NW Wines: Not Ready For Prime Time

[stevebody]

Look, guys, I never said all the wines were bad. I said our bargain class is, which I stand behind. I just said that, dollar for dollar, they're not a great value, YET. We haven't been growing grapes as long as CA. Mature vines yield better, more complex grapes. Simple formula. In fact, we're starting to show signs of making the kinds of transcendent wines now that some Washingtonians have tried to claim we did in the past. The problem is, if you start out at $40 a bottle, where do you go from there? If you don't sell your wine and drop prices, it creates a perception of diminished value. That was the strategic error that a lot of our winemakers made and still make.

As for Oregon, they are the ones who started comparing their wines to Burgundy's and they simply aren't really as good, yet, in the scope of what they are trying to do. Some are GREAT wines. The '98 Archery Summits were among the best NW wines I've ever tasted. Ditto for the Torii Moor. The Drouhins are beautiful but Pinot is finicky, as anyone who has ever grown the grapes will attest. Sometimes it just doesn't work and those off-years DON'T MERIT $80 PRICE TAGS.

We make some spectacular wines here, right now. The L'Ecole No. 41 stuff I mentioned, well, I challenge anyone to show me a winery in this country that makes a better roster of wines, bottle for bottle. The names like Leonetti and Quilceda Creek have earned their big reps and always release at least very good wines. Here is a short list of wines that nearly everyone who sells wine around here sells well and thinks highly of:

McCrae Vineyards Viognier : Even the French couldn't argue with what Doug McCrae is doing with this ill-tempered grape. Flawless stuff.

Columbia Crest, our inadvertent Bargain King. Doug Gore is just a masterful winemaker and even his low-end stuff is wonderful. His Estates Cab, Merlot, and Chard are a few of the best values available in the entire country. The Chard has made the Spectator Top 100 two years running anf sells for about $10.

Snoqualmie Cab-Merlot: An elegant, deep, interesting Bordeaux blend that Joy Anderson taqke a lot of obvious pride in. Washington is awahgs in these C/M things, most quite nice. This is the perennial champion. And it costs about $12!

K Syrah: My pal Charles Smith is buying this juice but he buys damned well. These are cuvee from several of the state's best vineyards and Charlie is showing a surprising skill as a blender, a fact which shocks many of us who have always thought of him as a nice guy but...well...a dork.

Reininger Cab and Merlot: New, polished, beautiful, deep reds, with a ton of varietal character and sane price tags.

Glen Fiona Bacchus Syrah: Reasonable prices for a wine that would do a lot of Northern Rhone vintners proud. Gary Figgins of Leonetti isn't the only vintner in his family. Brother Rusty clearly knows his wines.

Andrew Will: Chris Camarda makes what R. Parker has called "the best Merlots being made in America". Can't argue. Maybe a couple of CA wines are better (Beringer Howell Mountain, maybe) but Chris ain't askin' $100. The single vineyard stuff from Calle Cielo, Pepperbridge, and his Reserve would fetch $400 in a Bordeaux bottle and no one would be the wiser. At that, I like his Cabs even better. The guy just knows how to pamper grapes. The wines are dense, incredibly extracted, and beautifully made.

DeLille: The whole catalog reeks of classy, savvy winemaking. Their Harrison Cab is immense and espresso-tinged and priced sanely enough to make it possible for those of us who didn't make fortunes in software to drink it once in a while.

DiStefano: Amazing Cabs, with few off-vintages. They have a new meritage that is as nice a bottle of $15 wine as I've had in years. They're sort of a boutiquey operation, so finding them in other parts of the country may be hard.

Cayuse: AWESOME Syrah but pricey. I had a bottle about a month ago and I'm not sure the finish is gone yet. They're really new and are not avid attention seekers, so they may be a hunt, too.

Cascade Cliffs: Bob Lorkowski and Andrea Hoolan (probably spelled both those wrong) are making Italian varietals that sing. Their Nebbiolo is damned plausible and the Barbera is THERE already. They also make one of the worst, clumsiest blends I've ever tasted, their Goat's Head Red, but it's a small indiscretion compared to the rest of the stuff. Their Cab is nice AND a bargain!

There are a lot more but enough for now.

Last Point: As a famous reviewer once told me - back when I was writing arts criticism and refused to review anything I didn't like - sometimes the most positive thing you can do for someone is to offer a genuine voice of dissent. Politicallt Incorrect as it may be, sometimes things AIN'T GOOD. Would you get offended at Consumer Reports if they told you a can opener didn't open cans very well? It's all just opinions, folks. Instead of belaboring me with what I regard as a dious, neo-hippie karma adjustment, write me off as a crank and STOP READING. For those who can handle frankness, please cxall 'em as you see 'em. I appreciate a heads up abut stuff you think is over-rated. It at least gives me something to think about.