WineCOW.com - A Good Place for Great Washington Wine

Year after year the wines of Washington state continue to gain recognition and are consistently voted amongst the nation/world's best. 2005 was no different. Below is a list of Washington's wines and how they ranked according to the top wine periodicals, including Wine Press Northwest, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast.

WINE PRESS NORTHWEST
WINE SPECTATOR
WINE ENTHUSIAST
WINECOW

WINE PRESS NORTHWEST - "Best of the Best in the Great Northwest"

Double Platinums
Vin du Lac 2003 Cabernet Franc, Yakima Valley; $23.
We have kept a close eye on Vin du Lac (formerly Chelan Wine Co.) for the past two years. Led by winemaker/owner Larry Lehmbecker, Vin du Lac has quickly made a reputation as one of the brightest new boutique wineries in the Northwest. This Cabernet Franc was the top wine in this year’s Platinum and for good reason. Its generous oak is held in check with red fruit components and distinctive herbal components. Moderate tannins and bright acidity balance the beautiful fruit flavors. Rich dark flavors and chocolate linger on the superb finish. Medals earned: Pacific Rim International Wine Competition (Gold), Riverside International Wine Competition (Gold), Washington State Wine Competition (Gold). — 100 cases

Three Rivers Winery 2002 Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley; $39.
Winemaker Holly Turner crafts our competition’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon from a Horse Heaven Hills vineyard most recognize as one of the Northwest’s best. It has a lot to offer, beginning with undertones of toasty oak interlaced with bold dark fruit, black tea and black licorice. Hilton Head WineFest (Gold). — 294 cases

Columbia Winery 2001 Merlot, Columbia Valley; $15.
David Lake and his team of winemakers have a big winner on their hands with this large-production, nicely priced red that shows off everything good about Washington Merlot. It opens with delicious aromas of bright red fruit and hints of vanilla and oak. Its juicy, upfront flavors are balanced with modest tannins, good acidity and light herbal notes. San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (Gold). — 21,823 cases

Thurston Wolfe Winery 2003 Burgess Vineyard Syrah, Washington; $20.
This longtime boutique Yakima Valley winery is on the move. Winemaker Wade Wolfe is retired from nearby Hogue Cellars to focus full time on Thurston Wolfe, and he and wife Becky Yeaman are relocating their winery in Prosser to more permanent digs than the incubator building they are in. Now they’ve crafted the finest Syrah in our judging (out of 37 gold-medal Syrahs in the competition). This complex red opens with aromas of fresh cedar, spices, game meat, leather and traces of black pepper, followed by rich, intense flavors of black fruit. After a fairly lean entry, it provides a lush midpalate that leads to a lengthy finish. Washington State Wine Competition (Gold/Best Syrah). — 280 cases

Download the results of the 2005 Wine Press NW Platinum Judging, "the best of the best in the Great Northwest." CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

WINE SPECTATOR - "Top 100"

#33 - Columbia Crest 2002 Walter Clore Private Reserve (Columbia Valley); $35.
Named for Walter Clore, a university researcher and a pioneer of the Washington wine industry, this is a blend of 63 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 37 percent Merlot. Half of the grapes come from Horse Heaven Hills and the rest from the Wahluke Slope, both in Columbia Valley. The 2002 growing season got off to a late start, but warm days got the fruit ripe and cold nights kept it balanced. Winemaker Ray Einberger aged the wine for two years in French oak. 5,250 cases made. (WS Score - 93pts)

#95 - Barnard Griffin 2003 Merlot (Columbia Valley); $19.
Winemaker Rob Griffin and his wife, Deborah Barnard, have operated their winery since 1983. Washington's 2003 growing season was hot, spawning very ripe Merlot in the eastern half of the state. Griffin chose fruit from five different vineyards scattered throughout Columbia Valley, blended, and aged the wine in both French and American oak. 5,600 cases produced. (WS Score - 90pts)

WINE ENTHUSIAST - "Top 100 Wines"

#7 - Château Ste. Michelle 2003 Cold Creek Vineyard (Columbia Valley); $22.
Winemaker Bob Bertheau lays back on the new oak and gives this great vineyard its due. A classic spine of juicy acid, with ripe—but not fat—citrus and apricot flavors. Long, balanced and tightly focused. (WE Score - 93pts)

#10 - Quilceda Creek 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington); $80.
Amazing density; the aromas billow up from the glass and weave together sinuously, taking you on a bit of a magic carpet ride before the wine even hits your mouth. This wine has the power of a monster California Cab while retaining the subtlety of a first-growth Bordeaux. It is just a massive blast of dark fruit, incredible viscosity, silky textures and soft herbs, pepper and spice. The oak—all new, all French—is unobtrusive and perfectly integrated. (WE Score - 97pts)

