The Syrahs

Saviah Cellars
2006 Syrah
Red Mountain
$30

On the nose, striking notes of dark fruit and smoked meats with floral characteristics peaking through. On the palate, it has even more sizzle and pep, with smoke, meat and intense, dark fruit seasoned with anise, while maintaining a surprising freshness. Expressive and complex, it’s the total package of Syrahs. An overall favorite of the panel.

Saviah Cellars
2006 Syrah
Walla Walla Valley
$32

With less oak than you would expect, this WWV Syrah greets you with herbs and spices. Light and elegant on the palate, it’s a refreshing switch from the intensity of most Syrahs, while it still has enough oomph to go the distance on the finish with flavors of cherries, plums and olives.

Saviah Cellars
2006 Syrah
Stillwater Creek Vineyards, Columbia Valley
$30

Spices and smoked meats come through on the nose, and carry through on the palate with bacon, dark fruits and baking spices. The flavor profile has a nice arc across the mid-palate, well-balanced and not too heavy, but haunting you with a finish like a whisper in a long corridor.

Dusted Valley
2006 Reserve Syrah
Walla Walla Valley
$45

On the nose, it’s a carnivorous feast of smoked meat, teriyaki and hot dogs with a chocolaty mole sauce and some floral components. The big meatiness carries through to the palate. Big, rich and chewy, you find notes of black olive brine with rustic qualities and nice fruits. This isn’t an elegant wine, but it’s extremely well-balanced, like a sumo wrestler instead of a ballet dancer. And like a sumo wrestler, it’s a force to be reckoned with all the way through the long finish.

Trust Cellars
2007 Syrah
Walla Walla Valley
$28

At first whiff, this Walla Walla Syrah throws a delicious blend of black licorice wafers and mossy potting soil at you, along with ripe fruit. Diving in, you find Bing cherries and violets with nice backbone and structure, aided by the 11% Cab Sauv in the mix. When we tasted, it was still a little young, but it showed promise of becoming more polished over time, and it’s definitely worth a revisit (or two or three).

Ash Hollow
2006 Syrah
Walla Walla Valley
$32

This Syrah is expressive and earthy as hell, like you would expect from a Pinot. Dark berries and baking chocolate and spices join the earthy notes on the nose causing you to wear your stemware like a respirator for a while. On the palate, it has a freshness and brightness to it, while maintaining the earthiness amid a nice tannic structure. Unfiltered and unfined, this juice is the real deal, and has a nice arc of a flavor profile.

K Vintners
2007 “The Deal” Syrah
Sundance Vineyard, Wahluke Slope
Sold Out

On the nose, you immediately get a sense of the French oak and 15.5% alcohol, while floral notes and fruit reduction come wafting through. On the palate, ripe fruit continues with added notes of dark chocolate and olives. It finishes sweet, sexy and opulent, and would pair really well with barbecued meats. While not complex as a Tolstoy novel, it’s really enjoyable.

Va Piano Vineyards
2007 Syrah
Columbia Valley
$38

This bottle offers everything you would expect from a Columbia Valley Syrah with no surprises. The classic characteristics of ripe blueberries with black cherry, plum and fruit reduction reverberate throughout this lush vino like a four-chord pop song. Well-made with good balance and structure, it’s friendly and approachable and won’t overpower the conversation with cerebral acrobatics.

Tertulia Cellars
2006 Les Collines Syrah
Walla Walla Valley
$30

A wine you can actually use the word “bouquet” on, it has a pretty nose of violets and spice alongside the classic blueberry notes. On the palate, it has really nice texture, and the floral aspects from the nose continue on through the finish. This is an elegant Syrah, well-made and well-drank.

The Cabernet Sauvignons

Whitman Cellars
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Walla Walla Valley
$36

The Whitman Cab Sauv combines seriousness and glee in the manner of Mary Poppins. On the nose, you get some green pepper and other vegetal notes, along with a hint some Juicy Fruit gum. On the palate, it’s earthy and textured along with tart, sweet fruits and a Bing cherry finish. Really well balanced and structured, this wine has a little something for everyone. You may find yourself singing, “A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down…”

Dusted Valley
2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Valley
$45

Thick, rich, chewy and viscous, this Cab has the texture of a late-harvest, though it isn’t. It’s an artery-clogger in wine form. Most interesting on the attack, it has some earthiness and a little funk, along with suggestions of chocolate covered cherries. Big and lush, the flavors meld together on the mid-palate, and slowly fade through the long finish. This is a wine that eats like a meal.

Va Piano Vineyards
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Valley & Walla Walla Valley
$38

A fireside treat on the nose with burnt marshmallow, toasty caramel and graham crackers, you also get hints of bell peppers and other green notes. On the palate, behind a healthy dose of alcohol and oak, it’s even more expressive with ripe berries. Elegant and balanced, it has nice tannins and acidity, making the fruit all the more enjoyable.

