- 1 Cayuse Vineyards Cailloux Vineyard Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2008 $70
- 97 Points In the late 1990s, Christophe Baron set about making a series of highly rated syrahs that would transform the Washington wine industry. Today he is still a syrah maker in a class by himself. Case in point: this intensely aromatic wine with floral and savory notes, minerality, light funk, saline, and black olive juice.
- 2 Reynvaan Family Vineyards The Contender Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2008 $60
- 96 Points Cofermented with marsanne to provide extra depth and texture, this syrah sings of the region where its fruit was grown, with distinctive meat, earth, and savory notes.
- 3 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2008 $130
- 95 Points Exceptionally polished tannins and brooding aromatics of black cherry, dark fruit, floral notes, spice, and chocolate are capped off by a lingering finish.
- 4 Rasa Vineyards Creative Impulse DuBrul Vineyard Yakima Valley 2008 $95
- 94 Points Brothers Billo and Pinto Naravane of Rasa Vineyards hold math and engineering degrees from top universities. But it is their artistic talents that are on display in this breathtaking bordeaux-style blend (61 percent cabernet sauvignon, 39 percent merlot) from DuBrul Vineyard. Just a baby now, this wine promises to mature beautifully in the cellar.
- 5 Figgins Estate Red Wine Walla Walla Valley 2008 $85
- 94 Points This blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and petit verdot is aromatically compelling with scorched earth, black currant, red fruit, and dark licorice. The palate is dense and elegant, both structured and light on its feet.
- 6 Reynvaan Family Vineyards The Unnamed Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2008 $45
- 94 Points Like those in the Contender (number two on this list), the grapes for this wine come from the Reynvaan family’s In the Rocks vineyard in the southern section of the Walla Walla Valley. It’s aromatically explosive with stargazer lilies, sea breeze, savory notes, and olive juice, and the palate is plush and expansive with iron and umami flavors.
- 7 Rotie Cellars Northern Blend Red Wine Columbia Valley Washington State 2009 $40
- 94 Points An endlessly fascinating aroma profile with floral notes, game, mineral, ash, black olive, and savory notes. The palate—meaty, rich, full of savory flavors and earth—is followed up by a seemingly endless finish.
- 8 DeLille Cellars Grand Ciel Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain 2007 $135
- 93 Points This is a beautiful wine with the structure to go the distance. Its palate is dense and perfumed with cherry flavors and firm, ripe tannins.
- 9 Grand Rêve Vintners Collaboration Series II Red Wine Ciel du Cheval Red Mountain 2008 $50
- 93 Points Grand Rêve Vintners is the “great dream” of businessman Paul McBride and Red Mountain superstar vineyard manager Ryan Johnson. Their Collaboration Series wines pair top makers from around the state with fruit from the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. Here Ross Mickel of Ross Andrews Winery offers a compelling southern Rhone-style blend of grenache, syrah, and mourvedre.
- 10 Cadence Bel Canto Red Wine Cara Mia Vineyard Red Mountain 2008 $55
- 93 Points Though it is already alluring with floral notes, earth, mineral, dark fruit, and light chocolate, this blend (67 percent cabernet franc, 25 percent merlot, and 8 percent petit verdot) needs at least two years in the cellar.
- 11 Betz Family Winery La Côte Patriarche Syrah Red Willow Vineyard Yakima Valley 2009 $55
- 93 Points An aromatic wine made from 100 percent syrah, it smells of char, blueberries, game, earth, and vanilla, and the palate is textured with lush fruit flavors.
- 12 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 2008 $85
- 93 Points This almost completely opaque cab blend with aromas of earth, coffee bean, raspberries, dark fruit, chocolate, and light herbal notes, packs a wallop of dark fruit flavors on the palate and has exceptionally well-integrated tannins.
- 13 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2009 $45
- 93 Points Master Sommelier Greg Harrington left a promising career in the restaurant industry to go to Walla Walla and, in his own words, “make wine that tastes like dirt.” As with all of his Gramercy wines, the emphasis here is squarely on the fruit with the oak and alcohol dialed way back.
