The aptly named Wines of Substance received a fine accolade this winter when Wine Business Monthly named it one of the year’s top 10 “Hot Small Brands.” Substance is a Walla Walla wine project, laudable on many levels, conceived by Jason Huntley and Jamie Brown (Waters Winery), and Greg Harrington (Gramercy Cellars).

The packaging is simple, clever, eye-catching and superbly executed. Substance wines take their graphic look from the periodic table of elements, transmuting individual grape varietals into chemical symbols, just as the wine in the bottle stands for the signature of each particular grape.

The lineup strays far afield from the usual suspects. You will find riesling and chardonnay, but also viognier and pinot gris. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot are included, but so are cabernet franc, syrah, malbec and even counoise. The website (www.winesofsubstance.com) lays out the products in a “Periodic Table of Wines” that includes helpful background information on all these grapes and many more. (Two quibbles: The constant floating of the symbols gets annoying, and roussanne is misspelled.)

As Harrington explained when the wines were introduced a couple years ago, “the inspiration for Substance wines is to educate, as well as please, the palates of budding oenophiles, and to appeal to consumers beyond the bounds of Washington.” There is a practical purpose as well, notes Brown. “The goal is to make wines that are distinctly Washington state and varietally correct. These wines are handcrafted and quality-driven at a price point that is affordable for aspiring wine aficionados.”

Affordability is a dominant force behind almost all winemaking and wine retailing these days, and Substance wines now have a fair amount of competition, even locally, in their just-under-$20 price range. Saviah’s The Jack, Tamarack’s Firehouse Red, Dunham’s Three Legged Red, Kestrel’s Lady in Red and Platinum White and a host of other Washington wineries are putting out very good wines at competitive prices.

But Substance remains unique. Apart from offering single varietals, Substance wines reflect their exceptional vineyard sources and the specific tastes and styles of the winemakers. The focus is on more European flavors, avoiding excessively ripe grapes, and allowing for natural flavors of herb, forest and stone to take the forefront rather than the perhaps more seductive flavors of new oak barrels.

The current releases (priced $15 to $20):

Substance 2008 Cf Cabernet Franc

Made in the somewhat austere style of a Loire Valley Chinon, “rare in the New World,” the winemakers confess on the Web site, “as any hint of green, or herbs, in cab-based wines makes most winemakers apoplectic.” Those flavors are entirely appropriate here and do not translate to anything harsh, bitter or unpleasant. What is more surprising is the soft plum and cherry fruit that round out the mid-palate.

Substance 2008 Mb Malbec

Stone Tree (Wahluke Slope) vineyard provided much of the fruit, and there is a small (10 percent) amount of new oak in the mix. This captures the steely core of cassis, matches it to sharp, defining acids, and hones the accents of herb and cinnamon spice to a perfect pitch.

Substance 2008 Me Merlot

This shows the ample muscle of Washington merlot, with vineyard sources ranging from Canoe Ridge to Sagemoor to Seven Hills and beyond. Juicy, tangy, forward yet deep. This is not your ordinary merlot; it’s got flavors of cured meat, almond pastry and black tea sifting through, ephemeral but fascinating. At the heart is good black-cherry fruit.

Substance 2008 Sy Syrah

This is a fine introduction to Washington syrah, as it shows not only the fruit (raspberry and boysenberry) but also the fragrances (earth, herb) and the nuances (rock, compost) that make these wines so complex and interesting.

Paul Gregutt is the author of “Washington Wines & Wineries.” Find him at www.paulgregutt.com or write to paulgwine@me.com.

Pinot grigio, same grape as pinot gris, is the most popular white-wine import from Italy, and in many ways the perfect wine for spring.

Though it may sometimes be faulted for being innocuous and thin, its lightness can be an asset. Alcohol levels rarely reach 13 percent, and the percentage of new oak is low, if any is used at all.

The best of these wines are beautifully aromatic, with scents of white fruits and highlights of flower and spice. A personal favorite is made by Alois Lageder and sells for around $15. Lageder also makes a single-vineyard pinot grigio called Benefizium Porer, which is bigger, riper and more full-bodied than the regular bottling. It sells for $20. Roughly 20 percent of this wine is barrel-fermented and aged.

Pinot gris is a latecomer to Washington state, but pioneering Oregon winegrower David Lett introduced it to the Willamette Valley almost 40 years ago. Today, pinot gris is that state’s most-planted white grape, and at least one producer — King Estate — has made it the company’s signature wine.

