Spring Valley Uriah 2001

Spring Valley is a highly respected Washington producer whose winemaker and owner died in a car crash in 2005. I mention this only because the industry seemed unsure about the direction of the winery after that tragic event. Luckily I was able to get my hands on an older vintage of one of their top Bordeaux style blends.

Here we have a nose of mint, cassis, garden soil and very predominant eucalyptus. The palate itself is quite soft, with a sweet forwardness filled with cassis and blackberry jam. Unfortunately, this is surprisingly hot on the back end, especially for an early 2000's WA cab based blend. Nonetheless, this is round, and full and very nicely textured, with a drawn and lengthy finish. I suppose I was expecting more from this reputable producer, but this is still a good wine.


Very Good to Very Good+
$45 at Benchmark Wines

McCrea Sirocco 2004

McCrea is a Rhone-style specialist located in Washington state. I have been looking to try something from these guys for a while now and so it was hard to resist giving this a try. In the end, though, I felt this was ultimately not as exciting as many of the other Syrah based projects going on in WA.

A rudy dark purple in the glass. The nose was quite promising, with big brambly, plummy, cherry and earth aromas. Indeed it was very southern Rhone-like. However, the palate brought in such a wallop of sweet fruit that the wine lost its edge. Despite the excellent fruit quality of plum and cherry, this tasted like it was dipped in an oversweetened chocolate sauce that, while imparting smoothness, also caused the wine to lose focus over time. A nice try, but just not worth it. Too bad.

Very Good

$30 at Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant

Dellile Cellars D2 2005

Washington state may be getting expensive, but I have to say that their best producers are also extremely adept at bridging the gap between old world and new. The D2 is from one of Washington's most well respected producers, Dellile. I've previously had their Doyenne Syrah, which was awesome with briased lamb.

The nose was very cherry cola to start, but added earthy and acidic components later. The palate had chocolate, boysenberry, earth, and dill. A wonderful Bordeaux style blend, this was restrained but packed with flavour and also managing some elegance. Again, this went very well with braised lamb (I seem to eat that a lot). Worth tasting to get a sense of the Dellile style.

Excellent
$50 at Taphouse Liquor Store

Kestrel Estate Sangiovese 2003

Having recently tried this small Washington producer's Syrah and finding it quite exceptional, I decided to give another of their varietal offerings a try. This time I chose something not so well known in Washington - a Sangiovese from the Yakima Valley. At 13.8% alcohol, I found this surprisingly Italian in style with a barn-y, raspberry and burnt hay nose. A very lively wine, it was also stinky just like a Chianti Classico. In the end, this was perhaps too simple for the price, but it was well made and had terrific structure. Plus, I would definitely mistake this for a Tuscan wine in a blind tasting - which is pretty cool in itself.

Very Good

$36 at Everything Wine

Doyenne Syrah 2004

Doyenne is the Rhone-style wine project of Washington's famed Delille Cellars. My several samplings of Washington syrahs have convinced me of this grape's viability in that state, and I think there is great potential for its future development.

The nose was extremely rich and fruity with cherry cola and game aromas. The palate was a big punch of fruit, cassis and chocolate, with a very long back end. On its own, this was good but not fantastic and I think needs a little more work (or perhaps a better vintage). However, when paired with braised lamb this was a beauty - the lamb bringing out an intense mocha flavour and complimenting the richness of the wine very nicely.

Very Good+ (on its own)

Excellent (with braised lamb)

$55 USD ($80 CDN) purchased in Seattle

Kestrel 'Kestrel View Estate Vineyard' Syrah 2003

Produced in the famed Yakima Valley of Washington, this syrah bucks the trend and comes in at 13.8% ABV. I find Syrah from WA can be a bit too rich and creamy for my tastes. However, Kestrel offers quite a different take on Syrah from some of the other producers.

Wow - syrah rarely tastes this good for $40. That is, if you like a brambly, southern Rhone style or Languedoc style version of syrah. While this had greaty purity of fruit, it did not come across at all like California syrah or Australian Shiraz. Rather, it had a rich peppery, scorched earth, dark fruit palate with blueberry and mocha notes. Ending with a 30 second finish, this had nice balance, was amazingly well rounded, and simply delicious. A perfect pairing with a simple cheese pizza.

