This week: Barnard Griffin Cabernet Sauvignon. Walla Walla, Yakima Valley wineries to close. Revelry on Red Mountain. Wine bloggers descend on Walla Walla this weekend. Wine list competition. 10 Great Things to do in Northwest Wine Country. New issue of Wine Press Northwest. Upcoming wine events. Wine funnies. Where in Northwest Wine Country. What we're reading. Rob Griffin on Cabernet Sauvignon.
June 22, 2010
Vol. 11, No. 25
Wine Press Northwest's Wine of the Week is an independent opinion based on double- and single-blind tastings.
Pacific Northwest Wine Of The Week
Barnard Griffin 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Columbia Valley
Last fall, the 2007 vintage of this wine earned a rare Double Platinum from Wine Press Northwest. Well, its little brother is coming of age, as it won best in show last week at the Washington State Wine Competition. While not a big wine, there's lots of complexity, starting in the nose of boysenberry, black currants, vanilla bean, pink peppercorns and cedar. Black cherry and more boysenberry and vanilla flavors make for a dang smooth wine that's supported by blueberry acidity, late tannins and lingering black fruit in the finish. Often, this wine can be found at grocery stores and liquor shops for less than $15. Rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine.
Price: $17.
Cases produced: 6,500 cases.
Food matches: Enjoy with everything from pizza to burgers to steaks to hearty Italian fare.
Barnard Griffin, 878 Tulip Lane, Richland, WA 99352, 509-627-0266, www.barnardgriffin.com
Recent wines of the week
-- Domaine Ste. Michelle NV Blanc de Noirs, Columbia Valley
-- Volcano Vineyards 2006 Fortmiller Vineyards Syrah, Southern Oregon
Best Buys
-- Eaton Hill Winery 2005 Eaton Hill Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, $14
-- Anne Amie Vineyards 2009 Cuvee A Estate Muller-Thurgau, Willamette Valley, $14
More about Barnard Griffin
Rob Griffin and Deborah Barnard launched their eponymous winery in 1983 while Rob still was the winemaker at Preston Premium Wines in Pasco, Wash., then continued to slowly grow it as Rob was the head winemaker at Hogue Cellars in Prosser. For the past two decades, they have developed Barnard Griffin into one of the largest and finest family-owned and -operated wineries in the Pacific Northwest.
In 2006, we honored Barnard Griffin as our Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, and the winery has not disappointed, as it continues to release one superb wine after another.
While Rob's artistry shows up in every bottle of Barnard Griffin, Deborah's is expressed in another way: glass. The tasting room in Richland, Wash., now displays her artwork, which is for sale.
Walla Walla, Yakima valley wineries to close
Wine Spectator and the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reported last week that Diageo plans to close the tasting rooms for Canoe Ridge Vineyards in Walla Walla and Sagelands in Wapato.
Canoe Ridge is one of Walla Walla's oldest wineries, having been launched in 1993 by Chalone. The California winery later purchased longtime Yakima Valley winery Staton Hills and renamed it Sagelands.
Diageo says it has no plans to sell or discontinue either labels.
Revelry on Red Mountain
Congrats to Amber LeBeau, Bill Hacket and Kevin Fink, all of whom won a pair of tickets to this weekend's Revelry on Red Mountain at Col Solare.
Revelry on Red Mountain is in its second year and is part of the Auction of Washington Wines. More than 20 wineries will be pouring, and chef Frank Magana of Picazo 7Seventeen will be preparing the food.
It starts at 6 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $95 each.
Wine bloggers descend on Walla Walla this weekend
Hundreds of wine bloggers will be arriving this weekend in Walla Walla, Wash., for the annual Wine Blogers Conference. It should be an amazing event with dozens of participating wineries and several seminars.
I will be speaking Sunday morning on the subject of "More effective writing," along with Meg Houston Maker of Palate Press and Hardy Wallace of Dirty South Wine.
Learn more about the Wine Bloggers Conference.
