If you enjoy wines from Italy, France, Spain and California, try our featured Top Wine Picks from our “Washington State Vs. The World” series. Below we review 16 Washington-produced wines crafted in four different worldly styles: Barbera, Grenache, Albariño and Petite Sirah.
BARBERA
What You Should Know: Barbera is the #1 grown red grape in the Piedmont region of Italy, most famously from the towns of Asti and Alba where careful pruning of this vigorously growing vine is shown to result in overall higher quality wines. With trademark cherry flavors and a bright core of food-friendly acidity, it is a young up-and-comer in Washington, where recent plantings include the Columbia Valley, Red Mountain and Walla Walla Valley AVAs.
Tranche Cellars 2010 Barbera, $25
www.tranchecellars.com
This Walla Walla-based winery sourced grapes from three different AVA’s to make this beauty.
Nose: Blackberry, plum, cranberry, coffee bean and allspice.
Taste: Bright and fleshy with tart cherry, raspberry, red currant, dried garden herbs and lavender. The bright acidity persists through the vibrant and lengthy finish.
Facelli Winery 2009 Barbera, $25
www.facelliwinery.com
Lou Facelli and his family own and operate this winery in Woodinville that specializes in single varietals.
Nose: Dried strawberry, red plum and cigar box.
Taste: Velvet smooth tannins on a rich front of dried cherries, juicy red berries and currents with anise, fresh herbs and vanilla spice on the long lasting finish.
Eccolo Cellars 2011 Wahluke Slope Barbera, $30
www.eccolocellars.com
Focused on Piedmont varietals, Adam Ashley Bernstein collaborated with winemaker Morgan Lee on this food-friendly single varietal wine.
Nose: Bright plum, blackberry, violet, cedar and vanilla.
Taste: Bold, rich and racy with Italian plum, black cherry, currants, violets and dried earthy notes with a deft grip on the long finish.
MonteScarlatto 2011 Dawn’s Bikini Barbera, $60
www.montescarlattoestatewinery.com
This wine is a fine tribute to owner Joel Mackay’s fiancé Dawn, who helped plant the estate vineyard and then lost a struggle with cancer.
Nose: Seductive dark and purple fruit, allspice, rainforest and suede.
Taste: A finesse wine with solid structure, dark plum, dried cherry, spring violets, fennel and Moroccan spice on a lengthy finish.
GRENACHE
What You Should Know: More wine is produced in France’s famed Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine region of southern Rhône wine region than in all of the northern Rhône appellations combined. Grenache dominates the vineyard plantings by far, so it’s little wonder that it’s also the most commonly bottled variety. Washington winemakers have an ongoing love affair with Grenache due to its rich savory flavors, food-friendliness and aging potential.
Smasne Cellars 2010 Upland Vineyard Grenache, $34
www.smasnecellars.com
Robert O. Smasne is one of the Columbia Valley’s most prolific winemakers.
Nose: Lovely red plum, raisin, red licorice, violet, hickory and peppercorn with a lick of wet slate.
Taste: Rapturous flavors of raspberry, cherry and blueberry with herbes de Provence seasoning the mid-palate.
The Bunnell Family Cellar 2009 Grenache, $36
www.bunnellfamilycellar.com
Ron Bunnell crafts exquisite small lots of Rhône style varietals and this Grenache maintains good energy and balance.
Nose: Earthy with raspberry, plum, orange, tea, cinnamon, lavender, leather.
Taste: Elegant and refined with seamless soft fruity red plum and raspberry that opens to shades of licorice and malted vanilla. Well-balanced through the satisfying finish.
àMaurice 2010 Boushey Vineyard Grenache, $38
www.amaurice.com
Winemaker Anna Schafer sourced these grapes from the famed Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley.
Nose: Alluring from the get-go with strawberry, orange rind, peony blossom and subtle pepper notes.
Taste: Ultra suave with rich dense texture and concentrated flavors of red berries, orange zest, cinnamon, white pepper and licorice.
Dusted Valley 2012 Columbia Valley Grenache, $39
www.dustedvalley.com
Corey Braunel and Chad Johnson balanced out this Grenache with a tad of Syrah and Petite Sirah to add muscular tannins and savory flavors.
Nose: Black olive, espresso, sage, cherry and Italian plum.
Taste: Dense with big tannins backed by black cherry, black raspberry, black tea, savory herbs and river rock minerality with scorched earth notes on the finish.
