Wine

Return to Red Mountain

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 05:00:00 -0700

THE POPLAR TREES lining the side of the property drooped in the sweltering sun as Jim Holmes stood up from the pile of wood where he’d been sitting for the past hour. He ambled over to a row of neatly crucified vines, stopped, and crouched on one knee. These were the celebrated Ciel du Cheval vines—“horse heaven” in French, an homage to the nearby Horse Heaven Hills, once the favored grazing spot of now-extinct wild stallions. He scooped up some dirt.

“Hold out your hand,” he said.

I opened my palm. The gray silt felt at once light and substantial, like talcum powder. Tiny sparkly specks stuck to my skin, glistening in the sunshine. “That’s mica,” Holmes explained, “from the Rockies. It came with the floods.”

How soil came here from hundreds of miles away—and created some of the most fecund land in the West—was a mystery that consumed geologists for centuries. The answer holds the key not just to the dirt here, but also to why Red Mountain produces wines of highly celebrated terroir, a French term that refers to the characteristics (climate, soil, farming techniques) that link a wine to the place where the grapes grew. Red Mountain’s renowned terroir has attracted distinguished winemakers and drinkers from around the world and grapes grown there are among the most prized and expensive in the state. And it all happened because of a flood.

Or rather, floods. Near the end of the last glacial period, around 15,000 years ago, a beast of an ice lake submerged much of western Montana: 500 cubic miles of water—about as much as Lake Erie and Lake Ontario combined—reaching depths of 2,000 feet. Near the top of what’s now the Idaho Panhandle, a thick sheet of ice dammed the lake, preventing it from spilling westward…except when it didn’t. Over a period of about 3,000 years, the frozen dam ruptured under the pressure of the water more than a dozen times, and a thrust of liquid muscle advanced on Eastern Washington and parts of Oregon en route to the Pacific Ocean.

How We Got that Shot

The world has no shortage of pour shots—red wine, it appears, has plenty of practice falling from the sky and swirling up inside a single, pristine wine glass. Knowing for months that I’d be working with Erik Skaar, a high-speed photography specialist, I thought we could get closer, dig deeper. Inspired by the story of Red Mountain’s renowned terroir, we got geological.

Washington’s glacial history spawned a photographic narrative of floods, crashing waves and the remains: a carved out, monolithic bottle left in the receding waters.

Skaar, using his super-secret arsenal of glass containers— and a unique variety of wine found only in boxes— swished, swashed, and splashed his way to a set of dramatic images. Mixing the thrill of a wine pour with a late summer landscape, these photos convey something no single glass can contain.

—André Mora

These were floods of unimaginable power, fierce enough to scoop up many-ton boulders and send them crashing into one another with such violence that they disgorged debris in thick, dirty plumes. Giant woolly mammoths were swept away in a second. In their path of destruction, the waters of Glacial Lake Missoula ripped up the earth’s surface, sculpting massive potholes, buttes, and the gouged-out canyons known as coulees.

Along this crash course to the Pacific Ocean, the floods encountered Red Mountain, a cheatgrass-covered elevation just east of what is now Benton City, Washington, in the southeast corner of the state. At just 1,247 feet, it isn’t much of a mountain. It’s a ridge, really—an uplifted fold in the earth created by plate movement. But it was tall enough to form an eddy in the flood, a swirling effect that slowed the water down, causing it to release rock and debris picked up along the way. Over time, Red Mountain soil became a time capsule of displaced earth, an elemental hodgepodge that told the geological story of Lake Missoula’s violent journeys.

At Ciel du Cheval, I asked Holmes if the floods, and the soil they created, were the reason wines from Red Mountain taste better than other wines. He frowned. “Better or worse, don’t worry about that. The thing is we’re different. We’re fundamentally different.”

The night before, a stranger had requested, of me, the same information I sought from Holmes. I was loitering on the lawn during a wine-tasting party at Col Solare Winery, the deep-pocketed winemaking collaboration between Chateau Ste. Michelle and Marchesi Antinori, a famous Tuscan whose family has been in the business since the 14th century. Beyond the long stone wall that guards the winery like it’s some medieval castle, a couple of men were readying a striped hot air balloon for flight and I watched as the balloon part—the envelope, they call it—started to fill with air. A man approached to have a look, too, and we got to talking. So what made the grapes so great here? he’d asked, savoring the last sip of inky syrah in his glass. Standing there, taking in the rows of leafy vines and the dusty ground beneath them, the lingering peaches-and-clay sunset, and the stout Horse Heaven Hills beyond, I should have already known it was the wrong question.

A GEOLOGIST NAMED J Harlen Bretz uncovered the secret of Red Mountain soil. In the early days of the twentieth century, Bretz taught for a stint at the University of Washington before returning to the University of Chicago to make his career. By then he was already obsessed with the place that was the subject of his PhD dissertation: a geological anomaly that would consume his professional life, for better or worse, for the next half century.

Bretz was the first to refer to the area around the Grand Coulee, where massive erosion had bruised and battered the native basalt deposits, as “the channeled scablands.” Something of an erosion expert, Bretz could not accept the prevailing theory that these deep fissures and ripples had happened gradually—they just didn’t fit the mold. The idea nagged at him. Even after he’d settled back in to Illinois life, every summer for eight years starting in 1920, Bretz packed up his crew—wife, two kids, a collie, and a student or two—and drove west to explore the scablands.

The students must have been robust: Bretz was brash and intellectually demanding. He was also a prankster. An amateur winemaker, he kept a wine cellar, hidden Scooby Doo–style behind a bookcase. He’d bring his acolytes into his home and invite them to try to find the secret cellar. When they did he’d lock them inside, leaving them there to figure out how to escape. Despite his antics they came along, scouring the desert for answers with their pipe-smoking professor, who wore a metal construction worker’s hat to protect his bald head from the sun.

In 1927 Bretz traveled east to formally present his scablands theory to colleagues at the all-important annual meeting of the Geological Society of Washington, DC. Bretz had arrived at the conclusion that a giant catastrophic flood, not gradual erosion, had scarred the area around Grand Coulee. The question was: Where had the water come from? Bretz didn’t know. And without that information, his theory, well, it held no water.

It wasn’t just that. Uniformitarianism, the prevailing idea behind geological study, dictated that things happened gradually over millions and millions of years. The theory that a massive flood had devastated the land in a single swoop (or even, as it turned out to be in this case, over three millennia—a mere blip in geological time) struck Bretz’s colleagues as catastrophist. And being a catastrophist in the 1920s geological world was a bit like being a climate-change-denier today. They thought he was a kook.

Some of his colleagues and students supported him, and Bretz kept up with his work despite the general rejection of his peers. Then, in 1940 another geologist published evidence of ripple marks in western Montana, inadvertently lending credence to the flood theory. But not until the 1970s, when aerial photos showed convincing evidence of a flood path, did Bretz’s ideas earn general acceptance among geologists. Official redemption arrived in ’79, two years before his death, when Bretz received the field’s most respected medal, the Penrose. He was almost 100 years old and most of his critics were long dead, but it didn’t really matter. Bretz had secured his place among the heroes of geology, heralded for sticking to his guns in the face of mockery and shortsighted scorn from his contemporaries.

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Image: Williamborg

NEARLY 20 YEARS EARLIER, in 1961, another young scientist set out to make his career. Jim Holmes had just graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Classmates snapped up jobs in San Jose and Los Angeles—cities with girls and dance clubs—but Holmes was leaning another way. Out in the desert of Eastern Washington, General Electric was throwing big money at science-minded men like him, people who were willing to come live among the tumbleweeds and study how objects behaved inside of nuclear reactors at the infamous Hanford site. Intrigued, Holmes accepted, and soon met his officemate, a Missourian called John Williams. They became fast friends in the way two people who share career passions become fast friends. They argued, of course, but the arguments never got too emotional, thanks to a shared love of hard data. If they disagreed on a conclusion, they kept gathering more data until the answer became clear.

