Best Red Wines of 2012

Best Red Wines of 2012 - Full Descriptions

Merlot under $20
Winner: Columbia Crest H3 2009, Horse Heaven Hills, $15
Created to highlight the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, this lush Merlot (with 3 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 1 percent Malbec) has aromas of dust/minerality and dark cherries, with black pepper and chocolate-covered cherry lushness that Merlot drinkers love. Winemaker Juan Muñoz Oca aged this wine in mostly neutral French and American oak for a velvety texture. It’s hard to beat such a well-made Washington Merlot—in a state where there’s a lot of great Merlot—for the price. Paterson; 509.875.4227; columbiacrest.com

Nominees:
Blacksmith 2008, Columbia Valley, $18
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2009 Indian Wells Merlot, Columbia Valley, $18
Jones of Washington 2008 Estate Merlot, Wahluke Slope, $14.99 

Merlot over $20
Winner: Abeja 2009, Columbia Valley, $38
Winemaker John Abbott calls this Merlot his “gentle giant.” And truly, it is a big wine, a product of the near-perfect 2009 vintage, which imparted luscious fruit of dark cherries and plums, with aromas of chocolate and espresso, along with earthiness and minerality and a backbone of tannins that help this Columbia Valley wine feel extremely balanced on the palate. The fruit is 100 percent Merlot, from Heather Hill, Abeja’s estate vineyard in the Mill Creek area of Walla Walla Valley, and Sagemoor’s Bacchus Vineyards on the banks of the Columbia River near Pasco in the Columbia Valley AVA. Abbott has a magic touch, and that, along with nature’s best work, makes this wine a true winner. Walla Walla (tasting room open seasonally to mailing-list members or overnight guests at its inn); 509.526.7400; abeja.net

Nominees:
Hestia Cellars 2009, Columbia Valley, $28
Pedestal 2008, Columbia Valley, $55
Soos Creek Wine Cellars 2008 Palisade, Columbia Valley, $24.99 

Syrah under $20
Winner: Purple Star 2009, Columbia Valley, $16
Most of the fruit from this 100 percent Syrah, which fills the mouth with lush blackberry and black peppery spice, comes from Olsen Vineyards near Prosser in the Yakima Valley AVA. Five percent Kiona Syrah from Red Mountain brings structure to this lovely wine. Winemaker Kyle Johnson, former winemaker for Prosser’s Olsen Estates, started Purple Star in 2008 from his home in Brush Prairie; it’s now located in Richland. He brings a special mission to his winemaking: Fifteen percent of proceeds goes to the Seattle Children’s Hospital Fund for Uncompensated Care, which gives us another reason to love this wine. Brush Prairie (no tasting room); 509.554.3008; purplestarwines.com

Nominees:
Gordon Estate 2009, Columbia Valley, $21
McKinley Springs 2008, Horse Heaven Hills, $18
Blacksmith 2009, Columbia Valley, $18

Syrah over $20
Winner: Betz Family Winery 2009 La CÔte Rousse, Red Mountain, $55
This is a big, dark Syrah made from fruit from two Red Mountain vineyards, Ciel du Cheval and Ranch at the End of the Road, in one of the warmest vintages in recent history. A very cool spring in 2009 gave way to a searing July and August, ripening fruit early, but cool nights in September slowed things down, sealing in the sugars and ensuring balancing acidity. Good thing, too, as an October 11 freeze brought the vintage to a screeching halt. Luckily, Betz had harvested three days before—with a sigh of relief and excellent results. Big black fruit, sweet spice, smoke and a mushroomy note are alluring on the nose, with a lushness on the palate that highlights how complex Washington Syrah can be when handled well, especially by a superb—and charmed—winemaker, in a dramatic vintage. Woodinville (no tasting room); 425.861.9823; betzfamilywinery.com

Nominees:
Kerloo Cellars 2009 Les Collines, Walla Walla Valley, $34
Waters 2009, Forgotten Hills Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, $60
Gramercy Cellars  2009, Walla Walla Valley, $45
Nefarious Cellars 2009 Defiance Vineyard, Lake Chelan, $28
Efeste Jolie Bouche 2009, Dick Boushey Vineyard, Yakima Valley, $39

