TOP TEN LIST: Washington State Syrah
I’ve very little experience with Washington wines. I’ve drunk the Leonettis and Quicilda Creeks but never really ventured too far into the heart of Washington wine. Gene from the Seattle Wine Blogger, however, has. And in the spirit of our week of Top Ten Lists he sends in:
The top ten Washington State Syrah producers rated on a 100 point scale
1) Basel Cellars – 92
2) Terra Blanca – 92
3) Dunham Cellars – 90
4) Isenhower Cellars – 90
5) Amavi Cellars- 90
6) L’Ecole No. 41 – 90
7) Three Rivers Winery – 89/91
8) Beresan Winery -90
9) Apex Cellars – 89
10) Dusted Valley Vintners – 88
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Hi Tom,
I had a nice Cayuse ‘En Cerise’ Syrah 2003 that Mike from the ShirazShiraz blog dragged along to a dinner in Sydney a couple of days ago(I think he’s back in San Diego now).
Very nice wine…..we don’t see a lot of U.S. Syrahs over here so it was a nice change
Cheers
Dave
Huh… strange. I’m very surprised not to see Glen Fiona; I think they make some of the best syrah in Washington state, albeit in more of a Côte-Rôtie style. If memory serves me correctly, they were among the very first Washington wineries to experiment with cofermenting syrah and viognier. Columbia Crest’s reserve syrah is made similarly and is often utterly delightful.
Finally, there’s also the new Sequel syrah, made by John Duval, which is amazingly tasty.
I’m a little biased having grown up in Woodinville, WA…but I’m so sad to see that DeLille’s Doyenne didn’t make the list! It’s a glass-staining, Jimi Hendrix purple and holds a mouthful of chocolate, raspberries, and white pepper…a powerhouse of hedonistic juiciness!
Terra Blanca!? So sorry I strongly disagree. Some of the most inconsistent and brett laden wine coming off Red Mountain.
Love the Dunham and Isenhower, haven’t tried Amavi Cellars and will try to pick up the others. Seriously, Terra Blanca? Also Three Rivers? Not a fan but I suppose it is matter of taste. Look forward to trying the rest. Keep up the good work. thanks