The work was rewarding, but the surroundings were bleak for young men. Growing up near Napa Valley, Holmes had taken good wine for granted. The way most people assume they can purchase a pint of potable milk in any town in America, that’s how Holmes assumed wine worked. But only five wineries existed in Washington State at the time, and the only wine around was shruggingly stocked at the state liquor store. It was horrible stuff, soupy and pulpy and without any discernible taste. Nostalgic for the varietally correct cabs of his homeland, Holmes began to study wine. He’d pick up bottles when he went home to California or traveled and turned into something of a collector—an eccentric hobby in small-town Eastern Washington, to be sure. Williams, who’d never really tried wine before he met Holmes, proved a quick convert, and the two friends spent many an evening sipping vino in the desert, watching the tumbleweeds roll by.

They never dreamed they could grow wine grapes in the dry fields on Red Mountain, put to use only by the occasional sheepherder. Not even the Native Americans who first inhabited this land ventured up to the mountain, preferring to settle where there was water and shelter from the sun.

But here’s how it happened: In the early 1970s, Holmes and Williams tried to outsmart the stock market, investing nearly all their money. They lost their shirts, as Holmes likes to say, and needed to recover some capital. Williams’s father had land on Red Mountain—a south-facing slope covered in cheatgrass and sagebrush. He offered to unload 80 acres for $200 an acre—twice what he’d paid. (Today unimproved Red Mountain land fetches about $40,000 to $50,000 an acre.) They bought the property.

About this time, Dr. Walter Clore published his work studying the viability of viticulture in Washington State. Clore’s conclusion: The volcanic soil and warm day–cold night climate of the region was perfect for growing wine grapes. Holmes and Williams geeked out on Clore’s scientific rigor—the doctor had tested over 250 grape varieties—and they used their last available cash to dig a well. When they planted the first vines in 1975 they didn’t even have a buyer, but they weren’t the only Eastern Washingtonians intrigued by Clore’s findings. Soon enough they were selling fruit to Sagecliffe Winery along the Columbia River Gorge, to a tractor dealer in Pasco who had caught the wine bug, and to Rob Griffin, today the winemaker at Barnard Griffin. When Griffin contacted Holmes to order more grapes, he delivered to the growers the first real sign that things would work out: The grapes were good, he told them. Really good.

It’s like you’re looking at that place and asking, “Who are you?” And the wine—the way it tastes and smells, the images it evokes: That’s the place answering you.

Word of the special soil on Red Mountain spread. In the early 1980s Patricia Gelles planted the now acclaimed Klipsun Vineyards with her husband David. Tapteil Vineyards planted in 1985. In 1990 a young couple named Tom and Anne-Marie Hedges laid down 40 acres of varietals common to the Bordeaux region of France. Former geologist Keith Pilgrim bought Terra Blanca winery property in 1992. Red Mountain’s red wine grapes are renowned for their fierce tannins, which must be tamed in the winemaking process—a challenge that has attracted some of Washington’s most ambitious vintners: Chris Upchurch at Delille Cellars, Brennon Leighton at Efeste, Paul Golitzin of Quilceda Creek. Quilceda planted the Galitzine Vineyard in 2001—a collaboration with Jim Holmes—and the resultant wines have received 96 or 97 points from Robert Parker’s influential Wine Advocate every year, a rare feat for a brand-new vineyard.And the more the two men worked the land, the more they realized just how perfectly suited their little patch of grass was to growing wine grapes. There was the silty soil, which held water but didn’t saturate, releasing the excess into a layer of river rock below. There was the calcium carbonate—chalk, really—a compound that floats around the world as dust and gets washed away by rain. On Red Mountain, however, it almost never rains, so the calcium carbonate stays, imparting alkalinity to the soil to create grapes with superior acidity. It’s hot in the day on Red Mountain, but cooler at night, which ripens the fruit but preserves its acid.

As good as the wines are, the scores themselves are scoffed at by Christophe Hedges, who today helps run his parents’ winery. Among the barns and tract houses on Red Mountain, the Hedges have built an imposing chateau with a formal fountain out front and a set of steps that leads down to a well-pruned lawn overlooking the vines. When I arrived to meet Christophe, he was doing some construction work on the front patio. Handsome in the strong-jawed and swaggering manner of an old movie star, he wore painter pants and a wide-brimmed hat. Hedges led me down to a swatch of lawn, where he flopped down and lit a cigarette, his bare feet pointing at the fields. Watching him, I thought of the Van Gogh painting Noon: Rest from Work.

Hedges’s turning point came a few years back, when he paid a sales call to a New York restaurant. He presented, to the chef, a scorecard—evidence of the quality of the wines he was hawking—laying it down on a counter. The chef glanced at it, then told Hedges to beat it. That confused him at first, but gradually it dawned on Hedges how silly it was to ask someone to buy your wine based on a score. When a winemaker sets out to make a high-scoring wine, Hedges came to believe, it degrades the endeavor. Making wine is about expressing the place where the grapes grew, and in evaluating it, a critic should consider how successfully it conjures up the land, the soil, the essence of where it came from. Hedges recounted all this calmly, his eyes trained on the horizon, obviously unconcerned as to whether or not he’d convinced me of anything. Before we parted ways, I let him know a fact-checker would contact him to make sure I hadn’t misrepresented his ideas. “I don’t care if you do,” he said. Then he smiled (in my memory of the moment he tipped his hat to me, but that may not have happened) and strolled up the stone steps.

A few days earlier, I had come here wondering what made the grapes on Red Mountain superior to grapes of other regions, and that, I had learned, was the wrong question. The right one, as Holmes told me, was: What made the place different? Dry climate, temperature variation, loamy soil—sure. But when you’re dealing with a region of such stunning terroir, something else, something less tangible, comes into play. It’s like you’re looking at that place and asking, “Who are you?” And the wine—the way it tastes and smells, the images it evokes: That’s the place answering you.

To me, Red Mountain wines taste of my drive to Col Solare Winery on a summer evening, tumbleweeds bopping down the road and a woman singing of amor perdido on the radio and a truck dealership where every vehicle in the lot is painted the color of mint toothpaste. When I sip a Red Mountain wine from Cadence, Delille, or Mark Ryan I can taste that hot air balloon at the party, the moment the air density shifted and the basket righted itself and the whole thing lifted impossibly into the sky. I’m looking out again, past it, to the Horse Heaven Hills, imagining the shy packs of wild equines that once grazed in the stout crevasses, their tails twitching in the ebbing sunlight. Another sip and I’m back at Ciel du Cheval, powdery dirt running through my fingers, as an old man teaches me a lesson about soil. I drink the wine, and I’m back on Red Mountain.

10 Top Winery Visits

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:00:00 -0700

Image: Kevin Cruff

Take in a Show at the Chateau

Chateau Ste Michelle, Woodinville
Like a Disneyish pentagon, the sprawling mansion at Chateau Ste Michelle serves as an imposing architectural reminder that this is Washington’s largest and most powerful winery. In summertime the chateau’s perfectly pruned lawns are dotted with picnickers, who come to take in concerts by Lyle Lovett, Elvis Costello, or Crosby, Stills and Nash as they sip on CSM bottles sold on the premises.

Harry Connick Jr wraps up the 2010 series on September 26 but if you can’t secure tickets, you can still enjoy a plein aire repast at the enchanted castle. Just show up any day between 10am and 6pm, snag a bottle and some snacks at the shop inside, spread out your blanket, and enjoy. 14111 NE 145th St, Woodinville; 425-415-3300; ste-michelle.com

WHEN TO GO The summer concert series runs from June to September.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE Woodinville’s oldest winery has a lot of new neighbors; winemakers from across the state  are setting up tasting rooms there. Just up the road in the Schoolhouse District, check out new pour spots from Alexandria Nicole, Mark Ryan, and Dusted Valley, among others.

Get to Know Homegrown Merlot

Image: Kevin Cruff

Northstar Winery, Walla Walla
In 1994, Ste Michelle Wine Estates-owned Northstar Winery set out to show that the world’s best merlot—a black grape traditional to France’s Bordeaux region—could be grown and blended in Washington state. Consider that point proven: In a blind tasting at the Food Network’s 2009 South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Northstar’s 2005 Walla Walla Merlot defeated five wines from France’s famed Right Bank region, securing our place in the merlot-making hall of fame.