Wine list competition
We are seeking entries for our 12th annual Great Northwest Wine Lists Competition.
If you are a restaurant dedicated to wines from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Idaho and even western Montana, we encourage you to enter the judging. There is no cost to enter.
If you are a winery or consumer who has a favorite restaurant that you think deserves to be honored, we want to hear from you, too.
Email Managing Editor Eric Degerman at edegerman@winepressnw.com.
10 Great Things to do in Northwest Wine Country
In each issue of Wine Press Northwest, Managing Editor Eric Degerman writes a column called "10 Great Things to do in Northwest Wine Country," which spotlights 10 fun events and activities around the Pacific Northwest.
In his latest missive, he highlights hiking on Red Mountain, lawn bowling in the Yamill-Carlton District, taking your dog wine touring on the Washington coast, cigars and Ports in the Snake River Valley and eating well - and locally - in the Okanagan Valley.
Read the whole column.
New issue of Wine Press Northwest
The Summer issue of Wine Press Northwest should have arrived to Northwest subscribers' homes in the past week (though it takes a bit longer to show up in British Columbia). If you are a subscriber and haven't seen your issue yet, drop me an email at editor@winepressnw.com (or simply hit "reply" to this email).
Here are a few highlights from the new issue:
-- 100 Great Northwest Wine Destinations: Going wine touring this summer? We gather 100 places to visit while you are on your journey throughout Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho wine countries.
-- Hatching new wineries: The Port of Walla Walla's incubation buildings are helping wineries launch.
-- Sweet and sensual: We blind taste 49 Northwest ice wines.
-- Match Maker: We head to Idaho's Snake River Valley to pair wines with The Orchard House's cuisine.
-- Plus: Columns, news and hundreds of wine reviews.
Not a subscriber? Take care of that right here.
Upcoming wine events
Each week, we highlight an upcoming wine event in the Pacific Northwest.
This Saturday, the annual Sunshine & Wine event takes place at the Central Washington State Fairgrounds in Yakima. Enjoy more than 40 wines, local food and microbrews.
To see more events (or submit yours at no cost), go to our calendar. We currently have 89 upcoming events on our calendar.
What we're reading
Here are links to stories and blog posts we think you'll find interesting. In most cases, the stories are related to Northwest wine, though on occasion we will include stories on cuisine or specialty foods.
Here are this week's stories:
Tom Wark of Fermentation shares his thoughts about the state of wine blogging.
The HoseMaster of Wine takes an amusing and irreverent view of the Wine Bloggers Conference.
Factors that make some wines more expensive.
See what else we're reading.
Where in NW Wine Country
The jury remained out on the location of last week's mystery photo, as most of you were split between three of the four choices.
That said, 35% of you correctly identified the photo as being taken at Burrowing Owl Vineyards near Oliver, B.C., while 33% wondered if it was Skyline Vineyards in Idaho's Snake River Valley. Meanwhile, 26% thought it showed Katherine Leone Vineyard on Washington's Wahluke Slope, while just 5% guessed Del Rio Vineyard near Gold Bar, Ore.
I find it hard to resist a delicious sunset photo, which is why I selected this week's photo from Flickr. It was taken by a photographer identified only as "lyzadanger."
Click to vote
Wine cartoon of the week
We have added a new cartoon to our "wine funnies" gallery.
Check it out.
Washington State Wine Competition
Last week, we reported that Barnard Griffin's 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon won best in show at the 29th annual Washington State Wine Competition. This week, we chat with owner/winemaker Rob Griffin about the winning wine as well as get his thoughts on the state of Washington Cabs.
You can watch the Northwest Winecast two ways (both free):
On our Web site:
http://www.winepressnw.com/
On YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/WinePressNW
Find Northwest wine events
Looking for a wine-related event? Click here for our Northwest wine events calendar.
Wine Press Northwest e-edition
We have loaded up the past seven issues of Wine Press Northwest in a freely available e-edition format, with a goal of eventually posting a complete archive of the magazine, going back to 1998.
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