Congratulations to our northerly Pacific Northwest neighbors for their great representation on the
San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 wines of 2011!
The publication even noted:
"Certainly we have great bottles here from bigger names. But once again, many of the best wines to be found on the West Coast are from wineries that work on a small scale.
This shift in scope makes perfect sense. There is always the opportunity to make great wine on a big scale; the beauty of the Louis Martini Sonoma County Cabernet or Domaine Chandon's Brut Classic are perfect evidence. But the attention to detail you get on a small scale is an engine for greatness."
The local wines that earned the honor:
2009 Bergstrom Old Stones Willamette Valley Chardonnay ($30, 13.9%): Josh Bergstrom insists that Old Stones is for early drinking, but there's extraordinary depth here. Ripe and intense, this adds deep, creamy tones to bright apple, Meyer lemon and apricot flavors, with a wild-mushroom accent. A quintessence of Oregon Chardonnay.
2009 Evening Land Vineyards La Source Seven Springs Vineyard Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay ($60, 13%): Hollywood producer Mark Tarlov's new project has attracted a star roster of talent, including Larry Stone (Rubicon) and consultant Dominique Lafon. But his Oregon winemaker, Isabelle Meunier, deserves credit for evoking the best of a lauded Willamette Valley property. There is a laser focus to the flavors in this filigreed effort, as Meunier has found a nervy power to the fruit. It unfolds slowly, picking up flesh from beautiful flavors of lemon peel, dried honeycomb and green apple. Without an ounce of fat, this is Chardonnay expressed as pure sinew.
2009 Stoller Vineyards SV Estate Dundee Hills Chardonnay ($28, 14%): Bill Stoller's site, at the hands of winemaker Melissa Burr, remains a top spot for not only Pinot but Chardonnay, too. This latest is concentrated and stylish, with lots of pastry cream and nuanced oak giving richness to the energetic lemon pulp, peach and Anjou pear.
2010 Pacific Rim Columbia Valley Riesling ($10, 10.5%): Under the eye of winemaker Nicolas Quillé, this Randall Grahm-founded label is proving the potential of Washington Riesling. Don't let the faux-exotic package and price deceive you; this blend from top Columbia Valley sites puts Pacific Rim fully back in the groove. Full of wet river stone, deep nectarine and green apple, it shows the magnitude of both fruit and acid that most Rieslings at this price lack.
2009 Amavi Walla Walla Valley Syrah ($29, 14.1% alcohol): Jean-Francois Pellet's value-minded label again tapped into the best of Walla Walla, with fruit from Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge and Les Collines in this prime example of Washington's cellar-worthy bounty. Steely and pepper riven, with a classic tarry hint, dried thyme and pretty plum fruit. A lot of chew to the structure, so give it a couple of years to truly blossom.
2009 Anam Cara Nicholas Estate Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir ($32, 13.6%): For yet another vintage, Sheila and Nick Nicholas show the best of Oregon's small-scale charms with their Newberg estate bottling, aged mostly in older oak. There's a classic minty, cool profile here, with camphor, bayberry and a wonderful floral accent. Almost ethereal in its flavors, but with plenty of tannic stuffing.
2009 Arterberry Maresh Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($25, 13%): A stunning value from Oregon as Jim Arterberry Maresh shows off the best of both his family's vineyard and the red soils of Dundee Hills in a basic bottling that over-delivers. There's gorgeous polish and delicacy that reveals '09's subtler side, with a spicy accent leading to soy and tangerine, and rewarding cherry flavors.
2009 J.K. Carriere Provocateur Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($24, 13.5%): There's something to be said for affordable, early drinking Pinot, and Oregon native Jim Prosser has delivered a beauty, full of tension and freshness. A coppery mineral accent gives depth to chewy plum skin and watermelon. It's proof that immediate-gratification Pinot can still be rewarding when made with care.
2009 Soter North Valley Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($30, 13.8%): Tony Soter made his name farther south, with his Carneros-based Etude. But his Oregon project is coming into its own. He and winemaker James Cahill finessed a tricky vintage with a mouthwatering, darker-hued release. Think of black cherry juice tinged with fenugreek and burnt sage.
2009 Winderlea Dundee Hills Vineyards Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($38, 14.5%): The parcel once known as the Goldschmidt vineyard, planted in 1974 and owned by an Oregon governor, has come into the hands of Bill Sweat and Donna Morris. Their new label is bringing a polished yet still subtle side to the Willamette, and this blend meshes a creaminess with loam-edged cherry fruit and dried thyme aromas. It's a textural masterpiece, with age-worthy structure that never tastes too tannic.
2008 Andrew Will Two Blondes Vineyard Yakima Valley Red Wine ($55, 14.5% alcohol): For all we know about Chris Camarda's access to top Washington vineyards, his younger-vine blend from this site outside Yakima, built around Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, remains dramatically brilliant. The Two Blondes signature is so clear: sanguine and pimenton-edged, full of cherry fruit, blueberry, leather and bark.
2009 Barnard Griffin Columbia Valley Merlot ($17, 13.7%): Rob Griffin carries a banner for small, affordable labels, and if Merlot is struggling, he's making a solid case from the Northwest. Hailing from top-notch vineyards like Lonesome Spring Ranch and Conner Lee Vineyard, this offers black tea and plum to accent robust oak, with a pretty lilt to the fruit and raspberry highlights. It's real, honest Merlot.
2009 Buty Columbia Valley Merlot-Cabernet Franc ($40, 14.1%): Caleb and Nina Foster give these two polarizing varieties a great name together. Their primary source here is the Conner Lee vineyard along the balmy Wahluke Slope, where Merlot thrives. Packed with fragrant berry and graphite, and paprika and fennel around the edges, this is a seamless and heady expression of what Washington does best.
2008 Cadence Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red Mountain Red Wine ($45, 14.4%): Ben Smith and Gaye McNutt continue their run of brilliant Bordeaux-inspired efforts from their tiny Seattle label. Jim Holmes' Ciel du Cheval site always reveals silky tannins, and the high dose of Cabernet Franc in the blend meshes that with a fresh sea-foam note and smokier cumin spice. Warm and packed with bright red and blue fruit, and a deep root-like accent, this will keep getting better over the next decade.
2008 Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($70, 13.8%): In a tricky vintage, Cathy Corison's less-is-more approach is a pleasure to behold. As always, her harvest dates are several weeks before her neighbors', in this case in early September. The classic graphite, sandalwood, green olive and lively cherry and plum fruit keep evolving and deepening, so keep this bottle for a decade or more. Stunningly firm and aromatic.
2008 Gramercy Cellars Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($45, 13.9%): Not to dismiss his Rhone-inspired efforts, but Master Sommelier Greg Harrington has nailed the quintessence of Washington Cabernet from a variety of vineyard sources. Polished, oak-tinged and masterful, this is a gorgeous dose of vibrant blue fruit, edged with a bright mineral accent and refined tannins that give it aging power.
2008 Januik Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($30, 14.4%): Longtime Northwest icon Mike Januik taps some of the top spots in Columbia Valley, including Champoux and Klipsun, for a Cabernet that's stunning for the price. Alluring and graphite-edged, with tea, clove, black olive and heady ripe cherry fruit.
To view the complete list, visit here.
What were your favorite wines of the year?
Cheers! And drink up (locally)!