A short drive from the Washington-Oregon border, Northstar Winery is perched on a large patch of lawn surrounded by 14 acres of vineyard and backdropped by the shadow-scarred Blue Mountains. Inside the tasting room, stacked stone and wood accents create a contemporary country-lodge atmosphere, and the tasting bar serves up wine flights and picnic platters featuring Mediterranean bites. If you have any merlot doubters in your midst order up the Northstar Experience flight, comprised of recent vintages and blending wines. They’ll convert before your eyes. 1736 JB George Rd, Walla Walla, 866-486-7828; northstarwinery.com

BE SURE TO SIP Don’t miss the 2006 Walla Walla Merlot, number 33 on our Top 100 list.

WHEN TO GO The tasting room pours from 10am to 4pm Monday through Saturday, and 11am to 4pm on Sunday.

Escape to the Gorge

Cave B Estate Winery, Quincy
The last Dave Matthews Band CD you bought may predate iTunes, but the group still sells out a set of shows every summer at the Gorge Amphitheater in Quincy, Washington. And every summer the DMB entourage buys out Cave B—110 acres of vineyard surrounding a Tom Kundig -designed inn, its sloping half-moon roof mimicked in a smattering of private guest houses perched on the edge of a 900-foot basalt cliff overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.

You can see why they like it. It’s just a few hours from Seattle, but the sun shines 300 days a year in Quincy, and all there is to do at Cave B is have fun. When not kayaking the river, mountain biking, or hiking through the sage, guests bring a bottle down to the cliffside swimming pool; slip into the spa for a hot stone massage; or stroll up to the airy tasting room to drink through winemaker Freddy Arredondo’s reds and whites. (Arredondo is son-in-law to owners Vince and Carol Bryan but sometimes nepotism pays off—Cave B’s wines have never been better.)

There’s more wine during dinner at Tendrils restaurant where chef Joe Ritchie serves up delicate nests of homemade pasta topped with seared scallop, pork loin braised in cider, and citrusy salads anchored by greens grown in the onsite chef’s garden. 348 Silica Rd NW, Quincy, 509-785-3500; sagecliffe.com

WHEN TO GO Daytrippers should check the website for tasting room hours, which change with the season. When planning an overnight getaway, do like Dave Matthews and book well in advance.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE Consider “roughing it” in one of Cave B’s brand-new luxury yurts—complete with WiFi and iPod docking station.

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Image: Col Solare

Taste the Terroir on Red Mountain

Col Solare, Benton City
More than 10,000 years ago the Missoula Floods swept through the rocky landscape of Red Mountain, leaving behind nutrient-rich top-soil deposits and forging gently rolling slopes that tend to be warmer and receive more sunlight than other parts of the Columbia Valley. Italy’s famed winemaker Piero Antinori was so impressed with the unique terroir, he joined forces with Ste Michelle Wine Estates to create Col Solare, Italian for “shining hill.”

“We’re focused on creating wines with concentrated flavors, aromatics, and supple tannins,” says resident winemaker Marcus Notaro. “In Italy, that’s achieved by not overmanipulating the grapes. That’s an approach we’ve adopted.”

Through the end of September Col Solare is hosting Saturday Sole, where, sans appointment, you can sip recent and cellared “library” vintages by the glass or flight. After that tastings are arranged by appointment only, but it’s worth planning ahead to sample these gorgeous wines while watching the sun slip behind the horizon. 50207 Antinori Rd, Benton City, 509-588-6806; colsolare.com

BE SURE TO SIP The Wine Advocate consistently bestows an impressive 90 points upon the cabernet sauvignon.

WHEN TO GO Through September, stop by the winery on Saturdays from noon to 9pm.

Sip Through Storytime

Image: Matthew Collins

Portteus Vineyards and Winery, Zillah
Belly up to the bar at Portteus, in the dense vineyards of Rattlesnake Hills, and owner Paul Portteus will ply you with samples of his acclaimed wines while he explains, not for the first time, why he snubbed California to set up shop in Yakima Valley.

The year was 1978 and Portteus had just sold his small Puget Sound music store chain Penny Lane Records. Already an amateur winemaker, he headed off to Napa to scout vineyard land. But the buzz about Washington’s budding wine industry drew him to Yakima instead. He ended up planting eight acres of wine grapes in 1981, a few years before the state’s first wine appellation received federal recognition, and Portteus Winery became Washington’s fourteenth vino maker. Red-wine lovers have been making the long and dusty drive ever since. 5201 Highland Drive, Zillah, 509-829-6970; portteus.com

BE SURE TO SIP The 2006 Old Vine cabernet sauvignon, produced from Portteus’s oldest vineyard block, recently won top honors in both the Seattle Wine Awards and Northwest Wine Summit.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE Don’t miss quirky Paradisos del Sol winery, or its giant wall of recycled wine bottles, just up the road on Highland Drive.

Slow Down in Walla Walla

Abeja Winery, Walla Walla
The scene outside the window of your room at the Inn at Abeja Winery plays like a shot from a Terrence Malick film. Wheat whips the air. The sky goes golden in the abating sunlight. A deer picks its way through the gardens as a bird lights on a grape vine. You reach for the field guide and binoculars, provided by the inn. You identify the feathered wayfarer—a yellow-breasted chat, say—then telescope your gaze out across the winery’s 35 acres. Fully-restored, century-old buildings—barn, carriage house, chicken coop—wed agrarian romance with twenty-first-century wine tourism.

Converted from an old wheat and dairy farm and opened in 2000, Abeja (Spanish for “bee”) is an eight-minute drive from Walla Walla. To visit the winery, you have to sign up as an overnight guest of the inn; the staff will greet you with a glass of cabernet sauvignon upon check-in. Your room may be the chicken coop—fully redesigned and refurbished, of course, with a wide-screen TV, WiFi, and a plush queen-size bed—or the bunk house, where, decades ago, farm hands slept off the harvest’s assault on their muscles.

Breakfast is in the former dairy barn, where the servers orbit the guests—up to 14 at a time—with plates of eggs. It’s also the site of the wine tastings, open to inn guests only. There Molly Galt (her title is marketing and public relations but she seems to do a little of everything) will ask you about you. How else will she know whether to pour the 2007 syrah or the 2008 voignier? “It’s not the kind of tasting room where you pop in and try some wine,” Galt says. “There’s so much you can talk about based on guests’ interests.”

So talk. Listen. Taste. 2014 Mill Creek Rd, Walla Walla, 509-522-1234; abeja.net

BE SURE TO SIP Abeja’s viognier has the acid to help it hold up against all kinds of food, making it a great pairing wine.

WHEN TO GO November 5 and 6 is the Abeja Autumn Celebration, a party to celebrate the release of its renowned cabernet sauvignon. Mailing-list members and guests of the inn are invited.

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Image: Benjamin Benschneider

Expose Yourself in Woodinville

Novelty Hill-Januik Winery, Woodinville
Woodsy Woodinville reveals its modern side at the gray cube of concrete fabulousness that is the Novelty Hill-Januik building.

The two wineries operate independently from each other but share a winemaker—Mike Januik—along with the facility. On weekends, Microsoftee crowds flock to the 360-degree bar, where $5 buys them a choice of four pours from 10 varietals available for tasting. Four flatbread pizzas are available for Saturday and Sunday lunch; they all pair excellently with Novelty Hill’s fruity 2007 Stillwater Creek sangiovese. 14710 Woodinville-Redmond Rd NE, Woodinville, 425-481-5502; noveltyhilljanuik.com

BE SURE TO SIP We love Mike Januik’s way with the white wines, especially his 2007 Stillwater Creek roussanne and chardonnay.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE Consider opting in  to Cellar Circle (there are three membership tiers) to gain access to limited releases, waived tasting fees, and invitation-only parties and events.

