2008 Syncline Rosé – $16 @ McCarthy & Schiering

Rating: 3

On the nose, strawberries and oregano, with hints of earth and caramel. Great juicy palate, with loads of bright red fruits and pineapple. A crowd-pleaser for sure.

My first rosé of the summer, and I picked a good one! This is a Southern Rhone blend – primarily Cinsault and Grenache, but with some Mourvedre and Counoise in the mix as well.

For some other perspectives on this wine, check out Thad’s review at Beyond the Bottle and Paul Gregutt’s take on his new blog. Not sure where my caramel note and Thad’s yeast note are coming from; this is all stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation. Any guesses?

Lake Chelan AVA is Approved

Washington’s newest AVA was approved today. Wines made from vineyards along Lake Chelan will now be able to label themselves as such, instead of using the more generic Columbia Valley tag.

This is a part of the state that has mostly flown under the radar to date, but there are interesting things going on up by the lake. The climate and soil are different from other parts of Washington, and judging by the varietals planted there, it seems that viticulturalists have decided that Chelan can best support Burgundian (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir) and Alsatian (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurtztraminer) grapes.

Nefarious Cellars and Vin du Lac are two Chelan-oriented wineries that I have tried who are producing interesting wines. Keep an eye out for these.

2008 Sineann Gewürztraminer Celilo Vineyard – $20 @ McCarthy & Schiering

Rating: 3

Fresh, clean, nose with flowers, peaches, and cantaloupe. A fine steeliness on the palate and a prickly little finish that lingers. This is close to very good, but it’s a bit light on acid and hits a flat spot in the mid-palate. This showed better after 45 minutes open, which makes me think a few more months in the bottle would help.

With warm(er) weather hitting Seattle, it’s time to start exploring some of the whites and roses of the 2008 vintage. Sineann is a producer located in Oregon, but all these grapes come from Columbia Gorge AVA, on the Washington side of the border. Celilo Vineyard is a mini-Alsace in Washington, planted to Pinot Gris and Gewurtz, among others.

I consider this to be a Washington wine. What do others think? Oregon? Washegon? Oreington?

Taste Washington: How I Won a Nice Bottle of Wine

Okay, we’re several weeks out from Taste Washington now, so maybe this will be my last story from that excellent event.

At about 4:12 PM on Seminar Day, I was standing in the lounge area of the Bell Harbor Center, watching people “drink their money’s worth” (a painful phrase that I heard a number of times) at the pouring stations, when I caught the eye of one Shayn Bjornholm, Master Sommelier, Education Director of the Washington Wine Commission, proponent of Boston pizza, and most importantly, MC of the “Which One’s Washington” seminar scheduled to start at 4:30 PM.

“Paul. Good. You’re a contestant.”

Those were the words hastily uttered before Shayn departed, leaving only the image of a powder blue tuxedo burned onto my retina.

And with that, I became a contestant in a wine game show. I was called up, shook the hand of my worthy opponent, and sniffed the two wines in front of me. Dark fruit, earth, and loads of tobacco on #1. More dark fruit, menthol, and lighter earth notes on #2. A quick taste and a push on my buzzer.

“I think these are Cabernet Sauvignon.” [appreciative murmuring from the audience; feeling confident]

“I think #2 is Washington and #1 is Bordeaux.” [murmur]

Then a snarky comment from Shayn, followed by a giant X appearing on the big screen, along with the corresponding buzz. [confidence shattered]

At this point, I and my opponent each retreated to our panels of wine experts, consulted with them, and returned to the podium.

My opponent: “These are Rhone blends. #2 is from Washington and #1 is from the, er, Rhone.”

X. BUZZ. I’m still alive!

Me: “Our panel has decided that this is Sangiovese.” [quietly derisive jeering; some laughter; uh-oh]

“#2 is from Washington, and #1 is from Chianti.” [did someone just boo?!? i grew up in philly, and i know a boo when i hear one]

Wrong again, and at this point, the contestant who made the closest guess takes the prize. Time for the big reveal… and it is indeed Cabernet Sauvignon, but #1, the earthy, lovely, tobacco bomb is the Washington wine, the Edouard from Chateau Rollat. Damn Rollat and their European stylings! #2, as it turns out, was a Ramey cab from Napa.

With my confidence now fully restored, I strode purposefully to the prize table and snagged my prize, the 2006 Buty Champoux Vineyard, later signed by Caleb Foster. If my palate had a hand, I would have high-fived it.

2006 Soos Creek Ciel du Cheval Vineyard – $35 @ Retail

Rating: 4

On the nose, purple fruit, mint, hints of tobacco and oak. Gorgeous acid and moderate tannins make for a lovely mouthfeel. Flavors are plummy, but there is also a persistently lovely orange peel note. Absolutely delicious. Two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, with the rest evenly split between Cabernet Franc and Merlot; all from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain.

I tasted this during the winery-less wines seminar at Taste Washington, which had a panel that included David Larsen, who is the owner/winemaker at Soos Creek. He also has my father’s first name and my father-in-law’s last name, so maybe I was predisposed to like him and his wines. David came out of the Boeing Winemakers Club, which launched a number of Washington wineries. He mentioned during the panel that his wines tend to be food-friendly and relatively low on oak. His vineyard sources are impeccable, and I will definitely be seeking out more of his wines.

