My mom recently asked me to host a wine tasting for her friends. Once I agreed the invitations went out and her friends were quick to respond. A wine tasting, they asked? What time do you want us? That was before they found out they’d really been invited to a classic My Wine Tribe blind tasting, complete with bottles veiled in brown paper bags, flavor wheels, and the requirement that tasters make notes on everything they sipped—erudite, helpful notes.
It was a bit more of an undertaking than they expected, but with age comes wisdom. It took them only a few minutes to adjust to the assignment and tackle it with gusto. Even better, Mom’s friends already know their way around the classics of Washington wine, so I got to feature a few new wines from Washington with up-and-coming wineries, unusual grapes and unique blends.
The lineup:
Here’s what we tried:
- Secret Squirrel 2015 White Blend: $18. Secret Squirrel winery is run by the Corliss family, the same folks who bring you award-winning Corliss and Tranche wines. This is their “second label” made with “declassified fruit” (i.e.; the leftovers). The wine is a Chateauneuf du Pape-inspired blend consisting of Marsanne, Rousanne, Viognier, Picpoul and Grenache Blanc.
- Palencia 2017 Albariño : $16. Albariño is a white grape typical of Spain’s Galicia region, but it’s coming on strong in the Pacific Northwest. Victor Palencia founded his winery after working for years in the vineyards, so it’s safe to assume he understands terrior better than most.
- Savage Grace 2016 Riesling: $20. Riesling ranks third on the list of most frequently planted grapes in Washington. Folks associate it with industry leader Chateau St. Michelle, and why not: they make more Riesling than any other single winery in the world. Savage Grace is a relatively new winery (founded in 2011) and they’re doing some great things with this grape.
- Gifford Hirlinger 2014 Stateline Red: $14. Gifford Hirlinger is a small, family-owned estate in Walla Walla Valley. This is a “kitchen sink” blend–it has a little of everything, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Tempranillo and Petite Verdot.
- Walla Walla Vintners 2014 GSM: $35. Walla Walla Vintners is a family-run winery based–that’s right–in Walla Walla. This GSM blend (67% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 11% Mourvedre) is typical of wines from the southern Rhone valley in France. It’s not typical for Walla Walla Vintners, though. They only made a few hundred cases.
The big ah-ha
Before we dig into the results, note that the big ah-ha moment of the evening was that a taster’s perception of wine when accompanied by food is much different than when imbibing without food. Wines that our tasters considered acidic, bitter or citrusy without food were deemed lovely once we broke out the nibbles. Always a good thing to consider when purchasing your next bottle.
The results please
Though it wasn’t anyone’s top pick, at $18 the Secret Squirrel is a helluva deal compared to Corliss’s typical wine prices, which run $70 and up. Both the Balanced and Developed tribes loved this wine with food. Aromas of lime, white pepper and stone led to tastes of stone fruit, spice and minerals with a clean finish (one taster deemed it “crispy”). This is a food friendly wine with acid levels that are perfect when pairing with a variety of noshes.
The Palencia 2017 Albariño wasn’t the big winner in any tribe, but for what it’s worth, it was my personal favorite. (I am in the Developed tribe and love the Spanish grapes!) Albariños tend to be fruit-forward wines with a strong backbone of acidity, making them great food wines. The tribes noted aromas of pear and nectarine with tastes of rocks, brininess and lime zest. They liked the slightly effervescent finish and dug this wine with food. If you’re in the Balanced or Developed tribe, give it a whirl.
The Savage Grace 2016 Riesling was a winner with the Accessible and Balanced tribes (and with Wine Enthusiast magazine, which gave it 92 out of 100 points). It is an aromatically vibrant wine with notes of slate, peach and apricot. The grapes grow on a steep volcanic hillside high above the Columbia River Gorge, creating a lengthy ripening season that allows the grape’s flavors to develop while not losing their acidity. The acid is key because this is a sweeter wine that, without appropriate acid, would be flabby.
The Gifford Hirlinger 2014 Stateline Red was the big winner for the Developed tribe, especially when paired with food. The tribe liked the scents of cherry cough syrup, plum and caramel and tastes of baking spices, black pepper and ripe plums. This wine is all about the fruit, drinkable both with and without food and a relative bargain at $14 a bottle.
The Complex tribe’s favorite and a close runner up for the rest of the tribes (with the exception of the Accessible tribe who found it too bold) was the Walla Walla Vintners 2014 GSM. The tribes liked its aromas of flowers, cigars and pepper. This wine has some noticeable tannins, causing tasters to comment on the drying sensation in the mouth, but with food it smoothed out and we liked its tastes of spice, blackberries and huckleberries. While this wine can be hard to find, you can usually get it at Esquin Wine Merchants. If you’re planning a BBQ or some other meat-oriented, wine-drinking function, I recommend that you grab a bottle or two.
Try something new
I love the classic Cabs and Merlots made in my home state, but it’s fun to sample the newer grapes, innovative styles and up-and-coming wineries that are producing fantastic wines to tickle each tribe’s palates. Today’s take away: Remember your old favorites, but get out there and do some exploring, too. And when you do, please clue the rest of the tribe in. Drop us a comment with your favorite Washington wine.