Pepper Bridge
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Walla Walla Valley
$55

Not as super-boisterous as we would have expected, this vino has a tight nose and is more sensory on the palate with velvety tannins. The twenty-one months in the barrel really makes a strong oak presence, and the 14.1% alcohol is evident as well. Peeking through the overtones is the fruit with suggestions of dark, ripe berries and chocolate. The long finish gives you plenty of time to play hide-and-seek with the notes of cherry and earth.

The Merlots

Pepper Bridge Winery
2006 Merlot
92% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc
Walla Walla Valley
$50

From the nose to the palate, the Pepper Bridge Merlot is like the freckle-faced adolescent girl who suddenly stuns the schoolyard boys at her own debutante ball. On the nose, the Merlot brings red rope licorice, sandy mineral notes and a heat worthy of a day on the beach building sandcastles. On the palate, though, it proves to be silky, sexy and confident—trading flip-flops and a pail for high heels and a rhinestone encrusted clutch. With dark fruits and spice, and a mysterious intensity, this PYT (pretty young thing) is sure to be turning heads for a long time to come.

James Leigh Cellars
Spofford Station 2004 Merlot
Walla Walla Valley
$40

On the nose, the Spofford Station Merlot by JLC Cellars recalls a well-worn overstuffed chair in a mahogany lined library. That funk that comes from a lived-in room, worn carpets, dust on picture frames and stories imbedded in the walls. On the palate, it offers a rich juiciness up front, followed by stemmy notes like bitters in cocktails. Pull a book off the shelf, put on your smoking jacket, settle in to that faithful chair, and imbibe.

Basel Cellars Estate Winery
2006 Estate Merlot
Walla Walla Valley
$28

The Estate Merlot offers an exotically complex nose of fennel, anise, lavender and cocoa. On the palate, it doesn’t disappoint. With layer after layer of dark fruits, spices and a finish of baker’s chocolate, it’s as entertaining as it is tasty. While still bit tannic on the finish, this wine will settle down and integrate over time, bringing all of its varied characteristics and experiences into a cohesive philosophical manifesto as it reaches maturity. Like James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, drinking the Basel Merlot now will give you an even greater appreciation for what this wine will become.

Basel Cellars

Yashar Shayan, Erik Seigelbaum and David Bender from the NeoSommes of Seattle joined us to taste through the wines, along with Darin Williams and Seth Furman of Small Lot Co-Op, Dave Egan from Vino Verité, and Jameson Fink of QFC. Peter Moore offered up the mezzanine of Poco Wine Room along with his stemware, palate cleansers and spit buckets, and his amazing staff made the daunting task at hand easy-peasy—Peter, of course, joined us in the tasting, too. While we were all busy sipping, spitting, and speculating, the incomparable Lisa Basher took studios notes—no easy task among a large table of yammering winos. To all that participated, a huge thank-you.

The following is the first installment of the Walla Walla Round Table. Stay tuned, as more will follow.

Tamarack Cellars
2007 Chardonnay
Columbia Valley
$18

A veritable study in the American Chardonnay, this wine offers everything consumers have come to expect in a Chard, and then some. Showing oak with almond and vanilla, this Chard goes beyond with aromas you might find in the funky little teahouses that are growing in popularity: earthy, woodsy tea steeped an hour ago, finishing with a touch of citris. While a little hot, it’ll still have you longing for the three o’clock break, complete will miniature sandwiches.

Five Star Cellars
2008 “Kynzie” Rosé of Sangiovese
Walla Walla Valley
$20

With 14.8% alcohol and acidity to match, this big boy needs a cold shower. Surprisingly well integrated, this rosé doesn’t register as super hot, but instead greets you with dry grasses and mild strawberries, with a tiny bit of that mushroomy funkiness so typical of Sangio. Guys, pour yourself a glass of this rosé at your next backyard barbecue, and then laugh at the pansies drinking Bud Lite.

428 Wines
2004 “Boulevard” Table Wine
Merlot/Syrah Blend
Columbia Valley
$30

Like Cyrano de Bergerac, the ’04 Boulevard has a nose impossible to miss, but an unexpectedly gentle disposition on the palate. With aromas of anise, oak, cinnamon sticks, casis and remnants of spearmint gum, you’ll be surprised at the subtlety of your first sip, hinting at green bell peppers like in a game of charades.

Va Piano Vineyards
NV Bruno’s Blend V
Columbia Valley
67% Syrah, 19% Cab, 14% Merlot
$23

Rustic and tasty, this blend makes you feel like a ranch hand, whipping a horse with a licorice rope. Well-integrated with rich black fruit and spice, it begs for a cheeseburger or gristly steak at the end of a day on the range. It’ll give you everything you want in a red blend, which is why it meets with Fr. Bruno’s approval, and thus bearing his name. Giddy’p, cowboy.