Oregon pinot gris is significantly riper, rounder and fruitier than those from Italy. These domestic wines are more likely to show new oak flavors as well, though some producers prefer to keep the wine in stainless-steel tanks, and emphasize its crisp, fresh-fruit flavors, much like an unoaked or unwooded chardonnay. Not all Oregon pinot gris is totally dry, but rarely do you find one so sweet as to taste off-dry.

The dominant fruit flavor of this grape is pear, often accented with baking spice. For fresh, clean, no-frills examples, look for current releases from Acrobat, $12; Duck Pond, $12; Erath, $15; David Hill, $15; and Willamette Valley Vineyards, $15.

For a few dollars more, you can drink the best of show. My top five from the 2008 vintage:

Chehalem 2008 3 Vineyard Pinot Gris , $19. Stainless-steel fermented, vivid and fresh, with complex flavors of orange peel, citrus, ginger and even, as the winery points out, sea spray!

Adelsheim 2008 Pinot Gris, $19. Crisp, spicy pear and melon fruit take center stage in this medium-bodied, focused effort.

Soléna 2008 Pinot Gris, $20. Fresh pear, green-apple and pink-grapefruit flavors are buoyed by juicy acidity, and finished at 13 percent alcohol.

ArborBrook Vineyards 2008 Croft Vineyard Pinot Gris, $18. Organically farmed, this offers a luscious mix of pear, pear skin and grapefruit; tangy and refreshing.

Lemelson 2008 Tikka’s Run Pinot Gris, $19. Nicely textured and lightly spicy, with round, fleshy, apple and pear fruit and a streak of orange candy.

Pinot gris does not show up in Washington state harvest statistics until 2003, when 1,700 tons were picked. Six years later, those numbers had almost quadrupled, to 6,300 tons, and it had become the No. 3 white-wine grape — a very distant third behind chardonnay and riesling, but clearly an up-and-comer.

Value-priced selections from this state’s biggest producers — Columbia Crest, Columbia, Hogue, Ste. Michelle — are competent, clean and refreshing, though not especially distinctive. From a few smaller boutiques come more interesting versions, though in much smaller case quantities.

Look for pinot gris from Chatter Creek, $14; blended with viognier and sourced from the excellent Evergreen vineyard. Ross Andrew’s Celilo vineyard pinot gris is a classic oyster wine, with lemony fruit and highlights of ginger, celery and mineral. And the Boomtown pinot gris, $13; which also gets its fruit from Evergreen and nearby Ancient Lakes, two of Washington’s best white-wine vineyards, is another tasty bottle, lemony and tart, with refreshing minerality.

Many “best of” wine lists are published each year, but this annual look at my top 100 Washington wines is focused exclusively on wines from this state. I look through a year’s worth of tasting notes and select one wine from each of 100 wineries for inclusion. This ranking is not done strictly by the numbers, though I scored all these wines 90 points or higher on the 100-point scale. But because I firmly believe that both quality and cost are factors in overall excellence, these rankings also took price into account. So with wines that got a 94 score, for instance, I gave a higher ranking on this list to the one that was cheaper.

All have been released within the past year, but some are already sold out. Your wine seller can guide you to what is still available, and in some instances he or she may have a newer vintage in stock. Why just one wine per winery? With more than 650 wineries in the state, it is the best way to feature the breadth and depth of the industry’s offerings. My sincere appreciation to the talented growers and winemakers mentioned here, and to all of you who are kind enough to follow this column each week.

