It was fight night at the monthly Seattle Wine Society meeting. Washington State wines had challenged Sonoma wines to a duel, a “taste off,” if you will. Who would come out the winner? California wines are the “darlings” in this country. They’ve been the champions of the “top-producer-of-wine” bout since the beginning of the wine industry in this country but Washington State has moved into second place. Washington is now a contender! Sonoma accepted Washington’s challenge and the “taste off” was on!
The monthly Wine Society meeting was hosted by David LeClaire, a local Seattle wine guru. David’s bio states he’s a certified sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers. He’s a freelance writer for Northwest Stir and Hospitality News magazines. He’s also an instructor at North Seattle Community College. What I’m saying here is this man knows what he’s talking about. Too bad it was nearly impossible to hear him because he wouldn’t use a microphone. Most of David’s education was lost in the air of the large room and drowned out from all of the members sitting at tables discussing the differences between the Washington Wines and the California wines and which wines went best with the food that was served. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa! What can I say? I was at a table in the back of the room and so I gave up trying to hear David at the front of the room.
Enough whining! Get on with it! Okay, keep yer knickers on!
The first wines we tasted were Chardonnays. I have long since “gotten over” Chardonnay. I had a pretty long love affair with the over-oaked California style Chards. After tasting so many other whites that are WAY better than Chards, I’ve grown. Or at least I’ve moved on.
Just a quick question. Are you as tired of Chardonnay as I am? Craving something new and delicious? Some great alternatives to Chardonnay are: (the dry whites) dry Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc (try the ones from Marlborough, New Zealand and Sancerre, France), Vermentino (Italy), and Viognier (Rhone varietal but WA state is making some great ones), (the sweet whites) Gruner Veltliner (Austria), Marsanne (usually blended with Viognier and/or Roussanne), Muscat, Riesling, and Roussanne. There are many, many other great whites, but these are pretty easy to find and there are lots of producers of these varietals offered at all price ranges. Why not try something different than what you usually reach for at the grocery store?
Okay. Back to our regularly scheduled program.
The Chards were paired with crostini with smoked salmon and crème fraiche. I had to pass on the salmon as it was served raw, and as adventurous as I am with food and wine, raw fish makes me gag (that’s probably TMI for some of you), so I can’t comment on which wine was the better match. I can tell you which Chardonnay I preferred. The Sonoma Chard was overly-oaked (go figure!) and the flavor of the grape was lost. It was very oaky on the nose but it did look nice. Pale yellow in color and clear and bright. The Washington Chard was much less oaky. It was almost identical in color and clarity. It still had too much oak for me and although I wouldn’t walk across the street for a bottle of Chardonnay, the WA Chard was the lesser of the two boring renditions. For all of you Chardonnay fans, if I’ve offended you, tough! This is my blog so I can say whatever I want.
The second wines we tasted were Zinfandels. Both were a beautiful deep garnet color. The Washington version smelled like black cherry and coffee. It was fairly high in tannins, which is pretty typical for a Zin and tasted of dark berries, tar, and coffee with some leather. The acids weren’t too high and the alcohol wasn’t too high, so overall, I thought the Washington Zin was well balanced. It had a long finish as well so I gave this one two thumbs up. The California Zin was just as good and it matched the roasted eggplant and olives in filo cups dish that was served with them better than the WA Zin. The CA Zin had a dark berry aroma and tasted earthy and mushroomy. The tannins weren’t out of control, nor was the alcohol. Some Zinfandels can taste “hot” and burn the mouth from too much alcohol but both of these were well done. The CA Zin had an extremely short finish so that was the only thing negative thing I can say about that one. I’d say that there was no clear winner in the Zin category so I’m calling this one a tie.
The third wines we tasted were Cabernet Sauvignons. I know what you’re thinking. Do we really have to go through this? The world is full of Cabernets and everything that can be said about them and done to them has been said and done. I’m with you. But, we tasted them so I feel obligated. The WA Cab was a beautiful deep purple in color and was subtle berry on the nose. It had the typical dark cherry and cedar notes on the palate. Overall, it was subtle for a Cab. The Sonoma Cab had the same deep purple color. The nose was very intense and it made me want to drink it — all of it. So I did. It tasted as delicious as it smelled. Dark cherry flavors and earthy, some spice. The meatballs with piperade matched both versions of the Cabs well. My pick of the two Cabs was the Sonoma version. Yawn. Next.