Basel Cellars Estate Winery
2006 “Merriment” Estate Red Wine
Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc Blend
Columbia Valley
$48

With pencil lead-like minerality on the nose and juicy, well-integrated oak, the Merriment says Back-To-School. Earthiness and some greens like green bell peppers and jalapeno play a rousing, evenly-matched game of tetherball on the palate. Some Zin-like characteristics, the Merriment is a nice blend of Washington and California wine styles, showing that friendships are formed in the barrel as well as the playground.

Basel Cellars Estate Winery
2006 “Inspired”
Merlot/Cabernet Franc Blend
Columbia Valley
$40

On the nose, the Inspired shows a crafted fruit-oak ratio. Showing red fruit on the palate, it also brings a heat indicative of a Left Bank style. While a little chemically, the Inspired may cellar really well, bringing balance and integration over time.

Sleight of Hand Cellars
2007 Spellbinder Red Blend
57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and 14% Sangiovese
Columbia Valley
$19

Trickery, trickery, trickery! The Spellbinder will have you thinking you poured the splurge wine rather than the value wine. Tasty and complete, the Spellbinder has a slight bready component, and a muskiness recalling a sweet Italian man on a park bench. With a healthy dose of tannin, this is a very functional wine with QPR for days at just $19 bones.

Tamarack Cellars
2007 Firehouse Red
31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Syrah, 16% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 3% Sangiovese, 1% Carménère, 1% Petit Verdot
Columbia Valley
$20

On the nose, the Firehouse Red is opulent, fleshy and toothy like a Cheshire grin. Showing both alcohol and fruit concentration on the palate, it brings the balance you’d hope for from a crafted blend of eight—count them—eight varietals. However, the Firehouse is still trying to figure itself out, a little awkward in a Holden Caulfield kind of way. Some time in the bottle (or a long walk around Central Park) may help it come into its own.

Morrison Lane
2005 Carménère
Walla Walla Valley
$28

This ain’t your typical Carménère, if you could say there is a typical one. A complex nose of black pepper, black licorice, cayenne pepper and bubblegum, you find yourself shaking your head and muttering “Yowza.” On the palate, you’ll find great red berries mixed with practically the entire inventory of a spice shop. This is not a wine for amateurs, which is not to say that amateurs won’t love it–they will. It would be great paired with something earthy like mushrooms or a skewered meat dish, though it’ll repeatedly raise your eyebrows on its own.

Tertulia Cellars
2006 Phinny Hill Vineyard Carménère
90% Carmenère, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot
Horse Heaven Hills
$35

You can add some spice to your life with the Tertulia Carménère. Huge pepper quality rides in on the nose, and the spice rolls on all the way through the finish with some celery root action. In addition to the spice, there’s a tanginess to the aroma which, oddly, never appears on the palate. It just keeps you sticking your schnoz back into the glass for another pleasurable sniff.

Trio Vintners
2006 Den Head Vineyard Mourvèdre
96% Mourvèdre, 4% Syrah
Yakima Valley
$26

Trio’s Mourvèdre brings a whole new meaning to the concept of a “desert island wine.” With coconut notes throughout, it also shows gamey characteristics and leathers, making you feel like Robinson Crusoe with stemware. Red berries and spice from a successful day of gathering add to palate, and while the oak comes through in a big way, it’s not enough to build a canoe to make your escape.

Patit Creek Cellars
2006 “Trinite”
Grenache/ Mourvedre Blend
Columbia Valley
$25

A nose with hints of lavender and licorice with notes cocoa and chili powders, this wine also brings a little heat. On the palate, medium-bodied with acidity for days, the Trinite is definitely a food wine. Light in texture and soft-spoken in flavors of cherry preserves, the finish is a gentle but persistant fade.

AlmaTerra
Set of four: $220, Single bottle of Coéo: $48

2006 Syrah
Minick Vineyard, Yakima Valley

This Syrah delivers you to your grandmother’s kitchen with a complex nose belying homemade raspberry jam, smoke, leather, cherry menthol, tobacco, white pepper and clove. On the palate, very balanced with fruit, oak, and tannin. This is an elegant, Northern Rhone style syrah. The nuances are subtle, earthiness and spices are unique, and the balance very much plays to an old world palate. It has the mineral nature that is so common in Yakima Valley wines, and demonstrates a quiet wisdom that will get you to quit your bickering with a single look.

2006 Syrah
Coyote Canyon Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills

Instead of referring to the “nose” of this wine, the more traditional word “bouquet” is better applied. This wine has a bouquet like a Thomas Kinkaid painting, rose petals and rain-wet soil in spring along with pine needles and tree sap. Taking a step closer, it reveals layers of cherries in syrup and leather. On the palate, you get all the spice that you love in a Syrah, while the elegance persists with a light mouthfeel all the way to the exceptionally spicy finish. This has more concentration of fruit on the mid-palate through the finish with notes of nice tart cherry with a touch of vanilla. Give this bottle of wine instead of flowers. You won’t regret it.

