Some Walla Walla Wineries to Visit During Fall Release Weekend

Here are my suggestions for "must visit" wineries during Fall Release, November 1-3. This is not an inclusive list. There are many other wineries worth visiting. If you have favorites, by all means, visit them. These are wineries that have noteworthy new releases or special library wines for tasting.

Buty - Nina Buty and winemaker Chris Dowsett will have some tasty 2012 whites and 2010 reds (see the November issue of the Review of Washington Wines).

Gramercy Cellars - This winery has a bevy of impressive 2011 reds (see the November issue).

Kerloo - Ryan Crane has turned out some fine 2011 reds (reviewed in September and November).

L'Ecole No. 41 - Here, the new 2010 Apogee and Perigee (reviewed September) will be poured along with other recent releases.

Maison Bleue - Jon Meuret's tasting room opened on South 2nd in August. Most new wines will be released in spring, but the 2011 La Montagnette Grenache is worth stopping by for.

Seven Hills Winery - This winery turned out some of the top wines of the 2011 vintage (reviewed September and November). Some library wines will also be poured.

Tero Estates/Flying Trout/Waters - Having acquired Waters, Tero will be pouring three labels at the Marcus Whitman Hotel tasting room. The Waters Winery will be serving its own wines at the J. B. George Road location and Tero/Flying Trout at the South Valley. (See the October issue for Tero's new 2010 reds and November for Flying Trout's).

Va Piano - This winery has two outstanding "Black Label" 2011 Syrahs (see the November issue).

A couple of wineries west of Walla Walla, are noteworthy not only for the wines, but for the food as well. For that, go to Long Shadows and Woodward Canyon.

Harvest 2013: Endgame

Last Wednesday, October 23, I was at the Corliss Winery in Walla Walla tasting the 2008's (to be reviewed in December) with Lauri Corliss and winemaker Andrew Trio. While conversing, Andrew mentioned that the winery had just celebrated the completion of harvest the day before. I added that the wine growers really lucked out with the sunny days in mid October, after a spell of rainy weather. A few wineries are still picking a few blocks, but the harvest is essentially complete. The wineries really do have something to celebrate, a vintage that promises to be exceptional, and it's over before Fall Release.

A Tasting of Older Bordeaux

On Tuesday, October 22, the Sons of Bacchus and two Daughters of Dionysus assembled once again for a superlative tasting of Right Bank Bordeaux wines from vintages of 2003 and earlier. Here are the top scoring wines.

Flight 1 - 1985 Ch.Cos d'Estournel, St. Estephe

Flight 2 - 1995 Ch. Ducru Beaucaillou, St. Julien (the 1995 Lynch Bages, Pauilliac was a close second and my favorite)

Flight 3 - 1996 Ch. Pichon Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac (this was the star of the evening)

Flight 4 - 2001 Ch. Smith Haut Lafite, Graves-Pessac (this was a surprise winner)

Two bonus wines were served as well, a deliciously crisp and vibrant Cold Heaven 2011 Viognier from the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in California's Santa Rita Hills, and a 1983 Ch. Doisy-Vedrines Sauternes-Barsac which was ambrosial and nearly perfectly aged and still vibrant.

Special thanks to Steven Maxood for putting this tasting together and providing the Viogner, and to Erik McLaughlin for bringing the superb Doisy-Vedrines and supplying a summary of the results, and to all who brought such special wines.