ALBARIÑO
What You Should Know: Long used as a blending component for Spanish and Portuguese white wines, it was only in the late ‘80s that Albariño emerged as a varietal on its own in the Rías Baixas wine region of Spain. In recent years Albariño has gained attention from Washington winemakers who have fallen in love with the grape’s Viognier-like aromatics, clean, lively citrus flavors and minerally edges. It pairs incredibly well with nearly any kind of seafood.
Palencia 2013 Ancient Lakes of the Columbia Valley Albariño, $18
www.palenciawine.com
Exotic and alluring, yet another example of why rising star Victor Palencia’s wines are sought after.
Nose: Generous aromatics of pear, peach, citrus and white flower blossoms.
Taste: Zesty lemon, crisp green apple and peach backed by a creamy texture, finishing with bright acidity, chaulky minerality and white pepper notes.
Thurston Wolfe 2013 Yakima Valley Albariño, $18
www.thurstonwolfe.com
This Albariño is winemaker Dr. Wade Wolfe’s first vintage sourced from the Crawford Vineyard in the Yakima Valley.
Nose: Floral and expressive honey blossom, apricot, pear and pineapple.
Taste: Crisp, full-bodied and elegant with off-dry flavors of nectarine, grapefruit, lemon curd and crème fraîche. Complex and balanced.
Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2013 Affinity Albariño, $22
www.alexandrianicolecellars.com
Winemaker Jarrod Boyle carefully selected and hand harvested the grapes for his second vintage of Albariño.
Nose: Soft tropical fruit aromas including starfruit, pineapple, key lime.
Taste: Clean-cut minerality and taut structure. Refined flavors of lemon drop, kiwi, honeysuckle, and pear with a medium-dry finish.
Adamant Cellars 2013 Walla Walla Valley Estate Albariño, $25
www.adamantcellars.com
A crisp, bone dry and finely-structured offering from Walla Walla winemaker Devin Stinger.
Nose: Delicate minerality of crushed rock, melon, pear, citrus, white blossoms.
Taste: Dry and zesty with briny savoriness, pineapple, lemon, lime, tangerine, grapefruit and honeydew.
PETITE SIRAH
What You Should Know: Petite Sirah (synonymous with Durif) has seen an explosion over the past decade, particularly in California, one of the top growers of this exotic varietal. The grape is a cousin to Syrah and was discovered by French botanist Francois Durif in the 1860s. The name “petite” refers to the small, yet concentrated berries which result in full-bodied wines sporting dark fruit flavors and huge tannins. This grape thrives in Washington’s Yakima Valley and Red Mountain AVAs.
DavenLore Winery 2011 Horse Heaven Hills Durif, $27.50
www.davenlore.com
Produced by winemaker Gordon Taylor, this brooding, sultry and complex wine is the flagship of his big reds.
Nose: Tantalizing aromatics of dark plum, blackberry, hickory, bacon fat, violet and rawhide leather.
Taste: Elegant and refined in structure with fine grained tannins and bold flavors of dark stone fruit, lavender, bittersweet dark chocolate and meaty notes.
Corvus Cellars 2010 Red Mountain Syrah–Petite Sirah, $29
www.corvuscellars.com
Sourced entirely from Red Mountain AVA comes this smart and blissful blend of Corvus’ estate-grown Petite Sirah and Ambassador Vineyard Syrah.
Nose: Dried violets, blackberry and black raspberry, sandalwood, cinnamon and peppercorn.
Taste: Powerful, densely-knit structure with black plum, blackberry, crushed rock and black tea on the long finish.
Sleeping Dog Wines 2010 Yakima Valley Petite Sirah, $30
www.sleepingdogwines.com
Only 43 cases made of this opulent wine crafted by Larry “Alpha winemaker” Oates.
Nose: Dark berries, bittersweet chocolate, dark caramel, chai tea and evergreen boughs.
Taste: Concentrated with rich dark fruit of black plum, dark cherry, currants and mocha. Penetrating tannins and moderate acidity push through the visceral finish.
Northwest Cellars 2011 Art Den Hoed Vineyard Petite Sirah, $32
www.northwestcellars.com
An aromatic, lush wine from Bob Delf’s Kirkland winery.
Nose: High-toned aromas of plum, black raspberry, blackberry, raspberry, cocoa bean, dried parsley, pepper and vanilla.
Taste: Well-defined acidity and plush, mouth-coating tannins exuding blueberry, pie cherries, black tea, tobacco leaf and peppercorn highlights on the finish.