2006 Syrah
Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, Red Mountain

If Syrahs were people, one from Red Mountain should keep his nose clean, because Red Mountain Syrahs are perhaps the easiest to pick out of a lineup. “Syrah Number Three, sir, I’m sure of it! I’ll never forget those big, dark eyes!” For this Red Mountain Syrah, winemaker Robert O. Smasne does a praiseworthy job of keeping it on the straight and narrow, by finding a healthy way for it to express itself. On the nose, cherry, ripe blackberry, vanilla and baking spices, along with clove, tobacco and black olives come rolling pell-mell through the olfactory. On the palate, you get a parfait of rich, pure fruit, cherry, raspberry and black pepper. Interesting texture, complete and balanced with a lasting finish of dark fruit preserves and great structure. Earthy, balanced and beefy while maintaining elegance and spice, this is a big Red Mountain Syrah with some manners.

2006 Coéo Syrah
Three Vineyard Blend $48

In Latin, Coéo means “to come together” or “to form an alliance.” This Coéo Syrah does just that by blending the three single-vineyard Syrahs. It has a tight nose with hints of earth and mushroom. On the palate, the structure of Ciel du Cheval, the elegance of Minick Vineyard and the spice of Coyote Canyon are rolled together into a hybrid that is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s like when Link holds up the Tri-force (think “Legend of Zelda,” or just Google it). This has more black cherry than the other three, darker red fruits and berries, dark chocolate, roasting coffee, licorice, raisins and figs with a long finish, and it manages to combine the best characteristics of the rest like a champion breeder at the Westminster. It’s an alliance to be reckoned with.

Cultura
2005 Red Wine
Yakima Valley
50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc
$29

The Cab Franc really shines through on the nose of this blend with its notes of clove and tobacco. There are also layered aromas of mineral, wood, olive, red bell pepper, and a hint of cherry cough drops. With a fantastic smooth and velvety mouthfeel, it delivers rich flavors of cherry, fruit reduction, vanilla, sweet oak, black olive and caramel. It seems a little hollow at first, but opens up like a Matryoshka doll after a while revealing plum, ripe blackberry and prune. Like a Brangelina lovechild, this blend tastes just like you would hope for in a Cab Franc/Merlot hybrid.

Upland Estates
2007 Gewürztraminer
Yakima Valley
$14

White wines aren’t always for the weak of heart. This Gewürz has a nose tighter than Michael Jackson’s, while slightly musty and hinting at grapefruit. On the palate, though, this wine is worthy of Captain Ahab on the hunt for the Great White. It’s medium-to-full bodied and big with notes of zesty lime, tart sour cherries, candied ginger, white pears and peaches. It sports great acid balance, a nice mouth-coating texture, and an exceptional mid-palate that’s surprisingly fruit forward. It finishes with the hints of spice that we love in a Gewürz. Bigger than your average Gewürztraminer, it’s a real beefcake ready to take on any challengers.

Upland Estates
2007 Muscat Ice
Yakima Valley
$34

This ice wine smells like an exotic vacation poolside cocktail with tangerine, honey and a touch of fresh mint, but with the addition of a piney, woody smell that reminds you of the worn, trampled bunk houses of childhood summer camps. You are reminded of peach cobbler, the gummy orange-slice candy you used to love, and spicy candied ginger along with orange zest and clove with a touch of black pepper. At once sweet and lively while rich and voluptuous, this ice wine lacks only slightly in structure because of low acid, but makes up for it everywhere else. Technical note: While this wine comes in an elegant, svelte, graceful bottle worthy of the Glass Menagerie, be sure to have a sturdy tool set handy to get it open. It was too much for our poor wine key, and took a hammer, a flathead screwdriver and some pliers to chisel pry off the wax and gain access to the cork.

Upland Estates
2006 Malbec
Yakima Valley
$28

This is no ordinary Malbec. You could drink this wine for breakfast without compunction or guilt. (Well, maybe a modicum of guilt, but not much.) While a little green with hints of cherry, it smells a toasty with French bread and vanilla. On the palate, the French toast turns to blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, along with cardamom, fig and black walnut. Hints of leather, cola and red fruits follow up. This wine is elegant, smooth and balanced, and shows off its Yakima Valley fruit. Good morning, Malbec.

Upland Estates
2006 Old Vine Cabernet
Yakima Valley
$28

In literary analysis, you may hear mention of “flat characters” and “round characters.” The flatties are the one-dimensional characters that serve as mere placeholders in a story, while the roundies are primary characters that (if it’s a well-written story) have a depth of character that is revealed episodically throughout the narrative. If wines were a book, this Old Vine Cabernet is a protagonist in a classic. On the nose, you find olive, tobacco and sage, with notes of sherry and greens. This is a rich, chewy wine with tobacco, black cherry and mint. A Bordeaux-esque wine with ripe Washington fruit. Introducing the character to a nice Gouda cheese emphasizes the viscosity of the wine making it seem almost edible—a great juxtaposition. This wine shows a unique depth of character that you don’t typically find in a wine at this price point, revealing layer after layer of treasures like an archaeology dig in Mesopotamia.

