Wine and Dine Walla Walla » Paul Gregutt

L’Ecole’s newest wines praised

admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:35:49 +0000

Wine columnist Paul Gregutt says the newest wines comprise a sizable portfolio of diverse and superbly well-crafted releases that speak to the maturity and overall excellence that characterizes the top tier of Washington wines.

The newest wines comprise a sizable portfolio of diverse and superbly well-crafted releases that speak to the maturity and overall excellence that characterizes the top tier of Washington wines. Rarely if ever flashy, and generally priced below comparable offerings, even from Washington, these expressive wines take careful note of the character and complexity of their various appellations and vineyards. They are particularly enjoyable for their use of old-vine fruit, and the overall elegance and polish of the blends.

Marty Clubb and Allen Shoup discuss new L’Ecole look:

Dusted Valley heats up in Walla Walla appellation

Paul Gregutt — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:49:05 +0000

A little humor can go a long way when you are marketing a new brand in highly competitive times.

The first time I tasted a bottle of Dusted Valley wine, I was struck by the owners’ motto: “As we say in the Dusted Valley, open that bottle. The first two glasses are for your health; the second two for ours!”

Chad Johnson and his brother-in-law, Corey Braunel, are the authors of that savvy bit of copy, and co-owners, along with their wives, of Dusted Valley Vintners.

The four friends met in college in Wisconsin, with Chad and Corey seemingly headed for careers in pharmaceutical sales.

Then the wine bug bit. The dream of abandoning a safe career to make wine is a story often told, but rarely with such authentic verve as on the Dusted Valley website:

“Dusted Valley was founded on the notion that when family pulls together the American dream can turn into a living reality. Hey, we’re just a proud bunch of farm-raised Wisconsin Cheeseheads, and what goes well with cheese? You guessed it — wine. It’s all about the wine. . .”

In 2003 the families moved to Walla Walla, at a time when dozens of others were setting up shop in the valley.

But Dusted Valley made some unusual, and clever, decisions. They hired excellent winemaking talent (Steve Lessard and Gordy Hill) as consultants.

They made wines in rented facilities (to save money) and leased or purchased vineyard land instead.

Besides their premium label, they offered a low-priced line (now called Boomtown) long before it was a necessity for economic survival.

Some quirky details attracted attention and stimulated interest.

Some of their new oak barrels are made with Wisconsin oak — high-altitude, tight-grain wood from a family-owned forest.

An early DV viognier experimented with an unusual South African yeast — “trying to get away from gourmet yeasts that are high nutrition,” the winemakers explain.

“We wanted to step back a little and let the wine make itself.”

Along with such brands as Balboa and Substance, Dusted Valley has come to define the new wave in Walla Walla. Their wines sport hip, artistic labels, and spotlight interesting grape varieties, sourced from excellent vineyards a ways off the beaten track. The quality, overall, started out quite good and has kept improving.

I’ve been especially impressed with the Dusted Valley viogniers, cabernets, malbecs and syrahs.

This fall they are harvesting the first grapes from their Stoney Vine vineyard, a choice site on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla appellation.

Here are the newest releases:

Dusted Valley 2009 Boomtown Pinot Gris; $13. Fresh and spritzy, this is almost like drinking the wine straight from the winemaker’s fermentation tank; it’s that juicy and delicious.
Dusted Valley 2009 Ramblin’ Rosé; $18. Watermelon and strawberry fruit flavors introduce this bone-dry ros?©, the color of a new dawn.
Dusted Valley 2007 BFM Red; $45. Spicy and precise, this Bordeaux mix offers sharp-edged cassis, black cherry and blackberry fruit, encased in a strong, fortresslike, oak stockade.
Dusted Valley 2007 Reserve Syrah; $45. Lively acidity adds some zip to blackberry and black-cherry fruit. There’s a smoky edge to the polished tannins, and lemony acids keep the wine bright and fresh.

Note: DV has tasting rooms in Walla Walla and Woodinville. For upcoming events, visit www.dustedvalley.com.

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

Pick of the week

Syncline 2009 Subduction White; $18

The latest version of this blended white wine drops the chardonnay and adds 11 percent Grüner Veltliner to the roussanne and viognier. Lush scents of lemon drop, pineapple and candied orange peel lead into perfectly rendered citrus-peel flavors that put a frame around the tart fruit, spice and white pepper. (Triage distributes)

Pinot grigio: Fresh and crisp as spring

Paul Gregutt — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:10:05 +0000

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.

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

Gregutt’s Top 100 Washington State Wines 2009

Carlos — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:44:08 +0000

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.

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

Back to School: WSET in Walla Walla

Catie McIntyre Walker — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:10:26 +0000

The WSET program is coming to town and going back to school doesn’t get much better than this, when it means sitting in the class room with glasses of wine to sample.

The Wine & Spirits Educational Trust is the world’s prestigious and most recognized leader in wines and spirits education and this will be the first time for this London-based program to reach Eastern Washington.

The WSET courses are ideal for anyone in the wine industry, whether working in food service, wine retail and tasting rooms, or in the fields of journalism, marketing, and education. And you don’t have to be a professional to take these courses. They are perfect for the wine consumer who has a little or a lot of knowledge about wine.

WSET courses for Eastern Washington will be held at the Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center in Walla Walla. Wine writer, Paul Gregutt will be teaching the comprehensive one-day Foundation Course (Level 1) Saturday, September 12 and a three-day Intermediate Course (Level 2), the weekends of October 10 and 18th. A WSET Advanced Course (Level 3) is also available, but will be scheduled for a later time.

WSET Instructor Paul Gregutt is recognized as the leading wine writer in Washington State. He appears every Sunday in the Seattle Times Pacific Magazine, the last Wednesday of each month in Spokane’s Spokesman-Review, and is the Northwest editor for Wine Enthusiast magazine. Gregutt’s best-selling book “Washington Wine & Wineries: The Essential Guide” is considered to be the best review of the state’s wineries.

And Paul is no stranger to Eastern Washington as he and his wife, Karen Stanton-Gregutt, have taken up a second residence in Walla Walla County. Local rumor is Paul can be found sitting on the front porch of their cottage in Waitsburg playing the guitar and singing tunes about 90 point wines.

For more information contact Paul Gregutt or see: Eastern Washington WSET