paul gregutt's washington wine blog – unfined & unfiltered

I stand corrected re: the Hartebeest. It was a on...

2012-02-22T09:57:01.599-08:00

I stand corrected re: the Hartebeest. It was a one-time only cabernet, made in 2008, sold out, and not scheduled for a repeat at this time. But here's an idea for another release, sourced from the same vineyard in the Rocks (or Stones!?!)... Beast of Burden! Mick and Keith and the boys would love it.

When the thought of a glass of wine is unappealing...

2012-02-21T14:19:07.987-08:00

When the thought of a glass of wine is unappealing then it is your subconciousness letting you know to stop.

Stop till the sensation goes away.

Fresh air, and a nice walk and whatever food seems to appeal as refreshing at that time and having a glass of water too can aleviate the problem.

I do know that there are times when I have been tasting/sampling/judging wines and I have to pause before the next one. I think it takes some time to let the senses recover. If you have tasted a really wonderful wine the sense and memory of it may linger and influence the next one. A person could make an unfair judgement on a wine if the previous one tasted was magnificent and the next one if shy of the same magnificence but very good in its own right.

I am sooo glad you enjoyed the wines. There was v...

2012-02-21T10:03:17.166-08:00

I am sooo glad you enjoyed the wines. There was very little estate bottling before 1970, hence the unusual bottling of 63. I did obtain it from a VERY well known importer here in San Francisco. Roy respects him also. Thanks for sharing your comments.

As a former (and native) Washingtonian who has liv...

2012-02-20T19:09:04.051-08:00

As a former (and native) Washingtonian who has lived on the East Coast since 2006, I am constantly searching for Washington wines at local stores (I refuse to pay shipping except in extreme circumstances). Thankfully, I regularly travel the Mid-Atlantic region, and I've come across some great stuff, including Abeja, Amavi, Buty, Delille, Sleight, Rasa, and of course everything Charles Smith. However, almost all of my favorite sub-$20 wines are unavailable (e.g. Firehouse Red and all those other kitchen sink blends) as are many of my favorite cellar bottles (e.g. Cadence and Boudreaux) and others (Forgeron, OS, etc). While I realize that many of these wineries are either not interested or unable to distribute on the East Coast, I would love to see WWC think creatively about getting a wider selection of Washington wine to the East Coast. Perhaps 1-2 weeks of Washington wine tasting and selling events along the coast would be a good fist step.

Something basic in nature is best for me (that is,...

2012-02-20T15:52:21.710-08:00

Something basic in nature is best for me (that is, greater than pH of 7) as that "balances" all the acids we ingest tasting wine. Carrot juice serves nicely, and both white and reds wines taste great afterwards as a double bonus.

Paul, I eat a piece of bread or a plain cracker a...

2012-02-20T15:21:26.606-08:00

Paul,

I eat a piece of bread or a plain cracker and may drink some water to refresh my palate. Another problem with tasting a lot of wine at one sitting, even when spitting it out, is enough can slip down the pie hole and get absorbed into the body to cause quite a buzz.

Anon, I am guessing that the '75 was rare beca...

2012-02-19T12:22:50.670-08:00

Anon, I am guessing that the '75 was rare because very little was made, and very little was made because it was not an especially noteworthy vintage. It was certainly one of the lesser bottles of the evening.

1975 is a rare Grahams vintage. Never had that on...

2012-02-19T06:33:52.813-08:00

1975 is a rare Grahams vintage. Never had that one.

Paul, so sad you missed the Celilo Vineyard Chardo...

2012-02-18T15:34:36.776-08:00

Paul, so sad you missed the Celilo Vineyard Chardonnays tasting at my house this week. Included in that was a 1994 Cristom Chardonnay made from Celilo Vineyard. It was one of the standounts of the tasting. Remarkably preserved and one of the most dense, powerful wines of an impressive lineup.

David Schildknecht has requested that I amend the ...

2012-02-17T13:13:23.427-08:00

David Schildknecht has requested that I amend the last line of his post to read "... I find it amazing that even in some of the States and foreign countries that have been most nomenclature-happy to my knowledge nobody outside of Burgundy has done anything like this."

We recently became members of Cristom's wine c...

