| How would you like to wake
up one day and find everything going your
way? That was the way a bunch of
Washington Winemakers felt when their
reds trounced some of the world's best at
a dramatic blind tasting in San Francisco
recently. Industry and media participants
ranked eight cabernet or cabernet-based
wines from the 1996, 1997, and 1998
vintages of Bordeaux, California, and
Washington State respectively. "We were just
thrilled to be included in that
tasting," said Jeff Gordon, one of
the partners in Gordon Brothers (from the
Columbia Valley).
Turns out
Gordon Brothers had a little more to be
thrilled about.
The Gordon
Brothers' "1998 Tradition: - a
Bordeaux-style blend of 56 percent
cabernet and 44 percent merlot, aged in
one to three-year-old French oak barrels,
and created by their French-bred
winemaker, Marie-Eve Gilla--came out on
top, besting the likes of Opus One,
Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Caymus.
"This
was a room full of Californians, mind
you," said Steve Burns, executive
director of the Washington Wine
Commission. "They weren't too
pleased with the results. They said they
felt like they were set up, but we said:
'Ladies and gentlemen, you tasted them,
you picked them.'"
The final
ranking:
1. Gordon
Brothers (WA), '98 Tradition, available
August 2001, $42.99
2. DeLille
Cellars (WA), '98 Chaleur Estate,
in-stock, $48.99
3. Col
Solare (WA), '98 Red Table Wine, coming
soon, $70.00
4. Opus
One (CA), '97 Red Wine, upon request,
$140.00
5. Caymus
(CA), '97 Cabernet, in-stock, $69.99
6.
Quilceda Creek (WA), '98 Cabernet, coming
soon, $65.00
7. Chateau
Cos d'Estournel (FR) '96, upon request
8. Chateau
Mouton-Rothschild (FR) '96, upon request
"To
level the playing field we chose superior
vintages from each appellation,"
said Burns. "This blind taste-off is
another indicator of the quality wines
being produced in Washington State."
Gordon
Brothers' 95-acre vineyard thrives on the
sun-drenched, river-moderated slopes
overlooking the Snake River in the
Columbia Valley appellation of Washington
State. Gordon uses 45 percent of his own
grapes in his estate wines and the demand
for remaining grapes exceeds supply.
"We believe when people discover a
new wine region, they look for individual
vineyards of the area to identify the
unique characteristics and flavors of the
wines produced from that vineyard.
Because we only use fruit from our own
vineyard, one can be assured that the
uniqueness of the wine will be preserved
from one vintage to the next."
Total
production of the 1998 Tradition is 400
cases to be released later this year. We
hope to get additional allocation for our
"Wine Club members. For more
information on Gordon Brothers, or any of
the wines listed, contact J.J., at Selah
Market, at 509 697-6100.
|
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