Washington Wine Month is under way at state liquor stores – a month later than originally announced, but in some ways better timing. Now is a good chance to stock up on some really good deals for the upcoming holidays.
Wine Press NW has published a complete list of wines and prices on their website: http://winepressnw.com/wineknows/story/3378.html
Glancing through the list, here are the things that stood out for me. Were I to go a-cherry picking, I’d be grabbing the following. Note that vintages are not listed; avoid 2004 or earlier.
Canoe Ridge. Lots to choose from. They just lost their winemaker – the talented Frenchman, Christophe Paubert, now at Stags’ Leap (not the Ste. Michelle winery; the other one). Maybe they are doing a house-cleaning? In any event, any Canoe Ridge reds from 2005 forward are going to have his stamp; the 2006s are especially noteworthy. They are dumping (oops, I mean value-pricing) the chardonnay ($20), cabernet ($20), merlot ($15), Red table wine ($14) and reserve cabernet sauvignon ($35).
Barnard Griffin. Rob Griffin has some stellar (and rare) reserves on the list, along with a few specialties. Zinfandel ($19), reserve syrah ($19), reserve merlot ($19). And fumé (sauv) blanc for $6 – that’s a gift bottle there.
Matthews Cellar Claret ($25) – hoo-hah! Matt Loso is long gone, but if this is one of his, it’s a gem.
There’s lots of Columbia Crest, but the GE merlot ($9) and H3 merlot ($11.50) are the ones to grab.
There are also a lot of rieslings. Some highlights: Latah Creek ($6.49), Willow Crest ($7), Barnard Griffin ($8), Kiona ($8), Whitman ($14) – a jewel!, Eroica ($18).
Willow Crest. This vineyard is one of the premier sites in the state for syrah; they are selling theirs for $10. Unbelievable. Same story for their pinot gris ($8). Grab ‘em!
L’Ecole sémillon (don’t know which) for $13. That’s a killer bottle for poultry, big fish, heavier white sauces.
Got favorites of your own? Grab all you want, then post them here.
3 comments:
It's completely unfair to generalize and recommend against 2004 and earlier wines.
Since the list of available wines did not include vintages, I felt it was safer and more responsible to advise people to avoid older wines that may not be in good shape. In no way was I saying to avoid those vintages completely for all purchases; just for this specific promotion.
Thanks Paul for the recs. I picked up 6 bottles on Friday for a BBQ I had this weekend and they were all winners. Especially the '05 Col Crest H3 Merlot & also the CC Vineyard 10 Red which was awesome especially for $6.95! I am going to go back & see what other deals I can nab!
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