1. Charles Smith 2006 Royal City Syrah ($80)

2. Quilceda Creek 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($125)

3. Betz Family 2006 PËre de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon ($58)

4. Abeja 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($80)

5. Leonetti Cellar 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($85)

6. Fielding Hills 2007 RiverBend Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($38)

7. Owen Roe 2007 Lady Rosa Syrah ($45)

8. Andrew Will 2006 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red Wine ($55)

9. K Vintners 2006 En Chamberlin Roma Red ($60)

10. Sineann 2007 Block One Cabernet Sauvignon ($72)

11. CÙte Bonneville 2005 DuBrul Vineyard Red ($125)

12. Poet’s Leap 2008 Riesling ($20)

13. Buty 2007 70 percent SÈmillon/26 percent Sauvignon/4 percent Muscadelle ($25)

14. RÙtie Cellars 2007 Southern Blend Red Wine ($35)

15. Rulo 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($40)

16. Gramercy Cellars 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($42)

17. Stevens 2006 XY Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($42)

18. Northstar 2006 Merlot ($50)

19. Corliss Estates 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ($75)

20. Nicholas Cole Cellars 2005 Estate Reserve ($75)

21. Den Hoed 2006 Andreas Cabernet Sauvignon ($80)

22. Upland Estates 2007 Sauvignon Blanc ($18)

23. Novelty Hill 2007 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Viognier ($20)

24. Ardenvoir 2008 Artist Series SÈmillon ($22)

25. Eroica 2008 Riesling ($24)

26. Beresan 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($29)

27. JM Cellars 2007 Chardonnay ($32)

28. Watermill 2006 Praying Mantis Syrah ($32)

29. Bunchgrass 2007 Frazier Bluff Vineyard Malbec ($32)

30. McCrea 2005 Boushey Grande CÙte Vineyard Syrah ($36)

31. Balboa 2006 Sayulita Red ($40)

32. Woodward Canyon 2008 Chardonnay ($44)

33. Dunham 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon XII ($45)

34. Grand RÍve 2006 Collaboration Series III Ciel du Cheval Red ($45)

35. L’Ecole No 41 2006 Seven Hills Vineyard Perigee ($50)

36. Spring Valley Vineyard 2006 Uriah Red ($50)

37. Rasa Vineyards 2007 QED Syrah ($50)

38. Pepper Bridge 2006 Seven Hills Vineyard Red ($55)

39. Gorman 2007 The Evil Twin Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon ($60)

40. DeLille Cellars 2006 Chaleur Estate Red Wine ($75)

41. JBookwalter 2006 Chapter Two Red ($78)

42. Boudreaux Cellars 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($100)

43. Whitman Cellars 2008 Riesling ($14)

44. Pacific Rim 2008 Organic Riesling ($14)

45. Amavi Cellars 2008 SÈmillon ($20)

46. Syncline 2007 Syrah ($24)

47. Sleight of Hand 2007 The Enchantress Chardonnay ($24)

48. Darby 2008 Le Deuce Viognier 52 percent/Roussanne 48 percent ($24)

49. Barrister 2007 Cabernet Franc ($27)

50. Hestia Cellars 2006 Syrah ($32)

51. Tamarack Cellars 2006 DuBrul Vineyard Reserve Red ($45)

52. Arbor Crest 2005 Dionysus Red ($45)

53. Walla Walla Vintners 2006 Vineyard Select Cabernet Sauvignon ($48)

54. Doyenne 2006 Syrah ($49)

55. Cougar Crest 2005 Estate Grown Reserve Syrah ($55)

56. McKinley Springs 2007 Viognier ($14)

57. Merry Cellars 2008 Sauvignon Blanc ($14)

58. Trust 2008 Riesling ($16)

59. Nefarious Cellars 2008 Stone’s Throw Vineyard Riesling ($18)

60. Gamache Vintners 2007 Estate Riesling ($18)

61. Gordon Brothers 2006 Syrah ($20)

62. Alexandria Nicole 2008 Crawford Viognier ($20)

63. Baer 2008 Shard ($21)

64. Waterbrook 2007 Reserve Syrah ($22)

65. EfestÈ 2006 Final-Final Cabernet-Syrah ($25)

66. Soos Creek 2006 Artist Series #7 Red Wine ($28)

67. Andrew Rich 2007 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Roussanne ($28)

68. Olsen Estates 2007 Chardonnay ($28)

69. Basel Cellars 2006 Pheasant Run Vineyard Estate Merlot ($28)

70. Otis Kenyon 2006 Merlot ($30)

71. Tranche 2005 Chardonnay ($30)

72. Tulpen Cellars 2005 Merlot ($30)

73. Coeur d’Alene Cellars 2006 Boushey Vineyard Syrah ($36)

74. GLM 2005 Deluge Red ($40)

75. Forgeron 2004 Klipsun Vineyard Merlot ($46)

76. AlmaTerra 2006 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Syrah ($50)

77. Reynvaan Family Vineyards 2007 The Contender Syrah ($55)

78. Col Solare 2006 Red Table Wine ($70)

79. Snoqualmie 2008 Naked Riesling ($12)

80. Hedges Family Estate 2008 C.M.S. White/Sauvignon Blanc ($14)

81. Airfield Estates 2008 Riesling ($14)

82. Columbia Crest 2007 H3 Les Chevaux Red ($15)

83. Thurston Wolfe 2008 PGV ($16)

84. Woodinville Wine Cellars 2008 Sauvignon Blanc ($18)

85. SuLei Cellars 2007 Beet Red ($19)

86. Three Angels 2007 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Primitivo ($20)

87. Seven Hills 2007 Merlot ($22)

88. Cadaretta 2008 Sauvignon Blanc/SÈmillon ($23)

89. Milbrandt Vineyards 2006 The Estates Cabernet Sauvignon ($25)

90. Isenhower 2006 River Beauty Syrah ($26)

91. Trio Vintners 2006 Morrison Lane Vineyard Sangiovese Riserva ($26)

92. Lullaby 2007 Viognier ($28)

93. Stephenson Cellars 2006 Syrah ($30)

94. Zerba Cellars 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($30)

95. Hard Row to Hoe 2006 Cabernet Franc ($32)

96. ‡Maurice 2006 Malbec ($34)