Live the Dream in Lake Chelan

Nefarious Cellars, Lake Chelan
If you’ve ever daydreamed your way out of a staff meeting and into a sun-drenched afternoon in wine country, the image in your head probably looked a lot like Nefarious Cellars. Topping a vine-bedecked hill overlooking sparkling Lake Chelan, the tasting room buzzes with hotspot energy but is unadorned with the tourist-trap bric-a-brac you’ll find at neighboring wineries—lest homemade jam and souvenir stemware distract from the wine itself.

Of course, no picture-perfect winery experience is complete without a backstory: Nefarious is run by a cute young couple—she (Heather Neff) is in charge of white wines, he (Dean Neff) makes the reds—who returned to their native Chelan after learning the way of the vine in Oregon. When you go, start by tasting Heather’s whites—her off-dry riesling (made with fruit from the Stone’s Throw Vineyard) her crisp, drinkable viognier. Then move on to Dean’s reds—an estate-grown syrah, a tasty cab made with fruit from Riverbend Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope. Before you leave, wander out to the deck to take in the lake and offer up a pet or two to Lucy, the golden retriever who greets guests sweetly as they enter and leave this little plot of paradise. 495 South Lakeshore Rd, Chelan, 509-682-9505; nefariouscellars.com

WHEN TO GO Visit the tasting room from April through October, hours vary depending on the season.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE If you’re looking for lunch, head to the opposite shore of Lake Chelan. The bistro at Vin du Lac winery has panini, pureed soups, and salads, plus more jaw-dropping views of the water.

FIND IT

Go Green in the Tri-Cities

Badger Mountain Vineyard and Powers Winery, Kennewick
Badger Mountain Vineyard, the first certified organic vineyard in Washington State, sits behind a quiet subdivision populated with identical houses. But its origins are anything but cookie-cutter.

Back in 1982, Bill Powers, an Oklahoma cattle rancher who moved to the Tri-Cities area in 1957, saw the potential in Washington’s burgeoning wine industry. He sold his family orchard and planted a 73-acre vineyard on the southern slope of Badger Mountain in the Rattlesnake Hills. But Powers grew increasingly concerned about the health of vineyard workers and nearby residents. So he switched to organic farming methods.

Over the years, the winery’s commitment to the environment has extended beyond producing organic vino. Tractors are fueled with homebrewed biodiesel made from restaurant cooking oil, and sunshine powers the winery’s cozy 900-square-foot tasting room. “Eventually, the winery, barrel room, and entire operation will be solar-powered,” says Powers’s son and winemaker Greg.

At the tasting room, pick from a staggering 20 varietals under the Badger Mountain and Powers labels. 1106 North Jurupa St, Kennewick, 800-643-9463; badgermtnvineyard.com

BE SURE TO SIP On our last visit, we couldn’t seem to stop drinking the 2007 syrah.

WHEN TO GO Consider arranging a trip during the annual Tri-Cities Wine Festival, held this year November 5-6.

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Image: Kirk Hirota

Go Old School in Frenchtown

L'Ecole No 41, Walla Walla
You know the schoolhouse that’s on the labels of L’Ecole No 41 wines? The winery is actually inside that schoolhouse, which was built in 1915 in historic Frenchtown just west of Walla Walla. In fact, l’ecole means “school” in French, and if you’re serious about Washington wine, a field trip there is pretty much mandatory.

Founded in 1983 by Jean and Baker Ferguson, L’Ecole is now run by Megan and Martin Clubb, the couple’s daughter and son-in-law. “I like to say I learned in the cellar with glass in hand,” jokes Martin, who holds degrees in chemical engineering and management. “But actually the winemaking part came pretty easily because of my background in chemistry.”

The academic theme is played up to great effect inside the tasting room—once fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade classrooms—where available wines are chalked on a blackboard. Visiting students line up at the slate-covered bar, eager to get schooled by the friendly staff as they sip through this Walla Walla Valley winery’s well-loved lineup. 41 Lowden School Rd, Lowden, 509-525-0940; lecole.com

BE SURE TO SIP Critics consistently give high marks to the Bordeaux-style red blends Perigee and Apogee and the refreshing blend of semillon and sauvignon blanc called Luminesce.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE Do not miss the chance to try wines at Rick Small’s renowned Woodward Canyon Winery just up the road. Remember, when visiting small wineries with a group of four or more, it’s best to call ahead and let them know you’re coming.

Slide Show: Higher Grounds

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0700

PAUL ODOM IS CAREFUL not to smack talk other Seattle coffee shops, but you get the sense that he’s had it with the slacker vibe meted out by the city’s tattooed legions of disaffected tennis-shoe gazers. “We’re providing great coffee without the attitude,” he says. That’s true. In fact, the drink slingers at Odom’s ...

Premier Crew

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Image: John Keatley

Jeffrey Dorgan
WINE DIRECTOR, WILLOWS LODGE AND BARKING FROG
With a self-deprecating humor that’s as sharp as his palate, Jeffrey Dorgan is the antithesis of the so-called wine snob. In 2006 he opened Smash Wine Bar and Bistro in Wallingford but has since sold his share and now runs the wine program at the Willows Lodge and Barking Frog. Dorgan was named 2009 Sommelier of the Year by the Washington Wine Commission. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

WHITE
2008 Airfield Estates Unoaked Chardonnay, $12
Yakima Valley, Washington
This is a chardonnay in its truest form, without the manipulation of oak. It is light bodied with great acids, and has flavors of lemon and grapefruit plus a little peach on the finish.

2008 Efesté Feral, $18
Columbia Valley, Washington
Fermented with native yeasts in neutral oak barrels, Efesté’s sauvignon blanc is very Old World in style with lots of minerality and notes of flint and grapefruit.

2008 Syncline Grüner Veltliner, $20
Columbia Gorge, Washington
This unusual white varietal from the cool climate of the Underwood Mountain Vineyards in the Columbia Gorge has flavors of lemon, pineapple, honeydew melon, and white pepper, and brilliant acids.

2008 Stevens Winery Divio Viognier, $21
Yakima Valley, Washington
From the Dineen Vineyard in the town of Zillah, Stevens’s viognier is lower in alcohol than most with no residual sugar. It tastes of dried apricot and has a honeyed nose.

ROSÉ
2008 Wineglass Cellars Fran’s Wine Sangiovese Rosé, $12
Yakima Valley, Washington
Fran’s is a light, clean sipping rosé at an excellent value. It has cherry notes and a little spice, with the great acids typical to the varietal.

RED
2007 Des Voigne Cellars San Remo Sangiovese, $26
Red Mountain, Washington
I love sangiovese from Washington and this one, from the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, in particular. With notes of red cherries, strawberries, and spices, it pairs with lots of different foods but is equally great on its own.

2006 Alexandria Nicole Cabernet Sauvignon Alderdale, $32
Horse Heaven Hills, Washington
You would never know this wine from the Destiny Ridge Vineyards in Horse Heaven Hills was aged for 20 months in 90 percent new French oak, because its structure, depth, and fruit stand up so well. With dark fruit, ripe berries, rosemary, vanilla, cigar box, and spice, it is a very complex wine for the price.

2006 DeLille Cellars Doyenne Aix, $34
Red Mountain, Washington
A rich, velvety, and well-structured syrah–cabernet sauvignon blend that boasts bright loganberry and orange blossom notes.

2005 Page Cellars Preface Cabernet Sauvignon, $37
Red Mountain, Washington
From the E&E Shaw vineyard, it’s a soft, elegant, complex blend with refined tannins and flavors of blackberry and spice.

Next: April Pogue, general manager, Grand Cru

THE EXPERTS

• JEFFREY DORGAN: Wine director, Willows Lodge and Barking Frog

• APRIL POGUE: General manager, Grand Cru

• MICHAEL ANDERSON: Beverage director, 0/8 Seafood Grill and Twisted Cork Wine Bar

• LISA RONGREN: Wine director, John Howie Steak

• JAKE KOSSEFF: Owner, Jake Kosseff Wine Consulting

• CHRISTOPHER CHAN: Executive director, Oregon and Washington Wine Awards and director, Wine and Spirits, The Rainier Club

• LUCAS ST. CLAIR: Wine director, Wild Ginger Bellevue

• DAWN SMITH: Wine director, the restaurants at Bellevue Towers

• NELSON DAQUIP: Wine director, Canlis

• DAVID LECLAIRE: Owner, Seattle Wine Events and Promotions

• SARAH MUNSON: Cofounder, The Local Vine

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Image: John Keatley

April Pogue
GENERAL MANAGER, GRAND CRU
April Pogue runs a tight ship at Grand Cru, the new Bellevue wine bar and shop where every Friday the sparklers go pop during TGIC, Thank Goodness It’s Champagne. Before Grand Cru, she worked wine at Earth and Ocean and Yarrow Bay Grill.

