Back in March, I was on the judging panel for Seattle Magazine's 2013 Washington Wine Awards. The winners were announced in the August issue of that Magazine. Here are my comments on these awards.

The panel consisted of 20 wine industry professionals, including sommeliers, wine merchants, winemakers and wine writers. The wines were tasted double blind (wines poured from brown bags and unknown to any of the tasters) and scored on a ten point system (similar to the UC Davis 20 point system). Points were scored 1 point for Appearance, 3 for Aroma, 4 for Palate and 2 for "Judges choice, a subjective score component. Scores were tabulated and the winners are as follows, together with my scores from the Review of Washington Wines.

Red Wine of the Year: 2010 Avennia "Arnaut" Syrah, Yakima Valley, Boushey Vineyard ($45) - Avennia owner Marty Taucher and winemaker Chris Peterson were right out of gate with their inaugural vintage. I reviewed it in the February 2013 issue (tasted in January only a couple of months after bottling) and gave it 19+/20 points. In the Awards tasting, I gave it 10/10 points, tied with the 2009 FIGGINS Red Blend, which I gave 19.5 points in the August 2012 issue.

White Wine of the Year: 2010 Lullaby Viognier, Walla Walla Valley ($35) - I reviewed Virginie Bourgue's Viognier in the December 2012 issue and scored it 19 points. In the Awards tasting, I gave it 9 points, tied with Efeste's 2011 Evergreen Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. The striking thing about the Lullaby is that most Washington Viogniers need to be drunk young, but Virginie's was bright and vivid.

Other Categories - This years Awards included the top wines of Washington State's American Viticultrual Areas. Here's a rundown of those winners which have been reviewed in the Review of Washington Wines.

Columbia Valley Red Blend $20 or More: 2008 Col Solare Red Wine, Columbia Valley ($75) - Scored 19.5/20 points in the April 2013 issue.

Horse Heaven Hills Mourvedre: 2010 Robert Ramsay Cellars Mourvedre, McKinley Springs Vineyard ($35) - Reviewed February, 18.5 points.

Lake Chelan Syrah: 2010 Nefarious Syrah, Lake Chelan, Defiance Vineyard ($30) - 19 points, October, 2012.

Red Mountain Merlot: 2010 Fidelitas Merlot, Red Mountain ($45) - To be reviewed in the August, 2013 issue, 19 points.

Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon: 2009 Rasa Vineyards Plus One Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, Kiona Vineyards ($75) - 19.5/20 points, January.

Wahluke Slope Merlot: 2010 Bergevin Lane Wild Child Merlot, Wahluke Slope ($28) - 18.5 points, December 2012.

Walla Walla Valley Syrah: 2010 Abeja Syrah, Walla Walla Valley ($38) - 19 points, August 2012.

Walla Walla Valley Merlot: 2009 Northstar Merlot, Walla Walla Valley ($40) - 19+ points, May

Walla Walla Vallet Red Blend: 2009 Spring Valley Vineyards Fredrick, Walla Walla Valley ($50) - 19+ points, August, 2012.

Yakima Valley Syrah: 2010 Betz Family La Serenne Syrah, Yakima Valley ($55) - 19+ points, January

Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: 2010 Manu Propria Ex Animo Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, Red Willow Vineyard ($35) - 19 points, February.

Yakima Valley Grenache: 2010 Maison Bleue Le Midi Grenache, Yakima Valley, Boushey Vineyard ($35) - 19.5 points, October 2012.

Columbia Gorge Aromatic White: 2011 Dowsett Family Gewurztraminer, Columbia Gorge, Celilo Vineyard ($22) - Now sold out, the 2011 vintage scored 19.5 points in the August 2012 issue. The 2012, another stellar vintage for Chris Dowsett, will be reviewed in the August issue, 19.5 points.

Emerging Varietal, Mourvedre (Open submission tasting): 2009 Watermill Estate Mourvedre, Walla Walla Valley ($28) - 18.5 points, January 2013, 2012 Maison Bleue Rosé of Mourvedre, Yakima Valley, Olsen Vineyard ($20) - To be reviewed in the August issue, 19 points.

There were also special Awards given for the most votes from the Survey, as follows, with my comments.

Winemaker of the Year: Charlie Hoppes of Fidelitas - A lot of the credit for putting Red Mountain on the map goes to Charlie with his wines. His 2010 reds will be reviewed in the August issue.

Emerging Winery: Kerloo Cellars - I have been following Ryan Crane's wines from his inaugrual 2007's on and he has gone one from strength to strength. His wines sell out quickly and his 2011's will be reviewed in September.

Vineyard of the Year: Red Willow - Mike Sauer pioneered the planting of Syrah, Tempranillo and Nebbiolo. His grapes go into top notch bottlings.

Winemaker to Watch: Chris Peterson - After a stint at DeLille Cellars for seven years, Chris partnered with Marty Taucher (see Red Wine of the Year above) to turn out highly impressive wines on the winery's debut.

Sommelier of the Year: Thomas Price of The Metropolitan Grill - The Metropolitan is renowned for its cuisine and its extensive wine list, many of which are from Washington State.

Coolest Wine Label: Sleight of Hand - The name comes from a Pearl Jam (Trey Busch's favorite band) song and depicts masters of legerdemain.

Emerging Varietal: Petit Verdot - Last year, I voted for this variety, but Mourvedre got the most votes. This year, I was with the majority. Petit Verdot has been a favorite of mine. Tero Estates, Forgeron, Seven Hills Winery make noteworthy varietal bottlings.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Seattle Magazine and the Wine Awards coordinator, Ann Nisbet for organizing the well run 2013 Washington Wine Awards.