Wine
Dream Case
Wine expert Andy Perdue fills a case with favorite recent releases

Selecting a “dream case” of wine from Washington used to be fairly simple: Pick Quilceda Creek, Leonetti, Woodward Canyon and L’Ecole for starters, then toss in a DeLille and something from Chateau Ste. Michelle. Go esoteric on a few selections just to look as if you know what you’re doing, and you’re done.

Well, with nearly 500 wineries now operating in Washington, the job of sorting through what’s available and narrowing it down to 12 great wines is no longer a simple matter. Yes, the wineries I’ve listed above still are among the finest in the Pacific Northwest (on the entire West Coast, in fact), but it would be a bit like cheating to include them now.

Instead, I have come up with a great case of wine without leaning—much—on the crutch of notoriety. I’ve selected one wine each from 12 different categories of wine. This made my job even more difficult because I selected only one cabernet sauvignon, for example, when there are dozens upon dozens that could and should make the grade.

Thus, here is my Washington dream dozen—all wines that were released in the past year or so:

ROSE
Barnard Griffin
2006 Rosé of Sangiovese, Columbia Valley | $11
Owner-winemaker Rob Griffin has found the perfect use for sangiovese, the red grape of Tuscany that is grown with modest success in Washington. If ever a rosé could gain a cult following, this is it. I bought a case when it came out in midwinter and am just now enjoying the last bottle or two.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Three Rivers Winery
2004 Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills | $50
The finest vineyard in Washington is Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills south of Prosser. From it come some  of the country’s finest wines, especially cabernet sauvignon. It’s such a good vineyard that wineries including Quilceda Creek, Woodward Canyon and Andrew Will are part owners just so they can get the grapes they want every year. One of the finest wines coming from these grapes is made by Holly Turner of Three Rivers in Walla Walla. Here’s a showpiece wine to bring out when you really want to impress someone.

MERLOT
Otis Kenyon Wine
2005 Seven Hills Vineyard Reserve Merlot, Walla Walla Valley | $30
Never heard of Otis Kenyon? This is one of the 115 or so wineries now based in Walla Walla, and the best way to stand out in that crowd is to make great wine. That’s what the folks here have done with this merlot from one of Oregon’s top vineyards (Seven Hills is about three miles south of the Washington-Oregon border). Just 80 cases of this wine were made, so you might want to hurry and jump on this winery’s bandwagon while there’s room.

SYRAH
Dunham Cellars
2004 Syrah, Columbia Valley | $45
This was a tough call because there are so many yummy syrahs produced now in Washington. Eric Dunham probably is more famous for his cabernet sauvignon, but he annually proves his prowess with the red grape of the northern Rhône Valley. This release is another stunner.

RED BLEND
Thurston Wolfe Winery
2005 Dr. Wolfe’s Family Red, Horse Heaven Hills | $15
Wade Wolfe and Becky Yeaman launched their boutique winery in Prosser, Washington, two decades ago. Now that Wade is retired as general manager of Hogue Cellars, he’s able to focus entirely on his namesake operation. This blend is unusual for Washington because it uses the red grapes primitivo, petite sirah and lemberger. It’s great, and it’s affordable.

CHARDONNAY
Januik Winery
2005 Elerding Vineyard Chardonnay, Yakima Valley | $25
Mike Januik, former head winemaker for Chateau Ste. Michelle, makes one of the real classics in the world of chardonnay from this Yakima Valley winery. Not too many years ago, the owner of Elerding reportedly was going to pull out his chardonnay grapes and replant with something that would make more money. Fortunately, Januik talked him out of it, and wine lovers in the know are blessed to be able to enjoy this each year.

REISLING
Chateau Ste. Michelle
2006 Indian Wells Riesling, Columbia Valley | $18
Ste. Michelle is now the largest producer of riesling in the world, annually making more than 700,000 cases of the crisp white wine. This version uses grapes from the Wahluke Slope (home to Indian Wells Vineyard) and is a masterpiece. Ironically, I’ve found it to pair beautifully with Indian cuisine, especially chicken tikka masala.

CARMENERE
Merry Cellars
2005 Carmenere, Walla Walla Valley | $32
Here’s an obscure red Bordeaux grape from a relatively unknown winery in Pullman using fruit from Walla Walla. Carmenere was all but lost in the late 1800s when France’s vineyards were devastated by a root louse called phylloxera. The grape popped up in South America, and now small amounts are grown in Washington. This is one of the finest examples you’ll come across anywhere.

DESSERT WINE
Covey Run Winery
2005 Semillon Ice Wine, Yakima Valley | $22 half bottle
Covey Run is probably best known for making solid, inexpensive wines. But this Woodinville operation also produces a stellar ice wine that is one of the finest dessert wines in the Pacific Northwest. This wine will stand up to some of the world-renowned ice wines coming out of British Columbia.

SPARKLING WINE
Domaine Ste. Michelle
Blanc de Noirs  | $12
Domaine Ste. Michelle makes a quarter-million cases of sparkling wine, most of it at bargain prices. Thus, one might have to wonder why I’d include it in my dream case. This pink bubbly is amazing and probably could sell for at least twice this price and still be considered a deal. Annually, it wins dozens of awards.

ZINFANDEL
Maryhill Winery
2004 Proprietor’s Reserve Zinfandel, Columbia Valley | $38
A few years ago, Maryhill entered its zinfandel in a California competition. It was one of about 200 entries in the zin category, yet it finished in second place, opening the eyes of red-wine lovers everywhere. The grapes for this big, spicy red come from grapes near the winery in the eastern Columbia Gorge, making this consistently one of the finest zins in Washington—and apparently on the West Coast.

CABERNET FRANC
Barrister Winery
2005 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley | $25
Considering this is one of Washington’s best red wines, it is ridiculously priced. This boutique winery in Spokane is operated by two attorneys, and this wine has won every award possible over the past few years. This vintage is no exception, thanks to elegant fruit and expert winemaking. All of Barrister’s wines are superb, but the cabernet franc is the finest of the bunch. 

Contributing editor Andy Perdue is editor of Wine Press Northwest magazine and author of The Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer’s Handbook (Sasquatch Books, $14.95). Read his blog, “The Wine Knows”.