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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.
This week: Abacela Syrah. Guide to Northwest sparkling wine. The question of Ports. Platinum winners: Domaine de Chaberton. Where in Northwest Wine Country. Wine funnes. Pentage Wines.
Dec. 29, 2009
Vol. 10, No. 52
Wine Press Northwest's Wine of the Week is an independent opinion based on double- and single-blind tastings.
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Abacela Vineyards & Winery 2006 Estate Syrah
Appellation: Southern Oregon
Owner Earl Jones and his former winemaker, Kiley Evans, made quite a splash with their 2005 Reserve Syrah, and this deserves headlines, too. Aromatics offer up warm chocolate syrup, plums, plump blackberries, caramel and rose petal. You are presented with an opulent entry of plums and loganberries that evolve into cherries, then devil's food cake with the sturdy structure to survive well into the next decade. Rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine.
Price: $30.
Cases produced: 297.
Food matches: Pair this delicious red with lamb, braised beef, game meats or roasted duck.
Abacela Vineyards & Winery, 12500 Lookingglass Road, Roseburg, OR 97471, 541-679-6642, http://www.abacela.com
-- Domaine Ste. Michelle NV Extra Dry, Columbia Valley
-- L'Ecole No. 41 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley
-- Kramer Vineyards NV Quad Rose, Willamette Valley, $12
-- San Juan Vineyards 2008 Riesling, Yakima Valley, $15
We have written much about Abacela over the past decade, and this Roseburg, Ore., winery already has a lasting legacy even though it's been around for fewer than 15 years.
Earl and Hilda Jones have dedicated their winery and vineyard to grape varieties that had rarely been thought about in the context of Oregon wine. This has opened the eyes of other growers and producers to the opportunities to making Tempranillo (in particular), Albarino and other semi-obscure varieties. At least as importantly, they have challenged wine lovers to move out of their comfort zones and explore new wines.
These contributions - and the superb wines coming from Abacela - have made the Northwest wine scene a better and more interesting place.
Looking for a local bubbly to toast the new year with this Thursday?
Three years ago, I wrote an article that serves as a guide to Northwest bubbly. I have updated and republished it. It will give you an idea of the major sparkling wine producers in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho. If I missed anyone, shoot me an email.
I love good Ports, especially on winter evenings. The two greatest wines I have tasted were Ports.
But the problem with Ports is their name. If they are not from the Oporto region of Portugal, they really shouldn't be called "Port" any more than a sparkling wine is synonymous with "Champagne."
I don't really like "Port-style," "fortified" or "red dessert wine" either.
Fortunately, selling Port-like wines isn't a huge deal because most are made in tiny quantities and, thus, are sold through tasting rooms and wine clubs, where explaining their style can be done one on one with a customer.
But the American wine industry needs to come up with a category name that works for everyone, just as it did years ago with "sparkling wine."
Meanwhile, in the new issue of Wine Press Northwest, we conducted a blind tasting of Northwest Port-style wines, judging more than 60 from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho. Check out the results.
The new Winter issue of Wine Press Northwest unveils the results of our 10th annual Platinum Judging, in which we invite wineries to send us their gold medal wines from the year for a "best of the best in the Great Northwest" competition.
Domaine de Chaberton is a longtime winery in British Columbia's Fraser Valley, not far from Vancouver. Through the years, Domaine de Chaberton has been a fun place to visit, and its wines have been solid if not spectacular. But Chaberton has really come into its own in recent years, and this shows in our Platinum Judging this year. The Canoe Cove White, a $14 CDN blend of Pinot Blanc, Madeleine Angevine, Chardonnay and Madeleine Silvaner, finished No. 4 overall, earning a Double Platinum. Its Bacchus, a $15 white, earned a Platinum, as did the Canoe Cove Shiraz. This success should make B.C. wine lovers take another look at Domaine de Chaberton.
Each week, I will highlight one of our Platinum winners.
Last week's mystery photo was a pretty good challenge, though a majority of you ended up getting it right.
The 60% who recognized the tower above Willamette Valley Vineyards near Turner, Ore., were correct. Meanwhile, 20% thought it was a photo of Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland, B.C., while 19% guessed it was King Estate near Eugene, Ore. And just one person wondered if it was a photo of Maryhill Winery in Goldendale, Wash.
This week's photo, found on Flickr.com, was taken by Andy Simonds of Seattle.
We have added a new cartoon to our "wine funnies" gallery.
Pentage Wines near Penticton, British Columbia, is emerging as one of the Okanagan Valley's finest producers. In this week's Northwest Winecast, Managing Editor Eric Degerman visits with owner/winemaker Paul Gardner.
You can watch the Northwest Winecast two ways (both free):
On our Web site:
On YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/WinePressnorthwest
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