In a recent issue of
Wine Spectator magazine (July 31, 2007) editor at large Harvey Steiman provides a tasting report on the many quality wines from Washington State. With more than 150 of the 450 wines tasted scoring 90 or more points from Spectator’s 100-point scale, it definitely shows that Washington is a place to standup and take notice in the world of premium wine.
“Buoyed by a succession of high quality vintages, winemakers have produced more outstanding wines in this year's report than in any previous. America's No. 2 wine-producing state, once known for its success with Merlot, now excels with Cabernet Sauvignon and, increasingly, Syrah. In all, more than 150 bottlings rated outstanding (90 points or higher on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale) among the 450 wines that I reviewed.”
And with a majority of the top wines deriving from Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon it’s obvious to see that Washington, once known primarily for it’s Merlot, has moved beyond its previous single star varietal into a bigger, better, and much more robust premium wine portfolio.
“Merlot, once Washington's calling card, is now scarce among the top tier. There are 20 Syrahs among the 40 highest-scoring wines in this report (92 points or higher), although their average case production is only half that of the Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux-style blends in the group. Only five of the top 40 are Merlot-based. It's not that Washington's Merlots are bad. They are just outnumbered. I reviewed 150 Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines and 98 Syrahs and blends, but only 85 Merlots and blends.”
Top scoring Washington wines featured in the article include:
Betz Family Winery Syrah Red Mountain La Côte Rousse 2004 (95, $45)
Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2004 (95, $100)
Cayuse Syrah Walla Walla Valley Bionic Frog 2004 (94, $70)
Cayuse Syrah Walla Walla Valley En Chamberlin 2004 (94, $55)
Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills 2004 (93, $50)
Betz Family Winery Syrah Columbia Valley La Serenne 2004 (93, $45)
Cadence Tapteil Vineyard Red Mountain 2004 (93, $40)
Fielding Hills Syrah Wahluke Slope 2004 (93, $32)
Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley 2004 (93, $55)
Owen Roe Yakima Valley 2004 (93, $42)
Tyrus Evan Syrah Walla Walla 2004 (93, $33)
