65+ wines reviewed below and in the database, including the latest from Aquilini, Balsall Creek, Block Wines, Cymbal, Dance, DeLille, Devison, Domaine Lumineux, Forget-Me-Not, Gård, L’Ecole No. 41, Long Shadows, Métier by DeLille, Nine Hats, Saviah, and The Walls.

Washington is blessed (some might claim cursed) by the dozens of varieties the state can grow well. With Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon blends, however, a style often referred to as Bordeaux blanc, Washington can make wines at a quality that few other regions can approach.

Two exceptional examples are the DeLille Chaleur Blanc and L’Ecole No. 41 Luminesce, both reviewed below. DeLille made its first Chaleur Blanc in 1995. Since the wine’s inaugural release, the Chaleur Blanc has consistently been a benchmark white wine for Washington. It is also a world-class example of the style, comparing favorably against heavy hitters from Bordeaux in numerous blind tastings I’ve conducted over the years.

Equally impressively, quality has remained high while DeLille has expanded production. The winery made 250 cases of the Chaleur Blanc in 1995. Today, it makes around 8,000.

L’Ecole, meanwhile, made its first Luminesce in 2007. All of the fruit for the wine comes from Seven Hills Vineyard.

While Walla Walla Valley has long been dominated by red varieties (95% in the most recent vineyard acreage survey), an increasing number of valley winemakers have been focusing on white wines of late. The Luminesce is proof that white wines can do well in the valley. (There are numerous other examples as well.)

Overall, though, a surprisingly small number of Washington wineries focus on Bordeaux blanc. (One that made a consistently exceptional bottling is the now-defunct Buty.) Many that do make Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon blends prefer to varietally label the wine as Sauvignon Blanc. This is hard to argue against from a marketing perspective, particularly given the strong consumer interest in Sauvignon Blanc in recent years.

Still, Sémillon should get its rightful billing. Washington is one of the very few places in the world where Sémillon excels. (I made the case for Sémillon last year.)

It’s clear that Bordeaux blanc-style wines can be exceptionally of high quality in Washington. It’s a shame there aren’t more examples being made.

Image of Boushey Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc by Richard Duval. 

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At Northwest Wine Report, all scores come from blind tastings in varietal/style sets. Read more about this site’s process for rating and reviewing wines. See the Northwest Wine Report rating system and special designations. Read about how to interpret scores. See a list of recently reviewed producers.

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