WHITE
2007 Dusted Valley Vintners Viognier, $26
Yakima Valley, Washington
An amazing acidity balances this full-bodied white. It tastes of stone fruits and white flowers, and has a crisp finish.

2007 Buty Conner Lee Vineyard Chardonnay, $35
Columbia Valley, Washington
As close to a perfect chard as you can come: Balanced, with juicy citrus, crisp green apple, and a slight roundness that give way to a creamy finish.

ROSÉ
2008 Cedergreen Cellars Viola Rosé, $14
Columbia Valley, Washington
This is a perfect summer wine: light and fruity with bright citrus and hints of strawberry.

RED
2006 Alexandria Nicole Quarry Butte Red Blend, $20
Columbia Valley, Washington
This is a velvety wine with remarkable backbone and luscious fruit.

2007 Chinook Cabernet Franc, $22
Yakima Valley, Washington
Chinook’s cab is fruit forward and full bodied, with rewarding acid that lifts the palate to provide a light, floral finish.

2006 Laurelhurst Cellars Laurus Nobilis Red Blend, $28
Columbia Valley, Washington
A full-bodied blend whose fruit balances perfectly with its structure.

2006 Januik Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, $30
Columbia Valley, Washington
This value vino is full bodied, bold, spicy, balanced, and complex with dark plum, vanilla, and nutmeg notes.

2006 Bunnell Family Cellars Northridge Vineyard Mourvèdre, $38
Wahluke Slope, Washington
A full-bodied and balanced mourvèdre with earthy, spicy, dark fruit.

2006 JM Cellars Merlot, $38
Red Mountain, Washington
This inky, rich, full-bodied, smooth merlot has dark plum and spicy nutmeg flavors and medium tannins.

2006 Grande Rêve Collaboration Series II Syrah, $45
Red Mountain, Washington
It has an amazing sense of terroir balanced by its fruit (blackberry, cassis). France should grant this syrah an honorary citizenship.

Next: Michael Anderson, beverage director, 0/8 Seafood Grill and Twisted Cork Wine Bar
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Image: John Keatley

Michael Anderson
BEVERAGE DIRECTOR, 0/8 SEAFOOD GRILL AND TWISTED CORK WINE BAR
Michael Anderson is self-taught. All the more impressive, then, that with Anderson at the helm 0/8 Seafood Grill and Twisted Cork earned a 2008 Award of Ultimate Distinction from Wine Enthusiast magazine.

WHITE
2007 Cedergreen Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, $14
Columbia Valley, Washington
It’s crisp and clean with delicious aromas of star fruit and melon. Pair it with scallops, Dungeness crab, or oysters.

2007 Chinook Chardonnay, $18
Yakima Valley, Washington
Produced by one of the state’s best winemakers, Kay Simon, with her grower-husband Clay Mackey, this is a very good pairing wine thanks to apple, citrus, and pineapple notes.

2008 Poet’s Leap Riesling, $20
Columbia Valley, Washington
The only white wine from the very cool people at Long Shadows Vintners, the Poet’s Leap is somewhat German in style—medium dry with an abundance of fruit.

2007 Ken Wright Pinot Blanc, $25
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Made by the very talented Ken Wright—one of Oregon’s premier winemakers—this pinot blanc has hints of apple, lemon, and pear.

RED
2005 Kestrel Cabernet Sauvignon, $22
Yakima Valley, Washington
A rich and well-structured cab at a great value, this one tastes of plum and cassis.

2005 Fidélitas Merlot, $25
Columbia Valley, Washington
Charlie Hoppes is another of Washington’s best winemakers. His merlot is earthy, with flavors of black fruits.

2004 Dussek Family Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, $35
Rattlesnake Hills, Washington
Brought to us by a family group in Woodinville, it has loads of cassis and black currant flavors.

2006 Efesté Big Papa Cabernet Sauvignon, $45
Columbia Valley, Washington
The name says it all: If you are looking for a huge blockbuster of a wine, you’ll love this one.

2006 Lachini Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, $45
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Lachini makes a powerhouse of an Oregon pinot blended from three different estate blocks.

Next: Lisa Rongren, wine director, John Howie Steak
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Lisa Rongren
WINE DIRECTOR, JOHN HOWIE STEAK
Recently serving as sommelier for those farm-to-table fetishists at the Herbfarm, Lisa Rongren is now lead sip-and-spitter at the newest restaurant from John Howie (of Seastar) in Bellevue. Her intimidating roster of credentials includes an advanced certificate with the Court of Master Sommeliers in London.

WHITE
2007 Ross Andrew Meadow, $16
Willamette and Rogue valleys, Oregon
Ross Mickel crafts this aromatic white blend in his Woodinville winery from the best of Oregon grapes. Aromatics of summer flowers and a dry palate of tart apple and apricot make for a versatile appetizer wine.

2007 Ponzi Arneis, $20
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Known as the “little rascal” in Italy, arneis grows wild among the Nebbiolo vines of Barolo and Barbaresco. Ponzi has cultivated this varietal to create an utterly unique wine full of character and body but with a dry finish.

2006 àMaurice Chardonnay, $28
Columbia Valley, Washington
Anna Schafer has done it again. Under her tutelage chardonnay, a chameleon of a grape, takes on the flavors of Burgundy, with a kiss of oak to add body and aromatics.

ROSÉ
2008 Soter North Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir, $20
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Roses and violets waft from the glass as strawberries tingle the palate. A perfect rosé from start to finish.

RED
2006 Columbia Crest Two Vines Shiraz, $8
Columbia Valley, Washington
When anyone asks me to suggest the best value in Washington wine, Columbia Crest Two Vines (well made from vintage to vintage) is always at the tip of my tongue. A perfect choice for a backyard gathering: Blueberries, currants, and cassis leap from every glass of this unspendy shiraz.

2007 Benson Vineyards Estate Winery Sangiovese, $27
Lake Chelan, Washington
From Washington’s newest AVA, this sangio is soft yet focused, reminiscent of tart pie cherries with just the right amount of baking spice, courtesy of a balanced amount of oak.

2006 Boedecker Athena Pinot Noir, $34
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Husband and wife Stewart and Athena Boedecker set out to craft the best Oregon pinot noir. But during trials they discovered (as can happen in marriage) that they had different opinions of the perfect blend. Thus was born the Stewart and Athena bottlings. Lush, velvety, with Rainier cherries and vanilla flower, Athena is a great fireplace wine. (Sorry Stewart, yours is great, too!)

2006 Gramercy Cellars Iñigo Montoya Tempranillo, $40
Walla Walla, Washington
“My name is Iñigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!” This wine is named for the Princess Bride character, but the substance doesn’t end there. Greg Harrington aged it in the Spanish style for 15 months in American oak, achieving the perfect balance of ripe red fruit with silky spice.

2006 Betz Family Winery Clos de Betz Red Wine, $44
Columbia Valley, Washington
Merlot fruit is responsible for the velvety structure and cherry fruit, while cabernet sauvignon adds black currant and tannins and cabernet franc lends lively aromatics of violet and rose.

Next: Jake Kosseff, owner, Jake Kosseff Wine Consulting
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Jake Kosseff
OWNER, JAKE KOSSEFF WINE CONSULTING
Blowfish Asian Café, Cascadia, Campagne —Jake Kosseff’s been around, baby. And he’s got the palate to show it. That’s why back in 2006, when Seattle Met put together its restaurant dream team, Kosseff was our fantasy sommelier. Today his consulting business helps restaurants design their wine programs.