Sapolil Cellars
Papa Loves Mambo (Proprietary Blend)
70% Syrah, 20% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
$32

When you call something a “proprietary blend,” you’re claiming there is something super-distinctive about this particular concoction that you’ve mixed up in the lab (patent pending or no). The PLM delivers on that claim. On the nose, it’s gamey with cracked black pepper, green bell pepper and some earthiness, along with dark pitted fruits, tobacco and spice. It has a big, fruity attack with big structure. Not much by way of tannins, but the acid comes through in the pinch. While not the most balanced of wines, this is dangerously easy-drinking, juicy and smooth with some sweet oak, smoked bacon and black cherry. It’s a lip-smacker and a nice table wine, but the QPR is a low at $32.

Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards
2006 Cab Franc
Wahluke Slope
$25

Like the rowboat taxi told about in the story behind this winery’s name, this Cab Franc is a well-built, well-balanced vessel that will deliver you directly to the good times. The nose recalls chocolate-drenched strawberries with pepper packaged in a cigar box. Notes of cherry, mint and mineral with some tobacco, coffee and vanilla, this lush wine shows off the fruit from Wahluke slope, which boasts the highest temperatures in the state. The tannins give it a nice mouthfeel and a strong finish before the boat comes to collect you at dawn.

Des Voigne Cellars
2006 Solea Red Wine
Red Mountain
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
$30

A sniffy-sniff of Solea reveals a tight nose, but with head cocked at 45 degrees for better use of the power nostril, aromas of spice and fruit reduction come readily to the surface along with mineral components. Meaty and rugged, the wine moves to flavors of raspberry and dark cherry with black pepper. Along with a nice use of toasty oak and tanniny texture, it embodies the masculinity of Red Mountain all the way to the contented sigh of a satisfying finish.

J. Bookwalter
Non-Vintage Subplot No. 23 Red Wine
Columbia Valley
30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 14% Syrah, 13% Malbec, 9% Petite Verdot, 4% Barbera, 3% Cabernet Franc
$20

In a novel or a play, a subplot is a secondary storyline that moves along in time and under the surface of the main events. In the Subplot No. 23 Red Wine, however, an appropriate comparison could be made to Tom Stoppard’s use of two minor characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet to create an entirely independent story in the smash play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. In the same way, winemaker John Bookwalter uses wines from past vintages to create a fun new storyline that stands apart from its predecessors. True to the apparent theme of the night, the Subplot evinces cherries on the nose, but is followed up by dark fruit preserves and spice-box. Big fruit barrels in on the palate with plum, blackberry and cherry flavors, along with dark chocolate and baking spices. Good tannins and acid give it structure that will age well, a necessity for any play—er, wine—that hopes to maintain a long run on Broadway. And…scene.

Basel Cellars
2006 Claret
Walla Walla Valley
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah
$20

On the nose, you get the homey smell of candied yams or sweet potatoes that gives you the warm fuzzies, along with plum, charcoal and mineral notes of wet cement. At the same time, the nose is mood-alteringly bright and cheery (a welcome pick-me-up while working late into the night trying to put a magazine to bed). After a sip or two, you’re quickly struck with its clean, elegant style. Well-balanced with a sturdy backbone, it inspires you sit up in your chair and correct your posture, just short of stacking books on your head. Great mouthfeel, though a bit hot, with hints of crabapples and pie-cherries. At just twenty clams, this Claret has probably the best QPR in the bunch.

Tulpen Cellars
2005 Merlot
Columbia Valley
$30

A bottle sporting tulips doesn’t prepare you for what you’re about to taste. A whiff and a swig finds you wagging your head from side to side muttering a breathy “Shazaam…” Dark garnet in the glass, this Merlot smells deep, robust, caramely, and announces the megafruit and 15.3% alcohol right away like a newsboy peddling the daily gazette. On the palate, it does not fail on that promise. Like an oak fence after the best plum fight you’ve ever been in, the wine delivers a rich, victorious mid-palate of barrel aged dark fruit. The acid profile shows up a little late in the game, but serves as the second of a one-two punch, followed up by a haymaker of tannins. This wine is like the life-of-the-party guy that says exactly what’s on his mind in no uncertain terms, intelligent and opinionated while entertaining and shocking in his politically incorrect delivery.

