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Good "older" Washington wines

Hey Everybody!

I was just thinking about the 2003 L'Ecole 41 Walla Walla cab we had last night.... it was silky smooth, with a creamyness to go along with the massive blueberry fruit and what was like a touch of cinnamon/clove on the finish to go along with a hint of toffee. It was completely delicious, although not what I expected from a Walla Walla cab. It didn't have the usual earthiness, or that "Walla Walla terroir" that I usually find in the WW wines. It was like dessert - blueberry pie with whipped cream and a hot cup of coffee! Killer.

Anyway, I thought I would ask if anyone else has opened any "older" Washington wines lately. I know 2003 isn't old unless you are talking about grocery store daily drinkers, but at 5 years old, many of these wines are heading into "middle age". So.... anyone else had any Washington wines that are really hitting their stride lately?

I will write of a few more. I was just married a few weeks back, and with family in town and a huge reception here at our home, I have had plenty of excuses to open some nice bottles. Two I will mention - first, a 2003 Fielding Hills cab sav, which was the definition of elegance with just enough power to let you know it was serious! The tannins are like velvet, the fruit still massive, and the acids still bright. That bottle could still go several more years, although I suspect it is at its best right now. We also had a Forgeron 2003 cab that completely rocked! It did have that funky WW terroir thing going, with much darker fruit than the Fielding Hills or the L'Ecole, and I suspect that this wine, too, could go several more years. It had a suggestion of caramel/vanilla from the oak, but not a ton. I actually like a bit of oak in many of my wines, and I think I would have enjoyed this wine more a year or so earlier, but it still was fabulous. My wedding reception guests really loved this wine the most - better in many cases than the 1998 Stags Leap SLV cab or the 2003 Cosentino Vallegra Vineyard Reserve Napa Valley cab we also served. I personally loved them all, since they are a few of my "kids". It is hard to choose a favorite.

To conclude - what have you been drinking that might qualify as "older" - 2003 and older? Any killer 90's - or even 80's - Washington wines you have had lately? Have any of them been over the hill?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Cheers!
Tim

By timinspokane at Aug 25 2008 - 7:09pm | General wine discussion | previous forum topic | next forum topic | 1024 reads

Very Good Older WA Wines

Here is a list of older wines that I have had over the past 6 months that were very good to excellent, none that I would consider past their prime:
Cabernets
1999 E.B. Foote Reserve
1999 Walla Walla Vintners
2000 Snoqualmie Reserve
2000 Tamarack
2001 Amavi
2001 Reininger

Merlot
1998 Ch. Ste. Michelle Cold Creek
1998 Northstar
1999 Columbia Crest Reserve
2000 Bonair Ch. Puryear Grand Reserve
2001 L'Ecole Walla Walla
2001 Reininger

Red Blend
1998 Powers Parallel 46
2000 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Reserve
2001 Stella Maris

By jhpagenkopf at Fri, 08/29/2008 - 12:08pm | login or register to post comments

Thanks for the list!

Thanks for the list! That is helpful in case I see any of those wines anywhere. I don't have any of those in the cellar, but I do have some older Reininger merlots (bought 2 bottles of Chuck's 1998 merlot in May at the Spring Release weekend in WW, and already had one... it absolutely rocked!), and I do have some L'Ecole 41 and Woodward Canyon in some "older" vintages.... I got thirsty and drank quite a few of my 2003's, but I probably have 25 bottles of so from that vintage still hanging around, plus odds and ends of 1999 to 2002, and of course, lots of 2004 and later.