Excellent

$40 at Everything Wine

Poet's Leap Riesling 2006

Poet's Leap is part of the Long Shadows project in Washington. This project is bringing some of the top wine makers from around the world to produce a single wine based on their expertise. This particular Riesling was made by Armin Diel of Schlossgut Diel.

This is a great buy and shows the potential of Washington for Riesling. A lemony-yellow in the glass (and quite dark for Riesling) this had citrus, apple and pear on the nose and palate. I loved the incredible body, structure and length of this wine. By far the best Riesling I've had in BC at this price point.

Excellent

$35 at Everything Wine, $40 at Kits Wine Cellar

Page Cellars "Preface" Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Page built this fascinatingly elegent Cabernet from Washington grapes of the Red Mountain AVA (American Viticultural Area). I'm a sucker for the concentration often seen from high altitude grapes -which is a result of oxygen deprivation and increased exposure to ultra violet light - although I have never tried this particular AVA before. The wine, while definitely dense and brambly, is also quite elegant and really shows the quality of Washington viticulture. Being in Vancouver and Living so close to the state promises many fantastic wine trips in the future, especially given that Washington and Oregon have established a fantastic nexus between old and new world styles.

The nose on this was heavy in blackcurrent and blackberry. Upon initially opening the bottle, this actually tasted pretty unripe and green. However, following one hour of decanting the wine developed into a very refined and elegant Bordeaux-style cab replete with rocky earth and big tannins, but also with incredible big briary fruit. This is a great wine and a great value.

Excellent

$40 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars

Eroica Riesling 2006

This Riesling from Washington state is a joint project between Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington and Dr. Loosen of the Mosel region in Germany - a superb producer of German Riesling. I am a huge fan of Riesling but I tend to drink Australian Riesling because of the price to quality ratio, so it's always exciting to try one from a new region.

The wine is quite pale, so much so that I wonder if this has been aged in Oak at all. The nose on this was rich tropical fruit with a hint of vanilla. The palate was replete with apple, tropical fruit and vanillan flavours (suggesting oak). This was quite nicely balanced between sweetness and acidity, but I found it perhaps a bit too fruit forward for my tastes. It's quite light and airy in texture, which is great, but I would like more complexity in the finish. This is, nonetheless, quite a tasty quaffer.

Very Good

$35 at BCLDB

Wine Blogging Wednesday: Comfort Wine

The theme this month with wine blogging wednesday is "comfort wines". Joel from wine life today has asked all us bloggers to choose a wine that we love to unwind to and write about it. For me this is a bit of a problem since I rarely drink the same wine twice unless I absolutely love it. So, like Sonadora, over at Wannabe Wino I am going to write about a 'type' of wine that I love. For me this is not a varietal, a winery, or a region. The wines I love to relax to are wines that go exceptionally well with food. I don't always drink wine with food or look for wine that matches well with food - but there is something special about finding that flavourful match for the food you love.

I am no expert at matching wine and food, but I love when I discover those magical combinations like Riesling and sushi, or Barbera and a simple tomato pasta. There is nothing more comforting after a long day than simple tasty food highlighted by a simple tasty wine. In this spirit, today I'll be writing about what has been an absolutely fantastic combination: a 2002 Woodward Canyon Charbonneau with some fantastic sushi (if you live in Vancouver you know that sushi is a staple of life here).

There's something special going on here. Pairing a Pacific Northwest Wine with a Vancouver speciality ended up being pretty much the definition of comfort. Woodward Canyon, a renowned Washington winery from Walla Walla, is known for their Cab Sauv's but this lovely white blend was simply fantastic.

The wine is 65% Semillion and 35% Sauvignon Blanc. Dark mellow yellow in the glass. This is seriously vibrant stuff. It's so unique that its secondary and tertiary flavours actually made me not only appreciate its boysenberry core, but actually enjoy boysenberry - something I don't generally do. The nose of this wine was a beautiful combination of caramel and hay and some sort of floral scents I couldn't strictly identify. The palate was heavy on the boysenberry, but it had a tinge of caramel and peaches without being over-toasted. The beautiful structure and pretty much perfect acidity made for a great match with sushi. One bite of a spicy tuna roll and a sip of the Woodward Canyon was the essence of comfort and I couldn't recommend this wine highly enough. Brilliant stuff.

P.S. For those who have been following my Vancouver Wine Festival coverage, I will be continuing that within a few days (it's been a busy week!).

Excellent
$47 at Marquis (Bought on sale for $33)