Tulpen Cellars
2006 Merlot
Columbia Valley
$30

Everyone hopes that a sequel is as good as the original. The ’06 Merlot is like Shrek 2, bringing back the entire original cast and then some. While still a bit tight on the nose, it delivers the same flavors as its predecessor while exhibiting more balance and a sturdier structure. It shows colorful layers and nuance, and never falters from the attack to the finish. A little less showy than the ’05, this guy draws crowds by delivering those same big ideas from a place of developed equanimity. You’d never know this was a wine with 15.0% alcohol. If these two wines were the Hardy Boys, the ’06 would be the Frank to the ‘05’s Joe.

San Juan Vineyards

2007 Madeleine Angevine- $17.00

Crisp, grapefruit citrus on the nose, powerfully tart on the palate. Oyster shooters with a spritz of lemon juice and dab of sauce could very well be the Yin to this wine’s Yang. On the flip side, a hearty chowder wouldn’t stand a chance against this juice, but pitting the two against each other again and again would certainly be fun. Definitely a summer sipper, but only for those who prefer Granny Smiths over Fuji’s.

San Juan Vineyards

2007 Chardonnay- $14.00

Not overly aromatic on the nose, save for a bit of stone and some toastiness. Obviously well-structured, and it has a nice acidity that allows a little buttery goodness to edge its way in to round out the finish. Fans of neutral barrel and stainless steel Chards will find this to their liking. Drink with Puget Sound seafood, of course, or a friend when taking advantage of the ever more present sunny afternoons. (Anything above 63 degrees should suffice.)

San Juan Vineyards

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon – $20.00

Smells like leather and cocoa, reduced in butter. On the palate, a good, nimble attack. Quite juicy and a bit of a lip smacker, with kalamata olive notes chiming in if you’re careful to look. A full and solid mouthfeel develops at the mid-palate, which opens the door for a finish smattered with fine tannins.

Northwest Totem Cellars

2006 Cabernet Franc- $30.00

On-the-vine tomato and other “red fruits.” Lip-smacking tartness up front that gives way to roiling lushness. Not a spectacular finish, but worthy of a hand.

Northwest Totem Cellars

2006 Low Man Red- $30.00

Toast with jam on the nose, balanced and straight ahead like a tightrope walker over Niagara Falls. This wine can take you to young blackberries from the bramble. A nice table wine and an everyday drinker, but the finish could have you looking for bigger, riper berries.

Northwest Totem Cellars

2006 Potlatch – $30.00

Much like Low Man but a stronger finish.

Northwest Totem Cellars

2005 Merlot – $30.00

Like a spring morning breakfast back East—bacon drenched in maple syrup. It also has hints of wet earth and stone and blackberry reduction on the nose. On the palate, Bing cherries roll around amid structure and balance, big but not too big. More masculine than feminine as far as Merlots go, more staunch than lush.

Camano Cellars

2007 Lemberger “The Sentinel” – $20.00

Huge cherry ushers in a punchy yet unique mid-palate experience; spearhead stone smeared with loganberry. Big and well-structured, it isn’t overly serious, but it is a seriously strong effort.

Laurelhurst Cellars
2005 Red Mountain Syrah – $38.00

Nose: New leather drenched in cherry cola, earthy, eucalyptus.

Palate: Brilliant structure from start to finish. Deep red fruit stands out as prominent, sided by chocolate, coffee, hints of menthol and some burly tannins that, even while playing nice with food, will allow this wine to sit for years. After sitting for five days, this wine was still firing on all cylinders. A great effort.

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Laurelhurst Cellars
2005 Columbia Valley Red Wine – $28.00

Nose: Big nose, sweet, brandy-soaked cherries, dark chocolate, and blueberry pie!

Palate: This table wine has good structure but comes up a little short on finish. Fruit-driven but balanced by some sharp acids and a sturdy attack, the Azoria could be a good table wine/food wine, but at $28.00, the QPR is only going to sit well with those who like their table wines serious.

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Beresan Winery
2006 Carménère

Nose: A very unique and interesting smell for this wine: walnut, dirty sock, dirt and stone, herbaciousness like brocolli or sapplings. A unique nose for a very unique varietal grown here in Washington.

Palate: Citrus for days! With lime, strawberry, and even some red pepper, this wine is very unique and very tasty.

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O’Shea Scarborough
2006 “Proprietor’s Cabernet”
Yakima Valley – $40.00

Nose: Reduced red fruit and shoe leather (a clean shoe), dusty wood, like a lake-side cabin. The +14% alcohol is evident, so don’t get your nose too far into that glass.

Palate: As with the “Immortal,” the acid leads in this flavor profile, sharp and unforgiving. The fruit is able (willing?) to stand up to what the acid is throwing around and manages to show up in the mid-palate range. This wine is a bit like a young lion; you’ll just need to be sure that you’re up for the part of Seigfried and not Roy.

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O’Shea Scarborough
2006 “The Immortal” Syrah
Lewis Vineyard – $35.00

Nose: The most interesting thing about the nose of this wine is the kalamata olive that sneaks in behind the red fruit and sappling bark.