WHITE
NV Pacific Rim White Flowers Sparkling Riesling, $15
Yakima Valley, Washington
Tasty sparkling wine is always worth noticing, especially at a good price. This wine is crisp, floral, and fruity.

2007 Sleight of Hand Cellars The Magician, $17
Columbia Valley, Washington
Good gewürztraminer is rare, but this one is dry and rippling with an acidity that keeps floral, nutty aromas at bay, allowing the fruit to shine.

2008 Januik Bacchus Vineyard Riesling, $20
Columbia Valley, Washington
A beautifully balanced wine that is ever-so-slightly sweet, with screaming citrus and stone fruit.

2007 Chehalem Pinot Gris Reserve, $24
Willamette Valley, Oregon
A pinot gris that actually has character—how strange! It is dry and complex with rich pear and citrus flavors and an exciting, mineral acidity.

2008 Maison Bleue La Vallee du Soleil Roussanne, $25
Yakima Valley, Washington
A new small producer showing up a lot of established producers with Rhône whites. From Olsen Vineyard, the roussanne is dry, moderately oaked, and full of creamy peach, orange, and lemon verbena.

2005 Tranche Cellars Chardonnay, $30
Columbia Gorge
The spitting image of a really good white Burgundy, but unmistakably from Washington. This chard is full bodied, dry, and moderately oaked, with racy yellow apple, fresh cream, toast, and butter notes.

RED
2007 Saviah Cellars The Jack, $14
Columbia Valley, Washington
A supergood, supercheap full bodied cab blend from winemaker-owner Rich Funk. It’s rich and structured, full of black fruit, cocoa, and baking spice. Yum!

2007 Wallace Brook Pinot Noir, $15
Willamette Valley, Oregon
This is a second label for Adelsheim, but they’ve gone to great lengths to keep it from being associated with their brand. The best cheap Oregon pinot noir I’ve had, with juicy cherry and strawberry, spicy herbs, and surprising complexity.

2006 Waters Forgotten Hills Vineyard Syrah, $40
Walla Walla Valley, Washington
Just beginning to show its character, this syrah is superdense and intensely flavored, tasting of brooding blackberry, smoke, and creosote—not for the weak spirited.

2006 Boedecker Cellars Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir, $45
Willamette valley, Oregon
This pinot grown at Momtazi, one of the best vineyards you’ve never heard of, has laser beam wild cherry flavors balanced by green herb and roasted boletus mushroom.

Next: Christopher Chan, executive director, Oregon and Washington Wine Awards; director, Wine and Spirits, The Rainier Club
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Christopher Chan
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OREGON AND WASHINGTON WINE AWARDS AND DIRECTOR OF WINE AND SPIRITS, THE RAINIER CLUB
This is him, people: the guy in charge of the most serious wine honors in the state, doled out each year at the Rainier Club (don’t wear jeans) amidst much fanfare, hoopla, and fancy cheese. Christopher Chan is currently preparing his palate for the Advanced Court of Master Sommeliers Exam, which he’ll be taking in October. If you see him, wish him luck.

WHITE
2007 Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling, $12
Willamette Valley, Oregon
This riesling is a sweet tart of a wine with fresh peach, pear, and nectarine, and bright, steely acidity.

2007 Methven Family Vineyards Pinot Gris, $18
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Ripe crenshaw and honeydew melon flavors mix with white floral notes—it’s crisp and tart with a hint of residual sugar.

2007 Olsen Estates Chardonnay, $28
Yakima Valley, Washington
In Olsen Estates’ chard, tropical notes, gala apple, and stone fruit are wrapped in toasty French oak.

RED
2005 Anna Maria Tempranillo, $24
Applegate Valley, Oregon
Just darn tasty. This tempranillo offers red plums and red and black raspberries with hints of vanilla and toast on the palate, and bright acidity.

2006 Watermill Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, $24
Walla Walla Valley, Washington
Black cherry and currant, a hint of spiced vanilla oak, and friendly wet tannins make this a food-friendly, mouthwatering winner.

2006 Stoller JV Estate Pinot Noir, $25
Dundee Hills, Oregon
This Oregon pinot noir features ripe red cherry and black raspberry fruit framed by caramel spiced oak and velvety tannins.

2006 Walla Walla Vintners Washington State Cuvée, $28
Washington
Here is an easy yet interesting recipe of seven grapes that is at once approachable and complex.

2007 Syncline Mourvèdre, $30
Horse Heaven Hills, Washington
Roasted plum, black pepper, and a hint of tar plus medium acidity makes for a long lush finish.

2006 Five Star Cellars Merlot, $32
Walla Walla Valley, Washington
Black cherry, boysenberry, clove, and baking spice make this merlot a real palate pleaser.

2006 àMaurice Cellars The Tsutakawa Red Blend, $35
Columbia Valley, Washington
A big-boy wine with layers of black fruits, cassis, cedar, and baking spice—it’s plush, structured, and long.

Next: Lucas St. Clair, wine director, Wild Ginger Bellevue
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Lucas St. Clair
WINE DIRECTOR, WILD GINGER BELLEVUE
After graduating with a degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Lucas St. Clair, the man in charge of the wine program at Wild Ginger ’s new Bellevue outpost, earned his wine chops at New York City’s venerable 11 Madison Park restaurant.

WHITE
2008 McKinley Spring Chenin Blanc, $12
Horse Heaven Hills, Washington
This wine is rich and textured with lovely acid and notes of ripe stone fruits.

2008 Ransom Pinot Gris WV, $15
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Tad Seestedt started out making spirits but grew into wine production. Truly a master of whites, his pinot gris is all free-run juice.

2008 Syncline Subduction White, $18
Washington
Made with fruit from Columbia Gorge and Horse Heaven Hills, this viognier-chard blend has great richness and is kept in balance with exceptional chardonnay from Celilo Vineyard.

2008 Abacela Albariño Umpqua, $18
Umpqua Valley, Oregon
The Umpqua Valley always reminded Earl Jones of the vineyards he’d seen in Spain, so he decided the Spanish variety Albariño would work very well here. He was right. The wine has great acid, low alcohol, and matches well with all sorts of Northwest seafood.

2007 àMaurice Viognier, $25
Columbia Valley, Washington
Wonderfully dynamic with medium body, this wine has a nice perfumed nose that doesn’t overpower the white blossom aromas and a soft-textured palate with midlevel ripeness and an almond finish.

RED
2007 Cor Cellars Momentum, $18
Horse Heaven Hills, Washington
No new oak is used in Young vintner Luke Bradford’s blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, and malbec (in almost equal parts), and the profile of the grapes comes through wonderfully. It has nice spicy aromas with a bit of cocoa and coffee and a long bright finish.

2007 Evesham Wood WV Pinot Noir, $19
Willamette Valley, Oregon
On the southern slopes of the Eola-Amity AVA at Les Puits Sec vineyard, Mary and Russ Raney farm the land organically and practice natural winemaking in the cellar, including using natural yeast strains, and the result is amazing. The only problem is that there is so little of it to go around.

2008 Owen Roe Abbots Table Red Blend, $21
Columbia Valley, Washington
This kitchen sink blend of zinfandel, sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot, cab franc, blaufränkish, and malbec shows dark fruit but is not overly extracted. It has balance and grace with lovely layers of fruit.

2006 J. K. Carriere WV Pinot Noir, $42
Willamette Valley, Oregon
This blend is made up of all the barrels that don’t go into a single vineyard wine. Powerful but not overblown, focused but fruity, it can stand to be cellared a few years—but with a good decanting it drinks very well right now.

Next: Dawn Smith, wine director, the restaurants at Bellevue Towers
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Dawn Smith
WINE DIRECTOR, THE RESTAURANTS AT BELLEVUE TOWERS
Dawn Smith runs the wine show at Heavy, whose restaurants include the Purple Café and Wine Bar, Barrio, and Bliss, but this is a sommelier who could work just about anywhere she chooses, and sort of has: She held posts at Canlis and the winecentric Bin Vivant in Kirkland.

WHITE
NV Chinook Yakima Valley White Wine, $12
Yakima Valley, Washington
A blend of sauvignon blanc, sémillon, and chardonnay, this is a quality wine at a price everyone can afford. It is crisp and refreshing and has ripe citrus with hints of yellow apple.

