"A Celebration of Washington Syrah: Thirty Wines - Ten Vintages - Two Vineyards - One Winemaker"

On Monday, May 23, I attended a vertical tasting of ten vintages - 1997 to 2006 - of McCrea Cellars Syrahs, from the Dick Boushey's Grand Cote Vineyard (Yakima Valley), Jim Holmes' Ciel du Cheval Vineyard (Red Mountain) and Cuvee Orleans (blend from both), thirty wines in all. Hosted by Bob and Susan Neel, co-owners (with Doug and Kim McCrea) at Urban Enoteca (see the February 2011 issue of the Review of Washington Wines for more about this wine venue). It was a remarkable event. It was not a sit-down tasting. Instead, the wines were arranged on three tables in an open rectangle formation, with each set of the three designations on each table. Tasters moved around and sampled in whatever order they preferred. I went through each table one by one, going from the youngest (2006) to the oldest (1997) wine. Here is my summary of the most noteworthy wines, by vintage.

2006 - From a warm year, the wines showed well. The Ciel du Cheval was the most exceptional, showing a nose of raspberries, cherries, tobacco and a hint of violets, along with typical Red Mountain scorched earth. The Cuvee Orleans (a blend of select barrels from Grand Cote and Ciel du Cheval) showed smoky lavender and sage aromas and roasted berry flavors.

2005 - The Ciel du Cheval was a standout from an "indian summer" harvest - aromas of rose, lavender and sage, with ripe, completely integrated flavors, earthy but not heavy.

2004 - From a challenging vintage with a hot summer and a cooler harvest, the Cuvee Orleans displayed the most character, comprising of roasted berries, orange peel, earth and spice.

2003 - This was another very warm vintage. Here, the Ciel du Cheval showed well the typical characteristics of Red Mountain: an orange peel and incense nose, with generous, warm fruit, spices and pepper.

2002 - Again, another warm vintage. The Ciel du Cheval showed aromatics of raspberry, orange peel and incense, with squeezed dried berries and good acids. The Cuvee Orleans displayed roast berry and coffee aromas, with dried grape skin on the back and ripe, mature tannins.

2001 - Another warm vintage, with very ripe grapes. The Ciel du Cheval was the standout, with smoky oriental perfumes. The fine fruit acids have supported this wine for nearly a decade. The Boushey Grand Cote also showed well, with smoky dried berry and orange peel aromas and seductive flavors of a maturing Syrah.

2000 - From one of the hottest vintages in Washington history, the wines showed roasted fruit characteristics, with hints of caramel and roasted coffee, drying up a bit on the finish.

1999 - With a warm summer and cool nights, the vintage produced wines with fine fruits, balance and structure. The Boushey Grand Cote stood out, with oriental perfumes, orange peel and fine balance, followed by a long, nutted finish.

1998 - With this vintage, from another hot year, the wines were starting to show their age: dried berries, some fruit on the middle palate, but falling off on the finish.

1997 - This was a cool, marginal vintage. Again, the fruits were present in the middle, but dried up on the finish.

In addition, there were three whites. A 2009 Viognier which was fresh and juicy, and a 1997 Viognier which was truly remarkable, with butternut and tropical fruits, very much alive, unlike the reds of the same vintage. The 1990 Chardonnay was "interesting." Two 1994 Syrahs, one aged in French oak, and one in American oak showed a nutted dryness, but were still drinkable.

All in all, it was a truly memorable tasting. Many thanks to McCrea Cellars for this experience.