Definition of Impossible: Tasting all the great wines at Taste Washington. With 232 wineries attending, according to my count, and 4 hours to taste, it is a daunting task. I tried to divide my time about 40% tasting white wines, and 60% of the time tasting red wines, hoping that I would find some gems, which I did. Below is a list of 4 whites and 6 reds that I really enjoyed, but this doesn’t mean there were not other wines. There were several other wines that I did enjoy, but these made my top 10 list. I also wasn’t able to visit every table, so I know there are wineries that should probably be on this list. After checking out my notes for my top 10 wines, please check out the link to my Taste Washington wines selection from 2013.
My Wine Picks for 2015
Swiftwater Cellars Riesling No. 9, 2013 – Light mandarin orange and lychee nose. Lighter bodied, medium acidity. Bright flavours of mandarin orange and stonefruit. Very tasty.
Claar Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2013 – Nice nose with aromas of citrus, mint, herbal and citrus rind. Medium body, round and soft. Pine sap, with light stone fruit and citrus backing it up. Medium acidity.
COR Cellars Gewurztraminer/PInot Gris 2014 – The grapes for this wine were co-fermented, rather than individually fermented then later blended. It has a nice light lychee and peach nose. Medium body and acidity. Slightly off-dry. Fruity, with flavours of apples and pears. An elegant white wine.
Array Chardonnay Dijon Clone 2012 – Restrained oak, apple, and tropical fruit on the nose. Medium body with a lighter mouthfeel. Light oak treatment. Tropical fruit and a hint of nutmeg.
Stottle Winery Tempranillo 2012 – Complex nose with aromas of chocolate, vanilla, cherries and cedar. Dry, medium body, with the aromas of cedar, chocolate and cherries continued to the palate. Peppery.
Refuge & Prospect Winery Hallowed Ground 2012 – This wine is made from the Cabernet Franc grape; one of the parent grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon. perfume and violets on the nose. More perfume on the palate, together with sour cherries, nutmeg and cedar flavours. Light body, dry with fine tannins. Nice.
Revelry Vintners Reserve Merlot 2011 – This is one of the wineries I was looking forward to, as I enjoyed their wines in the past. This reserve Merlot has it’s grapes coming from the Horse Heaven Hills. The wine is produced by a single Merlot clone (sorry I don’t know which one), and the wine does not undergo any fining or filtering. Ripe cherries, dark fruit and chocolate nose. Full body, round with ripe, dark fruit, followed by vanilla and chocolate. Tasty.
Milbrandt The Estates Syrah 2012 – Purple fruit aromas in the glass. Full body, very silky mouth feel. Ripe berry fruit flavours, together with nutmeg and vanilla. Fine tannins.
Michael Florentino Monastrell 2010 – Ripe red berries and vanilla aromas. Medium minus body with medium acidity; quite soft mouth feel. Nutmeg, apples, tea leaves and red cherries. Very tasty. One of my absolute favourite wines of Taste Washington. Tinto Fino, which is Tempranillo, is also very good.>
Bergevin Lane She-Devil Syrah 2012 – Ripe purple fruit and flowers on the nose. Full body, round, with ripe purple fruit and nutmeg spice. Quite peppery on the palate.
As noted, there are so many wines to taste. This link has my wine selections from the Taste Washington 2013 event. If you have some favourite wines from 2015, please provide a comment, for me, and for others, so that they can buy and enjoy these wines too. Enjoy!