- 14 Sparkman Cellars Kingpin Cabernet Sauvignon Klipsun Vineyard Red Mountain 2007 $56
- 93 Points Winemaker Chris Sparkman refers to Klipsun Vineyard as “the Led Zeppelin of Washington vineyards. Pure rock and roll.” Here Sparkman brings the hammer of the gods down forcefully with a richly tannic wine that includes 11 percent petit verdot for even greater brawn.
- 15 Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 2008 $87
- 93 Points On the nose: raspberries, dark cherries, earth, and floral and high-toned herbal notes. The palate is lush and fruity with polished tannins and tart, lingering fruit flavors.
- 16 Betz Family Winery Besoleil Red Wine Columbia Valley 2009 $45
- 93 Points Grenache is making waves in Washington, and winemaker Bob Betz’s 2009 Besoleil red (in which grenache is blended with syrah, mourvedre, and cinsault) makes excellent use of the evermore popular grape. Fresh raspberries, game, pepper, mineral notes, and milk chocolate dominate the nose; the palate is full of fruit and ample tannins.
- 17 Adams Bench Cabernet Sauvignon Red Willow Vineyard Yakima Valley 2008 $60
- 93 Points With each vintage, Adams Bench winemakers Tim and Erica Blue take strides forward. This blend of cab and merlot is bold and lush with firm tannins. Allow it to age two years if you want to taste it at its peak.
- 18 Maison Bleue Gravière Red Wine Upland Vineyard Snipes Mountain 2009 $40
- 93 Points Prosser winery Maison Bleue has created a compelling blend of syrah—50 percent—and equal parts grenache and mour-vedre, with aromas of raspberries, blueberries, orange peel, and spice. The palate is incredibly fresh and fruit-filled, and the wine lingers on the finish for almost a minute.
- 19 Efeste Big Papa Old Block Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2008 $49
- 93 Points Winemaker Brennon Leighton used vines (from the Kiona, Klipsun, Sagemoor, and Weinbau vineyards) averaging 31 years in age to create this dark, glass-staining cab. It’s locked up tightly at present with aromas of mineral, the darkest of fruits, earth, and violets. Let it age: This is a lay-me-down wine if ever there was one.
- 20 àMaurice Cellars Artist Series Red Blend The Tobey Columbia Valley 2008 $35
- 93 Points A rich, hedonistic wine from àMaurice’s Anna Schafer with black fruit, herbal notes, toasty spice, and bittersweet chocolate, the palate is rich, lush, and packed full of black fruit flavors and well-integrated tannins.
All labels courtesy the wineries.
Published: September 2011
Great, more blog-fodder! Well, this list, like so many others, is nothing more than a beauty contest. The winners are in the eyes of the beholder. Having been on several tasting panels over the years, I have come to the conclusion that wines can only be judged in the context that they are tasted. I noticed that there were several wineries that had no wines represented in the list. Was there a published list of the wines that were submitted? I would imagine that there are a few wineries that don’t require affirmation to sell their wine, or feel that this compilation is worth the effort.
The market for high-end wines has shrunk dramatically in the last two years so I am not convinced that a rating of 150 points is going to sell any more wine. Quite frankly, wines that are only available in your market and/or by mailing list only, shouldn’t need to be reviewed. Retailers, restaurateurs and consumers that rely on point scores to determine what they buy are destined not to learn anything about wine. At some point, you have to learn to take reviews with a grain of salt, and start trusting your own palate!
The constant complaining about how expensive Washington wines are and how high prices are hurting the industry is really based on ignorance, whether willful or otherwise. It costs money to grow grapes, buy grapes, process grapes, bottle, market and sell wines. Profit margins for all but the biggest wineries (and a tiny number of boutiques) are barely able to keep the businesses afloat. Saying that there “should” be great Washington wines available for the $6 that most complainers want to pay is like saying there should be waterfront mansions on Mercer Island that a bus driver can afford. And as for the criticisms of Washington whites – have none of you noticed that Washington riesling is world class? And I can point to any number of great Washington chardonnays, sauv blancs, viogniers, even pinot gris is coming on strong.
