Paul Gregutt writes regularly on wine for the Seattle Times, the Yakima Herald-Republic, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, the Spokane Spokesman-Review, Pacific Northwest magazine and Wine Enthusiast magazine. Gregutt's new book - Washington Wine & Wineries: The Essential Guide will be published in September, 2007 by the University of California Press. Online you'll find him at www.paulgregutt.com

Paul Gregutt Wine Pick Blog

Cadaretta 2006 Syrah

Columbia Valley; $30


Cadaretta, with serious money and an established winemaker (ex-Bergevin Lane Virginie Bourgue) at the helm, is going to be a player in Walla Walla. The first release is this excellent Syrah, sourced from Pepper Bridge, Stonetree and Alder Ridge. The nose opens with floral scents followed with hints of spice. The fruit is dark and tannic, and the wine has good grip, and some tarry notes in the finish.

Cadaretta 2007 Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon
ColumbiaValley
About three quarters Sauv Blanc, one quarter Semillon, and packed with bright, fresh flavors of pineapple and grapefruit. It’s very refreshing and textural, the sort of white wine that should be paired with shellfish and seafood, and that you drink chilled on a warm day.  

2006 Doyenne Métier White Wine 2005 Doyenne Métier Red Wine

Newly released from Doyenne, the Rhone project of DeLille Cellars, are two wines called Métier. The 2006 Doyenne Métier White Wine ($32) is a Viognier blended with10% Roussanne – all from Red Mountain’s Ciel du Cheval vineyard. It’s a sleek, assertive and racy white wine, clean and crisp, with well-defined with flavors of citrus and green herb. It is built upon vibrant acids rather than barrel flavors, and in a blind tasting it might pass for a somewhat salty (rather than peppery) gruner veltliner.

Its companion wine is the 2005 Doyenne Métier Red Wine ($34), also from Ciel du Cheval. This is a blend of
50% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 25% Mourvedre. Strawberry/leaf flavors combine right at the start, gliding softly into more concentrated, deep fruit flavors of cherry and plum. It is an elegant wine, graceful and fine, with intriguing length and a smooth finish. The tannins are a pleasing mix of light herb and moist earth, and there is a lovely kiss of chocolate wafer right at the end.
–Paul Gregutt

 

Isenhower Cellars 2006 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Roussanne

Red Mountain; $22
Distributed by Cavatappi in Seattle

Roussanne is an emerging varietal white wine that is being explored with considerable success here in Washington state. It’s an offshoot of the Rhone Ranger movement, which began with Syrah and has moved into both red and white wine grapes whose origins lie in the Rhone Valley of France. This excellent Roussanne from Walla Walla’s Isenhower Cellars is made from Ciel du Cheval (Red Mountain) grapes that were originally cuttings from California’s Tablas Creek. It is intentionally picked early so as to preserve its acidity, minerality, and to keep the alcohol at a sensible level. Fragrant with acacia, white peach and pear, this wine skips lightly across the palate, but shows a density of flavor that carries well into the lingering finish.
–Paul Gregutt

 

Forgeron 2003 Syrah

Columbia Valley; $30.
Represented by Elliott Bay Distributing

Forgeron’s first vintage was 2001, but the winery is slow to release many of its reds, believing (correctly) that they will benefit from extra bottle age. This new Syrah perfectly illustrates the point. Delicious, fragrant and loaded with spice, it’s a blend from several different Washington AVAs, with a good mix of citrus, pepper, smoke, spice, acid, toast and tannin. The fruit is sweet and brambly; the herbal elements are just right, adding notes of leaf and tobacco.
–Paul Gregutt

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