Palate: The O’Shea Scar guys like to joke that this Syrah can age “for 800,000 years.” Acidic attack, as to be expected, that peresists well into the finish. Remember those olives on the nose? There here as well, but just hints enough to become recognizable. Cold, minerally stone, like stone on bare feet that sends shivers up the spine. This wine is razorsharp from the start, which leads us to want to pair this juice with food; Barbeque chicken with homemade BBQ sauce or spicey hot wings. Yup, hot wings.

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Hyatt Vineyards
2005 Merlot – $8.00

Nose: An amalgum of dark fruit though not overly focused or multi-dimensional.

Palate: Whoa, this is a party wine. While not showing as a stellar bottle of juice, having a case of this around for when you’re having dinner parties makes this $8.00/bottle find a gem. But, drink it fast once the bottle is corked. This juice, pretty out of the gate, doesn’t stand up for long once out of the bottle.

This month, we turn to Cabernet Franc as we compare wines from Washington with those from around the globe. A parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc is mostly grown in Bordeaux for blending, but also stands alone as a single varietal in the Loire, where it is known as Breton. In the United States, it is still primarily grown for use in Meritage (Bordeaux-style blend). Here in Washington, Cab Franc offers further proof that we can grow just about anything. How does Washington’s Cab Franc compare to one from France?

We start with the Chinook 2006 Cabernet Franc from the Yakima Valley. Rusty, brick red in color, it has spice, cedar box, dusty broom, reduced strawberry, a little dirty leather and menthol on the nose. Basically, everything but the fruit. Drinking the wine, you get a bold, structured attack that gives way to a more subtle mid-palate and a balanced finish. The oak is judicious. Cab Franc is believed to prefer a cool climate, but growing it in the Yakima Valley gives it the big fruit you’ve come to expect from Washington wines. And this one goes down easy.

Next, we visit the 2007 Jour de Soif (“Day of Thirst”), a Cab Franc from the Bourgueil AOC in the Loire region. Almost identical in color to the Chinook, it also has a cloudy appearance, perhaps unfiltered. On the nose, it’s very similar to the Chinook, but the strawberry notes are more candy-like. It’s also a little tighter and more herbaceous. Drinking the Day of Thirst reveals a very lively acidity. True to the nose, it’s more herbaceous, less fruity and lighter bodied than the Chinook. It’s very characteristic of the 2007 Loire Valley wines.

Both the Chinook and Jour de Soif wines were very characteristic of Cabernet Franc. It’s not surprising, however, that the wine from Yakima Valley was simply bigger, more amplified in each respect.

So, who is the winner of this month’s Washington vs. The World? Leave your comments, and tell us what you think.

Dolcetto is a varietal that’s not on very many people’s radar, especially in Washington. It’s a black wine grape primarily grown in the Piedmont region of Italy. Even though it’s typically a dry wine, the name means “little sweet one,” and they tend to be tannic, fruit-driven wines.

For the first round of Washington vs. The World, two Dolcettos face off. In this corner wearing a white label with a red tree on it, weighing in at 14.0% alcohol: 2006 Cantina del Pino Dolcetto d’Alba from the Piedmont region of Italy. And in this corner, the challenger wearing a white label with a river and bridge, weighing in at 14.2% alcohol: 2007 Kyra Dolcetto from Wahluke Slope.

The Cantino Del Pino wine was a strong example of a nice, stable Dolcetto. With lots of tannin and gusto, it had rich fruit, complexity and a long finish. This was a wine with a lot of heft, and it really showcased the essence of grapes, like a classically trained boxer with fancy footwork. The Kyra rendition showcased all of the characteristics of Dolcetto. With lots of fruit balanced with acidity, it’s dangerously easy to drink. Direct, straightforward, the Kyra was born with a classic Dolcetto body, but trained in the school of hard knocks, and it can hold its own.

The whole bout demonstrated how a wine varietal has a distinct profile—flavor and body—and both of these wines matched that archetype and how. It’s especially interesting to note that they’ve been growing Dolcetto in Piedmont since the late 1500s, 400 years longer than any wine in Washington.

So, who is the winner? Try these wines out for yourself. They’re available at select QFC grocery stores, including the Broadway Market store in Seattle. Once you’ve tried them, add your comments below. May the best wine win.

By Charles Armstrong

With the small of ozone and wet grass descending on our city, it’s difficult to bring myself to drink those “bright” wines I typically associate with warmer months. When the clouds roll in it’s time to take your wine like your weather, dour and complex. Well, perhaps not dour, but you understand the metaphor. No one wants to sip a chilled Sauvignon Blanc when it’s 46 degrees and dark at 4:00pm.

In an effort to alienate all my readers over the age of thirty-six, this month I’ve mapped each wine to a secondary character from The Simpsons. But don’t worry readers over the age of thirty-six, next month we’ll do the A-Team.