Not sure this went through – these spam fighters require the vision of an eagle…
Trying again: The constant complaining about how expensive Washington wines are and how high prices are hurting the industry is really based on ignorance, whether willful or otherwise. It costs money to grow grapes, buy grapes, process grapes, bottle, market and sell wines. Profit margins for all but the biggest wineries (and a tiny number of boutiques) are barely able to keep the businesses afloat. Saying that there “should” be great Washington wines available for the $6 that most complainers want to pay is like saying there should be waterfront mansions on Mercer Island that a bus driver can afford. And as for the criticisms of Washington whites – have none of you noticed that Washington riesling is world class? And I can point to any number of great Washington chardonnays, sauv blancs, viogniers, even pinot gris is coming on strong.
As someone who in the past worked in the Washington Wine industry both at a winery (6 years) and in sales (1 year), I used to really push WA wines to my friends and family. I’m sad to say I’ve come down from that soapbox to a large degree and have to agree with the general tone of many of the comments here that WA wine is becoming far too overpriced and consistently overvalued in comparison to many non-domestic producers, Spain being my current favorite. What’s really sad to me is not so much the price, but the style. Big, fruit-driven, high alcohol, EXTREMELY oaky wines (talking red of course) just totally turn me off. I understand it’s what scores well which translates to sales, but IMO these types of wines have totally lost the nuances which originally made WA wines standout in the first place.
There are some great Washington wines…here is what should scare the big wine makers…an $80 bottle of CSM cab gets 91 points…it takes all of about 10 minutes in Costco or any number of wine merchants to find a cab with similiar or better scores for $16…point in fact…Kendall Jackson VR Cab…$16…92 points from WE…“the best VR ever”…lets see…5 bottles of VR with a higher score OR 1 bottle of CSM (whose Coumbia Valley Cab at $14 per bottle got 93 points from WS) Druthers Cab…you make the call…
After a trip to Walla Walla last year I found several wines missing that we thought were outstadning. Most everything from Long Shadow, several from Cougar Crest, Va Piano, and Rulo.
I wonder about the validity of this list and the judges, seems like there were some awesome wines that missed the list and some mediocre ones that made it. Christophe and the Golitzin’s sending wines into Seattle Met Magazine to be rated REALLY??
Interesting read on these comments…Kudos to Sean for the large and I’m sure daunting undertaking. From my understanding Sean certainly knows his WA ST wines, so this shouldn’t be taken as a critique of his picks, but I’m not as impressed with Seattle Met’s method for these rankings. While happy to note that tasting was done blind and in small groups of 4-6 bottles by varietal, I’m confident that a comprehensive Top 100 list would be much stronger if there was a group of tasters ranking these versus one individual. As nice as it might be, what you end up with is a list of Sean’s Top 100. Having a group of at least 4 tasters (if not 6 or 8) would make this a much more well-rounded consensus. Including a winemaker (perhaps from BC or OR in order to be unbiased), a wine retailer, a sommelier, and a wine critic (like Sean) within a larger group would allow for a more nuanced consensus on what is worthy of applause from current WA ST vintages. That likely would add time and expense to this effort from Seattle Met, but if you want a rep as one of the top Top lists and to promote WA ST wine in a rigorous way, then I think the investment would be worth it.
Glad Seattle Met supports WA Wine. Looking forward to future wine-related features.
An interesting list. Looking it over, a couple things really jumped out at me though.
First, 91 of the 100 wines are reds. Only nine whites, and no rose. By comparison, I tallied up the wine types on the Wine Spectator’s most recent Top 100 list (which has a worldwide focus), and it had 25 whites and one rose. I wonder what that says – do Washington winemakers not make much great white wine, or does this reflect the bias of the taster(s)? To me, this is an interesting question. I’m not really driven by ratings, but rather by what I can drink that gives me pleasure. A really good white nearly always gives me pleasure. Big, high-scoring reds on the other hand might be fun to taste, but I’ve found that when faced with a whole bottle at once, they often become more a chore to drink than a pleasure.
