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The way things are going in Washington these days, the above headline needs a bit more information - because it seems like a Walla Walla winery is opening a second tasting room in Woodinville about every other week.
ROHNERT PARK, Calif. — Northwest wineries fared well at the 2010 Grand Harvest Awards, an international wine competition staged by Vineyard & Winery Management magazine.
Tasting Leonetti Cellar's new red wines Sunday in Walla Walla served as a reminder that Washington has two of the best red winemakers in the nation.
It was a great chance to compare those new wines mentally with the state's other top-ranked winery -- Quilceda Creek -- while my memories of a March 26 tasting remained fresh.
Sunday's fare included Leonetti's regular Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and a glorious reserve red.
Leonetti and Quilceda Creek have a lot in common. Leonetti's first vintage was crafted in Gary Figgins' backyard shed in 1978, while Quilceda Creek turned out its first Cabernet from Alex Golitzin's garage in Snohomish.
This past year, Quilceda Creek received perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate ratings, while Leonetti has been close behind in the high 90s.
Both wineries have a waiting list to buy their wines and sell out their latest releases over a two-day weekend open only to customers on the list.
Leonetti's turn was this past weekend for folks from the Tri-Cities and throughout the Pacific Northwest, including one group of five who hired a limousine in Spokane and came to pick up their cherished wines.
Although it's impossible to buy wines directly from Leonetti if you are not on the list, a good percentage goes to the wholesale market and can be bought in fine wine shops and restaurants.
Leonetti's $110 reserve red remains a stunning wine, with a label and a nearly 30-year reputation guaranteed to impress your palate and any lucky friend and family member who gets to taste it with you.
Figgins has turned most of the day-to-day chores over to his son Chris, but they have a little father and son chat when it comes to blending and determining if there is a batch of the new vintage that might make a reserve red.
"We've been awfully lucky the past five years with that many reserves in a row," Chris Figgins said.
Here's how the current releases stack up:
2005 Merlot, $65 -- A combination of 85 percent merlot, 8 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 7 percent Petit Verdot. Aged 14 months in new and second-year French and American oak barrels. Aromas of violets, oak and blackberries. More dark ripe berries on the palate, smooth and rich with a great finish.
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, $75 -- A delicious combination of 77 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 19 percent Merlot, 3 percent Cabernet Franc and 1 percent Carmenere. Oak, black currants and nice licorice aromas. The wine hits you with such a smooth entry that it's like sampling a blackberry milkshake with essence of herbs. Sturdy tannins for aging, yet quite drinkable now. A fine, lingering finish.
2005 Sangiovese, $45 -- Has 76 percent Sangiovese, 13 percent Syrah and 11 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 14 months in French puncheons, which are oversized wine barrels.
A classic super Tuscan and premium chianti-type wine. Aromas of plums, cherry pipe tobacco and a fair amount of oak. The flavors are chocolate, cherries and black pepper with a hint of spices. The acidity makes this wine suitable for a number of Italian dishes, including many with tomatoes.
Piero Antinori, the famous Italian winery owner who's a partner with Chateau Ste. Michelle Estates for the new Col Solare winery on Red Mountain, paid tribute to Leonetti's Sangiovese. He recently said he considers Leonetti's Sangiovese the best in America.
2004 reserve red, $110 -- You almost need a drum roll to describe this wine. Made of 78 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 11 percent Merlot and 11 percent Petit Verdot, it was aged 22 months in new French regular and large oval barrels.
Perfumy oak, raspberries and chocolate set you up for the huge flavors that follow. Rich hardly describes this luscious wine, which almost has essence of ripe Bing cherry syrup. Add plums, blackberries and licorice to the mix. The tannins are subtle. The mouth feel is the most impressive part of this wine, which was great right out of the bottle and only showed more complexity when sampled from the same bottle the next morning.
Ah, Leonetti Cabernet reserve in the morning, what a great way to start a day!
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