Saviah Wins Best Wine at 30th Annual Washington Wine Competition

Can I just stop for a few moments and gloat a little? Ahh… It just feels so good to be right once in a while.

When I write that a particular wine or wine maker is really doing well I am always amazed how people gloss over and either quickly forget or ignore what I’ve told them. I know that everyone has their favorite little winery that they visit where the winemaker gave them a signed cork, or a piece of 10 year old cheese. But, those aren’t necessarily the ones producing really amazing wines. The ones producing the great stuff are these quiet little vintners that aren’t directly on the beaten path.

Such is the case with my good friend Rich Funk. Funk, who with his wife Anita, owns Saviah Cellars near the Oregon border in Walla Walla is producing some of the most amazing and solid wines of anyone in the region.

I met with Rich a few months ago and he was just preparing to bottle up his new “Jack” Riesling. Another part of his “Jack” line of labels. The wine wasn’t ready to taste when I was in the barrel room then, but Rich was extremely excited about what he was seeing at the time.

The “Jack” is a complete line of mid-priced wines, with a Blend, Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah, and now an addition of a Riesling. I have photographed and tasted every one of these wines at one time or other, with the exception of the Riesling, but I’ve been very excited to give it a try.

Recently, a Facebook friend asked me for Walla Walla white wine recommendations. Without even a second’s thought I told her that the Jack Riesling was a definite must have. That is without even tasting the stuff.

Well, this week the news broke. At the 30th Annual Washington Wine Competition held in Yakima last week the Jack Riesling took home the bank. It won the best overall wine, the Govenor’s Award, and all the top honors.

I am so excited for Rich, and I wish him a complete sell out on this wine. That is, after I’ve had a chance to buy a case myself!

Along with the Riesling, Saviah also received double gold for its 2008 Malbec, and a gold for it’s 2007 Petit Verdot. These are wines that I have tried, and can undoubtedly vouch are absolutely fantastic vintages. I just enjoyed the Malbec on Father’s Day with a fantastic dinner at Tuscany in Prosser.

While the Funks and their crew took several awards, there were also others that should be mentioned. Rob Griffin, winemaker-owner of Barnard Griffin in Richland took home the “Best Red” award with his 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. There were also many double gold awards from Hard Roe To Hoe, Sinclair Estates, Thurston Wolfe, and Walter Dacon Wines.

For a complete listing of the winners I suggest you go online to WinePressnw.com and look up the complete listing. You will find many of the wines that I have already suggested to you over the past year, and probably some more that I will mention again soon.

Enjoy!

Watermill Winery A Good Reason To Visit Milton Freewater

Over the last few weeks I have been sharing on a recent day trip that I took to Walla Walla Valley. These articles are being punctuated by other articles as they arise.

It had been quite a while since I had been to Milton Freewater. As much as I enjoy the little town, it is not exactly a straight shot from my home in Kennewick. But, I was on a mission with my friends Phyllis and Becky Fergueson who run the annual Savor The Flavor event in the Tri-Cities.

After a quick visit to Petit Noir on the main drag through town to quench everyone’s need for the region’s most delicious handmade truffles, we headed back into the older section of town to visit Watermill Winery and its twin sister company Blue Mountain Cider.

It had been at least two years, if not closer to three, since I had been to the old Watermill building, and the now beautifully renovated tasting room that sits on the front of the property.

The Brown family established Watermill Winery in 2005 in conjunction with Rich Funk of Saviah Cellars fame. Rich and Andrew Brown set forth to produce wines together with the understanding that as Andrew’s skills honed, Rich would take more of a back-seat consulting role. That has happened, and now Brown is taking on the lion’s share of the winemaking tasks with Funk offering support. I was excited to see what Andrew has done with the reigns he’s been given.

I had to try the 2008 Viognier. I think I can openly say “scrumptious”. This is a really good Viognier. An English flower garden on the nose, with floral, apricot, and peach flavors. It finishes with creamed honey and minerals on the finish. I took a bottle home, and now I wish I had taken a case.

Next, I jumped to the Chances R Red Blend. A few vintages ago this was one of my favorite red blends from the region. Very affordable and rich. The 2007 has more of a grown up taste than the label suggests. After some air this wine offered up dark jammy nose and flavors, mixed with hints of leather, pepper, and spice box. At $15 it is definitely worth it.

The 2007 Midnight Red is an Estate Blend from the McClellan Estate. It offers 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, mixed with equal parts of Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. This wine is quite complex and elegant with bright cherry up front, leading to tobacco, leather, and berry pie as the wine slips across your palate.

I’m a sucker for a good Cabernet Franc, so I had to try Watermill’s 2007 vintage. This wine offers cloves and pepper on the nose. The flavors are rich with black cherry cola, pepper, and wonderfully silky tannins on the finish.

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from several acclaimed vineyards reaching from Walla Walla to Kiona on Red Mountain. With a balance of 25% merlot, this wine hits all the corners of your palate. Dark fruit on the front, leading to dark cocoa, figs, walnut, and finishing with vanilla and a light smokiness this wine is one to have with a nice grilled rib steak.

One of the best parts about Watermill is once you’ve tasted through the wines, which I’ve only given a short list of, you can walk across the room to the Blue Mountain Cider tasting counter. I’ll leave that for a later article though.

Enjoy!

Social Media Is Changing The Way We Drink Wine

Last night I went to a great wine tasting event. I met a lot of new people and had a great time laughing and comparing notes with the 100 or so other people in the room. I wore my workout shorts and t-shirt, and when it was all over I went upstairs and went to bed.

