2009 WA Awards: Wine & Vineyard of the Year

It is a deliciously monumental task to choose a few of Washington’s best wines from the embarrassment of riches we enjoy. For this flavorful task, we first ask for nominations from our expert panel of 50 advisers—all frequent tasters of new wines—who scour local wine lists, tasting rooms and retail shelves for wines worthy of consideration in 40 categories. (Some boutique and Grand cru wineries that have contributed so much to the image of Washington wine, such as Leonetti Cellar and Quilceda Creek, are not often represented in these awards because of the rarity of their wines.) In each category, the wines that receive the largest number of nominations from our panel are included in a blind tasting—usually five in each category. A tasting panel of 22 wine professionals, including sommeliers, retailers, wine writers and educators, rate the wines during that blind tasting, and the final votes are tallied.

Our wine categories are more comprehensive this year with the addition of several wine varieties of increasing importance in the state: Chardonnay, Malbec and late-harvest dessert wines.

We are excited to share the stories and flavors of these delicious wines with you, and hope they will lead you to try more of the gems that Washington has to offer.

Please note: Only wineries whose addresses are listed have tasting rooms open to the public. Contact the wineries for hours. Many of the award-winning wines are in limited release and may not be available for purchase at the time of publication. Contact the winery regarding availability.

Methodology: Washington Wine Awards Methodology:
Nominations for all categories were solicited from a panel of Washington wine and food professionals. Those wines receiving the most votes in the varietal categories qualified for a blind tasting conducted by 22 industry professionals and were scored using a 10-point system. Information in the tasting notes was taken from the tasters’ descriptions of the wines. Tasting panelists who are winemakers were excluded from voting in categories in which their wines were finalists. Wine of the Year  was the wine in its category that received the most votes from our panel. The winners for Coolest Wine Label and Best Alternative Closure were chosen by an internal panel.


Most Outstanding Wine of the Year
Côte Bonneville 2004 DuBrul Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
($120) Sunnyside; 509.840.4596; cotebonneville.com
DuBrul Vineyard owners Hugh and Kathy Shiels had this Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend (63 percent/37 percent) made from grapes that survived a 2004 freeze. A wonderful expression of Washington fruit, this deep garnet-colored wine has all the markings of a great Washington Bordeaux blend, with blackberry, dark cherry and black currant flavors, a finish that goes on forever and balancing acidity.

Vineyard of the Year
DuBrul Vineyard
cotebonneville.com
Hugh and Kathy Shiels’ DuBrul Vineyard on a south-facing slope above the Yakima River in the Yakima Valley—also our 2007 Vineyard of the Year—is a difficult site to manage, with many “microclimates” that require careful monitoring. But vineyard manager Larry Dolan works with the Shiels and their crew to ensure each vine gets what it needs. The result: Some of the most elegant, yet approachable wines in the state—from acclaimed wineries such as Owen Roe and Woodward Canyon—are made from these Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and other Bordeaux varieties.


Produced by Anne Nisbet, Shannon Borg and Andrea Delimont