Fit for Ceres: Dusted Valley Comes to Woodinville

Dusted Valley, Walla Walla's 52nd winery, has been making wine since 2003. Brothers-in-law Chad and Corey, originally from Wisconsin, decided to pursue their love of wine by moving to Walla Walla and are now making 4,000 cases yearly.

Dusted Valley recently changed labels with their 06/07 releases and in one man's opinion, this was a huge move in the right direction. I know it's what's in the bottle that counts, but marketing does matter and it would appear that given a lot of their recent moves, Dusted Valley has really got the marketing line down. There is a lot that's new with Dusted Valley: the newer labels, the most brilliantly named wine club in Washington, the Stained Tooth Society, as well as the new Woodinville location are making Dusted Valley a name and wine that should be on everyone's lips.

The Dusted Valley tasting room opened in Woodinville this past July, located in the small plaza with Purple Cafe, right off of the roundabout (behind Brian Carter and DeLille's tasting rooms).

The Dusted Valley space is a store front and is very well decorated on the inside. Their emphasis is on maximizing the space, meaning there's not a ton of wine on hand, but they've been able to have a cozy tasting room in the front of the shop, and a space that's large enough for small private events as well.

The wines are very well done and they showcase the Washington fruit very nicely. Dusted Valley makes wines out of Walla Walla, Columbia and Yakima Valley fruit. While Dusted Valley is a smaller operation, they make a variety that is enviable. The tasting room had on hand the 2006 Chardonnay, the 2007 Grenache, Cab Franc, Mouvedre, three different Syrahs, and the Barrel Thief Red, a Sangiovese and Tempranillo blend.

All of the wines were good. My favorites were the un-named Syrah ($27), the Grenache ($28) and the Barrel Thief Red ($26). The $8 tasting fee can be applied to a purchase (Dusted Valley waived my fee. Thanks, guys!)

Dusted Valley is "cork-free" on all of their wines which is not only about protecting their investment, but it also had to do with their commitment to sustainability and the impacts of cork harvesting.

Dusted Valley has an interesting barrel project in the works, using oak from the winemaker's home state of Wisconsin. If you're in Woodinville you should make the Dusted Valley tasting room a must do; they're open daily from 12 to 5pm.

Seattle's Exotic Wines Festival

Groundhog's Day marked the date for the Seattle Exotic Wines Festival at perhaps one of the most exotic locales in Seattle, Teatro Zinzanni. I made my way there after work to find the place already packed to the gills.

This was a Seattle Uncorked event, which are incredibly popular, and pretty imaginative. The wines were not your usual suspects; tonight featured, among others: Mouvedre, Roussanne, Grenache, Carmeniere, and Petit Verdot.

The event featured 23 different Northwest wineries, including friends of the Oregon Wine Blog Kana Winery and Gilbert Cellars. I finally met the lovely (and boa-wearing) Katherine Goodson, the GM at Kana Winery, in person. Kirsten, the tasting room manager from Gilbert Cellars, was also dressed to the nines.



Kana and Gilbert were examples of some of the fine wineries and delicious wines that were on hand. These were smaller, premium winemakers who were venturing off the beaten path and trying their hands at the less commonly grown varietals here in the Northwest. While the wine drinking public loves Chardonnay and Merlot, these winemakers are willing to give a more interesting, less commerical wine a whirl. What they've done is commendable and delicious, and we get to reap the benefits.

Some highlights of the evening were The Bunnell Family Cellars Mouvedre 2007. I love this varietal, and the Bunnell Family Mouvedre was well-balanced with neutral oak and lower alcohol (14.4%) that allowed the fruit to come through. It seems that a lot of Northwest Mouvedre comes in way over 15% and I have found the fruit difficult to taste. This wine was very well done and gave the fruit it's due.

The aforementioned Kana Winery's Masterpiece, was again very well done. Maybe the best white wine in the house. Kana's blend of Viognier, Roussane and Marsanne is a complex white wine that will stand up to any meal you pair it with. I believe that Kana belongs on a short list of Northwest white wines with both the Masterpiece and the Cuvee Blanche.

The Reininger Carmenere 2006 was an excellent example of the varietal. It was well-balanced and full-bodied, with the signature rounded mouthfeel that makes Carmenere so appealing.

The event included meats and cheeses and lots of good company. I met one woman who was actually allergic to Merlot. I found this dubious, but nonetheless interesting. For her, this event was perfect because save a few exotic blends, there was no Merlot present. The undeniable highlight of the event was the Teatro Zinzanni trapeze performance. A tiny performer spun and flipped above our heads while we all looked on in amazement. Her escort was a man who stood 6 foot 5 inches in heeled boots and red sequin pasties.

The event benefited Art with Heart, a local non-profit organization that works with children by using art, creativity and expression to get them through difficult stages in their lives. Art with Heart has helped over 41,000 children deal with family tragedy and natural disasters.

Guests could purchase their favorite bottles or participate in the silent auction to benefit Art with Heart. I made sure to do my part, and took advantage of the opportunity to restock the Kana Wine at home.

Seattle Uncorked offers events like this with some regularity. David LeClaire is the brains behind the operation, and he puts on a good event. In this instance he has really pushed people to think beyond their typical wine experience. Rather than feel like they're being lectured about what's beyond their typical wine experience, Seattle Uncorked makes it an adventure of discovery. David was kind enough to invite me free of entry to this event, and I hope the chance to attend some of their other functions in the future pops up.