97. Nota Bene 2006 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red ($35)

98. Tertulia Cellars 2006 Malbec ($35)

99. Va Piano 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($48)

100. Bergevin Lane 2006 Intuition Reserve Red Wine ($55)

Note: Missing from this list in 2009 were some big names from previous years. This should not be taken as criticism; it is mostly a function of their release dates and my deadlines. Some new releases came out after presstime.

I am often asked to name Washington’s signature grape, or to predict the next great varietal to emerge from this state. But sometimes it is more instructive to think about the most notable underperformers. L’Ecole has succeeded with arguably the two most neglected and under-appreciated wine grapes in the country: chenin blanc and sèmillon. Mind you, these are not obscure, nor are they marginal. Chenin makes some of the greatest white wines of the Loire Valley, in styles that run the gamut from dry to ultra-sweet. Sèmillon is the backbone of Bordeaux blanc and also exceptionally popular in Australia, whether barrel-fermented or done in stainless tanks and blended with sauvignon blanc (often labeled simply SBS).

L’Ecole’s 2008 “Walla Voila” Chenin Blanc ($15, this week’s pick) is the perfect end-of-summer sip, modeled after vouvray, with bright melon, tangerine and pineapple fruit.

Three different sèmillons are made, but the newest is the L’Ecole No 41 2008 Columbia Valley Sèmillon ($16), which includes 11 percent sauvignon blanc in the blend. Rich, ripe, lightly spicy pear and melon flavors form the basis for this well-crafted, sturdy white that has far more flavor interest than most similarly priced chardonnays.

For the winery’s version of a Bordeaux blanc, try the L’Ecole No 41 2008 Seven Hills Vineyard Luminesce ($20), a blend of 70 percent sèmillon and 30 percent sauvignon blanc. Bursting with fresh pears, orange peel, hints of banana and toast, it’s got a truly luscious, creamy mouthfeel.

L’Ecole’s numerous reds are more or less divvied up into Columbia Valley wines and estate wines from the Seven Hills vineyard, the first important vineyard to be planted in the Walla Walla Valley (almost 30 years ago). The vineyard sources for the Columbia Valley wines are amazing. To cite just one example, the 2006 L’Ecole No 41 Merlot ($30) lists Pepper Bridge, Dionysus, Klipsun, Weinbau, Stone Tree, Loess (Leonetti) and Seven Hills among the suppliers.

It’s a very nice bottle, but for a few bucks more I’d go with the L’Ecole No 41 2007 Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Merlot ($37). Cedary and silky, supple and substantial, it’s a powerful expression of this outstanding vineyard’s best fruit.

The two cabs — L’Ecole No 41 2006 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($33) and L’Ecole No 41 2006 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) — express the same careful vineyard selection, old-vine elegance, judicious use of new oak and polished winemaking. Both are 100 percent cabernet, a difficult and impressive type of winemaking that shows Washington’s undeniable strengths with the grape.

Two top-of-the-line Bordeaux blends are made each year, Apogee and Perigee. The L’Ecole No 41 2006 Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Perigee ($50) is the star of that year’s show. It’s made from the oldest vines in the Seven Hills vineyard, a blend of 56 percent cabernet sauvignon, 34 percent merlot and 10 percent cabernet franc. Dusty, earthy and complex, it carries strong scents and accents of coffee, chicory and dark chocolate, rich black fruits, firm acids, ripe tannins and fine balance throughout.

New entrants to the field include Chelan’s Hard Row to Hoe winery; its 2006 zin ($35), sourced from Wahluke Slope grapes, is syrupy and dense, with super-ripe blackberry fruit, mocha and butterscotch. What sets it apart from similar California efforts is that it retains natural acids and some lovely herbal highlights, so it’s not just a hot, heavy, alcoholic date — the sort that leaves you exhausted but somehow unsatisfied.

Walla Walla’s Trio Vintners made a splash with its delicious (but oh-so-high-octane) 2006 zin. Its 2007 Pheasant vineyard zinfandel ($26) is just as good, but swings less of a hammer. The alcohol is down a notch or two, without sacrificing the concentrated essence of raspberries and cherries, also lifted with all-natural acids.

