Washington State Wine Ratings

cuff me?

2008-01-26T23:06:00.000-08:00

Do y'all remember the US Supreme Court decision from awhile back that everyone thought was going to rid the country of stupid wine shipping laws? Well, so why can I still not ship a bottle of wine to Montana? Who knows. Its beyond my comprehension, and I did go to law school.

Well, at least there is a bill in the Washington State Senate right now which would allow out-of-state online wine retailers to ship directly to consumers in Washington.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6384&year=2007

Since this is, you know, an anoymous blog, I'd like to go on record as saying that I have ordered and received wine already from out-of-state online retailers (and I don't mean wine.com - they're a Washington business), so, was that like a felony or something?

Anyhow, please support this legislation so I can stop participating in illegal activities. Or, not, since no one is apparently enforcing the current restriction. And if you need to find me, feds or local law enforcement officers, I'm right here at (address deleted).

Wines of Substance

2008-01-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

A newer Walla Walla winery with some new releases, Wines of Substance has a very cool web site:

http://winesofsubstance.com/

I'm not sure anyone wants their wines to remind them of high school chemistry, but, you know, research shows that a shocking percentage of wine consumers buy wines based on the label. The most recent trend - wine with animals on the label. Call it the Yellow Tail Effect.

You have to give them credit for trying to stand out!

What's up with Columbia?

2008-01-01T21:24:00.000-08:00

Columbia Winery, a long-time Woodinville destination winery which is next to the Red Hook brewery and the under-construction Woodinville wine village, is moving its winemaking and bottling operations to the Yakima valley, in Eastern Washington.

But the Seattle Times reports that the winery is looking for local space to rent for its tasting and retail sales, so it should still be possible to taste their wines locally. Constellation Brands, a huge conglomerate that controls about 20% of the U.S. wine market, bought Columbia in 2001. The winery's big-name, highly-respected winemaker, David Lake, retired recently, so in a way, the winery has already changed fairly significantly from what it was in the many years when it and Chateau Ste Michelle were the only wineries people knew about in Woodinville.

Columbia's current winemaker is Kerry Norton, formerly of Covey Run, which was also purchased by Constellation.

So who is moving into Columbia's impressive building? Nothing has been announced, but the building is owned by the Baty family, who owns Corus Estates and Vineyards. When Corus sold Columbia and other assets in 2001, it kept one winerey, Idaho's Sawtooth Winery as well some vineyard sites, and now makes wine under some of its own labels, including Zefina and Alder Ridge (the grapes for both come from the same Corus vineyard) in Washington. Could one of those, or maybe both, set up shop in the building?

Who knows. But its proximity to the new Woodinville wine village should make it a very attractive property, and I'm hopeful some type of winemaking operation will move in there.

Columbia's lease is up in April. My guess is that it will close to visitors in the next couple of months as it gets ready to move. Columbia is currently open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Tastings are $5.

Columbia Winery
14030 NE 145th Street
Woodinville, WA 98072
425-482-7490 Wine Shop
800-488-2347 Wine Shop

Facelli Winery

2007-12-30T22:54:00.000-08:00

You've quite possibly never heard of this small winery, and you are unlikely to accidentally find yourself there, as it is hidden in a business park in Woodinville, mixed in with auto body shops and construction supply companies. They do have a little sign on the road. I drove by it for many years without every stopping in. My mistake.

Winemaker Lou Facelli and his family are very friendly and make very drinkable and affordable wines. Their Late Harvest Syrah was my wife's favorite wine last year, until we drank it all. They also have a stable of honest reds that are inexpensive enough to drink with Tuesday night's pasta. And its always great to go to a wine tasting where the people who make it are there and happy to see you.

Tastings are noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Their space is small. They say they only take groups by reservations, which should help keep the tour buses from ruining your experience. As an editorial aside, people - most of the wineries in Woodinville are small and simply not set up for large groups. Do yourself a favor - find a designated driver and tour with four people or less. You'll have more fun and you won't end up bugging me!

Facelli Winery
16120 Woodinville-Redmomd Rd. N.E.
Suite 1
Woodinville, WA 98072
http://facelliwinery.com

Cuillin Hills / Des Viogne

2007-12-28T01:41:00.000-08:00

Owned by two brothers, Derek (Cuillin Hills) and Darren (Des Viogne), these two wineries share a tasting room at an office park in Woodinville. See now, already - thats kind of weird slash interesting, right? Oh and one guy's a bagpiper and the other one is really, really into jazz. Yep. And they sometimes served grilled sausages with their tastings.

Their joint tasting room is just fun. These guys have good music going, are friendly, and the wines are interesting. Cuillen makes a Viognier, which, if you've never heard of it, is an interesting white varietal, somewhat spicy. The also make what they call a "Claret" which is a cab/merlot/cab franc blend. Two of the reds I have not yet tried have been well-reviewed, including The Dungeon and a Walla Walla Syrah.