O Wines
2006 Horse Heaven Hills Chardonnay
Big O Wine Company, Woodinville, WA
$15

Buttery as hell on the swallow and quite thick throughout, it’s a prototypical Chardonnay to pair with your fish or chicken. There were some interesting greens and lemon notes on the nose, but otherwise it’s a middle-of-the-road Chardonnay. Good news if you like Chardonnay. According to the label, this wine is from “Woodinvile, WA” [sic]. As long as I’ve been a writer, I’ve empathized with people who fall victim to the typo. Plus, the company’s stated mission is to fund scholarships for underprivileged young girls. Help ‘em out and buy a few bottles, won’t you?

Equivalent Secondary Simpsons Character: Maude Flanders (pre-2000)
Perfectly charming, though more of a foil, the wine rounds out your dinner or drinking without being the
focus. A fish course is not the same without a good Chardonnay, and purists agree that if you replace it with a less flavorful white and/or kill the character off in season eleven, things just won’t be the same.

Avery Lane
2004 Columbia Valley Merlot
Avery Lane Winery, Grandview, WA
$11

A relatively inoffensive Merlot with a fruity beginning and somewhat oaky finish. There’s not a lot else to say; it’s a fairly underwhelming Merlot, though it’s by no means bad, just largely forgettable. The oaky finish makes it a good dinner wine, particularly if you like your food well-seasoned. Pair with Americana style comfort cuisine (mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, etc.). Just make sure not to let the flavors get overwhelmed—it’s a bit weak for a Merlot.

Equivalent Secondary Simpsons Character: Dolph
You know Dolph; he’s the kinda hunched over bully with the long brown hair. Not Jimbo, and not Kearny, but even more second-tier. This wine adds ambience to the experience, but is generally inconsequential. Still, he’s got some great moments, like the Hockey episode or when the tannin flavor compliments a peppered meat.

Pine & Post
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Pine & Post Winery, Mattawa, WA
$7

This is one of the lightest, most fruity Cabernet’s I’ve ever had. Honestly, I assumed I had misread the label and was drinking a Pinot. The oaky, woodsy, tanniny flavors I associate with Cabs didn’t come out until the swallow, which made for an interesting tasting progression from the beginning to the end. A word of warning: let this guy breathe a little bit before jumping right in; my first taste brought flavors of sweaty moss, but about ten minutes later, it gave way to the awesome fruit flavors that this wine ought to be proud of. Regardless, the unique, vibrant, and interesting flavors have earned this wine a spot as my go-to Cabernet. Drink it with a steak or some well-seasoned pork.

Equivalent Secondary Simpsons Character: Sideshow Bob
Upfront Villainy aside, this wine’s presence always equates to awesomeness. Crafty and brooding, yet subtle and sophisticated, it’s a somewhat misunderstood wine. Give it a chance and you’ll find him brilliant, just make sure the wine’s not poisoned. (Don’t worry, it’s not.)

Maryhill
2006 Columbia Valley Chardonay
Maryhill Winery, Glendale, WA
$15

It seems to evaporate in the mouth, with a noticeably short finish despite a slight watery texture up front, while strong acid flavors throughout undermine this wine’s self-proclaimed status as a Chardonnay. The flavors are in there, but it’s a little watered down for my tastes—like drinking a glass of wine-flavored Capri Sun. In fact, you may want to think about bringing this as a half-time treat at your next city-league soccer game. Don’t be alarmed if anyone asks why you’re pouring water out of an old wine bottle. Don’t be alarmed either if you enjoy the second half better than the first.

Equivalent Secondary Simpsons Character: Martin
Poor Martin, trying so hard to be significant and yet always failing. The wine has big ambitions but comes up short, mostly because of a lack of social skills and underwhelming flavor across the board. Still, an excellent and refreshing companion on a warm summer day, if only for the fact that he has a pool.

St. Josef ’s
2006 Pinot Noir
St. Josef’s Wine Cellar, Canby, OR
$12

Now, I realize that the focus of this column is and has been exclusively Washington wines, but when I was out of town last week, my house-mate drank the bottle of wine I was supposed to review here, and replaced it the next day with the St. Joe’s. Not to be geographically Xenophobic, I thought I’d give it a crack. Despite its exorbitant state-imposed income tax, terrible drivers, and omnipresent hippies, the St. Josef’s pinot was very well balanced across the board, showing some dark fruit particularly on the nose and swallow. Acids, tannins, and subtle earth tones mingle in and out, though admittedly it did taste a bit young. It’s a Pinot, so I’m sure pop-culture has taught you with what you should eat with it, but I’d recommend an especially flavorful bird meat (duck, goose, well-seasoned turkey, etc.). Just make sure to acknowledge the complete lack of professional baseball and football teams associated with this wine.

Equivalent Secondary Simpsons Character: Carl
An interesting and dark wine, it is one of the least fallible relative to its peers. A regular watcher/wine drinker will have good feelings about this wine, while a more casual fan will likely forget its name.