Rattlesnake Hills - No Rattlers Here!

Rattlesnake Hills - no rattlers here, just a new AVA (American Viticultural Area), or is it AMA (American Marketing Area)? No matter! There are good wineries clustered here north of the the town of Zillah. Paul Porteuss has been growing grapes here for the past twenty-five years and making good wine, too. In the past few years, Two Mountains has started making good wine here. Dave and Linda Lowe at Wineglass left Seattle to make very good wine in this quiet rural setting. The Rashford family of Agate Field had been growing apples here for many years and just started making wine after selling land to Scott Greer for Sheridan Vineyards. Do they regret selling one of the best vineyards in the state? Only the shadow knows.

Sheridan is amazing. All of Scott Greer's wines are excellent. The 2003 L'Orage (French for "perfect storm") is a triumph of winemaking from this young, but rich vineyard. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, it tastes like an elegant refined Bordeaux with great flavors of black currants and enough tannin to age well, but it is quite delicious right now especially if you decant it an hour in advance. Sarah Fewel manages the tasting room and tells me that she and her husband are starting their own winery with Scott's help. I think she should call it Zarita Vineyards after her name in Spanish.