2009 WA Wine Awards: Best Reds

Best Merlot
< $20 Columbia Crest 2005 Grand Estates, Columbia Valley
($12.99) Paterson, Highway 221, Columbia Crest Drive; 509.875.2061; columbia-crest.com
This complex wine boasts bright black cherry, tea and mint aromas, soft tannins and great acid and a range of berry and cherry flavors.

Milbrandt Vineyards 2005 Traditions
($14.99) Prosser; 508 Cabernet Court; 509.788.0030; milbrandtvineyards.com
l With fruit from Clifton Hills, Sundance and Winebeau Vineyards on the Wahluke Slope, this wine embodies classic Merlot characteristics of ripe, soft black plum, vanilla and spice.

> $20 Fielding Hills 2005, Wahluke Slope
($32) East Wenatchee; 509.884.2221; Fieldinghills.com
This Merlot won for its richness with both black and red cherry, raspberry, chocolate and pepper notes, integrated tannins and good acidity. With a touch of Syrah (9 percent), Cabernet Sauvignon (5 percent) and Cabernet Franc (1 percent) to bring a bit more structure, this balanced wine is aromatic and flavorful. A good match for roasted pork loin or duck.

Best Malbec
< $20 Substance 2007 Mb, Columbia Valley
($18) Walla Walla, winesofsubstance.com
Wines of Substance has made a wine with the essence of Malbec-ness—ink dark and full of dusty and briny mineral aromas, ripe with blueberry, plum and black currant flavors. It’s a good match for grilled meats and delicious on its own or with strong cheeses.

> $20 Tildio Winery 2006, Columbia Valley
($28) Manson; 70 E Wapato Lake Road; 509.687.8463; tildio.com
This premium Malbec was aged for 18 months in French oak, and shows the best of Columbia Valley fruit with its complex dust and licorice aromas and blue and black fruit flavors, with a long, luscious finish. Try it with grilled meat such as steak or barbecued pork.

Best Red Rhône-style Blend
< $20 Highway 14 2005, Columbia Valley
($16) triagewines.com
A floral nose of violet and rose gives way to juicy black plum, spice and hefty tannins in this southern Rhône-style blend. Dark purple and medium bodied, this wine is made from Syrah (70 percent), Counoise (14 percent), Grenache (11 percent) and Mourvedre (4 percent) grown in Washington’s Alder Creek Vineyard. A good match for grilled chicken marinated in olive oil and herbs.

> $20 Brian Carter Cellars 2005 Byzance, Yakima Valley
($26) Woodinville, 14419 Woodinville-Redmond Road NE; 425.806.WINE [9463]; briancartercellars.com
This southern Rhône-style Syrah/Grenache blend shows dust and smoke on the nose, giving way to mouthwatering red cherry fruit and a lush soft-candy mouthfeel. This is the perfect wine for grilled lamb with a sweet onion reduction sauce.

Betz Family Winery 2006 Bésoleil
($49.95) Redmond; 425.861.9823; Betzfamilywinery.com
The Bésoleil is lighter in body than the other wine in this category, with a higher percentage of Grenache (75 percent) finished off with Ciel du Cheval Mourvedre (25 percent) and Boushey Vineyard Syrah (25 percent), and it shows brightness in its acidity and fresh red raspberry, plum and vanilla aromas. A great wine for poultry, pork or lamb.

Best Syrah
< $20 Balboa Winery 2007, Columbia Valley
($19) Walla Walla, 7 S Fourth Ave.; 509.529.0461; balboawinery.com
This winning wine is a good example of what Washington Syrah can do, with aromas of smoke and wet ash, with tart blackberry and dark plum. Mouthwatering and juicy, this is the perfect bottle to grab for your summer barbecues.

> $20 Gramercy Cellars 2006 John Lewis, Walla Walla Valley
($65) Walla Walla; gramercycellars.com
This special 100 percent Syrah was made from the best of 35 barrels of Syrah that owner and winemaker Greg Harrington had available from the 2006 vintage. It is lighter in color than most big, dark Washington Syrahs, and more subtle and focused in flavor, with minerality, smoke and meat along with blueberry and blackberry fruit.

Betz Family Winery 2004 La Serenne
($45) Redmond; 425.861.9823; Betzfamilywinery.com
This complex and velvety Syrah shows gorgeous black fruit, leather, licorice and
game aromas, balanced by a freshness in the mouth that brings out the dark cherry and blackberry fruit.

Best Red Bordeaux-style Blend
< $20 Forgeron Cellars Walldeaux Smithie
($16) Walla Walla, 33 W Birch St.; 509.522.9463; forgeroncellars.com
An excellent value, this Merlot (55 percent), Cabernet Sauvignon
(24 percent), Cabernet Franc (3.5 percent) blend is not your classic Bordeaux-style blend—it has a touch of Syrah (10.5 percent) and Zinfandel (7 percent)—and is full of plum and deep cherry flavors and shows
fresh acidity. All this is set against a backbone of soft tannins. It’s an Old World style of wine (lighter bodied, elegant) with New World taste (big fruit, soft tannins that meld beautifully). It’s a good match for a burger or a steak.

> $20 DeLille Cellars 2005 Chaleur Estate Red Wine, Yakima Valley
($75) Woodinville; 425.489.0544; Delillecellars.com
A classic Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65 percent), Merlot (25 percent), Cabernet Franc (9 percent) and Petit Verdot (1 percent), this wine has beautiful aromas of dusty black cherry and plum, with interesting additional flavors of black tea, black olive and cassis.

Best Cabernet Sauvignon
< $20 Jones of Washington 2006, Wahluke Slope
($15) Quincy; 2101F Street SE; 509.787.3587; jonesofwashington.com
This Cabernet Sauvignon shows the smooth, balanced qualities of a more expensive wine, with aromas of graham cracker, blackberry and cherry. It’s a great match for a good steak or pork chop just off the grill.

> $20 Woodward Canyon 2005 Dedication Series
($85) Lowden; 11920 Highway 12; 509.525.4129; woodwardcanyon.com
The aromas of this wine are both classic Cab—ripe, lush blackberry, dried herbs—and unique—the aroma of recently rained-on wheatfields. Soft tannins and mouthwatering acid balance this luscious wine, which comes from one of the best vintages Washington has seen and will age well for several years. Good match for beef short ribs.