Three Angels is an Oregon winery with a pair of single-vineyard Washington zins in its portfolio, one from Les Collines, one from Avery (both $20). If I had to choose, I’d go with Les Collines for its brambly strawberry fruit flavors, intertwined with spice and cola.

Must all zins be 15 percent alcohol and higher? These days, it’s tough to find anything except the cheapest examples coming in under 14 percent, and few under 15. On a trip to Paso Robles, Calif., this past January, I sampled a wide selection in all price ranges. Favorite bottles, all in the big bruiser category, were: Bianchi 2006 Zen Ranch Estate ($24); Grey Wolf Cellars 2006 Dusi Vineyard ($40); Peachy Canyon 2006 BFD ($36); Rotta 2005 Heritage ($18); Tobin James 2006 Ballistic ($18) and 2006 James Gang Reserve ($28); and Treana Lot One Candor ($20), this last made in a softer, more gentle style, perhaps because it is a nonvintage blend.

On the value end, look for J. Lohr 2007 Old Vines ($15), and these from other parts of California: Artezin 2006 Mendocino County ($18); Bogle 2006 Old Vine Cuvée ($11); Cline Cellars 2007 California ($12); and Ravenswood 2006 Old Vine Lodi ($12).

You will often find the words old vines, heritage vines or ancient vines prominently displayed on zinfandel labels. These are unregulated terms, and should never be taken at face value. Wines made from truly old zinfandel vines — I take this to mean planted pre-Prohibition — generally turn up on single-vineyard bottles, with vineyard details clearly described on the back label or the winery Web site. Heritage vines are rarely old; they are usually recent plantings cloned from older vines.

The best of these old-vine zins offer subtle flavors — wild and brambly red fruits with light, sweet grassy/grainy notes — often at relatively moderate alcohol levels. As we look forward to the coming season of barbecues and outdoor dining, zinfandels should be your first choice for summertime reds.

They are divided among several tiers: the O’Reilly label, which features an Irish wolfhound, is for value-priced Oregon wines; the Abbott’s Table is a nine-grape blend; Sharecropper’s offers moderately priced Washington cabernet and Oregon pinot. The Owen Roe wines are vineyard-focused, limited-production vineyard designates, packaged in weighty bottles with iconic photographs of Irish monuments.

O’Reilly makes at least as many Washington-grown wines as Oregon-grown and has become especially fond of Yakima Valley grapes, notably DuBrul. So fond, in fact, that he purchased the Outlook vineyard — 105 acres just west of DuBrul — and is leasing the old Apex winery in nearby Sunnyside, where he now makes his Washington wines.

That facility was once a dairy, and when I met with O’Reilly shortly after his purchase, he was planning to make Sunnyside Cream Winery wines, bottled in recyclable, quart-size milk jugs. “I want to bring people to Sunnyside and show people how wine is made, and make ourselves a destination,” he said.

Sunnyside Cream is still on the drawing board, but another group of wines has just made its debut: six varietals that O’Reilly has branded Corvidae. This is the crow family and includes blue jays, magpies and ravens, among the most intelligent of all birds. Each of the labels is dedicated to one bird, with a unique graphic and a literary quote.

It may all sound highfalutin’, but for me it makes the whole wine experience more thought-provoking. O’Reilly, who holds a degree in medieval philosophy from Thomas Aquinas University, clearly enjoys the intellectual stimulation that wine offers. “All you’re doing for four years in college,” he explains, “is trying to step back and look at Truth. It’s helped my personal approach to winemaking.”

Truth be told, the Corvidae wines have a marketing raison d’être as well. “The purpose of the brand,” says O’Reilly, “is to work with affordable fruit. I don’t add acid, I want to take what nature gave me and just pass it on. It’s lovely having this brand; I can experiment.”

The initial releases from Corvidae include a Wise Guy Sauvignon Blanc (not tasted); a Mirth Chardonnay (my Pick of the Week); and four excellent reds. The Corvidae 2007 Rook Cabernet- Syrah-Merlot blend ($13) is fruit forward, round and sweet, done in a balanced and accessible style. Attention restaurants: This wine is the consummate glass pour.

The Corvidae 2006 Lenore Syrah (also $13) quotes Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” while offering up a nice burst of boysenberry, sweet, toasty coffee and bitter chocolate. Good, honest and surprisingly substantial.