So, now you’re probably wondering what wine bar I live above? I don’t, unless you want to call my dusty basement closet a wine bar. No. Last night I went to a wine “tweet up”.

After dragging my feet on Twitter ,Facebook, blogging and every other type of social media out there, I have slowly been coming around to the whole concept. I started tweeting officially sometime around Christmas and now have just under 400 wine drinking friends.

The amazing thing with Facebook and Twitter is that I can read articles, opinions, and reviews not only once a week, but all day and night every day of the week. The discussion is open ended. I can read someone else’s opinion, and then turn right around and give my own. Input is usually relegated to short sentences, so I’m not forced to listen to someone’s long, boring diatribe.

With Facebook and Twitter, both have extensive lists of vintners and their employees. You’re not always getting the public PR scoop from the marketing department. You are able to talk directly to the cellar rat or the tasting room employee who has their feet on the ground every day.

In several cases here locally you can reach out and have a personal conversation with the actual winemakers regularly. I have daily conversations with Charlie Hoppes, Neil Cooper, Rich Funk, Marie Eve Gilla, and Cameron Kontos. I know when Robert Smasne is in town, or at his tasting room in Woodinville. I know when the new release of Bookwalter Cabernet Sauvignon comes out immediately, and where the release party is going to be.

Over the next few weeks there are going to be several wine tweeting events. Some are being held at wineries such as Desert Wind Winery in Prosser. Taste Washington in Seattle the last weekend of this month will be a huge “tweet up”. I’ll be there, and would love to see you at the event.

These events are options for people to physically get together, meet, and establish friendships over a glass of wine. Afterwards, you can keep that relationship going by tweeting with those friends on an ongoing basis.

Another option is to attend a tweet discussion. I will be the guest “specialist” in a tweet discussion happening between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on March 10th. The way to join the discussion is go to go to www.twitter.com and signing up for an account. You can follow me by searching @onerichwineguy. Once you’ve found me click in the “follow” box. I’ll then follow you in return!

On the 10th at about 6 p.m., once you’ve got your account, type in #socialwine in the search window on the right side of the screen. Grab a glass of wine and join the conversation. If you want to add in your own thoughts just type #socialwine in the body of the status sentence and it will be listed for the group to see. Cool huh?

This event is in an interview format. I encourage you to send me questions through my blog at www.onerichwineguy.blogspot.com or you can direct message me on Twitter before the event.

See you there!!

Top Wines of 2009

Before I get too far into this article I want to start with a disclaimer: These are my opinions and not some cold hard truths that come down from the wine gods. The wheels on the bus will not fall off if your favorite wine isn’t in here.

Last year this was the only article that I received hate mail and phone calls over. For some reason people felt that I had hurt their sensibilities because I didn’t mention their brand of White Zinfandel. Anyway, just relax and enjoy my picks for 2009.

Wine of the year - 2001 Garrison Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - No, the date is not a typo. Tucked away against the foothills of the Blue Mountains on the Washington side of the state border between Walla Walla and Milton Freewater is a beautifully constructed barn made out of imported slate, hand-hewn timbers, and gorgeous adornments. This is the home of Garrison Creek Winery. Available by appointment only, David March, the winemaker has bottled and is selling a limited supply of wine that will rock your socks. The 2001 vintage has had many years in the barrel and the bottle, making it one of the most fantastic Cabernets I’ve had in many years.

Best Chardonnay - Gordon Brothers 2006 Reserve Chardonnay – This is Chardonnay the way God intended it. Pears, apples, and melon on the nose and front of the palate, transitioning to the warm vanillas and baking spices associated with careful oaking on the finish. Absolutely delicious.

Best Red Blend - 2007 Fidelitas M100 Red Blend - Charlie Hoppes continues to prove why he is considered to be the region’s most sought after winemaker. This affordable blend simply “rocks”. Flavors of vanilla, cassis, chocolate, and dark fruit from start to finish.

Best Rose’ - 2008 Barnard Griffin Rose’ of Sangiovese - It isn’t rose season, but I have fond memories of this particular bottle from this year’s stock. You might be able to find it in a few specialty shops, but Rob is already working on his 2009 to be released sometime in the next few months.

Best White Blend – 2008 Saviah Cellars Star Meadows – Last year I named this winemaker the number one winemaker of the year. I still have to say that Rich Funk still tops the list. His 2008 Star Meadows is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semmilon, which brings out layers upon layers of citrus, apricot, and floral flavors.

Best Merlot – 2006 Pepper Bridge Merlot - This is one of the toughest years in recent memory for me in making this decision. A lot of absolutely fantastic Merlots have been coming from this region in the past few years. Jean Francois Pellet holds the top notch with this vintage. It has intense flavors of plum, currants, and cherries, with layers of chocolate and spice.

Winemaker to watch – Kontos Cellars 2006 Boushey Syrah - There aren’t a lot of winemakers in the region who were raised in the winemaking business, but Cameron Kontos is one of them. Following his father, Cliff Kontos of Walla Walla Cellars, Cameron has gone on to further refine his skills under Marie Eve Gilla of Forgeron over the past few years. 2009 was a fantastic year for Cameron. He and his brother Chris opened Kontos Cellars this year at the Walla Walla Incubator, and just a few months later he married the love of his life Becca. His Boushey Syrah earned a 91 from Robert Parker, and is absolutely fantastic! It opens with layers of peppercorn, bacon, and roses, soon followed by dark berries and truffles. The finish is long and satisfying.

I wish you all happiness and success in 2010!