2012-02-16T12:49:08.880-08:00

We recently became members of Cristom's wine club. We stopped by the winery while out with some friends and stumbled upon a "member's only" tasting. Not only did they warmly invited us in, though none of us were members, we were treated like royalty and had some of the most amazing full library pinot noirs we'd had in a long time (and we are long time Pinot Pigs). Joining their club was a no-brainer. These folks are what excellent pinot noir (and customer service) is all about.

"take ... Mr Schildknecht to see The Benches,...

2012-02-16T12:03:43.082-08:00

"take ... Mr Schildknecht to see The Benches, aka Wallula, vineyard ... "
Been told this repeatedly, thanks! It looks to have made it onto my March agenda, but if not then certainly in July.

Re signage - and without gowing into any detailed examples as I's short on time - I have over my nearly 30 years of traveling diverse wine growing regions been very impressed with the many who just in the past decade have evolved on a regional or statewide basis a uniform means of pointing motorists toward winery locations. I realize that in Washington this will only be practical on a certain level of specificity (at that of Interstate Highway exit signs you might have to pull over for several minutes just to read the names of all the relevant facilities!)but nonetheless. The notion of marking entry and departure from A.V.A.s is also terrific, and I find it amazing that even in some of the States and foreign countries that have been most nomenclature-happy to my knowledge noboby has done anything like this.

To promote Washington wines, use more photos of th...

2012-02-15T10:06:26.795-08:00

To promote Washington wines, use more photos of the gorgeous landscape and vineyards in eastern Washington. Especially, take Mr Warner and Mr Schildknecht to see The Benches, aka Wallula, vineyard. It has to be one of the most beautiful vineyards in the world. There's no way you won't lust for Washington wine, when you see it.

I've heard so many good things about this wine...

2012-02-14T19:01:03.507-08:00

I've heard so many good things about this wine. Maybe it's about time that i give it a shot! Great blog sir! Cheers!

I could not agree with you more about Cristom prod...

2012-02-13T22:03:54.173-08:00

I could not agree with you more about Cristom producing excellent Pinot Noir, especially from the "Ladies". The most recent vintage I have tasted is the 2006 and I think it definitely has the stuff to improve for another decade. Based on your report on the 1999, I think I'll wait a while before I open any more. I have a few Mt Jefferson Cuvees and Summerland Reserves that should tide me over until it is time to open those Ladies.

Very nice welcome and list of suggestions, Mr. G. ...

2012-02-13T08:48:14.168-08:00

Very nice welcome and list of suggestions, Mr. G. I agree their website is a mess.

Also really like your suggestion for more and consistent signage. The only AVA signage I've ever seen in Washington is on Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills. Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail has signage but that doesn't follow the AVA boundary. Sure the AVA associations could/should do more to promote and distinguish themselves, but a coordinated statewide system would do wonders, and existing DOT blue signage could be integrated pretty readily I'd think.

Thanks Paul for your thoughts and suggestions. I ...

2012-02-11T10:40:03.297-08:00

Thanks Paul for your thoughts and suggestions. I particularly agree with the focus on key grape varieties! Also, niche markets... smart!

Other things to consider:
Cultivate better national distribution. Incentives (like the fedex shipping incentive on TheWineInstitute.org).

Look at ways to cultivate wineries looking to break the 5k case barrier into larger production.

Work with writers, bloggers, social media folks to create interest with Washington Wines such as #wawine hashtag.

Look at innovative startups that do tailored online sale of products (like shopify) and internal structure (like Shipcompliant) to encourage startup wineries to get hip with the internet scene.

In addition to those priorities, I'd like to s...

2012-02-10T12:02:07.624-08:00

In addition to those priorities, I'd like to suggest the following:

Despite the "Washington: the perfect climate for wine" promotion, We need to do a better job of articulating how Washington is different from other wine regions and how those differences are reflected in the wines. We can't just keep saying "we make good wines too", or "our wines are as good as theirs, but cheaper". Market the terroir, the landscape, the reason why our wines are fabulous and distinctive... As Paul suggests, road signs announcing that you are "entering the xyz American Viticultural Area" would be a great way to help both locals and visitors tune in to their terroir...

