An Intro To Washington State Wines: My Great Trip to Woodinville Wineries

To kick off our trip to Washington State wine country, M.C. Ice and I landed in rainy Seattle and headed straight for Woodinville, a very bizarre enclave for wine about 30 minutes outside of the big city.

Why is it bizarre? Mostly because no grapes (apart from a few vines for show) are grown there. 

That's right: none. Zero. Zip. 

It's a shell operation that popped up after Chateau Ste. Michelle, the largest winery in Washington, made a decision to set up shop here (as a point of trivia, the Chateau is owned by Altria, the company that used be called the Phillip Morris Company. It has a new name but no fewer brands of tobacco). Following that move in 1976, others followed to Woodinville and the rest is history.

Today, 30 minutes northeast of Seattle, dozens of wineries have small but fancy tasting rooms that are set up to get locals and tourists in to taste their wares. All of them grow their grapes in South-Central/Eastern Washington's Columbia Valley and its sub regions (Yakima, Red Mountain, Wahluke Slope, Snipes Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, Walla Walla, etc) where the hot days, cool nights, and crazy soil variation make a great environment for vines. 

Source: Washington Wine Commission

If you know the reputation of Washington, it's hard to understand how the rainy, wet weather we think of when we think Seattle could make a nice home for grapes, but the key is that the Cascade Mountain range, just east of the metro area, provides a rain barrier that makes the Columbia Valley arid and hot. They have so little rain, actually, that the winegrowers spend tons of money on securing water rights to the Columbia River for irrigation.

Given the map above, you may be starting to get why I think Chateau Ste. Michelle's decision to go to Woodinville was just weird. Was it the culture of the crazy 70s that made them think this was a good idea? Did "The Hustle" inspire them to dance away from logic? I don't know. What I do know: it's a hell of logistical undertaking that didn't need to be. 

Today, instead of having their crush and winemaking facilities really close to the vineyards so the grapes can get processed with minimal risk of damage,  the wineries in Woodinville truck their grapes from vineyards in the Columbia Valley (and its subregions) 1 - 2 hours north to their winemaking facilities in Woodinville.  

I'm going to put the very little I learned in business school about operations (God, I hated that class!) aside for now and not make some dork argument about maximizing efficiency. Instead, I'm going to be a grape lover and say that even in the best of circumstances, trucking is hard on grapes. 

Bumps on the road can split open berries and destroy the integrity of the fruit before it hits the winery. Pests, mold, and ambient yeast can also affect flavor and if it's hot on the road...you've got some serious issues with fermentation starting. There are uncontrollables in trucking fruit around. And even if the grapes are fine and none of my neurotic worry comes to fruition, I go back to the question: Why would you make it so hard? I'm racking my brain on this, but I feel I can safely say that no other region I know has this kind of set-up. 30 minutes travel? Yeah, I've seen that. But 2 hours? WTF? Why would people do this? I've been told that it's just the way it is, but I still don't get it. 

And although convenient, I have to say I found it disconcerting that I couldn't look out the window and have a winemaker or staff member show me where they get their special fruit from, or the geological feature that blocks fog and makes their wines special or the neighboring winery that does something a little different because of their slope or elevation. 

Don't mean to be a big 'ole bitch, but I've got to be honest with you, Woodinville is more of a wine mall, not a wine region. 

But even with all my complaining, I'll say that if you love 

Source:Woodinville Wine Country

wine, it's worth hitting Woodinville if you're in Seattle. Visiting is a great way to get access to the wines of Washington and to taste the differences between some of the sub regions. So I can take my business logic and concern for the grapes and fuggedaboutit.

Now, how about those wines?

I hit four wineries while visiting Woodinville (four is usually my preferred number because after that I can't taste much). They were all recommended on Facebook or Twitter by readers/podcast listeners: Silver Lake, DeLille, Brian Carter, and J. Bookwalter. The result: one huge hit and many hit or misses. Here's a summary of each:

Winery 1: SilverLake Winery
Established in 1987, 95% of SilverLake's wine is from their own estate vineyards, and that's saying a lot since this is a pretty big operation -- they make 50,000 cases of wine a year under four wine labels. The cool thing about SilverLake: they source most of their fruit from Rattlesnake Hills, so you get to taste what that area has to offer. 