Cheers!
Tim

By timinspokane at Fri, 08/29/2008 - 12:58pm | login or register to post comments

older Washington wines

If you are looking for some old Reininger, L'Ecole 41, Woodward Canyon etc, check out Compass Wines in Anacortes. They have an extensive assortement of Washington goodies from the mid-late 1990's

By wawine at Fri, 08/29/2008 - 3:21pm | login or register to post comments

older? Washington wines

I guess everbody has is different take on 'older', but to me, 2003 is a current release! The acid structure, lower alcohol and lack of ML in the really old (1960's-1980's) Washington wines has made them age beautifully. In the past couple of years, I have opened the following: 1979 Ste Michelle Merlot, 1983 Langguth Select Late Harvest, 1983 Hogue Reserve Cab, 1983 Chinook Sauv Blanc, 1985 Chinook Sparkling Riesling, 1985 Newton and Newton Brut rose, 1985 Leonetti Merlot, 1987 Quilceda Cab, 1988 Charbonneau White, 1989 Thurston Wolf Sweet Rebecca, 1990 Woodward Canyon Cab, 1990 Quilceda Cab, 1990 Leonetti Cab, 1991 Leonetti Merlot, 1993 Leonetti Cab (bad leaker)etc. The only wine in the lot that was done, was the Chinook Sparkler, and the leakly Leonetti, which we fully expected to be done was sublime. Much like a late 1950's-early 1960's Bordeaux.

I think the key issue is not so much if the wine has aged, but what people expect it to taste like as it matures. If you want them to taste the way they did upon release, drink them young. If you want them to taste like a mature European wine, give them a chance. True, those from hot vintages have a bad habit of going flat, but often the 'stinkers' from a cool and poorly regarded vintage become stars with time.

The new youth of the wine trade has unfortunately often cut thier teeth on Turley, Mollydooker and Harlan, and the darlings of the "Parker" syndrome and never experienced what a 12% alcohol, low Ph, high acid Bordeaux or Burgundy goes through during its maturation process. Patience is a virture regarding Washington wines, at least to me.

By wawine at Wed, 08/27/2008 - 9:14am | login or register to post comments

"Older"

Hey wawine!

Yes, I know that 5 years isn't very "old" (unless you are dealing with a cheap grocery store wine), and that is one of the first things I said in my original post. I stated that many of these wines are just hitting what I would call "middle age", at 5 years old or 3 to 4 years in the bottle. There aren't a lot of wines produced today that will still be getting better after the 10 year mark, and I am absolutely looking for people with experience, who have these wines and are drinking them, to let me (and others) know how they are aging and whether any of them have hit their peak. You are exactly correct that considering the way the majority of wines are made today, they probably will not age as well as the best wines of the past have. Of course, there are exceptions to that generalization, and I think most readers in this forum are more interested in the better (and best) wines vinted in the area versus the cheaper grocery store wines - although some of those can be pretty tasty, too. I want to taste these great wines as they age to see the secondary characteristics develop, and before they start heading south. Generally speaking, I like my zins and "new world" syrahs a bit younger, merlots and cab francs at middle age, and "old world" syrahs and cabs older still.

My intention in creating the post is to gather information about the wines that are aging the best, which ones should be opened with dinner tonight (!), and which ones are past their prime. I have had some 2003's from Washington State (I know... hot vintage) that I don't think will ever be any better than they are right now, and in particular some 2001 cabs that already peaked and are heading downward. We opened a 2002 California zinfandel last week, from a fairly well known producer, that was already losing fruit, was amber around the rim, and generally was a year or more past its prime. I know that the zin wasn't made in the European or Bordeaux tradition, but as you mentioned, lots of "high end" wines - even in Washington - aren't made that way, either. Most people, myself included, don't have the depth of cellar that you do! I wish I did, but alas, no such luck...

So, please bear with us relative "newcomers" (less than 10 years in the cellar), pass on your experience and wisdom with the current crop of wines that are available, and have a happy Wednesday!

Cheers!
Tim

By timinspokane at Wed, 08/27/2008 - 3:36pm | login or register to post comments

older wines

That's funny Tim; we just took out a 01 L'Ecole Cab and the 03. I agree with you that I missed the 'walla walla' feel/taste in the 03. I thought the 01 was much better.

Andy: Thanks for the tip on the 03, I have one more of those left and I'll make sure someone drinks it this holiday weekend.

