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Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 off the coast of California. Among the 88 passengers and crew who perished was one of the most cherished people in the Northwest wine industry: Tom Stockley, the longtime wine columnist for The Seattle Times.
Consumers still love their Washington wines but have adjusted their palates to match their pocketbooks.
Sangiovese, pronounced "san-jio-vai-zee," is a new red wine for the Pacific Northwest with a melodic-sounding name and a mellow taste.
The most popular red grape in Italy often used to blend for Chianti-style wines or with cabernet sauvignon for super Tuscans is generally regarded as a lighter, inexpensive red wine with smooth, fruity flavors suitable for a number of pasta dishes.
In the Pacific Northwest, the style is across the board from heavy and rich to light and quaffable. However, the price is a bit upscale in the $20 to $30 range compared with many fine Italian sangiovese, which often are priced in the $10 to $15 range.
Joel Tefft of Tefft Cellars of Outlook, Wash., likes the variety, saying it's an easy-drinking cheerful red with lots of varietal character.
Walla Walla Vintners 1999 Walla Walla Valley, $25 - Smoky tar aromas with a cherry jam finish.
Leonetti Cellar 1997 Walla Walla Valley, $50 - Beautiful mouth feel loaded with cherries and a great tannins finish. Aromas of tar and oak.
Yellow Hawk Cellar 1999 Walla Walla Valley, $16 - Good bright cherry aromas and flavors, a touch of raspberries, delicious, nice finish.
Tefft Cellars 1998 Yakima Valley, $21.50 - Perfume aromas, lean fruit but a nice balance of fruit and acids, smooth.
Tefft Cellars 1999 Yakima Valley, $20 - Youthful with lots of cherries, inviting fruity aromas and good tannins.
Andrew Will 1997 Washington State, $35 - Great spaghetti wine, mellow, delicious berry flavors with a soft, quaffable finish.
Maryhill Winery 1999 Columbia Valley, $20 - Fruity with refreshing raspberries. Clean and toasty aromas with a tart, long finish.
Cavatappi Winery 1997 Red Willow Vineyard Yakima Valley, $35 - Ripe raspberry aromas, a bit of tar but nice fruit on the palate and finish.
Thurston Wolfe 1999 Columbia Valley, $20 - Smoky aromas, dark fruit and a long finish.
New releases
Hyatt Vineyards 2000 black muscat ice wine, Yakima Valley, $29 - Syrupy sweet with burnt sugar touches and a rich candied fruit farewell.
Terra Blanca 1999 syrah, Block 8, Red Mountain, $20 - Smoky oak aromas followed by dark fruit and a touch of tar. Big and chewy.
Walla Walla Vintners 1999 merlot, Walla Walla Valley, $25 - There's a lot going on here, bittersweet chocolate backed by oak vanilla, cedar, good balance and nice, manageable tannins.
Sagelands Vineyard 1999 merlot, Columbia Valley, $15 - The former Staton Hills offers a very drinkable red with touches of dried herbs, smoke and vanilla berries and a bit of chocolate in the finish.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1998 merlot, Canoe Ridge estate vineyards, $22 - A very approachable smooth red wine with outstanding qualities including cedar, chocolate and vanilla. Easy drinking and supple. Great with lamb.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1998 merlot, Indian Wells Vineyard, $31 - A big, juicy merlot with almonds and vanilla aromas followed by cherries and chocolate flavors with a satisfying long finish. Try lean roast beef slices with rich au jus.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1998 reserve merlot, Columbia Valley, $37 - Outstanding; a bit expensive but worth it. Wonderful balance of fruit and oak. Cocoa, cinnamon and cloves along with rich cherry flavors lead to a mellow smooth finish. Simply tasty.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1998 cabernet sauvignon Columbia Valley, $15 - The baseline for Chateau Ste. Michelle cabs. Smooth with sweet oak touches, tobacco, chocolate and lots of flavors and a lingering finish.
Bunchgrass Winery 1999 Founders Blend red, $20 - Composed of 53 percent cabernet franc, 43 percent merlot and 6 percent cabernet sauvignon, it produces a quite quaffable red with red currants flavors and bits of herbs.
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