If I may dork out for a second, most of Washington's wine regions were formed after the thaw of the last ice age, when the Missoula Flood occurred. The flood happened when an ice damn melted and released Lake Missoula (as big as one of the Great Lakes in the Central US) onto southern Washington. The effect is still seen today. It created terraces, valleys, and a varied soil profile that you won't find anywhere else. It's cool stuff and it makes a difference in the wines. 

Rattlesnake Hills has silt and sandy soils because the wash of the flood waters deposited debris as they moved and flowed. This area ranges in elevation from 850 - 3000+ feet and runs east/west. Why does that matter? Because elevation provides great sun exposure during the day but very cool nights that let the grapes keep and gather acid, great for a balanced wine.

SilverLake's wines are from an area called the Roza Spice Bowl within Rattlesnake Hills, which is supposed to impart extra bite to the wines. I found that sometimes to be true, and sometimes less so.

Although the tasting room is very functional (read: kind of industrial and not so pretty) and off the main drag, Frank, the tasting room manager at SilverLake, gave me a good experience. He loves his wines and knows a lot about them. I was excited to be popping by in time to speak with William Ammons, the winemaker, too. He's a guy with a lot on his plate. Although I'll review what I thought was the best, from the SilverLake label, the guy makes four brands in four different styles and has a lot of wine to keep track of. That said, he was a down to earth, good dude who knows what he's doing. 

Here's a quick summary of the best wines I tried:

2011 Sauvignon Blanc, Rattlesnake Hills, $13. 
13% alcohol.
Nearly clear with melon, gardenia flower smells -- similar to a Napa Sauvignon Blanc. Nice melon and dried apricot flavors, the wine was soft and round but had very low acid, which I found a little odd for a Sauvignon Blanc. Still, a nice sipper for the price. 


2008 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $15. 
13.5% alcohol

A brownish crimson from the age with thick legs from the alcohol. A rich, spicy smell -- like nutmeg and a warm cinnamon berry cobbler. Delicious taste: like rich nutmeg, black licorice, cherry, raspberry pie fruit flavors. Medium tannin with good mouth cleansing acidity. A very well-balanced wine for the price. 


2007 Reserve Merlot, Rattlesnake Hills/Roza Hills Vineyard. $22. 
13.9% alcohol.
Grapes: 89% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc.

From age, this wine was a brownish red with thicker legs. It smelled like cinnamon, pepper, and black cherry but all the action was in the taste. Licorice, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, black cherry, and ripe cherry fruit were present, but the spice was more prevalent than the fruit. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc gave the wine an earthy complexity and serious spice that I was thrilled to find. A special wine and the best of the lineup (note: I bought a bottle and it was much better after it was decanted for an hour).


A definite must-hit for Merlot, but less so for the other wines and varieties.
_______________________________________

Winery 2: DeLille Cellars

DeLille is 21 years old and the fourth oldest winery in Woodinville (a young area, huh?). They make wines in the French tradition -- blends with excellent balance that are made to go with food. The ambiance was beautiful, the people were great, and each and every wine from DeLille was fabulous so I'm going to devote a separate post just to their wines. They deserve it. Stay tuned for that.
_______________________________________

Winery 3: Brian Carter Cellars

Established in 1997, Brian Carter Cellars had a cute tasting room right next door. I had an opportunity to meet Brian and his business partner Mike Stevens, both who were knowledgeable and helpful. 

Brian seems to be a very science-oriented guy, probably from his time at the prestigious American viticultural program at UC Davis. He admitted that his wines are more winemaker driven than terroir driven and said that he likes the art of the blend. I have a lot of respect for a guy who makes 60 lots of wine per year using different yeasts for fermentation and creates different profiles for blending. Super dork, in a good way.

The grapes are sourced mostly from Yakima, with some from the hotter Wahluke Slope and Red Mountain, which is known for its big fruit and spicy fruit. 

