Category Archives: Washington

Hors Catégorie: A Bit of Northern Rhone in Northern Oregon

Posted on April 9, 2019 by don

Christophe Baron, most famous for his vineyards in The Rocks, has a new discovery, a very steeply sloped basalt hillside vineyard called Hors Catégorie located on the north fork of the Walla Walla River near the Oregon border with Washington … Continue reading →

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Cabernet Sauvignon Reigns Supreme in Washington State

Posted on February 7, 2019 by don

Washington State’s Cabernet Sauvignon plantings have increased dramatically in recent years, driven by consumer demand and the price premium this grape commands.  Cabernet Sauvignon plantings have also taken off in California in appellations like Lodi and Paso Robles.  So is … Continue reading →

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Succulent Sweet Wines for the Holidays: The Best of 2018

Posted on December 20, 2018 by don

What better time of the year to open a bottle of profusely perfumed, deeply flavored sweet wine than the Holidays?  We’ve tasted a lot of them this past year from Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Washington, and, most recently, the Atlantic Coast … Continue reading →

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Washington’s Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Rieslings: Outstanding Wines, Incredible Values

Posted on October 15, 2018 by don

Washington State is by far the most important producer of Riesling in the US, and Chateau Ste. Michelle accounts for most of it, making over 1.2 million cases of Riesling annually. We recently sat down with Chateau Ste. Michelle white … Continue reading →

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American Riesling from the East and West Coasts

Posted on November 3, 2015 by don

Excellent Riesling is now being produced on both the East and West coasts of the US. In this article, we review recent releases of several of the most important American producers. These include Dr. Konstantin Frank and Lamoreaux Landing in … Continue reading →

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Tenet Wines: Rhone Winemakers in Washington State

Posted on July 8, 2015 by don

Two of the Southern Rhone’s premier winemakers—Michel Gassier and Philippe Cambie—have teamed up with Bob Bertheau of  Chateau Ste. Michelle to make wines from Rhone varieties grown in Washington State’s Columbia Valley.  Their venture is called Tenet Wines, and we … Continue reading →

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Pacific Rim: Washington’s Riesling Specialist

Posted on September 12, 2013 by don

As we note in our Report # 38 The Wines of Washington State,  Washington is by far the country’s most important producer of Riesling.  With 6320 acres of vines, it has double California’s plantings and over five times those of … Continue reading →

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Mega-Floods and the Vineyards of Washington State

Posted on July 22, 2013 by don

In the recent past (geologically speaking), Washington State was home to one of nature’s most cataclysmic events, which shaped the terrain and soils of the vineyards that today produce some of the world’s best wine grapes, which we had the … Continue reading →

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David Lake: Patriarch of Washington State Syrah

Posted on July 7, 2013 by don

David Lake (1943-2009) was one of the most influential pioneers in the history of the Washington State wine industry. He is credited with producing Washington State’s first vineyard-designated wines as well as the state’s first Syrah.

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Book Review: American Wine by Jancis Robinson and Linda Murphy

Posted on March 6, 2013 by don

American Wine, just published by the University of California Press, is a very ambitious effort to tell the story of wine in the U.S.—all 50 states, 206 AVA’s, 7 thousand producers, and almost one million acres of vines—in a beautifully … Continue reading →

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