The Corvidae 2007 Fable Petite Sirah ($17) sports an Arthur Rackham illustration on the label and fruit from the Art Den Hoed vineyard. The name references an Aesop fable about a fox and a crow. “I have always thought that petite sirah was something of an impostor grape,” says O’Reilly, “so I came up with this name.” It’s a grapy, forward wine, perfect for pizza. Nothing foxy about it.

Last and best is the Corvidae 2007 The Keeper Cabernet Franc ($17). Less than half the price of the Owen Roe Rosa Mystica bottling, this cab franc has real richness, dark fruits and thick, smoky tannins.

For Myles Anderson and Gordy Veneri, the survey of all 13 Walla Walla Vintners merlots — from 1995 to 2007 — was an opportunity to see how the wines were aging. Though they were the eighth winery to open in Walla Walla, their newly planted estate vineyard will not be in production until 2010. Up until now their merlots have been assembled from a well-chosen list of growers from around the state.

Canoe Ridge Vineyard debuted in 1992 and quickly developed an excellent reputation for its merlots, made with fruit grown at the estate vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. For the first decade the winemaker was John Abbott (now at Abeja); most recently Christophe Paubert has been the man in charge.

Paubert is French-born and educated; his resume includes work as cellarmaster at the famed Chateau d’Yquem, and winemaking at Chateau Gruaud-Larose in Bordeaux and Montana in New Zealand. His first vintage at Canoe Ridge was 2006, and this was his first time tasting all of the winery’s merlots at a single sitting.

Why should it matter how any wine ages? Most bottles are consumed within 24 hours of purchase, and wineries fashion wines accordingly, with bright, ripe, forward fruit, set against lush new barrel flavors and soft, pillowy tannins.

Paubert, with his Old World background, had a good answer to the question. “In the past in Bordeaux,” he explained, “the young wines were so tannic you couldn’t enjoy them without aging. It was also recognized that great vintages and great terroir could age well; so it stood for the quality of the chateau.”

He went on to point out, and I heartily agree, that one of the pleasures of wine is to see it evolving through the years. “If you have a cellar and several bottles of a certain wine, you have the pleasure of drinking it, and another pleasure, which is to see it evolving. Some food also matches better with an aged wine; when it matches well, that is magic.”

It was a happy coincidence that both wineries elected to pour their merlots within days of each other. I am regularly asked by readers which red grape I think is Washington’s best, and though I do not say it is merlot, I would happily nominate it as a strong candidate.

There are very few places in the world where merlot as a stand-alone varietal or principal blending grape has the stuffing, the power and the palate presence to command serious attention. But here in Washington, for reasons that remain mysterious, it ripens more fully, develops more complexity and simply is more expressive than almost anywhere outside of the right bank of Bordeaux.

These tastings provided ample evidence to support that notion. From a total of 36 wines — 13 from Vintners, 23 from Canoe Ridge (including eight reserve bottlings) — an aging pattern emerged. The oldest wines, from the mid-1990s, were still balanced and showed mature, soft flavors. The sweet spot was reached when the wines were eight to 10 years old; the 1999, 2000 and 2001 vintages showed especially well.

My favorites were the 1999 and 2000 merlots from Walla Walla Vintners, and the 1996, 1999 (regular bottling) and 2005 reserve from Canoe Ridge. But the real winner was Washington merlot, for which we may all be grateful.

This iconic Yakima Valley winery continues to improve. This excellent, roughly half-and-half blend of cabernet and merlot is in its value tier. Alcohol is under 14 percent, aromas are rich with blackberries, black currants and black olives; and you’ll pick up a touch of licorice and herb in the mouth. (Young’s-Columbia distributes)Arbor Crest makes a solid comeback.

Only a small number of Washington wineries have passed the quarter-century mark  — not a long history by Old World standards, but highly significant in this competitive industry. For those too young to remember, there were barely three dozen wineries in the state in 1982, the year Arbor Crest was founded, and many of them have disappeared. In the Spokane area, only Latah Creek dates back almost as far.

Arbor Crest was founded by the Mielke brothers, David and Harold. The family business was orchards and fruit. David had begun growing grapes in the Wahluke Slope; Harold was working as a medical researcher in the Bay Area. They hired Scott Harris (from California’s Davis Bynum winery) to be their winemaker and focused production on white wines, highlighted by a fruity, French-oak-aged, slightly sweet sauvignon blanc.

Within a few years Arbor Crest had grown to become one of Washington’s largest wineries. But by the time Harold’s daughter, Kristina, and her husband, Jim, decided to move to Spokane and take over, the winery had lost its focus. That was 1999. Today, winemaker Kristina Mielke van Loben Sels has just completed her 10th Washington harvest. She studied fermentation science at UC Davis and worked as enologist/assistant winemaker at Ferrari-Carano. The move north came suddenly, and not without challenges. To put it bluntly, it has taken a decade for the brand to recover. But as the excellent lineup of new releases shows, Arbor Crest is again at the top of its game.

