Washington Wines 2012: Bottle Bang for Your Buck

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:07:00 -0700

Bergevin Lane She Devil Syrah Columbia Valley 2009
This glass-staining wine is filled with violets, blueberries, and milk chocolate, with a soft, silky palate. $24

Corvus Cuvee Columbia Valley 2009
A Bordeaux-style blend boasting fruit from Red Mountain and Walla Walla Valley’s Seven Hills Vineyard. $19

Kevin White Winery En Hommage Syrah Yakima Valley 2010
The Woodinville winery’s impressive debut shows great purity of fruit. $25

L’Ecole No. 41 Merlot Columbia Valley 2009
It’s Washington merlot at its most essential: a study in raspberries, chocolate, and spice. $24

Long Shadows Nine Hats Red Wine Columbia Valley 2008
Cabernet sauvignon dominates in this Bordeaux-style blend; it contains the same fruit as Long Shadows’ other wines—those wines just happen to cost twice as much. $25

Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon Washington State 2009
Nelms Road is a second label for Woodward Canyon and draws from some of the same fruit sources to produce this showy cabernet. $25

Soos Creek Palisade Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
This fruit-filled red is 83 percent merlot and 17 percent cabernet sauvignon with fruit from Bacchus, Dionysus, and Klipsun vineyards. $25

Syncline Subduction Red Red Wine Columbia Valley 2010
This beautiful southern Rhone–style blend overflows with fresh fruit flavors; particularly lively acids accent this vintage. $20

Two Vintners Lola Red Wine Red Mountain 2009
Half cabernet sauvignon, half syrah, the blend brings bold black cherry and espresso flavors. $25

Woodinville Wine Cellars Little Bear Creek Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009
Cedar, spice, and dark, brambly fruit characterize this blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, and malbec, made in a restrained style. $20

Best Washington Wines 2012: Great Whites

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:07:00 -0700

Amavi Cellars Semillon Walla Walla Valley 2011
This wine displays everything there is to love about the grape—aromas of white peaches, figs, and spice followed by citrus and more stone fruit flavors. $20

Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling Washington State 2011
An outrageously good wine for the price, overflowing with tangerine flavors and mouthwatering acidity. $12

Columbia Crest H3 Chardonnay Horse Heaven Hills 2010
Fruit and oak are both at the fore on this wallet-friendly wine that puts its California counterparts two or three times the price to shame. $15

DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc Columbia Valley 2010
A blend of semillon and sauvignon blanc lends an acidic lilt to flavors of cardamom, straw, citrus, and spice. $35

Force Majeure Collaboration Series Viognier Red Mountain 2010
The first white release from this star winery is a knockout, full of mineral and stone fruit aromas and flavors. $35

Guardian Cellars Angel Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley 2011
Aromas of gooseberry, lemon, and lime give way to drawn-out fruit flavors and an equally lengthy finish. $20

Januik Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard Columbia Valley 2010
Though he left Ste. Michelle in 1999, winemaker Mike Januik continues to purchase grapes from the winery each year to produce this standout chardonnay. $30

Maison Bleue Au Contraire Chardonnay French Creek Vineyard Yakima Valley 2011
The 2011 vintage is a more medium-bodied style than its predecessors, presenting pear, peach, and plantain notes with a drawn-out feel and a lingering finish. $25

Mark Ryan Winery Viognier Columbia Valley 2010
Fruit for this aromatic dazzler comes from the blazing hot Ciel du Cheval and the cool(ish) Red Willow vineyards, creating fascinating complexity in the glass with stone fruit, citrus, and floral notes. $28

Novelty Hill Wines Sauvignon Blanc Stillwater Creek Vineyard Columbia Valley 2011
Hailing from the winery’s estate vineyard, Stillwater Creek, this appealing sauv blanc is a riot of spices and tropical notes with a creamy feel on the tongue. $18

Saviah Cellars Star Meadows White Wine Columbia Valley 2011
A perfect summer white blend of 62 percent semillon and 38 percent sauvignon blanc, the wine was aged in both oak and stainless steel, imparting texture while retaining freshness. $22

Sparkman Cellars Apparition Roussanne Yakima Valley 2011
Newly added to the Sparkman lineup—a seldom-seen varietal bottling of roussanne—is a wine full of stone fruit, mineral, and spice with neutral oak aging providing a textured mouthfeel. Try it before it vanishes! $32

Tempus Cellars Riesling Evergreen Vineyard Columbia Valley 2011
This racy riesling boasts all of the mineral notes and mouthwatering acidity Evergreen vineyard is known for. $16

Tenor Wines Chardonnay Columbia Valley 2010
The Woodinville winery's first chardonnay doesn’t hold back. It’s a fruit-forward wine loaded with tropical fruit flavors, made in a bold, full-bodied style. $48

Tranche Cellars Chardonnay Columbia Gorge 2008
One hundred percent Celilo Vineyard grapes go into this zippy chardonnay, which uses oak aging and full malolactic fermentation (think milk instead of a green apple), adding weight and texture. $30

Treveri Cellars Extra Brut Blanc de Blanc Columbia Valley NV
Treveri Cellars is making a dazzling lineup of sparkling wines—even Hillary Clinton’s State Department chef agrees—and none better than this extra brut made from chardonnay. $14