Des Viogne concentrates on Tuscan-style reds. Reds with really cool jazz labels. Good reds!

Yes, they are in a bizzare industrial setting - but worth it for their fun, relaxed attitude. All wineries should be so much fun to visit.

$5 tasting fee - open most Saturdays
19501 144th AVE NE, Suite C-200, Woodinville, WA
425-415-8466 (call ahead to make sure they're open)
http://cuillinhills.com
http://desvoignecellars.com

Januik / Novelty Hill - winery visit review

2007-12-27T22:20:00.000-08:00

Januik and Novelty Hill share a new space in Woodinville constructed of glass, wood, steel, and lots and lots of concrete, with a garden and a bocce ball area. The winery, constructed by the same Seattle architecture firm that designed the Salish Lodge and the Barking Frog in Woodinville, is one of those structures you either love or hate. Personally, I didn't think the building was done - and then it opened and still looked like that! But I live near the winery and have been driving by it almost every day, and the structure is growing on me. (Note: both contributors to this blog live in Woodinville, Washington, home to many of the state's wineries and tasting rooms).

Januik and Novelty Hill are two independent wineries that share the same winemaker, Mike Januik - formerly of Chateau Ste Michelle. Mike started Novelty Hill in 1999 and also serves as a consultant to Stillwater Creek Vineyard in Royal City, Washington. He has been making wines in Washington State since 1983.

I personally am not crazy about any of their current wines, but the winery is well worth a visit. It has been crowded when I have been there, and is often used for private events, but is generally open daily from 11 to 5. Tastings range from $5 to $15 and you shouldn't expect to interact with the winemaker or get a lot of personal attention, but the building itself is fascinating to wander around in, and the wine is certainly good. To be fair, some of the wines I've tasted there are no doubt meant to be cellared for some time, but another issue for me seemed to be that the wines were not being served at proper temperatures, which is a problem many wineries have when they are crowded and trying to do tastings. You may very well like the wines better than I have so far.

No appointment required. Located next to the soon-to-move Columbia Winery in Woodinville (their lease is up in April - visit while you still can) and close to Chateau Ste Michelle. Go check out the little tavern across the street, too. And if you need to cleanse your pallet, the Red Hook brewery is also within walking distance.

http://www.januikwinery.com
14710 Woodinville-Redmond Road NE
Woodinville, Washington 98072

Columbia Valley Tasting – $5 per person
Taste four wines – including Novelty Hill and Januik selections

Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting – $10 per person
Taste four of our featured cabernet sauvignons including Novelty Hill and Januik selections

Single Vineyard & Reserve Tasting – $15 per person
Mix and match. Choose four Single Vineyard and Reserve wines

Silver Lake's Woodinville tasting room review

2007-12-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

Review of the Woodinville tasting room: drab, strange office-like building. Rows of flourescent lights complete the picture.

Review of the various wines from various wineries served in the Woodinville tasting room: they suck. OK maybe that's harsh. I haven't found anything I'd like to buy there, but the experience is so unpleasant it distracts from the tasting.

Review of the busloads of tourists who cram into the Woodinville tasting room (which is right across the street from Columbia, Chateau Ste Michelle, and the new Januik/Novelty Hill winery on the beaten path in Woodinville): they are a bunch of rude buggers who deserve to be herded into Silver Lake. They should all read the "tasting room etiquette" section on Silver Lake's web site.
http://www.silverlakewinery.com/Tasting%20Room.htm

15029 Woodinville-Redmond Road

Woodinville, WA 98072

Hedges Cellars

2007-12-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

Hedges has been making some of my favorite reds for many years. My current favorite wine of theirs is the 2004 Three Vineyards, a blend of Cab, Merlot, Can Franc and Petit Verdot. This is a crowd-pleasing blend that almost everyone likes. It is available for about $17 at Costco, and I have seen it at Cost Plus World Markets and Safeway. The following is the winery's description of this excellent wine:
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Three Vineyards
The Flagship of our estate wines, The Three Vineyards is a classic Red Mountain wine showing deep, dense color, firm yet supple tannins, and well defined acidity. The Three Vineyards is a blend of fruit from our three estate vineyards: Hedges Estate Vineyard, Bel'Villa Vineyard, and Red Mountain Vineyard. Always a majority blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this wine is suitable for drinking upon release but will also reward those with the patience to age it.
____________

See http://www.hedgesfamilyestate.com for more information about this excellent winery, which has a private tasting room in Seattle (open by appointment) and a Chateau to visit in Benton City, Washington (I would love to go - has anyone been there who could comment on this?).

Covington Cellars

2007-12-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

They make a great Tuscan Red. I prefer the 2004 to the 2005 but the 05 is good. They are open for tasting Saturday afternoon and it is well worth the trip. The owners are knowledgable and and friendly, will spend time talking about their wines and the grapes they use. I tasted a cab they are going to release Nov. 08, this has great potential..