The Wine Knows

A friend called me the other day to ask my opinion on the best three places to grow Cabernet Sauvignon in Washington. We ended up veering off into some interesting side discussions, which I thought would be fun to extend to this forum.

My friend, who is deeply knowledgeable about Washington wine country (he has been in this biz for decades longer than me), was leaning toward:

1. Red Mountain
2. Horse Heaven Hills
3. Wahluke Slope

At first, I differed slightly by putting the Horse Heaven Hills first and Red Mountain second. But then I wavered. It's awfully difficult to discount the quality of fruit coming from the Wahluke Slope, which is nearly as warm as Red Mountain.

Then I got to thinking: I really like the Cabernet coming out of the southern Walla Walla Valley, particularly Seven Hills. Wait a minute! That's in Oregon. A different discussion altogether.

Today, I was chatting with another friend, also one who has been traipsing through Washington vineyards since I was in grade school. We got onto the subject of great places to grow various grapes. I mentioned that it is hard to discount the Frenchman Hills, an area north of the Wahluke Slope near the town of Royal City that is not an official appellation. The main vineyard is Stillwater Creek, one of my favorites in the state. At Stillwater, Cab can hang until the end of October and still only be around 25 brix. Thus, because of the slightly cooler conditions on that particular south-facing slope, winemakers can get greater hang time without the additional accumulation of sugar - and thus better balanced alcohols.

We cannot dismiss the greatness of the Horse Heaven Hills, particularly such vineyards as Champoux, Andrews, Alder Ridge, Destiny Ridge and Zephyr Ridge. That fact, in my mind, puts Horse Heaven Hills first.

Red Mountain is a fabulous benchland for red grapes. World renowned. Can't leave it off the list.

I might punt on Wahluke and put it on the list for best places to grow Syrah and Merlot.

Thus, my top three list for best places to grow Cab in Washington:

1. Horse Heaven Hills
2. Red Mountain
3. Frenchman Hills