The wines were solid, but I have to say, the real surprise for me was the Port style wine which was absolutely delicious. Here's a quick sip on the best wines:

2011 Oriana (means "golden lady"), white blend, Yakima Valley, $20.
13.6% alcohol.
Grapes: 51% Viognier, 35% Roussane, 14% Riesling. 

Pale straw with a green tinge, the wine smelled like a bouquet of wild flowers, but also had a salty-earth, almost Play-doh smell to it. It tasted floral with an apricot and savory herb note but was a little sharp and bitter. Probably would be better with cheese but still a good wine.


2008 Tuttorosso (means "all red") Columbia Valley, $27.


13.8% alcohol.
Grapes: 71% Sangiovese, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Syrah. 

Ruby with a light, watery rim, the wine smelled and tasted like Indian food spice -- a little bit of sweet cardamom and savory cumin and coriander laid against the cherry notes. A nice finish with good acidity and medium tannins, this was a very pleasant wine with great exotic spice notes.


2010 Opulento (Port style), Yakima Valley, $20 for 375 ml (1/2 bottle).
Grapes (same ones used in the real deal!): 55% Touriga Nacional, 21% Souzao, 14% Tinto Cao, 10% Tinta Roriz. 
12% Sugar, 19% Alcohol.

Dark ruby with very thick legs from the alcohol. Rich dark raspberry and plum with black pepper and oregano aromas. The wine tasted like tomato paste, prunes, black raspberries, and had a massive hit of black pepper. It was chewy and zesty but acidic so it wasn't cloying or heavy. The spice and fruit made this outstanding. A really special wine. 

Thanks to Laura in the tasting room and to Brian Carter and Mike Stevens for taking the time to meet with me. Great stuff and nice folks. Go see them and get some of that Port style wine!
__________________________________________

Winery 4: J. Bookwalter

The final stop was at J. Bookwalter. The winery began in 1983 and makes a range of wines. This was a quirky little place -- a very lovely, well-designed tasting room -- with wines all named after "bookish" terms. Apparently John Bookwalter was a bit of a literary buff and decided it was a good idea to name the wines after literary devices. I don't know if it was just the day, but the tasting room staff was a little snooty, which I didn't find anywhere else. Just a caveat emptor.  

I'd been tipped off from local folks that the bottom tier wines were ok but that the top wines were awesome so I skipped the other tiers and went for the white labels. Here's the rundown:

2010 Conflict, Columbia Valley, $60
14.8% Alcohol 
67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc

A dark ruby, the wine had a very typical Cabernet Sauvignon smell -- blackcurrant, blackberry, and lots of green pepper. It was clear from the smell that there was a ton of new oak -- 95% new, as I learned. It smelled a little like char. The wine tasted like blackcurrant and dried tomatoes with blackberry and black plum. It had a nice floral smell and very aggressive tannins. I could taste the charred oak, which was a little much for me. My impression is that this wine is good now, but that it will be much better in about 4-5 years. It was all oak and tannin -- something that should mellow with time.

2010 Protagonist, Columbia Valley, $60. 
15.2% alcohol (VERY high)
46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 9% Syrah.

A dark ruby that stained the glass on the swirl, this wine also had a lot of oak to it -- charred vanilla and caramel smells wafted out of the glass. It smelled and tasted like blackberry and plum with lots of chocolate, espresso, and burnt oak flavors. It had a nice medium tannin and gentle acidity to it but the alcohol did make the wine a bit hot. A good wine, but I think Conflict will age better. 

_____________________________________________

I had a great experience in Woodinville. There are a lot of tasting rooms here and many of the best I visited in Walla Walla, so look out for future posts on places that have outposts in both towns (Mark Ryan, Pepperbridge, Amavi, and more). 

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the list of places to go. Drop a comment below or get on Facebook or Twitter and let me know if you've been to any of these and what you thought! 

And a special thanks to all the great folks in Woodinville -- especially those who came out for the fan meetup -- for being so open and wonderful!