As for some older wines from WA, we have had a few lately as we here in the Porltand/Vancouver area have had mostly cooler weather this summer and we have been drinking more reds than most summers. (I'm going to have quite a bit of Rose' left over)

01 Portteus Cab Reserve: I was surprised how nice this still was. It was losing its fruit but the layers were still there.

02 Russell Creek Merlot Winemakers Select: That was a really nice bottle. I wish I had more of it.

Side by Side 03 San Juan Vineyards (Kestrel fruit)Sangiovese and 03 Kestrel Sangiovese this past Friday. The San Juan was more of a mainline/medium Sangiovese; a great pasta wine. The Kestrel was a heavier wine that pleasantly surprised me. My spreadsheet didnt' show it but I found another bottle of the Kestrel that I didn't know I had. I see some Manacoti in my near future.

00 Portteus Syrah. This was on it's last leg. Most of the fruit was gone and the structure but it didn't finish as bad as I first thought after letting it breath about 1/2 hour.

02 Dunham Cab, I forget which vineyard it came from. Wonder Cab, structured, great fruit, wonderful finish.

02 Barnard Griffin Cab reserve. We took that to the neighbors for a steak dinner and it didn't dissapoint. Rob Griffin does such nice work; very consistant.

Great topic Tim; Thanks.

By mrstarbuck at Tue, 08/26/2008 - 6:09pm | login or register to post comments

"Older" wines..... just released

I had an interesting time yesterday at Townshend Cellars, here in the Spokane area. Actually, we are both in Colbert, and I can see them on the hill in Greenbluff from my deck!

I was visiting there yesterday with Jill Rider, the winery and tasting room manager, and they just released - this week - their 2002 merlot! A 2002 - just getting released. And it is absolutely delicious... It was in the barrel for about 28 months, and they bottle aged it for 3 years before releasing it. It is drinking fantastic right now, and at $22.95, it is a good deal as well. I also tried their 2003 cab franc, after having their 2002 cab franc a few weeks ago at our wedding reception. The 2002 rocked, huge with blueberries, a bit of plum, a touch of sour cherry, vanilla, and a smoky caramel finish. The 2003 is going to be wonderful as well. Jill and I both agreed that it is very tight and still needs more time in the cellar... and this is for a 2003 vintage wine that isn't officially released yet! It was not overly tannic, either. In fact, the velvety tannins are totally flying in formation and form a nice, firm backbone for the wine. It simply needs a little more time to open up, and with the great acids, huge fruit, and ample tannin structure that the wine has, it can easily go many more years and still will be improving. 15 minutes and a lot of swirling in the glass helped, and a good 4 hour decanting would be better right now. It is going to be another good one.

This was a very cool experience and just goes to show, like some writers have mentioned, that opening a 2002 or 2003 wine, that was made properly, is darned near infantacide! Some 2003 wines, on the other hand, are already steaming towards their AARP discount at Denny's.....

Cheers!
Tim

By timinspokane at Sat, 09/06/2008 - 8:42pm | login or register to post comments

Aging Wine

I, too am going to have several bottles of rose' left--fall is here on the Wet Side--so how long will a good Bernard Griff. Rose of Sangiov. last?

By cjmath at Sat, 08/30/2008 - 9:17pm | login or register to post comments

aging rose's

Hey cj!

I have absolutely no official knowledge on how long you can age a rose', but I always understood the rule of thumb was about a year or so- treating them like a beaujoulais (and I know I didn't spell that right!!!)

The good thing is, we will certainly have some more sunny, warm days before the snow falls, so you should be able to finish off a few more bottles before winter. Heck - I drink rose's in the winter, too, since we grill all year long. Our salmon tacos with avocado/tomatillo slaw and homemade mango salso are killer with the BG rose of sangio! (recipes available upon request) They are also great with an earthy pinot noir, as long as you don't put too much heat in the salsa.... the less expensive Oregon "cherry lifesaver" pinots don't match up as well.