Second thing I found, and I think this is more important, is about price. Only three wines on the Washington list are under $25. By contrast, 40 of the Wine Spectator’s recent top 100 are under $25. I find that contrast quite amazing! I’ve tried quite a few of the inexpensive wines on the Wine Spectator list, and as a result, I’ve found a fair number of wines that are not only stunningly beautiful, but also affordable. Because of price though, I won’t be trying that many of these Washington selections. There are some high-profile boosters of Washington wine who tell me over and over that Washington wine presents value, but this list argues the opposite. I (and most my wine-buddies) can’t afford to spend $40 or $50 on a bottle of wine, ever. So, how can the Washington wine industry really move into the mainstream if the good (and even not-so-good) wines are so expensive that even dedicated wine lovers can’t afford them? I’ve learned that value comes from overseas, weak dollar and shipping costs notwithstanding. There are tons of great $25 wines out there for the finding, and even lots of delicious $15 bottles out there for more everyday use, but only a precious few of them are from Washington in my experience. It’s a bad place for the local industry to be if you ask me.
Wow, judging from the comments, I wasn’t aware that wine could be made from sour grapes.
clearly they never tasted the amazing wines from Celaeno!!
There are no doubt some great wines on this list, but as Dave pointed out, they’re all the expensive ones. Are the only great wines in Washington expensive? Not by any means, but those wineries that make great wines at low prices may not have sent in their wines for judging. Who knows. There are plenty of great wines out in Washington for great prices.
I don’t necessarily call into question the wines or the prices, but I do call into question the testing method. Groups of four to six: Who are they and what are their backgrounds? Also, were they allowed to speak during judging? If so, that basically throws out all scores because if one person put forth an opinion, it immediately influences the decision of the others in the group. Judging wine in groups should be silent or it shouldn’t be done at all!
Dan – Thanks for the clarification. I guess I misread it in that I thought that just the rating scale was from Sean and not the actual ratings. I’ve never really cared for Sullivan’s reviews so this list is now meaningless to me. Seattle Met Magazine should seriously hire someone else for wine reviews.
Dave,
A couple of things to note when comparing this list to the Wine Spectator Top 100 list. Wine Spectator’s list is based on a combination of score, price, production, and an x factor they refer to as ‘excitement.’ This favors wines at high scores relative to their prices and also favors wines at higher production levels, which of course also impacts the price. This also allows the magazine to create a list that is balanced in whatever manner they desire – region, wine type, etc. In contrast, I created this list based solely on score, ignoring price, availability, and other factors.
You asked regarding the number of white wines in the Top 100, “…do Washington winemakers not make much great white wine, or does this reflect the bias of the taster(s)?” Personally, I think there is no question that there is a much greater abundance of excellent to exceptional red wine in Washington compared to white wine. While taster bias is always possible, if you look at the percentage of white wines versus red wines that scored highly in Wine Spectator in the last year, you will also find it strongly weighted toward red wines. It is, however, also important to note that red wines comprised approximately three-quarters of the wines sampled in creating this list.
Regarding price, I too was disappointed not to see more highly rated wines at lower price points. However, keep in mind that the ‘Rest of the Best’ list, which contains red wines that received 90-point ratings and is only available on-line, has 20 wines that are $25 or less. There is value to be had!
Finally, I do believe, as your friends suggest, that one of Washington’s strengths is value. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the wines are always inexpensive. Rather it means you are getting higher quality wine for the price compared to similarly priced wines from other regions. To wit, in a popular on-line wine discussion forum, readers have been marveling at the prices of the wines on this list compared to their peers in California! It’s all relative I guess.
