Tidings Magazine

I’m starting to look forward to a holiday. My jaunt through Oregon, learning about organic, biodynamic and sustainable vineyard practices (see Part Three of my trip around the Pacific Northwest in the forthcoming April issue), had been fascinating. It had also been rather exhausting: a typical case of a lot to swallow without much time to spend at the table. In any case, the good folks at the Washington Wine Council had provided me with a great itinerary for (what I assumed) would be a leisurely ramble through the state’s picturesque wine country. It was my time and I’d call the shots. Well, guess what? Washington is a big place with seemingly countless wineries with, in some cases, considerable distances between them. Eight hundred (or so) kilometres of driving later, I am really, really ready for a holiday!

Do I regret a single kilometre? As if.

8:30 p.m.: So, I’m back in my room after a great dinner at Whitehouse-Crawford and a tasting at 26° Brix. I didn’t take exhaustive notes on the wines. Suffice to say that Washington wines have little to do with Oregon wines and even less to do with California wines.

September 18, 6 a.m.: Stepping out of the shower, I glance at the foggy mirror above the sink. A previous guest has apparently left a little “message” for his or her beloved, now readable through the condensation: “I love you, Puddin’ Pop.” Charming. I’m in a room once used by someone referred to as “Puddin’ Pop.” How can this trip get any better?

9:30 a.m., Five Star Cellars: Five Star Cellars is part of a gaggle of wineries, all of which look relatively the same, located within a stone’s throw of the Walla Walla airport. The area itself resembles an army base; Five Star’s David Huse informs me that this area in fact was an airforce training facility. (My powers of observation astound even me!) Five Star is a 4,500-case, family-run operation with exactly two people on payroll: David and his son. Using 100 per cent Walla Walla fruit, the father-and-son team have opted for “quality right off the bat,” according to Huse. “We didn’t see any point in doing anything low-end.” The philosophy seems to be paying off. The dense, concentrated, earthy/spicy 2003 Merlot, sporting flavours of coffee, mocha, blueberry and ripe plum, was awarded 92 points by Wine Spectator, as was the very French-styled 2004 Syrah with its smokey tobacco, chocolate flavours. Syrah is indeed turning out to be a star in Washington, but as far as Huse is concerned, “Washington should push Merlot.”

11 a.m., Dunham Cellars: Eric Dunham grew up around wine and spent almost five years at L’École No 41 winery before starting Dunham Cellars in 1995. “We were in the experimental stage for a long time,” Dunham admits, finally settling on Syrah as one of the winery’s flagship grapes. “Syrah behaves in a way that is uniquely different to each site,” he says. “You can go from an Aussie-style Shiraz to a Rhone Valley style.” The 2003 Lewis Vineyard Syrah places most definitely in the latter category with a forward smokey, black cherry, anise and mineral-tinged nose and a full, powerful, spice flavour tapering to a memorable finish. Among other wines I tried were the extremely drinker-friendly 2004 Three-Legged Red (named after Dunham’s three-legged dog Port) and a 2005 Sémillon Icewine loaded with orange blossom, sweet pineapple/tropical fruit aromas and flavours.

1:30 p.m., Waterbrook Winery: One really cool thing about Walla Walla is that you don’t really have to go very far to find a place to taste. Many wineries have set up wine shops and tasting rooms right downtown, making a trip out to the actual winery (and driving) unnecessary. Waterbrook was the fourth winery to be established in Walla Walla (in 1983), and winemaker John Freeman, a young, easygoing chap, explains that Waterbrook “has always been a value producer. Our aim is to make the best wine for the best price.”

From what I’ve tasted, the philosophy is working. Standouts of the ten wines tasted are: the ripe, buttery and elegant 2004 Chardonnay (which scored 89 points in the October 2006 issue of Tidings); the ripe-cherry-and-tobacco-scented 2004 Mélange (a successful blend of Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Sangiovese/Syrah); and a perky, zesty and downright fun 2005 Sangiovese Rosé.

3:15 p.m., Seven Hills Winery: Housed in the historic Whitehouse-Crawford building (1904), Seven Hills Winery focuses primarily on Bordeaux-style reds with a few diversions thrown in for good measure. “Bordeaux blends are huge in Walla Walla and Washington in general,” winemaker Casey McClellan tells me, “but Rhone varietals are also doing very well.” As I taste my way through a selection, including the 2003 Columbia Merlot, the 2002 Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2004 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, I’m struck by the structure, power and age-worthiness of these wines. Even the 1999 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, with its classic Bordeaux profile of cassis, mineral and very mild yet intriguing iodine notes, is still very youthful.

September 19, 9 a.m.: I’m getting ready to bid adieu to Walla Walla with memories of a first-rate meal at 26° Brix last night still in my head. I’m heading west, back (eventually) to Portland, and I still have half a dozen wineries to visit — two more still in Walla Walla.

9:40 a.m., Woodward Canyon Winery: Rick Small, co-founder (along with his wife), is living proof that wine contains youth-sustaining properties. His energy and enthusiasm are astounding for someone who’s nearing sixty. He started making wine at home in 1976 before opening Woodward in 1981. Standing in his Cabernet Franc–planted vineyard some 850 feet above sea level, I admit to Rick that I’m having some difficulty nailing down the angle for my story on Washington.

“Washington does have a story, but it’s a hard one to tell,” he concedes. Though he claims that his winery is a “Bordeaux varietal house at the end of the day,” he notes that the gradually escalating temperatures in the region and the constant experimentation with other varietals are definitely affecting the vinous landscape. “It’s getting bloody hard to make a balanced Chardonnay in the valley,” he laments (though you’d never know it tasting his 2003 Estate Chardonnay or his very Burgundian 2001 Celilo Vineyard Chardonnay). I comment that I’ve noticed a bit of an emergent Mediterranean theme, what with all the Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, Barbera and Tempranillo being planted. Small warms to the notion, adding that he’s intrigued by Syrah but still somewhat perplexed by its various personalities. “More planting of Grenache and Mourvèdre might help balance it out nicely,” he muses.

11:20 a.m., L’École No 41: Located right next door to Woodward Canyon Winery is the charming L’École No 41. The winery’s offices and tasting room are housed in a schoolhouse built in 1915. Interestingly, the surrounding community is Frenchtown, a name that makes reference to the numerous French-Canadians who settled in the area in the early 1800s.

The tasting room is in one of the school’s classrooms (and it includes the original chalkboards, lighting fixtures, fir floors and mouldings), and I’m sampling a range of wines crafted by owner and winemaker Martin Clubb. Standouts are the 2004 Fries Vineyard Sémillon (classic Sémillon in every respect); the powerful 2003 Pepper Bridge Vineyard Apogee (mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a smattering of Malbec and Cabernet Franc); the dense, inky, peppery 2004 Seven Hills Vineyard Syrah; and a 2004 Sémillon Icewine (honey, apricot, elegant, refined, beautifully balanced).