Okay folks, it’s that time of year again. Time to select the 2009 Reader Survey Wine of the Year and 2010 Wine to Watch!
The Reader Survey Wine of the Year is intended for the one Washington wine in 2009 that stood out among those you tasted. The 2010 Wine to Watch is for a wine you tasted that will be released in 2010 that you believe will be exceptional.
Here is how it works.
Nominations
Wednesday 12/2 to Monday 12/7 9pm
Nominate up to five Washington wines in each category via comment or e-mail, anonymous or otherwise.
Preliminaries
Tuesday 12/8 to Friday 12/11 9pm
Vote for any three wines in both categories.
Finals
Saturday 12/12 to Wednesday 12/16 9pm
Vote for any one of the finalists.
Let the submissions begin!
Read about the 2008 Reader Survey Wine of the Year here.
Read about the 2009 Wine to Watch here.
Rules (the fine print, literally):
* Wines in both categories must be from Washington.
* Entrants for the Reader Survey Wine of the Year must have been released and/or available on shelves in 2009. In other words, don’t pick wines from several years back or several years forward.
* Entrants for the 2010 Wine to Watch must be wines to-be-released in 2010. These would be barrel samples or bottle samples of wines you tasted this year that will be released next year. Any wines that have already been released will be removed from the voting.
* If more than five wines are sent in for either category, I will cap your list at the first five so be choosey!
* If I can’t determine which wines were intended for which category, I will not include them in the voting so please make sure to specify this.
* Any entries sent in after 9pm on December 7th will not be included in the voting.
* Please note that I reserve the right to make changes to these rules if need be to preserve the spirit of the reader survey. If so, I will post these changes to the blog.
Here are my nominations for the 2009 survey (in no particular order):
2004 Corliss Red Wine- I am a big fan of winemaker Kendall Mix. He has created some of the best wines that I tried this year. While his Syrah and Cab are top-notch, I just liked this one the best.
2006 Quilceda Creek Palengat Cabernet- Guess I could be accused of infantcide by cracking this one open the weekend I got it, but what the heck! I'm probably guilty of falling for the bottle, but even if this was in a milk bottle, I would have liked it.
2006 Chateau Rollat Edouard de Rollat- Tried this at the Taste of Washington in Seattle last March. I would have voted this the best of the day. Biggest disappointment was finding it at Costco for $47 when I paid $65 at the winery!
2007 Airfield Estates Aviator- A Cab/Merlot/CFranc/Malbec and Petit Verdot blend that to me is as good as a blend can get. Another winemaker-Marcus Miller-that I like. I see great things coming out of his future.
2006 Fidelitas Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard- A great wine from a great winery. I find Charlie Hoppes wines always on my list for the years best.
My 2010 Wine to Watch-Anything out of Red Mountain Vineyard. The new Red mountain winery will be a force from that AVA.
How do we submit nominations? Via email? Comment to this post?
Anonymous, both email and comments to the post work. Cityroute16, thanks again for the nominations.
What is the email address we submit too? I just had bookwalters 2007 conflict and it is the best Washington wine I've ever had!
For the 2009 Reader Survey Wine of the Year
2007 Olsen Estates "Heritage", a Syrah that is superb and it comes in the most attractive bottle I've seen in a long time.
Anonymous, thanks for the nomination! Will have to check this wine out. Haven't tried it.
A tie between my two favs this yr; 2006 GOK and Armada from Cayuse.
As for wines to watch out for; 2008 Reynvaan The Contender & 2007 Cayuse Armada.
…sure it's not the 2005 'Edouard'?
Anon1, thanks for the Cayuse nominations. Anon2, the 2006 Edouard was recently released. Definitely lives up to the 2005. I will be including it in my write-up of Walla Walla's Fall Release later this month.
WAwineman here:
top 5 red nominees for 2009 (in no particular order):
Cote Bonneville 2006 DuBrul Vineyard cabernet sauvignon
Quilceda Creek 2006 Columbia Valley cabernet sauvignon
Betz Family Winery 2006 'Pere de Famille'
Charles Smith 2006 'Royal City' syrah
Betz Family Winery 2006 'La Cote Patriarche' syrah
top 2 white nominees for 2009:
JM Cellars 2008 chardonnay
Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2008 Crawford viognier
2010 Wine to Watch:
Betz 2007 'Pere de Famille'…97WS, u heard it first here.
Quilceda Creek 2007 Columbia Valley cab…'100' I'm calling it now.
Cote Bonneville 2007 cabernet, if they decide to do one
anyone who makes a cabernet franc…it'll be their last one!
WAwineman speaks…and brings the THUNDER! That's a whole lot of lumber to be swinging around. Thanks for the nominations. Great picks.
Forgeron 2004 Champoux Cab
Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Palengat Vineyard 2006
Corliss 04 red wine
Betz La Côte Patriarche Syrah Yakima Valley 2007
Cote Rotie northern Blend 07
Wines to watch are harder as it's hard to think up barrel samples. I know, that is why you write everything down. I'll think and try to submit these via email before my time is up. Definitely the 07 Col Solare though. That was great.
LI, good list. Thanks for sending them in.
Anonymous, emails can be sent to [email protected] or [email protected].
I went to Bookwalter Winery last night to try this Conflict; WOW! Its from a single Vineyard Conner something, but it was amazing and it was worth the price. I also tried their 2006 Protagonist and it was a treat from Red Mountain!
wineislove, agreed on the Bookwalter. I went there on Sunday for St. Nicks. Excellent wines. Look for a writeup in the future.