Sean
Carl – Read the sidebar again the wines were tasted in groups of 4 to 6 by one person, Sean Sullivan. I don’t think he has any formal training other than a wine blog. Not sure if that really makes him an expert or not?
Forgot Obelisco?
Sean, thanks for the comments on the list. I did suspect that the selection criteria were different for your list vs. the Wine Spectator list, and I suppose there’s room for both approaches. I do wish though that someone would make a list of best Washington wines that also included price as a criteria. I think such a list would be of more use to more people.
What you say about value being relative is certainly true. If you’re comparing Washington’s most expensive wines vs. Napa or Bordeaux’s most expensive, there’s no question that Washington will come out ahead. But, at the price points most people drink most of the time, I still think Washington doesn’t compare very well vs. its comptetition in inexpensive imports. I see really excellent AND inexpensive wine coming from Spain, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, France, Austria and Italy, just to name a few places. I tried a couple of the inexpensive Washington wines in the Spectator list, and although I thought they were competently made, they didn’t excite me in the least. I find lots of exciting wine in the $15 – $20 range from around the world though – and even from some of the less-touted regions in California. For Washington though, I can count the interesting, inexpensive wines I know of on the fingers of two hands.
To be fair, I did really enjoy my trip over to Chelan last summer, and I tasted some really good whites and good Syrah there. I thought the Chelan prices were pretty reasonable, if not quite inexpensive. Chelan might possibly be the answer to Washington’s lack of good white wine production. It seemed like a good climate for some of the cooler-climate white grapes, and wineries there seem to put a little more effort into white production than average.
I was down in the Willamette Valley recently too. On that trip I found some great, inexpensive whites and even some decent, inexpensive reds. Granted, Pinot Noir is more up my alley tastewise than most of the reds we do up here in Washington. Pinot Noir is (usually!) light-bodied with great aromatics, and relatively easy-to-drink, all of which add up to pleasure in my book. I’m finding more and more things I want to drink down there at prices I can afford.
So, I hope that the Washington wine industry can find a way to produce more really excellent AND inexpensive wine. As it is, you’ve got to be rich to afford the really good Washington stuff, while for those of us in the middle and down, it’s either mostly mediocre, or imports. I see some hints of hope, but the industry has a long, long way to go yet in my opinion before it will really compete in the part of the market where most people – even most real wine appreciators – buy and drink a lot of wine.
It is interesting to see which wines were forwarded by the respective wineries in context of their overall lineup. Maybe they know Sullivan’s palate and targeted it but I hope they aren’t that cynical. There is pretty wide consensus on the top 15 or so producers in the state and many of his top ranked wines were also well regarded by Steven Tanzer. Sour grapes indeed.
I spent 2 or 3 days tasting in Washington this summer, and brought back at least a half dozen wines on this list. In my limited survey, I found few white wines of true quality and was disappointed in the overall value, so from my perspective Mr. Sullivan has acquitted himself well.
Are WA wines better values than Napa Cab? Perhaps, but the Syrahs are perhaps a worse value than what a careful shopper can find from CA. I enjoyed many of the wines but I didn’t get much sense of vineyard expression. A consistent climate and quality winemaking creates a lot of very good but not profound juice. Admittedly, I have yet to try a Cayuse.
A couple of the wineries tried to slag down CA Chardonnay. Sorry folks but you shouldn’t bother trying to grow Chardonnay in WA and STFU with the insecurity complex over California. The whites are not where WA is at and all the faux local pride, which appears to be a regional trait, won’t make them any better. I have enjoyed some WA white Rhones but they are not yet a general strength.
Are you kidding me! You did forget one the best Red Mtn. wines. Obelisco Estate.
Thanks for the guidance! So this is all the notes and opinions of one writer? Good to know.
Thanks
Who were the judges on this tasting panel and what were their qualifications for assessing these wines? Thanks
Hi Steven, an explanation of the rankings is in a sidebar on the right. It’s titled “How We Ranked the Wines.”
I’m surprised by a few, and with Tenor making the list…let alone rating so high my opinion of this list just went down.