Washington Wine Report Dec/2009

Washington Wine Report 's 2009 Wines of the Year

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Others have weighed in. As we close out the year, it's my turn to list my top wines of 2009. First let me say that any such list is, of course, subjective. Perhaps some year I will make a bracket system and compare these wines directly against each other, but until then...

What follows is a list of Washington wines I sampled and posted on in 2009 that I was the most excited about. Nothing more. Nothing less. As with last year, I included only one wine from each winery. Without further ado...

(top 10 listed here by Gramercy for brevity's sake)

1. Forgeron Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard 2004 $46
Of the many wines I tasted this year, none wowed me more than this gem from Marie-Eve Gilla at Forgeron. As I described in my original post, this was a wine that literally brought all conversation to a stop. From one of Washington's finest vineyards and one of its finest winemakers. Reviewed July 16, 2009

2. Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Palengat Vineyard 2006 $83
While the Columbia Valley wine is its equal or better, the Palengat Cabernet is the one that impressed me the most from this vintage. This is Quilceda's first release from this recently acquired vineyard located near Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills (the vineyard was planted in the early part of the decade; fruit from this vineyard was previously used by other wineries). This wine stands tall with the other offerings in Quilceda's portfolio. Reviewed October 26, 2009

3. Betz Family Winery La Serenne Syrah 2007 $55
While the 2007 La Serenne Syrah from Betz Family Winery is probably the least immediately accessible of their new releases, it also brings the most long-term potential. The fruit from Dick Boushey's vineyard has never been better. This is a dark, brooding, intense wine that needs significant time in the cellar to fully blossom. Reviewed September 14, 2009

4. Leonetti Merlot Walla Walla Valley 2007 $70
In the sequel to Sideways, Miles is waterboarded with this wine. He comes away a believer. Read the original post for a cautionary tale about using decanters with rounded bottoms. Reviewed April 11, 2009

5. Corliss Estates Red Wine Columbia Valley 2004 $65
This is Corliss Estates' second released vintage, and none of their wines disappoint. This Bordeaux-style blend, while already five years old, will only improve with patience and time in the cellar. Reviewed September 29, 2009

6. Gramercy Cellars John Lewis Reserve Syrah 2006 $65
This is a wine that I literally lay awake thinking about for several weeks after I tried it. Was I thinking about this wine because I couldn't fall asleep, or could I not fall asleep because I was thinking about this wine? It's not clear. The bad news? This wine is long sold out at the winery. The good news? The 2007 vintage will be released later this year and is even better. Reviewed March 31, 2009

7. DeLille Cellars Harrison Hill 2006 $70
While many in Washington have gone big, this wine is notable for its elegant expression of a Bordeaux-style blend. The fruit comes from one of Washington's oldest vineyards. Reviewed February 7, 2009

8. Cayuse Cailloux Vineyard Walla Walla Valley 2007 $50
The grapes for this wine come from Cayuse's oldest plantings in the "rocks" region of the Walla Walla Valley AVA. It shows on this exceptional offering. Reviewed December 28, 2009
9. Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2006 $42
Winemaker John Abbott creates some of Washington's most compelling Cabernets. But he doesn't stop there, making a Syrah, Chardonnay, and a Merlot that are also standouts. Reviewed August 2, 2009

10. 21 Grams Cabernet 2006 $125
This Bordeaux-style blend is a collaboration of two of Washington's finest wineries, Waters and Gramercy. One hundred cases are made annually with each vintage bearing a unique label made by artist Makoto Fujimura. Reviewed in 2008 Walla Walla Spring Release Report

Sean Sullivan's considerations:

1. To be considered for the list, a review of a wine needed to be published on my blog in 2009. There were a number of wines I sampled toward the end of this year, such as those from Walla Walla, Chelan, Woodinville, and South Seattle that I have not posted to the blog yet unfortunately. These wines will be considered for next year's list.

2. I evaluated based on rating, my overall excitement about the wine, and price. In terms of rating, all wines below received either a double or single star in my rating system. In terms of excitement, I focused on wines that stood out in the weeks and months after I sampled them.

3. I excluded wines that were considered for last year's list, even if they were published this year (such as wines from 2008 Walla Walla Holiday Barrel Tasting which were published in January).

4. Although there were many wines I sampled this year, there were many (many) more that I did not. This is one of the things I find the most humbling and exciting about Washington wine. For this reason, there are, as always, some significant omissions.

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