On Sunday, I was fortunate to be one of hundreds who swirled, tasted, spit and nibbled/noshed our way through the sensory explosion called Taste Washington — the Super Bowl of wine events in Seattle.
What follows is a list of the wines I enjoyed the most. This does not mean they were the best wines at Taste Washington; there were more than 600 wines poured, and there was no way I even remotely could have tasted all of them! In another lifetime, perhaps … But until then, enjoy my favorites:
As you can see, I only tasted two whites, Cab Sauvignon, Cab Franc and red blends. There were many other wonderful Washington varietals available, but my palate was in a mood for Bordeaux!
Viognier:
Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2009 Crawford
Sauvignon Blanc:
JM Cellars 2010
Cab Franc:
Hard Row to Hoe 2008 Burning Desire
Vin du Lac 2007 Barrel Select
Walla Walla Vintners 2009
Trust Cellars 2008
Cabernet Sauvignon:
Hestia Cellars 2006 (with Soiree)
Hestia Cellars 2008
Boudreaux Cellars 2006
Cooper Wine Company 2008 Red Mountain
Gilbert Cellars 2007
Long Shadows 2006 Feather
NXNW 2008 Walla Walla
Walla Walla Vintners 2008 Walla Walla
Woodward Canyon 2008 Artist Series
Blend:
William Church 2008 Two Spires
Obelisco 2008 Electrum
Convergence Zone 2008 Storm Front
Gilbert Cellars 2008 Left Bank
JM Cellars 2008 Longevity
NXNW 2008 Walla Walla
Ramseyer Vineyards 2007 Vintage Three
L’Ecole 41 2007 Estate Perigee
Sinclair Estate 2008 Pentatonic
The Woodhouse Wine Estates 2006 La Vie en Rouge
We also snacked on delicious bites from Picazo 7Seventeen (Prosciutto-wrapped, Gorgonzola-stuffed Gulf Prawns), Anthony’s (Seared Alaska Scallops), Ivar’s (Applewood smoked Alaskan Coho Salmon), Double R Ranch (Pulled bourbon-braised short-ribs) and Gordon Biersch(BBQ pork sliders).
I heard there were superb maple bacon cupcakes at the dessert bar, too, but didn’t get a chance to taste them.
And speaking of tasting, the reason my wine list is so long is because we sip and spill or spit, especially when experiencing a lot of wines. But for those who didn’t, props go to the Washington Wine Commission for providing taxi numbers on a slip of paper in every glass that was handed out when people arrived at the well-organized and fantastic event.
S E A T T L E I T E 