Cabernet Franc, all prices
Winner: Walla Walla Vintners 2009, Columbia Valley, $28
Gordy Venneri and Myles Anderson, owners and winemakers at Walla Walla Vintners, must be used to people going on about their Cabernet Franc. They won our Best Cab Franc over $20 in 2010 for their 2007 vintage, and the wine received a slew of other accolades. The pair has been making great wine in their small winery in the Mill Creek area just outside of Walla Walla for 18 years. This Cabernet Franc shows that this complex grape can stand on its own, with aromas of dried herbs and cocoa, and dust/minerality, vanilla and dark plums on the palate. Walla Walla; 509.525.4724; wallawallavintners.com

Nominees:
Fielding Hills 2008, Riverbend Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, $30
Owen Roe 2009 Slide Mountain, Yakima Valley, $72
Gamache Vintners  2008 Estate, Columbia Valley, $24

Tranche 2007, Walla Walla Valley, $25

Cabernet Sauvignon under $20
Winner: Milbrandt Vineyards 2009 Traditions, Columbia Valley, $14.99
With the Traditions label, the Milbrandt brothers—Jerry and Butch, who have been growing grapes in the Columbia Valley since 1997—have created a consistently delicious family of wines for a great price in their Mattawa winery. This Cabernet Sauvignon is lush with boysenberry, blackberry and plum, with cocoa and mint notes. The fruit is selected from their 12 estate vineyards all over the Columbia Valley and blended for a balanced, rich wine that shows the best of this winegrowing family’s dedication to quality. Prosser; 509.788.0030; milbrandtvineyards.com

Nominees:
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2010 Indian Wells, Columbia Valley, $18
River Aerie 2007, Columbia Valley, $20
Charles Smith 2009 Chateau Smith, Columbia Valley, $20

Cabernet Sauvignon over $20
Winner: Abeja 2008, Columbia Valley, $44
This 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon hits just the right blend, with a touch of Merlot (7 percent), Petit Verdot (2 percent) and Cabernet Franc (1 percent). Co-owner and winemaker John Abbott is meticulous about using the best fruit from the best vineyards—in this case, Abeja's estate vineyard, Heather Hill—as well as fruit from Sagemoor Vineyards (Bacchus, Dionysus and Weinbau), first planted in 1972, and Red Mountain’s Hedges Family Estate Vineyards. At once lush and restrained, this wine has aromas of dust/minerality and plums, with a mouthful of juicy black fruits and a fair amount of barrel aging that highlights the maturity of both the vines—and the Walla Walla winemaker’s elegant style. Walla Walla, $44 (tasting room open seasonally to mailing-list members or overnight guests at its inn); 509.526.7400; abeja.net

Nominees
Efeste 2008 Big Papa, Columbia Valley, $49
Fidelitas 2008 Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Magnum, Horse Heaven Hills, $140
Betz Family Winery 2009 Pere de Famille, Columbia Valley, $65
Feather 2007, Columbia Valley, $55
Va Piano 2007 St. Aloysius Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $45

Red Rhône-style wine, all prices
Winner: Betz Family Winery 2009 Besoleil, Columbia Valley, $45
Setting the bar high for Rhône-syle blends, winemaker Bob Betz and assistant winemaker Tyson Schiffner have made this year’s offering even more of a nod to Old World blends, with the addition of a bit of Cinsault (10 percent), as is the practice in the southern Rhône. This blend is still predominantly Grenache (66 percent), with its big blackberry and spice flavors, but the little-known French grape Cinsault brings freshness and softness to the wine; Syrah (14 percent) does its part, adding flowers, earth on the nose, and Mourvedre (10 percent) is all about color and intensity. With so many decisions to make along the way, Betz makes the right ones, and picking up this bottle to serve with a grilled lamb chop is an enlightened choice. Woodinville (no tasting room); 425.861.9823; betzfamilywinery.com

Nominees:
Syncline Wine 2009 Cuvee Elena, Columbia Valley, $40
Maison Bleue 2010 Jaja GSM, Washington State, $25
Rotie Cellars  2009 Southern Blend, Horse Heaven Hills, $40
Bunnell Family Cellar 2007 Vif, Columbia Valley, $34