Speaking of career changes in the wine biz, does a...

2012-02-09T12:57:57.733-08:00

Speaking of career changes in the wine biz, does anyone know the current status and whereabouts of Tom Bronkema? He worked in the Skagit Valley area, established Lahar Winery, moved to Walla Walla, and disappeared!

Is there a 6-figure salary to go along with that?!...

2012-02-08T19:50:55.665-08:00

Is there a 6-figure salary to go along with that?!

Yes, I will take that job. You don't know wha...

2012-02-08T11:07:11.267-08:00

Yes, I will take that job. You don't know what my current job entails. This is a definite improvement. Is there compensation too?

Charlie, I completely agree with you. As for why s...

2012-02-07T13:15:29.787-08:00

Charlie, I completely agree with you. As for why some people choose to post anonymously, well, that's a blog for another day. But your story about the winery that pulled the plug because of an 86 is all too typical. A couple of thoughts to add. First of all, the specific guidelines published by the magazine for whom I write (Wine Enthusiast) make it clear that scores in the mid to high 80s are not "bad" scores! It is the industry - the distributors and retailers – who have trumpeted the high numbers so loud for so long that now even a 90 or 91 is a "bad" score unless your wine is under $15. There are wineries that totally hate all scoring systems, but instead of working with critics to find a mutually acceptable solution, they often just prefer to take their bottle and go home. Their loss as far as I'm concerned. And Anonymous, you are quite wrong to assume that a good critic can't appreciate wines that are not "in line" with his or her personal preferences. I often give very good reviews to wines that I would not drink myself. If they are well made, they are well made, whether or not they suit my personal preferences. And vice-versa, just because a wine happens to be the sort of wine that I generally prefer, in no way assures an individual bottle a positive review. Those reviews must be earned, vintage after vintage.

I see that Paul has not yet responded to "Ano...

2012-02-07T12:55:52.813-08:00

I see that Paul has not yet responded to "Anonymous"--so I will, and if Paul disagrees or finds my comments too harsh, he will say so.

Dear Anonymous 2: Critics sign all their reviews. Why can you not sign your own comments. They were not rude or insulting--just matters of disagreement.

But here is a real event in my life as a critic. There is a winery whose Chardonnay received big scores from my publication for years. Then, in the 2006 vintage, we found it less than wonderful and gave it (oh, the horrors) 86 points.

The winery owner called up, chewed me out, said the winery would never send the wine again because clearly we did not understand.

Did not understand? Or in your words, "had different taste preferences"? After ten years of highly positive reviews?

A funny thing happened the other day. After a couple of missed vintages, the wines showed up again. Despite a temptation to send them back, I instead put them into our blind tastings and one fo the two came up with clearly good comments and the other ranked in the middle.

So, I am now guessing that this silly winery will send us the Chard but not the PN. Now, I agree 100% with the notion that wineries can send or not send whatever and whenever the spirit moves them.

But, when they act like independent critics are their cheerleaders who are to be "punished", "vilified" and excoriated rudely, then they, not the critic, is in the wrong. I respectfully must ask if you understand that side of the equation.

The argument is clear. Why send a wine to a criti...

2012-02-07T09:32:45.499-08:00

The argument is clear. Why send a wine to a critic who's palate isn't inline with the style of wine the winemaker makes? Could it be that simple? Maybe the winery has changed winemakers and thus wine style? Maybe wineries are finally smarting up and selectively giving you wines that you would probably like and score well and not sending you ones that you won't? Maybe wineries are finally smarting up and playing the 100 point lottery game to their advantage?

It isn't burning a bridge either. Let's face it, critics have certain 'taste preferences' and there are MANY channels to market without the need for scores by critics from major publications.

For the other anonymous poster, you clearly have no concept of the ramifications of how the 100 point game is played and how consumers respond to it. Do you know what a score of 85 points will do to your brand? How is that 'good'?

It may not be that they deliberately burned a brid...

2012-02-07T07:41:21.607-08:00

It may not be that they deliberately burned a bridge. Perhaps there's someone new at the winery and he or she dropped the ball.

Or perhaps the winery has decided to shift limited resources to avenues that bring more sales. It could be coincidental that this happened after a less-than-sterling review.