1999 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard

Rating: 4

Much more restrained than recent vintages. Nose of pickled red fruits and slight hints of earth. On the palate, wow; this is very much alive! Acids are still kicking, and tannins are fully integrated. Flavors of sour cherries, cranberries, roasted nuts, herbal notes, and damp soil. Thanksgiving in a glass. Very pretty wine, quite different than some of the more bruising (and I mean that in a good way) recent vintages.

I opened this bottle (purchased for about $60 at auction) for two reasons. First, to celebrate the incorporation of Full Pull Wines; and second, because the Party Like It’s 1999 seminar at Taste Washington was completely cabernet sauvignon-focused, and I wanted to see how a Washington syrah was holding up 10 years out.

1999 was the first vintage where Cayuse made a vineyard-designated, Cailloux syrah. Given the drinking window listed on CellarTracker (2002-2005), I was half-expecting this bottle to be well-faded, so I was pleasantly surprised by its vibrancy and elegance.

Cayuse is a polarizing producer. Christophe Baron’s Syrahs tend towards the briney; the saline; the stinky; the bloody. Understanding that this aroma/flavor profile is not for everyone, I can say with absolute certainty that it is for me.

The Beginning

Regular readers have known for some time of my intention to start a Washington wine-focused retailer. Well, intention is now reality.

Full Pull Wines, LLC is a Limited Liability Corporation in the State of Washington. I know because Secretary of State Sam Reed just sent me a signed Certificate of Formation. Thanks, Sam!

For the immediate future, the blog here at Swordfern will continue to contain entries and tasting notes on Washington wine (like the 1999 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard I’m drinking right now – sneak preview: it’s alive!). If you’re interested in the birth and growth of a wine-related startup, the best way to follow the action right now is on Twitter.

Lots more to come, and I hope you will consider joining me on this journey!

Taste Washington: Tamarack Cellars

One of the great revelations for me at Taste Washington was learning that Tamarack Cellars is much more than Firehouse Red. I have drunk a lot of Firehouse Red over the years and think it’s one of the best, most consistent, under-$20 red table wines in the state. But up until Taste WA, I mostly ignored their higher-end offerings.

I won’t be making that mistake in the future.

During the Winery-Less Wines seminar on Saturday, I was truly blown away by the 2006 Tamarack Cellars DuBrul Vineyard Reserve (around $45 at retail):

Rating: 4

A wow nose that comes screaming up out of the glass, bringing waves of dark blackberries, smoke, earth, and soy sauce. This wine has a black, black heart, and I like it. On the palate, fresh acid that carries a panoply of red and purple fruits, some earth notes, some spice, and lots of cola. Fine, moderate tannins round out this stunner. 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc.

I also had a chance to taste Tamarack’s Sagemoor Vineyard Reserve at Common Ground on Sunday, and while I didn’t take detailed notes, this too was a fantastic wine.

Taste Washington: Grenache Emerges

The good news about Washington Grenache: every single bottle of varietal Grenache that I tried at Taste Washington was outstanding.

The bad news: I only tasted two bottles.

This is not a grape that has made great headway in the state. According to Dick Boushey, the grandmaster of Syrah in Washington, Grenache is a risky grape to grow, because it requires ideal conditions and is especially susceptible to winter damage.

But where it is being grown, it seems to have the ability to create wines with remarkably fresh, spicy fruit and earthy undertones; two such wines are the 2007 Dusted Valley Grenache ($24) and the 2007 K Vintners The Boy ($45-$50).

Dusted Valley is an outstanding Walla Walla winery, and I believe their Grenache is only available through their tasting room (and might even be a wine-club only wine, which would be a shame).

The Boy is an old favorite of mine. The 2005 vintage was the bottle that changed wine from a passing interest into a passion. I have been sitting on a 2006 bottle for months now, and the 2007 is delicious as well. When Charles Smith was pouring The Boy, he was yelling out “this is single-vineyard Grenache,” which of course begged the question: which single vineyard? The answer: Armada Vineyard, which caused me to do a triple-take. This is the same Armada vineyard that produces Cayuse Syrahs that sell for $200 at auction. I have no idea why Charles isn’t publicizing the vineyard source more openly, but it certainly explains where the earthy funk and pure fruit come from. The 2007 vintage of The Boy will be released on May 1, and I couldn’t recommend it more highly; it was among my favorite five wines of Taste Washington.

Taste Washington: 1999 Betz Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille

My favorite seminar at Taste Washington was the Party Like It’s 1999 session, where five wineries poured the same wine from the 1999 and 2006 vintages. After the seminar, John from Wine Peeps and I were discussing the frustration of blogging tasting notes for 1999 wines when they are inaccessible to most of our readers.

It was with pleasant surprise, then, that I saw that one of the wines we tasted is available at auction. Winebid.com has 12 bottles of 1999 Betz Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille up for bid at $35 per bottle, substantially less than the $57 you would pay for the 2006 version of the same wine at retail. Now, you will have to pay a 15% surcharge plus shipping on top of the auction price, and it isn’t completely known where the wine has been for the past 10 years, but still, this is a great opportunity for we cellarless masses to taste mature wine.

Now, with that large preamble complete, onto the tasting notes:

Rating: 4

On the nose, loads of tobacco and earth, and notes of brine and black pepper. On the palate, this wine is very much alive, with beautiful acid and tannins that are still big and grippy. The mouthfeel is silky, and the fruit is deep, black, and smokey.

Bob Betz mentioned that this wine has some brett issues (I explained brett in a previous post on another ‘99 Betz). To me, they were barely noticeable and added faint (and not unpleasant) earthy, dirty notes.