2010 Best Washington Wines: White Blends
By Shannon Borg December 31, 1969
More Of Seattle Magazine’s Wine Picks
2010 Best Washington Wines
2010 Best Washington Wines: Whites
2010 Best Washington Wines: Sweet Wines
2010 Best Washington Wines: Red
2010 Best Washington Wines: Red Blends
2010 Best Washington Wines: Malbecs
2010 Best Washington Wines: Directory
2010 Best Washington Wines: White Blends
Best proprietary white blend under $15
Corvidae Crowe 2008
(columbia Valley, $8.99)
This year, 2-year-old label Corvidae flew onto the scene and dominated the affordable glass-pour lists in restaurants and wine bars across the city. First came Mirth Chardonnay (another winner), and then Crowe, a fresh (and undisclosed) blend of several different white grapes, showing bright citrus fruit and sweet orange blossom aromas, pear, peaches and honey on the palate. One judge called this wine “wild and spicy.”
Best white Bordeaux-style blend
and Best proprietary white blend over $15
Buty 2008 Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc/Muscadelle
(Columbia Valley, $25)
Winemaker Caleb Foster has a delicate touch with his wines, crafting each one to bring out the particular characteristics of the selected fruit. With lots of complexity, this classic white Bordeaux-style wine is fascinating to drink, with flavors of “spice box” and “beeswax,” and bright freshness along with fig, grapefruit and honey.
Best white Rhone-style blend
Darby 2008
Le Deuce
(Columbia Valley, $22)
Newcomer to the wine scene,
Woodinville-based Darby English is this year’s “Winemaker to Watch” (see page 90), not in small part because in blind tastings his wines
rise to the top. This lovely Rhone-style white is a blend of Viognier and Roussanne, with melon and white flowers on the nose; although these grapes are known for their low acidity, the citrus and spice on the palate add balance.
Best Viognier
Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2008 Viognier Crawford Vineyard (columbia Valley, $20)
Winemaker Jarrod Boyle creates this lush, aromatic Viognier by gently pressing whole-clusters of the best fruit from the Crawford Vineyard near Prosser, and fermenting in stainless steel tanks to keep the freshness of the fruit. Judges noted its elegant style with “clover, honey and sweet stone-fruit” aromas, with good acid and fruit, and a nice, clean finish.
Originally published in April 2010