#23 - L’Ecole No. 41 2003 Fries Vineyard Semillon (Washington); $20.
Another classic edition of L’Ecole’s best Sémillon. Big, fresh, and bursting with ripe and delicious fruit. Green apples and pears and bright, toasty tropical flavors are perfectly meshed, and the wine fills out in the mid-palate; then sails into a thoroughly satisfying, lingering finish. (WE Score - 93pts)

#45 - Matthews 2002 Red Wine (Columbia Valley); $50. This young, dense, saturated, complex and extremely tight wine is sappy and packed with myriad berries and red/blue fruits. It is wrapped in stiff, hard, thick, dark tannins that add tight layers of moist earth, black tea, roots and bitter chocolate. This baby needs time. (WE Score - 94pts)

#99 - Fielding Hills 2003 Merlot (Columbia Valley); $28.
A phenomenally brilliant effort from this emerging superstar winery. The Merlot is enhanced with 17% Cabernet, 5% Syrah and 2% Cab Franc. You won’t find Merlot from anywhere else in the country that shows so much supple power and structure. Vibrant fruit is polished to a fine luster with perfectly applied oak “seasoning” that adds toast, butter, coconut, cedar and smoke, lifted with scents of tobacco, citrus and leaf. You run out of superlatives for this wine. (WE Score - 95pts)

WINE ENTHUSIAST - "Top 100 Best Buys"

#3 - Covey Run 2004 Gewürztraminer (Columbia Valley); $7.
Yet another standout effort from this value producer. Clean, penetrating and varietal with layered, spicy fruit—lemon, lime, mint, anise, stone and earth in a marvelously complex array of flavors. 20,500 cases made. (WE Score - 90pts)

#28 - Columbia Crest 2002 Grand Estates Chardonnay (Columbia Valley); $11.
Bigger, with more obvious oak than the CC “regular,” this gets special treatment (hand-stirred for nine months once a week) and 25% new oak. It’s nicely integrated, big and buttery, with pleasing layers of caramelized sugar and baked apple. A home run. (WE Score - 90pts)

#29 - Snoqualmie 2004 Winemaker’s Select Riesling (Columbia Valley); $7.
Sweet and penetrating, with surprisingly deep and protracted flavors of candied orange peel, lemon peel and grapefruit. Very nice. (WE Score - 88pts)

#74 - Chateau Ste. Michelle 2003 Sauvignon Blanc (Columbia Valley); $10.
More stainless steel fermentation than in previous vintages brings out the bright, round, fruity character. Winemaker Bob Bertheau shows his California palate, shying away from the grassy, pungent side of the grape, building instead a crisp, fragrant and lightly spiced white wine with popular appeal. (WE Score - 88pts)

WINECOW - "What we drank in 2005"
Because WineCOW was only around the last couple months of 2005 we don't have a "Top Wines" list, but one will definitely be in the works for 2006. Instead, we chose to share with you some of the Washington wines that we (personally) drank in 2005. These are not necessarily our choices for top wines of the year, but even so there was something about them that caused us to put up the cash, buy a bottle and drink it. Enjoy.

Patit Creek Cellars 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley
Terra Blanca 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
Fort Walla Wall Cellars 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley
Dussek Family Cellars 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
DeLille Cellars 2003 Chaleur Estate Blanc, Columbia Valley
Barrister 2003 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley
Cougar Crest Winery 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley
Stevens Winery 2004 Stevens Legs Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley
Whitman Cellars 2003 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley
Gorman Winery 2003 Evil Twin (Cab/Syrah), Red Mountain
Mark Ryan Winery 2003 Gun Metal Red Wine, Conner Lee Vineyard
Mark Ryan Winery 2002 Long Haul Red Wine, Ciel du Cheval
Dunham Cellars 2003 Three Legged Dog Red Wine, Columbia Valley
Hoodsport 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
Leonetti Cellars 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley
Columbia Winery 2003 Zinfandel, Alder Ridge Vineyard
Saintpaulia Vintners 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
O-S Winery 2003 BSH (cab/merlot/cab franc)
Mount Baker Vineyards 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Yakima Valley
Dunham Cellars 2001 Trutina (cab/merlot/cab franc), Columbia Valley
Stevens Winery 2003 Black Tongue Syrah, Yakima Valley
Januik 2003 Chardonnay, Cold Creek Vineyard
Fort Walla Walla Cellars 2001 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley
Betz Family Winery 2003 Pere de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
Darighe 2000 Proprietor's Blend Red Wine, Columbia Valley
(listed in no particular order)

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