2007 The Four Graces Dundee Hills Pinot Blanc, $18
Willamette Valley, Oregon
A very elegant example of Oregon pinot blanc: crisp, fruity, and food loving.

2008 Amavi Cellars Sémillon, $20
Walla Walla Valley, Washington
This is an excellent alternative to chardonnay, with ripe yellow apple, honeydew melon, and pineapple fruit, a creamy texture, and bright acidity.

2007 Pacific Rim Wallula Vineyard Riesling, $20
Columbia Valley, Washington
Pacific Rim’s food-friendly riesling has apricots, white peach, citrus, and honeysuckle flavors, refreshing acidity, and a long finish.

RED
2006 Corvidae Lenore, $13
Columbia Valley, Washington
Washington is establishing a reputation for producing high-quality syrah. If you haven’t tried one yet, then this one with ripe blackberry and plum and hints of smoke and spice is a great place to start.

2007 Substance Malbec, $18
Columbia Valley, Washington
A malbec that is rich and structured with flavors of dark berries, cherries, spice, smoke, and vanilla.

2006 Tempus Cellars Red Wine, $28
Columbia Valley, Washington
Joe and Mollie Forest are newcomers to the Washington wine market and are doing a great job producing small lots of quality wine. This cab blend has rich blackberry fruit, baking spice, vanilla, hints of coffee, sweet herbs, and a long finish.

2006 Gramercy Cellars Lagniappe Syrah, $38
Columbia Valley, Washington
Lagniappe means “a little something extra,” and that is exactly what this syrah delivers in quality and balance. With aromas and flavors of violets, black cherry, blueberry, plums, smoked meat, and spice, it is structured and rich with a long finish.

2007 Va Piano Syrah, $38
Columbia Valley, Washington
This wine balances power and elegance, and will be mighty tasty with beef or lamb.

2007 Buty Merlot–Cabernet Franc, $40
Columbia Valley, Washington
From vintage to vintage it is always one of my favorites. The 2007 features blueberry fruit, hints of spice, chocolate, black currant leaf, and vanilla, with a wonderful velvety texture.

Next: Nelson Daquip, wine director, Canlis
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Nelson Daquip
WINE DIRECTOR, CANLIS
Only 31, Daquip earned the top job at Canlis after starting as a server’s assistant just seven years ago. He has received lots of awards, but we’re most impressed with how Lettie Teague described him in Food and Wine: “Tall and good-looking with very white teeth.”

WHITE
2007 Efesté Evergreen Vineyard Riesling, $16
Columbia Valley, Washington
A cool-climate, surprisingly dry riesling from above the Columbia Gorge, it has fresh lime and white peach fruit, and a slatey minerality.

2007 Syncline Viognier, $20
Columbia Valley, Washington
This viognier is a great expression of ripe tropical fruit, Starburst candy, and finesse.

2007 Cadaretta Sauvignon Blanc—Sémillon, $24
Columbia Valley, Washington
An aromatic nose with that gooseberry, citrus, and herbaceous quality of sauvignon blanc. On the palate you’ll find a wonderfully creamy texture, evidence of sémillon in perfect balance.

2007 Abeja Chardonnay, $36
Columbia Valley, Washington
Abeja has achieved a graceful balance of fruit, spice, and texture, it’s the finest expression of chardonnay in the Northwest.

ROSÉ
2008 Buty Winery Beast Malbec Rosé of the Stones, $19
Walla Walla Valley, Washington
The Beast line is the alter ego of Buty winery, the rosé is vibrant with wild strawberries and peppery cherry fruit and a refreshing acidity.

RED
2007 Substance Cabernet Sauvignon, $18
Columbia Valley, Washington
Plush and generous with fruit—black currant, blueberries—and cedar opening up to chocolate and tobacco.

2007 Waters Interlude, $30
Walla Walla Valley, Washington
This merlot-cab blend has layers of currant, black plums, and espresso.

2006 Des Voigne Solea Cabernet Sauvignon–Merlot–Cabernet Franc, $30
Columbia Valley, Washington
A silky, elegant bordeaux blend, this cab was served at Brian and Rebecca Canlis’s wedding and is a mainstay on the list at Canlis.

Next: David Leclaire, owner, Seattle Wine Events and Promotions
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David Leclaire
OWNER, SEATTLE WINE EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS
David LeClaire is a sommelier on the move: He’s a prof at North Seattle Community College, has founded wine clubs in Portland and Seattle, and runs a business organizing tasting events for corporate and private parties.

WHITE
2006 Steppe Cellars Dry Riesling, $19
Rattlesnake Hills, Washington
Fresh, with crisp acidity and soft fruit, it is perfect on a hot day.

2007 Buty Sémillon-Sauvignon-Muscadelle, $25
Columbia Valley, Washington
A touch of muscadelle gives this year’s Buty a hint of a floral backdrop. It is refreshing and interesting as ever.

ROSÉ
2008 Yellow Hawk Cellar Rosato, $12
Columbia Valley, Washington
Northwest rosés range from bone dry to sweet, but this lovely rosato is nestled just in between.

RED
2006 Gilbert Cellars Estate Malbec, $26
Wahluke Slope, Washington
This malbec is a soft, supple wine that lingers and leaves you wanting more.

2006 Des Voigne Cellars Montreux Syrah, $30
Red Mountain, Washington
If syrah has a fault, it’s that it can be too jammy and Australianish. Not the 2006 Montreux—it’s solid and deep, never overly ripe or fruity.

2007 Vin du Lac Barrel Select Cabernet Franc, $35
Columbia Valley, Washington
Cab franc sometimes has too many green notes for me, but this one has no veggie flavors or aromas.

2006 Fielding Hills Winery Merlot Riverbend Vineyard, $36
Wahluke Slope, Washington
This winery has quietly earned industry respect over the past few years, thanks in part to its success with merlot. Deep, brooding, and powerful, this is an amazing wine.

2006 Baer Winery Ursa, $39
Columbia Valley, Washington
A truly balanced, not over-the-top blend of cab, cab franc, and merlot.

Next: Sarah Munson, cofounder, The Local Vine
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Sarah Munson
COFOUNDER, THE LOCAL VINE
Together with partner Allison Nelson, Sarah Munson has created one of the most accessible wine shops/sipping stations in town—a Belltown boîte that uses great wine and a friendly approach to lure oenophiles, casual sippers, and everyone in between.

WHITE
NV Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine, $13
Columbia Valley, Washington
Consistently amazing value for the price with wide availability, it’s a crisp and dry sparkler with tree fruits including pear and green apple.

2008 Dowsett Family Gewürztraminer, $21
Columbia Gorge, Washington
This is an exceptional wine with pure fruit and balance.

2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling, $25
Washington
The Old World–New World partnership between Dr. Loosen and Bob Bertheau produces the best riesling in Washington. It has crisp lime and mandarin orange, good minerality, racy acidity, and terrific body.

2007 Delille Cellars Doyenne Roussanne, $32
Red Mountain, Washington
Here is a great new varietal for people stuck in a chardonnay or sauv blanc rut. It’s full-bodied with honey, floral notes, and lemon.

RED
2007 Independent Producers Merlot, $10
Columbia Valley, Washington
Plum and blackberry fruit, a touch of smoke, and structure allow this versatile wine to pair well with lots of foods.

NV Va Piano Bruno’s Blend IV Syrah-Malbec, $23
Columbia Valley, Washington
This one is an easy-drinking everyday wine that’s lush with cherry and blueberry fruit.

2006 Fidélitas Malbec, $35
Columbia Valley, Washington
This structured malbec has color and flavors of spice and dark fruits.

How Dry I Am

Fri, 22 May 2009 14:00:00 -0700

THE STORY WAS buried deep in the newspaper, but the headline stopped me dead as liver failure. “New Studies Link Red Wine to Women’s Breast Cancer Risk.” Just one drink a day increases a woman’s cancer risk, one study declared, with Seattle’s own Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center swooping in with the chaser: Two or more drinks a day ups a woman’s chance of breast cancer by 24 percent.