Matthews Estate: The Kids are Alright

In conjunction with the release of their 2007 Claret, Matthews Estate recently had a barrel tasting of their 2008 Claret. I learned about the event through Twitter, an aspect of social media to which I'm relatively new. Matthews Estate, like many wineries, is making moves toward pulling in a younger demographic. They've thrown in with youth in hiring of winemaker Aryn Morrell who is not yet thirty and has cut his teeth at wineries down in Napa Valley including Silver Oak.

I was hopeful that this event would shed some light on how Matthews was utilizing social media to bring a younger crowd to their wines. Our first impressions were a bit auspicious - we parked next to a Bentley, not the typical car for the under forty crowd. The barrel room was packed with people. Overall, the crowd was quite young. I'd put the average age of everyone in attendance at around 40, which is pretty goodfor a private wine event for a premium winery in Woodinville.

I spoke with one of the owners, Cliff Otis, about the direction of Matthews Estate and the role he sees social media playing. Matthews has a presence both on Facebook and Twitter, as well as a web presence. The Matthews website is very interactive, with videos of the winemaker, Aryn, tasting through the wines. Matthews hopes to bring young people into the experience with them. Cliff explained that what fascinated him about wine was the "Ah ha!" experiences that comes from learning how wine gets from the vineyard to the bottle, from understanding the role that barrels play in the nose and palate of a wine, and how varietals blended can compliment and accentuate one another. The folks at Matthews want to share that "Ah ha!" moment with a younger generation of wine drinkers.

So, how was the wine? The 2008 Claret was showing very well and it will spend another year in the barrel. The Claret is 55% Cabernet and 45% Merlot. Aryn pulled the half of the pour out of new oak and the half from a one year old French barrel blending them in the glass. The wine was a dark cranberry color, with that new French barrel lending notes of currants and oak on the nose. The wine showed flavors of blueberries and bright cherries. This young Claret is very good, and will only get better.

Matthews is excited about the future, and what Aryn's winemaking will bring to their repertoire. They've got big plans for their brand, and for Washington Wine.

Non-Traditional Wines: Grenache!

Friends, readers, and critics...thanks for sticking with us for the longest feature series published to date on The Oregon Wine Blog!  Without further ado (well, perhaps just a *little* ado) we bring you the next and second to last in the Non-Traditional Wine Series -- Grenache.  The day of this tasting started as one of wine, fun, and fellowship; the night culminated with some greater insight into Pacific Northwest wine.

A sunny afternoon spent at Willamette Valley Vineyards enjoying the Mo's Crab and Chowder Festival was just wrapping up and Rick, Zac, Micheal, and I had finished demolishing four large plates of crab, a tablecloth, a bottle of wine, and our hands in the process.  Not quite ready to end the day, I mentioned that the crew should come over and assist with our tasting of Grenache.  Zac immediately said, "gesundheit."  Thankfully, it wasn't a sneeze, rather, the name of one of the most widely planted red wine grapes in the world.

About Grenache

Our friends at Wikipedia were more than happy to provide an overview of Grenache for you. We didn't actually ask, but we're sure they won't mind. A late ripening grape requiring hot, dry conditions, Grenache flourishes in Spain, the South of France, and the San Joaquin Valley of California. Conveniently for all of us, Eastern Washington is aptly hot and dry. Often used in fortified wines due to a high sugar content, it was one of the early grapes planted in the Washington wine industry with notoriety in the Yakima Valley as early as 1966. It is a growing local varietal as part of the Rhone Ranger movement in the state. A side effect of high sugar content? Often a high alcohol content.

The Wine

We received two bottles in the Grenache genre for review as part of this series.  As with a few of our other tastings, this panel presented two wines that were completely opposite and both quite delicious; quite representative of the terrior of origin.  In alphabetical order...

Dusted Valley 2008 Columbia Valley Grenache:  This wine immediately presented some tantalizing aromatics with notes of cranberry, cherry, pepper, and cinnamon.  All of us found this wine very approachable, fruit-forward, with the ability to completely stand on it's own or pair with a medium-red appropriate culinary delight.  Zac noted that it was "good" and Micheal made a comparison that I cannot decipher from my notes...probably because the wine was so tasty I focused more on drinking than transcribing.  All in all, we loved this wine and I particularly enjoyed the prominence of black cherry.  With only 175 cases, this wine "is about as rare as a Sasquatch."  At $28 per bottle, this gets a "highly recommended" from us as an everyday wine.

K Vintner 2007 "The Boy":  Described by the winemaker as "Truly a vineyard in the bottle", The Boy is actually a blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah - and wow does the Syrah add some complexity!  With Walla Walla Valley fruit, we got an earthy, gamey nose that Zac noted, "took command of his nostrils."  The weak of heart may be off put a bit by the aromatics, but it would be a mistake to give up there.  Upon taste, we found a bolder, passionate wine that had spice with a sweeter finish.  This is definitely a food-pairing wine that would be awesome with a steak.  It's another limited production at 340 cases, so if you run across one at $40 this gets a "highly recommended" from us with a slab of red meat.

There it is: a journey on the Grenache train through two bottles -- one delicate and fruity, one bold and brawny -- both delicious in their own special way.  We all walked away with a new appreciate for Grenache and the variances in the Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley terrior.  Props to K Vintners and Dusted Valley!