Cheers!
Tim

By timinspokane at Sun, 08/31/2008 - 12:59pm | login or register to post comments

Rosés

Tim is absolutely right. Pink wines are meant to drink young. I kicked myself recently when I found a 2005 rosé in the cellar. It was beautiful a year ago but was fading fast when I pulled the cork.

By aperdue at Tue, 09/02/2008 - 8:39pm | login or register to post comments

Thanks for the info on rose'

Looks like I will have to get down to some serious drinking in the next few weeks!!

By cjmath at Sat, 09/06/2008 - 8:21pm | login or register to post comments

Yer welcum!

You are most welcome, and we are all quite happy to assist you!

I shall now resume my regularly scheduled chaos.

And I do agree.... you need to get down to some serious drinking over the next few weeks! As for me, I am having a most delicious Barrister Rough Justice at the moment, and bumming that it is almost gone....

Cheers!
Tim

By timinspokane at Sat, 09/06/2008 - 8:26pm | login or register to post comments

L'Ecole 2003

Hey mrstarbuck! (what is your name, anyway?? You can e-mail me directly from here if you want to... just click on my "timinspokane" name and send me a note if you would like to forfeit your anonymity...)

Thanks for the info on the wines you mentioned. I have more "older" Washington wines in the cellar, and I just don't want to wait too long to open them and miss them at their finest! That is why I started this forum topic.

Regarding the 2003 L'Ecole cab, I found it completely delicious and wish I had more! It certainly was not what I expected from a Walla Walla cab, but nonetheless, it was a great bottle of wine. Andy's explanation of the hot vintage made total sense. I had forgotten about that. I guess that is what separates the experts from us amateurs!

On this same topic, tonight we had a 2002 Kiona Red Mountain Cab. That wine is doing great, and it really illustrates the difference between Red Mountain and Walla Walla. The Kiona still had huge fruit, in the dark fruit realm of slightly sour plum, black cherry, and maybe a touch of cassis thrown in. It definitely wasn't a sweet fruit bomb! What I most appreciated were the prominent acids, the silky tannins, and that Red Mountain minerality - what some critics and tasting notes might call the "wet stone" mineral taste. It didn't have the Walla Walla earthy/funky thing happening, which is fine. Just a different wine from a different appellation, and outstanding in it's own right. For a wine my wife purchased tonight at Yoke's for $19.99, it was killer!

Cheers!
Tim

By timinspokane at Tue, 08/26/2008 - 8:06pm | login or register to post comments

Good older Washington wines

One of the more memorable wines I've tasted was a 1986 L'Ecole Merlot that I drank in 2000. At 14 it was still full of fruit, had nicely balanced tannin and was in general one of those wines that we all continue to search for.

By schorgw at Tue, 08/26/2008 - 1:09pm | login or register to post comments

Older wines

Tim,

One item to consider on the L'Ecole 2003 you mentioned. That was a blazing hot year in Washington wine country - even warmer than usual. I don't expect many 2003's to age long because of the generally higher alcohols and pH's, so you were better off drinking it now.

I don't taste a ton of older wines, though I do get the occasion to indulge in verticals. We've been trying to put one together for the 25th anniversary of the vaunted 1983 vintage, which should be a doozy, as many of the '83s we've tasted over the years have been unbelievable.

I've tasted a '94 Leonetti Cab recently, and it was beginning to fade. But that vintage was not unlike '98 or '03 - really hot. I cracked open a '92 Washington Cab not too long ago, and it was showing very well.

I have a special treat I'm working on for my 50th birthday (still many years off): a 50-year vertical. We'll start with a 1964 Napa Cab, then work through every year. I have perhaps 20 percent of the wines filled in so far, including Ports, Barolos, Bordeaux, etc. We'll have a number of Washington and Oregon wines in there, too, though they'll mostly fill in the more recent years for obvious reasons. It should be a real bacchanalia.

By aperdue at Mon, 08/25/2008 - 10:57pm | login or register to post comments

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