Red Bordeaux-style blend, all prices
Winner: Betz Family Winery 2009 Clos de Betz, Columbia Valley, $52
Paul Zitarelli, one of our tasters and owner of online SoDo-based retailer Full Pull Wines, praises this wine as “dynamite: a laser beam of pristine fruit swaddled in luscious coffee barrel notes. It’s suave and stylish, with class to spare.” It is also able to age, as the 2009 shows such ripe fruit and substantial tannins and acidity to hold for a decade or much more. And at about $50, it is a great buy—a world-class Washington wine for much less than wines similar in quality. Mostly Merlot (65 percent), this wine shows the lushness of the vintage, with Cabernet Sauvignon (29 percent) and Petit Verdot (6 percent) for structure and intensity. It may be hard to find, but worth the search. Woodinville (no tasting room); 425.861.9823; betzfamilywinery.com
Nominees
Cadence 2008 Bel Canto, Cara Mia Vineyard, Red Mountain, $55
Mark Ryan 2009 Long Haul, Red Mountain, $48
DeLille Cellars 2009 Harrison Hill, Yakima Valley, $70

Red proprietary blend under $20
Winner: J. Bookwalter BookMark 1NV, Columbia Valley, $15
This luscious Woodinville red blend is made in a manner rarely used in the United States. Winemaker John Bookwalter marries wines from multiple vintages, called vertical blending, with multiple grape varieties, called horizontal blending. The result is a wine with many different influences, combining riper fruit from one year with higher fruit from another. This well-balanced wine has Syrah (33 percent), Merlot (31 percent), Cabernet Sauvignon (25 percent) and 11 percent “other varieties.” While this type of winemaking can be a “kitchen sink” approach, in this case it makes a delicious, well-aged wine with aromas of smoke and blackberries, with lush fruit flavors and earthy complexity. Woodinville; 425.488.1983; bookwalterwines.com
Nominees
Syncline Wine Cellars 2010 Subduction Red, Columbia Valley, $20
Gifford-Hirlinger 2008 Stateline Red, Columbia Valley,$16
Tamarack Cellars 2009 Firehouse Red, Columbia Valley, $16
Facelli Pescaia Red 2008?, Columbia Valley, $18

Red proprietary blend over $20
Winner: K Vintners 2008 The Creator, Washington State, $55
Owner and winemaker Charles Smith is known for making head-turning wines, and The Creator is no exception. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (64 percent) and Syrah (36 percent) shows off the voluptuous Cabernet from Stoneridge Vineyard in the sun-drenched Royal Slope area of south-central Washington. The complexity that comes with age shines in this wine, specifically through the Syrah from Christophe Baron’s Cailloux Vineyard, planted in 1997 in “The Rocks” south of Walla Walla, and Morrison Lane Vineyards, the oldest Syrah in the Walla Walla Valley, planted in 1994. Showing big, black fruit and earthiness, this wine also has meaty aromas, dried herbs, anise and a spicy note, along with bold structure and balancing acidity that will help it age gracefully. Walla Walla; 509.526.5230; kvintners.com
Nominees
Buty Rediviva 2008 Phinny Hill Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills, $48
Mark Ryan 2009 The Dissident, Columbia Valley, $32
Doyenne 2009 Aix, Red Mountain, $36
Efeste 2008 Final Final, Columbia Valley, $27

Red Wine of the Year
Betz Family Winery 2009 Père de Famille cabernet sauvignon, Red Mountain, $65
Last year, Bob and Cathy Betz sold their winery, although Bob will continue to consult on winemaking. It seems fitting that this luscious “Father of the Family” red rose to the top in our blind tastings, because Bob truly has been a mentor for so many other Washington winemakers. The only wine he’s made every year since 1997, this wine tastes of old vines: The Cabernet Sauvignon (82 percent) comes from the 1973 block of Red Willow Vineyard with a bit of Petit Verdot (10 percent) and Merlot (8 percent) “for fleshiness.” The ultimate expression of Betz’s commitment to quality and integrity—and of his refusal to take shortcuts—this rich but balanced red shows aromas of cassis and smoke, sassafras and toast, with firm tannins balanced by ripe fruit for a seamless, lingering finish. Woodinville (no tasting room); 425.861.9823; betzfamilywinery.com