The fourth and last wines we tasted were Syrahs. At this point in the evening my palate was starting to get a little tired or perhaps it was me as it was approaching my bedtime. I didn’t take notes on the Syrahs except I made a note that the WA Syrah was the better match for the mushroom strudel than the CA Syrah. Sorry, folks, that’s all I wrote down and apparently, neither were all that remarkable or I would’ve remembered. Probably.
The was no clear winner here as I picked one Washington wine, one California wine, one was a tie, and apparently, my Adult ADD kicked in at the end or I fell asleep or something so I’m not sure which one was the Syrah winner. Sorry folks. Next month’s wine program will focus on wines of Provence. I’ll try to do better next month.
The Stats:
The Chards – Washington vs. California
What: White wine - Chardonnay
Producer: Ryan Patrick
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Chardonnay
Location: Columbia Valley, WA
Cost: $20.00
What: White wine - Chardonnay
Producer: Chateau St. Jean
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Chardonnay
Location: Sonoma, CA
Cost: $14.00
The Zins – Washington vs. California
What: Red wine – Zinfandel
Producer: Barnard Griffin
Vintage: 2005
Varietal: Zinfandel
Location: Columbia Valley, WA
Cost: $22.00
What: Red wine – Zinfandel
Producer: Coppola “Director’s Cut”
Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Zinfandel
Location: Dry Creek, CA
Cost: $22.00
The Cabs – Washington vs. California
What: Red wine – Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer: Chateau Ste. Michelle “Indian Wells”
Vintage: 2005
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Location: Columbia Valley, WA
Cost: $19.00
What: Red wine – Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer: Rodney Strong
Vintage: 2005
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Location: Alexander Valley, CA
Cost: $23.00
The Syrahs – Washington vs. California
What: Red wine – Syrah
Producer: Substance
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Syrah
Location: Walla Walla, WA
Cost: $17.00
What: Red wine – Syrah
Producer: Novy
Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Syrah
Location: Sonoma, CA
Cost: $21.00
The monthly Wine Society meeting was hosted by David LeClaire, a local Seattle wine guru. David’s bio states he’s a certified sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers. He’s a freelance writer for Northwest Stir and Hospitality News magazines. He’s also an instructor at North Seattle Community College. What I’m saying here is this man knows what he’s talking about. Too bad it was nearly impossible to hear him because he wouldn’t use a microphone. Most of David’s education was lost in the air of the large room and drowned out from all of the members sitting at tables discussing the differences between the Washington Wines and the California wines and which wines went best with the food that was served. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa! What can I say? I was at a table in the back of the room and so I gave up trying to hear David at the front of the room.
Enough whining! Get on with it! Okay, keep yer knickers on!
The first wines we tasted were Chardonnays. I have long since “gotten over” Chardonnay. I had a pretty long love affair with the over-oaked California style Chards. After tasting so many other whites that are WAY better than Chards, I’ve grown. Or at least I’ve moved on.
Just a quick question. Are you as tired of Chardonnay as I am? Craving something new and delicious? Some great alternatives to Chardonnay are: (the dry whites) dry Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc (try the ones from Marlborough, New Zealand and Sancerre, France), Vermentino (Italy), and Viognier (Rhone varietal but WA state is making some great ones), (the sweet whites) Gruner Veltliner (Austria), Marsanne (usually blended with Viognier and/or Roussanne), Muscat, Riesling, and Roussanne. There are many, many other great whites, but these are pretty easy to find and there are lots of producers of these varietals offered at all price ranges. Why not try something different than what you usually reach for at the grocery store?
Okay. Back to our regularly scheduled program.
