Tidings Magazine

2:10 p.m., Hedges Family Estate, Red Mountain: I remember interviewing Tom Hedges, the estate’s founder, for Wine Tidings (as it was called) back in 2001, and I’m eager to chat with his brother Pete. When asked about the challenges of making wine in Washington, Pete offers the following: “We’re still a relatively new winemaking area and we’re faced with the challenges of a young industry. To some extent, we’re still trying to figure out what varieties work best here. Twenty-five years ago, we were mostly making Riesling, since Washington was seen as a ‘cool climate.’ Then someone figured out that it’s really pretty hot!”

Although Hedges is actively experimenting with exotic grape varieties (Touriga Nacional, anyone?), the main flotilla of wine is based on Bordeaux (or Bordeaux-ish) blends. The rich, concentrated 2003 Three Vineyards; the dark, plummy 2003 Two Vineyards; and the intense, smoky 2002 Two Vineyards Reserve prove that a little Syrah added to the traditional Cabernet/Merlot blend can indeed add structure and complexity. The 2003 Single Vineyard Limited Bel’Villa North Block Syrah is the Washington equivalent of Hermitage, with its huge, smokey, mineral and white-pepper complexity. Awesome stuff.

September 20, 9:45 a.m., Bookwalter Winery, Columbia Valley: Three wineries to visit in the Tri-Cities area. Luckily, they are within walking distance of each other. In operation since 1983, Bookwalter has quickly risen to become a widely acclaimed player with numerous critical and commercial accolades. Primarily a Bordeaux-blend winery, Bookwalter also crafts a few white wines using Chardonnay, Viognier and Riesling. I’m surprised by the flavour of the 2006 Chardonnay must, right out of the tank, which tastes more like tropical fruit punch than anything wine-like.

The 2004 Merlot, which also contains a measure of Petit Verdot and Malbec, shows bright, smokey, blueberry, coffee and mocha elements wrapped in a muscular 14.5 per cent alcohol frame. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (also bolstered by some Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot), while still fairly tight, shows promising slate, cassis and a hint of toasty oak. Bookwalter feels that the winery is “still a work in progress,” whose mission is to “cultivate and express the highest potential of our vineyards.”

“It really is a bit like the wild, wild west out here,” he surmises.

11 a.m., Bernard Griffin Winery: Bernard Griffin Winery, founded in 1983 by Rob Griffin (whose winemaking career started in 1977) and Deborah Bernard, has been producing award-winning wines for over twenty years. At 70,000 cases per year, Bernard Griffin is Washington’s largest family-owned winery. Named “2006 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year” by Wine Press Northwest, the winery produces a diverse range of reds and whites from a myriad of grape varieties. However, as with many of the state’s wineries, it champions Merlot as its anchor. The spicy, blueberry- and plum-scented 2003 Reserve Merlot and the cedary, herbal, supple and immensely drinkable 2004 Ciel du Cheval Merlot more than adequately display the winery’s deft hand with this variety. The 2004 Zinfandel, the 2004 Reserve Syrah and the 2004 Reserve Syrah Port (yup, you read that right) also stood out among the ten wines sampled.

12 p.m., Tagaris Winery: A Greek taverna in the middle of Washington wine country? Bit of a surprise, but also a refreshing change of pace. Tagaris, according to Penny Morgan, the winery’s president, “didn’t want to be a typical ten-to-five tasting room.” The aim instead was to “take the next step in completing the food-and-wine circle.” Tagaris is an accessible, come-as-you-are food-and-wine playground that strives to stay out of, in Morgan’s words, “the already established rat race.”

Lunch, prepared by Chef Chris Ainsworth, features a tantalizing array of Greek-inspired specialties accompanied by wines crafted by Frank Roth, who cut his teeth at British Columbia’s Sumac Ridge (see Part One of this series in the December 2006/January 2007 issue of Tidings) and at Bernard Griffin. Included are a spicy, true-to-type 2005 Gewürztraminer; a melon-, peach- and tropical-fruit-nuanced 2005 white Meritage; a ballsy, black peppery 2005 Mourvèdre; and a supple, powerful and complex 2005 Petit Verdot.

I feel like I’ve been moving non-stop through Oregon and Washington and would love nothing more than to hang out at the bar with these folks, chew the fat and drink the wine. However, I’m already late for my next stop and have to hit two more wineries before the day is done.

2:45 p.m., the Hogue Cellars: If one had to swear allegiance to the mantra “Cork Is Crap,” Hogue winemaker Co Dinn would no doubt salute. The Hogue Cellars launched an extensive study of tree bark as wine closure. Conclusive observations? Cork sucks. Monitoring Chardonnay and Merlot at six-month intervals over the course of thirty months, professional evaluators noted that a) cork-topped wines were consistently low in fruit, b) synthetic corks pretty much suck too, c) screwcapped wines remained fresher over the thirty-month period, d) screwcapped wines allow for excellent aging, e) screwcaps are superior. So, here’s to you, Mighty Screwcap.

Fruit for Hogue wines is sourced from a variety of Columbia Valley appellations as well as from its own 100 acres of vineyard. Having farmed the Columbia Valley for over fifty years, the Hogue family launched its first vintage in 1982 and today produces in the neighbourhood of 600,000 cases.

“Washington is one of the great places in the world to grow Riesling,” Dinn admits as we sample the peachy, floral, mineral-tinged 2005 Genesis Riesling. Other standouts include the 2004 Reserve Chardonnay, the barrel-fermented 2005 Viognier (“You have to get the acid and alcohol in balance with this grape,” Dinn reveals), the 2002 Terroir Syrah, the 2002 Merlot and … and, damn, I’ve gotta fly!

5:20 p.m., Maryhill Winery, Columbia River Gorge: I was supposed to be here two hours ago. Yes, it’s my fault (but I’m blaming Co, for the record). God, what a spectacular view! According to owner Vicki Leuthold, these vineyards haven’t experienced a freeze in forty-five years (they even escaped the brutal Big Chill of 2004). The winery’s yummy 2005 Viognier (pronounced “vin-yay” by some people I’ve met out here) is, admittedly, “inner-staved” to add a note of oak (in short, a plank of oak was paddled through the wine). But who cares — the end justifies the means, right? The Sangiovese Rosé shows bright cherry/strawberry fruit and a light, zesty personality. A 2002 Grenache is beautifully smokey with notes of anise and tobacco.

Interestingly enough (but not surprising) is the fact that the tasty Bernard Griffin Zinfandel I tried yesterday was made from fruit sourced from Maryhill. The Leutholds tend seventeen acres of Zinfandel — the largest planting of this variety in Washington, from cuttings sourced from vineyards that are over one hundred years old (in fact, the oldest vitis vinifera plantings in the Pacific Northwest). I love Zin, and this 2004 Zinfandel is classic stuff. I’d recommend California winemakers taste this as a “recalibration” exercise!

8:30 p.m., Shilo Inn, The Dalles, Oregon: I almost run out of gas getting here. I want two things: a Portland-brewed beer and a meal. In that order. I’ve had a complete luggage malfunction and now my possessions are hogtied together with twine. If the baggage inspectors in BC got antsy because I had a corkscrew, wait till the people at PDX get a load of this!

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