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It has long been rumored that the few rows of vines at the entrance to Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Wash., were required so the winery could be called a "chateau."
PROSSER -- Construction is expected to start soon on the next phase of what backers say will be the state's premier educational and promotional center for Washington's wines and food products.
One of the traditions for each passing birthday is that I open a bottle of Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon from my cellar.
When I got ready to celebrate my 70th birthday earlier this month, I started dwelling on my own mortality and realized that if I don't start drinking more of my precious Leonetti, it could be my children enjoying them after I'm gone.
That's the trouble with a nicely stocked wine cellar. You want to have it pretty well cleaned out of the good stuff before you pass on.
The only trouble is we don't know when we'll actually be called to that great wine cellar in the sky, so it involves some tricky consuming.
With that in mind, I decided to assemble a vertical of nine different Leonetti Cabernets and invited some of my wine-drinking colleagues, some of whom supplied a Leonetti, and my pesky children, none of whom supplied a Leonetti.
Since a lot of my readers stock up on Leonetti wines, I thought it would be nice to tell them how some of their wines are aging.
I asked each of the guests to sample the wines and write comments.
Leonetti 1991 - Good berries, nice oak and cherry aromas, black pepper, mellow and tasty, elegant with smoky overtones. Drink now.
Leonetti 1993 - Lots of fruit with good oak, robust and charming, lighter style with full flavors and nice balance. It can hold a bit but is best consumed now.
Leonetti 1994 - Still fresh and fruity, many thought this drinking was the best of the lot. Great tannins, wonderful mouth feel, big and fat with fruit. Long finish. Drink now or age a couple more years.
Leonetti 1995 - Oak, chocolate and a bit of black olives with some cedar. Lacked fruit on the midpalate. Can drink now or hold.
Leonetti 1996 Reserve - All grapes from Washington but very limited quantity made. Big and luscious. Loaded with all kinds of berry, cherry fruit. Great oak and tannins with a hint of spice. Drink now with a really rare steak or store five more years.
Leonetti 1997 - Gangbusters, rich, dried blackberries and deep chocolate. Wonderful color and great body with a nice balance. Drink now.
Leonetti 1998 - Vanilla extract. Lots of oak and great cherry and berry flavors. Mocha and leather with black fruit. Let it age five more years.
Leonetti 1999 - Youthful and fun. Dark chocolate, mocha and black olive essences. Elegant berries. Surprisingly, this is very drinkable now but should improve with some aging.
Those who keep fine wines such as Leonetti in their cellars should open a bottle or two every so often to see how a vintage is doing.
New releases
Maryhill Winery 2000 Zinfandel, Columbia Valley, $24 - Outstanding. The Columbia Gorge has most of the Pacific Northwest's zinfandel acreage, and Maryhill uses its proximity to fashion this juicy, fruity, aromatic red, showing essences of ripe blackberries, milk chocolate and a rich, flavorful depth.
Hedges Cellars 2001 Fume-Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $10 - Outstanding. Extremely floral aromas with flavor hints of apples, peaches and tropical fruit. Great balance of acids and sugar make this a perfect brunch wine.
Covey Run 2000 Dry Riesling, Washington, $7 - Real tropical fruit flavors with a lovely balance. Tongue-coating flavors and a velvety finish. Would match well with a salmon dish or even a Caesar salad.
Columbia Crest 2001 Johannisberg Riesling, Columbia Valley, $7 - Outstanding. A great summertime wine for the deck or patio. Charming orange peel aromas followed by juicy peach and apple flavors. It's an absolute fruit bowl of a wine. Wonderful acids to balance right-on sugars.
Columbia Winery 2001 Cellarmaster's Riesling, Columbia Valley, $7 - A longtime favorite with sweet riesling drinkers. Yummy mouth feel, including strawberries. A broad mix of other fruits with good acids to balance the sweetness.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2001 Eroica Riesling, Columbia Valley, $20 - Delicate fruit reminiscent of the German style. Good grapefruit essences with apples and lemon with a long-lasting finish. Very nice.
Barnard Griffin 2000 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $16 - Outstanding. Berry jam, laced with oak. This smooth wine has great black cherries, nice balance and some real depth.
Hedges Cellars 1999 Red Mountain Reserve, $45 - A big, lusty red with smoky aromas, oak and cherries with inviting sweet tannins and well-balanced acids.
Walla Walla Vintners 2000 Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley, $25 - This Walla Walla winery makes excellent cabernet franc, and this edition is no exception. Big coffee and chocolate aromas leading to tons of blackberry fruit. This would be perfect to serve with a gooey chocolate cake.
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