The Chards were paired with crostini with smoked salmon and crème fraiche. I had to pass on the salmon as it was served raw, and as adventurous as I am with food and wine, raw fish makes me gag (that’s probably TMI for some of you), so I can’t comment on which wine was the better match. I can tell you which Chardonnay I preferred. The Sonoma Chard was overly-oaked (go figure!) and the flavor of the grape was lost. It was very oaky on the nose but it did look nice. Pale yellow in color and clear and bright. The Washington Chard was much less oaky. It was almost identical in color and clarity. It still had too much oak for me and although I wouldn’t walk across the street for a bottle of Chardonnay, the WA Chard was the lesser of the two boring renditions. For all of you Chardonnay fans, if I’ve offended you, tough! This is my blog so I can say whatever I want.
The second wines we tasted were Zinfandels. Both were a beautiful deep garnet color. The Washington version smelled like black cherry and coffee. It was fairly high in tannins, which is pretty typical for a Zin and tasted of dark berries, tar, and coffee with some leather. The acids weren’t too high and the alcohol wasn’t too high, so overall, I thought the Washington Zin was well balanced. It had a long finish as well so I gave this one two thumbs up. The California Zin was just as good and it matched the roasted eggplant and olives in filo cups dish that was served with them better than the WA Zin. The CA Zin had a dark berry aroma and tasted earthy and mushroomy. The tannins weren’t out of control, nor was the alcohol. Some Zinfandels can taste “hot” and burn the mouth from too much alcohol but both of these were well done. The CA Zin had an extremely short finish so that was the only thing negative thing I can say about that one. I’d say that there was no clear winner in the Zin category so I’m calling this one a tie.
The third wines we tasted were Cabernet Sauvignons. I know what you’re thinking. Do we really have to go through this? The world is full of Cabernets and everything that can be said about them and done to them has been said and done. I’m with you. But, we tasted them so I feel obligated. The WA Cab was a beautiful deep purple in color and was subtle berry on the nose. It had the typical dark cherry and cedar notes on the palate. Overall, it was subtle for a Cab. The Sonoma Cab had the same deep purple color. The nose was very intense and it made me want to drink it — all of it. So I did. It tasted as delicious as it smelled. Dark cherry flavors and earthy, some spice. The meatballs with piperade matched both versions of the Cabs well. My pick of the two Cabs was the Sonoma version. Yawn. Next.
The fourth and last wines we tasted were Syrahs. At this point in the evening my palate was starting to get a little tired or perhaps it was me as it was approaching my bedtime. I didn’t take notes on the Syrahs except I made a note that the WA Syrah was the better match for the mushroom strudel than the CA Syrah. Sorry, folks, that’s all I wrote down and apparently, neither were all that remarkable or I would’ve remembered. Probably.
The was no clear winner here as I picked one Washington wine, one California wine, one was a tie, and apparently, my Adult ADD kicked in at the end or I fell asleep or something so I’m not sure which one was the Syrah winner. Sorry folks. Next month’s wine program will focus on wines of Provence. I’ll try to do better next month.
The Stats:
The Chards – Washington vs. California
What: White wine - Chardonnay
Producer: Ryan Patrick
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Chardonnay
Location: Columbia Valley, WA
Cost: $20.00
What: White wine - Chardonnay
Producer: Chateau St. Jean
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Chardonnay
Location: Sonoma, CA
Cost: $14.00
The Zins – Washington vs. California
What: Red wine – Zinfandel
Producer: Barnard Griffin
Vintage: 2005
Varietal: Zinfandel
Location: Columbia Valley, WA
Cost: $22.00
What: Red wine – Zinfandel
Producer: Coppola “Director’s Cut”
Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Zinfandel
Location: Dry Creek, CA
Cost: $22.00
The Cabs – Washington vs. California
What: Red wine – Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer: Chateau Ste. Michelle “Indian Wells”
Vintage: 2005
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Location: Columbia Valley, WA
Cost: $19.00
What: Red wine – Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer: Rodney Strong
Vintage: 2005
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Location: Alexander Valley, CA
Cost: $23.00
The Syrahs – Washington vs. California
What: Red wine – Syrah
Producer: Substance
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Syrah
Location: Walla Walla, WA
Cost: $17.00
What: Red wine – Syrah
Producer: Novy
Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Syrah
Location: Sonoma, CA
Cost: $21.00
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