The flagship white wine is still the sauvignon blanc ($10), with fruit sourced from Bacchus vineyard vines more than 35 years old. It’s stainless-steel-fermented, with just 13 percent alcohol allowing some of the more subtle varietal flavors (melon, green apple, lime and grapefruit) to shine.

If you love a big, buttery style of chardonnay, Arbor Crest’s 2006 Conner Lee vineyard bottling ($18) is right up your alley. The ripe fruit is supported with firm acids and a dollop of vanilla cream.

The current crop of red wines is the best overall in the winery’s history. One caveat: The distributor (Odom) appears to be backed up with older vintages. The vintages quoted here are the ones to seek, and you can always order direct from the winery.

The Arbor Crest 2006 Merlot ($15) opens with an interesting floral note, followed with bright raspberry and light chocolate flavors. It’s 100 percent varietal. As are most Arbor Crest wines, the 2006 Syrah ($20) is also 100 percent varietal. This one is sappy and brimming with berry flavors. The ripe fruit is set against firm acids, then finished with caramel and butterscotch flavors from judicious aging in new French-oak barrels.

Kristina van Loben Sels says the cabernet sauvignon sourced from the Klipsun vineyard on Red Mountain is destined for a new van Loben Sels label. For the moment, though, it is part of the regular lineup. The 2005 version ($35) captures the essence of the vineyard’s strengths: black cherry and cassis; tar, gravel and smoke; chewy, earthy tannins.

The winery’s top red is the 2005 Dionysus ($45), a Bordeaux blend given extended barrel age. The current vintage includes all five Bordeaux grapes for the first time. Dark, sappy and bursting with ripe cassis and black cherry fruit, silky tannins and juicy acids, this lovely bottle is ready for additional cellaring.

The winery’s Web site (www.arborcrest.com) lists a number of limited-edition wines as well. Cliff House, home to the Arbor Crest tasting room and gift shop, is open from noon to 5 p.m. daily.

JUST A FEW WEEKS ago, I came across a startling offer. A young Burgundy was being advertised for the jaw-dropping price of $8,500. Granted, this was the Romanée Conti from the Domaine Romanée Conti — by general acclaim the greatest Burgundy in the world. To acquire a single bottle, you often must purchase a mixed case of DRC wines (recent case price online was $55,288); the limited opportunities to do so are doled out to gravy-train riders around the globe.

In this instance the vintage happened to be 2005, which the punditerati have declared the vintage of the century (out of six so far). Still, the price seemed incredible. So I trotted down to a local retailer to confirm what I had read. Could any standard 750 ml-size bottle of young wine possibly be sold at such a price in these distressed times? Oh, yes, my retailer friend assured me. In fact, he said, he’d sold the same wine a few months ago for considerably more than $8,500. And even that was considered a bargain, because the wine had gone at auction for more than $15,000 a bottle — plus buyer’s commission, of course.

I report this cautionary tale not to discourage you from grubbing up every bottle of bargain DRC you can find, but more in the spirit of misery loves company. We’re all looking for wine bargains, and even the mightiest prices have fallen!

Many perfectly fine Washington wines are gathering dust on shelves and in warehouses because consumers consider the price too high. Winemakers are rarely trying to gouge anyone; most little boutiques are simply scraping by. The wine cost this much to make, the argument goes, and to keep the business afloat it must sell for a bit more. My response is always the same. Yes, but . . . The consumer doesn’t care what your costs are. The consumer looks around at all the wines and buys the one that appears to offer comparable quality for less dough.

A big part of the cost of wine is the price paid to grape growers. Prestige vineyards charge premium prices, and the wineries follow suit. But if the grower is making the wines, and happens to be a grower with a lot of really good fruit, wouldn’t that result in considerable savings?

Brothers Butch and Jerry Milbrandt planted their first grapes in 1997, and now farm almost 1,600 acres, mostly red grapes in the Wahluke Slope. More than 40 wineries purchase Milbrandt grapes, but some of the best blocks are reserved for their own Milbrandt Vineyards label.

“We can get our grapes turned into wine for less money than smaller producers that buy on the open market,” Butch says. “Another advantage is we have lots to choose from, up to 15 different blocks of any given varietal, to come up with the best possible flavor profile.”