“Are you drinking red wine every day?” my husband Tom asked.

“Of course,” I snapped. “It’s heart medicine.”

“Not anymore,” he intoned, audibly wielding the medical degree he picked up from Grey’s Anatomy reruns.

Easy for him to say. Being a man, he gets a free pass on two drinks a day. But for some reason I sat up and took notice. Why not give it up for awhile? He gives up drinking every year for Lent, letting the DTs that don’t come prove one more year that he’s dodged alcoholism, a disease we both have splashing around in our gene pools.

But for me it was less about fear of abuse than a general desire, heightened by the day’s news, to cleanse. I am not a lush—to my friends who are reading this, election night was about kissing strangers and sobbing in public—but I have been a social drinker since I was approximately 21. I savor a glass or two of wine with dinner. Sparkly cocktails are glorious fun at parties or on sun-drenched summer patios. I relish a chilled Belgian ale after a day in the garden; a warming belt of a good aged single malt around a campfire under the stars. My intake registers somewhere between reasonable discretion and lie-when-the-doctor-asks-how-much.

I wasn’t worried; everyone I know lies to their doctor. I was just overindulgent. So then and there, before God and The Headline, I quit—and immediately craved a Manhattan.

The first week was awful. All I could think about was the little Oregon pinot I should be enjoying with my grilled rockfish. When I analyzed it, I realized it wasn’t just the culinary harmony of wine with food that was lacking; it was enjoying an evening out with a special drink. I tried to work up some enthusiasm for mocktails. “I’ll have a virgin margarita!” I chirped to my waiter at an upscale Belltown restaurant.

“Wow,” she blurted. “Okay, that won’t be very good.” She was right; it tasted like glycerin with a shot of Mountain Dew and some seriously pointless salt. Given how long it took me to cultivate a taste for alcohol I was startled to realize that I actually longed for its bracing bitterness.

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Olfactory sensors being what they are, I found I could almost approximate the taste by allowing myself to breathe on the number 43 bus. But nothing I found could approximate the buzz. And let me just admit it: that fuzzing out around the edges of consciousness—the apotheosis of relaxation and all that is carefree and happy in this world—that’s what I missed most.

“Have you tried kava kava?” asked a kindly colleague who is into such things. It’s a potion brewed of a South Pacific root, with relaxing properties said to produce a buzz similar to that of alcohol. “Try it,” she urged, pouring viscous brown fluid out of a thermos into a cup. “It tastes like dirt!”

Hmmm, promising. I took a sip and realized that dirt wasn’t nearly foul enough a comparison. After I gagged on the third swallow she produced a slice of apple. “You might want to eat this with it,” she offered meaninglessly. Like a slice of apple was going to sweeten the sewage drain I now had for a mouth. Save your stinkin’ apple, I inwardly screamed. I want an APPLETINI.

As the weeks passed I couldn’t deny that I was feeling better—healthier, clearer—with other welcome side effects. No more woolly tongue at 3am. No more maroon smile. My not-so-little belly (my “wine cellar,” as a Sonoma friend calls hers) had diminished; so had my grocery bill. So, slowly, had the habit of drinking—leaving room for a more unexpected renewal, of that quality that makes people kinder partners and more thoughtful mothers and more authentic humans. I was paying closer attention.

These benefits were wonderful, really, but cold comfort against the dawning reality that my friends didn’t seem to like me anymore. “You did what?” barked my friend Jane after I ordered plain soda with a twist of lime at the Top of the Mark. Stupidly, I hadn’t considered my girls’ weekend in San Francisco when I went off the sauce. “How could you give up drinking before our girls’ weekend!?” she demanded, exhibiting a bizarre degree of personal investment in my adult-beverage life.

But I understood. Not only is the teetotaler a walking, talking buzz kill, corroding the fun from any gathering by bringing self-denial to the party—she makes everyone else feel completely terrible about themselves. “I know I should give it up, too,” blurted my friend Jenny, the dermatologist, defensively. “But every time I’m ready to start I have a really stressful day, and then when I get home I have to pour myself a martini. I think it would take an unlikely number of good days in a row for me to pull it off.”

Sitting in a bar watching my girlfriends get loopy was a new one for me; I’d never seen it before, as I was always getting loopy right along with them. Similarly unprecedented were sober entertaining (I kept neglecting my guests’ empty wineglasses) and sober delivery of what was supposed to be a witty tribute at a friend’s birthday roast. What I’d conceived as jaunty, lighthearted ribbing just came out sounding vindictive and morose. Talk about sober. My unlubed litany of humor-free jabs provided the bridge between ribald hoots of laughter and the awkwardly silent official kickoff to Mr. Birthday’s midlife crisis.

Apparently, much depends on getting a little bit drunk. It’s a social currency right up there with table manners and inoffensive breath—ironic, since it can do a number on both—a reality I never appreciated. Understanding this only deepens my compassion for one of the most valiant species of human on earth, the recovering alcoholic.

But the realization also leaves me puzzled. Right now, at 8:53 in the morning, I could hoist a jug of Jägermeister and knock myself out if I felt like it. I could dust off the lamp shade and revive my reputation as Fun Girl, bringing untold relief to my concerned friends (who I think have been planning a reverse intervention). I could bring back cocktail hour, dulling the sharpest edges off the bad days and numbing all those pesky feelings that accompany them.

But I haven’t.

Machine Love

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:00:00 -0800

Bin Vivant, Kirkland’s much-buzzed-about wine bar, is so vinocentric, chefs designed the food menu around sommelier Dawn Smith’s wine list. Cool as that was, Smith, formerly of Canlis, says the most exciting thing about her new job is a supersleek, Italian apparatus called the Enomatic Wine Preservation System.

This computerized wine dispenser—mounted on the wall to display the bottles handsomely—meters out exact pours and then preserves open bottles with argon, an odorless, nontoxic gas often used for insulation. Because wine can generally be kept for up to 30 days after opening, the restaurant is able to offer a whopping 72 wines by the glass or ounce. Smith simply programs her Eno to pour one-, three-, and six-ounce tastes from each slotted bottle, then lets the machine lure in curious sippers. “Visually, it’s stunning,” she says. “It becomes a focal point in the restaurant, and creates the opportunity for guest-server interaction surrounding wine.”

Bin Vivant didn’t introduce the $126,000 system to Seattle—that honor goes to the owners of the Local Vine wine bar in Belltown. But Smith is sure glad her employer followed suit: Aside from luring tasters, the Enomatic’s by-the-glass capacities allow Smith to buy small lots of unique wines that wouldn’t be cost effective under a traditional wine program. “It has made all things possible,” the sommelier swoons.

Wine

Return to Red Mountain

How We Got that Shot

10 Top Winery Visits

Take in a Show at the Chateau

Get to Know Homegrown Merlot

Escape to the Gorge

Taste the Terroir on Red Mountain

Sip Through Storytime

Slow Down in Walla Walla

Expose Yourself in Woodinville

Live the Dream in Lake Chelan

Go Green in the Tri-Cities

Go Old School in Frenchtown

Slide Show: Higher Grounds

Premier Crew

Airfield Estates

2008 Airfield Estates Unoaked Chardonnay

Page Cellars

2005 Page Cellars Preface Cabernet Sauvignon

THE EXPERTS

Grande Rêve

2006 Grande Rêve Collaboration Series II Syrah

Dusted Valley Vinters

2007 Dusted Valley Vintners Viognier

Cedargreen Cellars

2008 Cedergreen Cellars Viola Rosé

Poet's Leap

2008 Poet's Leap Riesling

Lachini Vineyards

2006 Lachini Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir

NV Pacific Rim

NV Pacific Rim White Flowers Sparkling Riesling

Saviah Cellars

2007 Saviah Cellars The Jack

Wallace Brook

2007 Wallace Brook Pinot Noir

Abacela Albariño

2008 Abacela Albariño Umpqua

Cor Cellars

2007 Cor Cellars Momentum

HOUSE SPECIALTIES

2006 J.K. Carririe WV Pinot Noir

How Dry I Am

Machine Love