Washington state wines are well worth exploring

There is plenty of high-quality product from the region, but it does not come cheap

It can be said that Washington state — the most northerly of the major U.S. wine-producing regions — suffers from a bit of an identity crisis from a consumer perspective. To the uninitiated, there is a tendency to view Washington as an extension of California — stylistically — when in fact the wines have more in common with Bordeaux (the Columbia Valley sits roughly on the same latitude) or even Canada’s Okanagan Valley.

The Columbia Valley AVA (American viticultural area) in eastern Washington contains the majority of the state’s key growing areas (which also have AVA status), most notably Red Mountain, Yakima Valley, Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla Valley. Interestingly, some of the largest wineries — such as Columbia Crest and Chateau

Ste. Michelle — are situated just outside of Seattle, opting to truck all of their grapes from eastern Washington over the Cascade Mountain range. Eastern Washington tends to be hot and arid during the summer months but the desert-like conditions also allow for a much-needed cooling effect during the nights (the arid conditions are a result of the rain shadow effect from the Cascade Mountain range).

There is a considerable amount of high-quality wine coming out of Washington these days but it does not come cheap; comparisons to Napa Valley are perhaps more relevant in that regard. Value tends to be found from the larger players, a fairly common scenario in most wine regions, to be fair. Bordeaux varietals, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, are the stars here, although Washington Syrah can be exceptional, as well. The trio of featured wines this week veer toward the premium range but they are all excellent examples from a region well worth exploring.

Hedges Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon — $29

Hedges is one of the most respected names in Washington wine circles. It was started by Tom and Anne-marie Hedges, who had previously been working as wine exporters, in 1989 with the purchase of 50 acres of land in the heart of the Red Mountain AVA. Construction of the winery began in 1995 and in 1996 their Three Vineyards Red made the Wine Spectators Top 100 list, not bad right out of the gate.

I had the pleasure of visiting Hedges a few weeks back and I have to say the winery should be a must-stop if a tour of Washington wine country is on the agenda. In 2008, the winery began the conversion to biodynamic viticulture and by 2015 it became the first Demeter (the organization that oversees biodynamic wineries globally) certified winery in the state. The winery is a family affair in the classic European tradition with their son Christophe running sales and marketing and their daughter Sarah handling the winemaking duties.

Anne-marie’s French heritage (she hails from the Champagne region) is evident throughout, most notably in the chateau-like design of the winery.

Their H.I.P. Cabernet Sauvignon represents a great example of the Washington style; Bordeaux-like but with a big core of black fruits and great value for such a substantial wine. It would be happy with red meat in all its various incarnations.

Requiem Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 — $39

Requiem is the latest project from the Averaen wine company, an outfit that began in Sonoma (with Banshee wines) before expanding into Oregon and now Washington state. They have sourced grapes from sites across the Columbia Valley, specifically from three AVAS: Walla Walla, Horse Heaven Hills and Red Mountain. Each component is vinified separately and the result is a seriously good bottle of Cab. Try it with beef or lamb stew.

Powers Red 2016 — $40

Powers follows the negociant practice of purchasing grapes from numerous top vineyard sites in Washington — in this case from the Champoux vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills — to produce its range of wines.

This one is a classic left-bank Bordeaux blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (61 per cent) along with some Merlot, Cab Franc and Malbec. It has a nice core of smoky cherry fruit along with notes of mocha and a hint of black licorice.

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Geoff Last is a longtime Calgary wine merchant, writer and broadcaster and a regular contributor to City Palate Magazine and other publications. He instructs on food and wine at the Cookbook Company Cooks and was recently awarded a fellowship to the Symposium of Professional Wine Writers based in Napa Valley.