Milbrandt’s winemaker is Gordy Hill, a well-traveled veteran of the Washington wine scene (previously winemaker at Northstar). Two tiers of wines are offered: the Estates wines (previously labeled Legacy) are priced between $20 and $25; several are sold only at the spiffy new tasting room opened last spring in the North Prosser Business Park.

More widely available are the Traditions wines, priced at $13 for the whites and $15 for the reds.
These wines are among a small number of truly compelling Washington red wines priced at $15 or less. If splurge today means going for that $15 bottle, these are the wines to reach for.

Among the current Milbrandt Vineyards Traditions releases are a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, dense and dark, ripe and compact, with layers of black fruits, black smoke, black tea and black olives. The 2006 Syrah includes a bit of grenache and petite sirah as well; it’s solid and generous, laced with vanilla/tobacco flavors. There is also a fresh, clean, citrusy 2007 Pinot Gris.

www.milbrandtvineyards.com

This is the Costco house brand, and the new merlot comes through with exceptional flavors for the price. It’s lush and loaded with black cherry and mocha flavors. Tannins are ripe and smooth, the concentration is surprising, and there are no holes in this wine; it plays out smoothly with a very satisfying richness.Chile’s Veramonte aims to bump it up a notch.

In another month or so they’ll be starting the 2009 harvest in Chile, and if things continue as they have in recent years, the joy juice will be flowing. The past five or six vintages have been at least very good, with 2005 and 2007 just about perfect, and one industry analyst has said the country is the best-located in the world to combat climate change, given its natural geography, sustainable water supply and seemingly endless coast.

The only significant challenge facing Chilean winemakers is one that affects virtually every newcomer to the global wine scene: how to bump up its image as a producer of everyday, cheerful value wines to a serious competitor in the market for pricier, super premium wines.

One company working both ends with considerable success is Veramonte. It was the surprise winner on a recent Top 100 list published by online retailer Wine.com. There are a lot of these lists, but this one had an interesting spin: The wines were ranked strictly according to total bottle sales. Vox populi.

The most popular wine of 2008, says Wine.com, was Veramonte’s 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. Nearby at No. 5 was Veramonte’s 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserva; its 2006 Chardonnay Reserva was No. 21, and its premium red blend, called Primus, appeared at No. 15 (2004 vintage) and No. 90 (2005 vintage).

Veramonte is part of a small group of wineries owned by Agustin Huneeus, a native of Chile who previously developed the Caliterra and Errazuriz brands. Huneeus also owns the Quintessa winery in Napa, but of more interest to most consumers is his passion for Chile’s Casablanca Valley. This pristine grape-growing region had almost no vineyards when he first explored in the early 1990s, but has quickly become known around the world, especially for its racy white wines.

Veramonte is headquartered there, with 1,100 acres of grapes farmed sustainably. Since they were introduced a decade ago, wines from this property have shown steady improvement while maintaining their bargain pricing. Primus, introduced in 2003, is the winery’s Meritage blend.

The vintages named below may be passing from the market, but there is little need for concern. The newest vintages for all these wines should be just as good, if not better.

Veramonte 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserva ($10). Sauvignon blanc is the standard-bearer for Casablanca whites. Ultra-fresh, crisp and grassy, reminiscent of New Zealand versions, with perhaps more herb and less lime. Good lingering persistence brings in delicate notes of nettle and celery.

Veramonte 2006 Chardonnay Reserva ($10). A juicy, spicy, fruit-driven New World style of chardonnay with an interesting twist: a little kick to the melon and banana flavors that brings in lemon peel and juniper berry.

Veramonte 2006 Pinot Noir Reserva ($15). American winemaker Paul Hobbs consulted on this stylish but delicate effort. Lightly scented with rose petals and chocolate. Flavors bring mixed berries and cherry, with soft tannins and a suggestion of oak in the finish.

Veramonte 2006 Merlot ($10). Merlot is difficult to make well at this price, so don’t look for Washington-style meat and muscle here. The fruit is just barely ripe, and flavors of leaf and moist earth abound. But the balance is good.Veramonte 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($10). Blend includes cabernet franc, carmenere and syrah, giving this flavors that don’t exactly equate to standard cab. Bright and spicy, with tangy berry flavors set against mouth-drying tannins that carry a lingering impression of saltiness.

Veramonte 2005 Primus Red Blend ($20). Oddly, this red blend, which might be considered a genuine reserve effort, is simply labeled with its proprietary name, Primus. Half merlot, a third cabernet, the rest carmenere. Softer and rounder than Veramonte’s cheaper reds, but I found it did not quite live up to the reputation of the vintage — a bit thin and weedy.