Please note, posts may be less frequent between now and Labor Day. The August Virtual Tasting will take place on Tuesday the 31st from 7-8pm Pacific Time. Read more about it here.
I had the pleasure of writing an article on Washington wine in September’s Seattle Metropolitan magazine. The issue should be on stands today. Read an on-line version of the article here. Enjoy!
Sean P. Sullivan Northwest Wine Report is an independent publication dedicated to the wines and wineries of the Pacific Northwest, bringing Northwest wine to you and bringing you to Northwest wine. The site provides expert-level news, feature article coverage, and reviews of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. The site was established by Sullivan in 2004 as Washington Wine Report. It was rebranded Sean P. Sullivan Northwest Wine Report in 2022.
Northwest Wine Report’s goals are:
To provide in-depth news and reporting about wines, wineries, vineyards, wine regions, individuals, and trends in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia.
To help you select Northwest wines at a variety of price levels by providing objective, timely, blind tasted wine reviews.
To help you plan trips to wine country by providing information about Pacific Northwest wines, wineries, and wine regions.
To connect you to the larger wine community.
Copyright © 2004- Sean P. Sullivan Northwest Wine Report
I spent the past hour just reading the article. Thanks for the in-depthness of it. Can you have a members tasting next time? It must be like Christmas when those bottles roll in!
Cityroute16
The grenache in the Cayuse God Only Knows is grown in OREGON and the wine is made in OREGON, so I guess it really IS "redefining Washington wine" (as also including wine made in Oregon)… Also not sure how Christophe "makes a strong case for grenache grown in Washington" with grenache grown in Oregon, except that Washington IS only about 5 miles north of the Cayuse vineyards – I suppose that's close enough….
Cityroute16, I'll definitely let you know! :)
Anon, as you may know if you are a regular reader, I consider the part of the Walla Walla Valley AVA south of the border the 'occupied area' and have an Oregon annexation plan. Read more here:
http://www.wawinereport.com/2010/04/washingtons-dirty-little-secret-some-of.html
sean, great write-up! now, let's see, there are 365 days in a year, 100 top wines, that's 3.65 days per wine, not including the time needed to find the wine, at a reasonable price. oh man, i gotta run – you have officially filled all my spare time…
What an incredible list! But I'm more interested in what didn't make the cut. Conspicuous in their absence are Reynvaan, Chateau Rollat, Gorman Wineries etc. Are we to assume that these wines were submitted and didn't make the cut? Or weren't submitted at all. It would also be cool to know if you got your favorite wines from all the winemakers. Or was it, "Man, Pirouette again! Sequel is far superior…."
And if you ever want to make my day, give me a list of the 20 best syrahs in WA state
RE: 20 best Syrahs in WA.
Stever Tanzer did an incredible lineup of Syrah during his last visit to WA. It was a private event that featured 15 or so Syrah from the 07 vintage. All the hitters were there. Was an absolutely incredible tasting. He did a review on his blog. We're going to make sure Mr Sullivan gets an invite next time.
RJ, thanks and let me know how the wine finding mission goes. :)
Will, just posted a comment regarding this on the Seattle Met site which you can see here:
http://www.seattlemet.com/eat-and-drink/articles/best-wine-2010/#new
I will say that I think the wineries you list are each making phenomenal wines. A shame not to have them represented.
For the list of 20 best Syrah, I saw the list from the Tanzer event which looked absolutely incredible. Definitely check it out.
Hello Sean,
Cheers to a fantastic article! I have not been a big wine drinker in the past but a recent trip to Sonoma followed by reading your article has me hooked. Although I always love Seattle Met (I am a contributor), your article put this issue over the top.
Will, thank you very much for the kind words. There is definitely much to enjoy in Washington wine, so it's a great time to dive in. Have fun!
I was waiting in the checkout lane at a QFC grocery store yesterday, and there was the Seattle Met magazine right at eye level. I got a big grin on my face after realizing that yours isn't just a feature article but the big cover story (this is what happens when I read everything online). Congrats!
Thanks CindyW!