Ten Best New Washington Wineries

I believe we are now up to 450 wineries in Washington State. After California, Washington is the largest producer of wine in the U.S. The quality of wine in Washington continues to improve and at least 100 wineries are producing excellent wine. Some of the new wineries are producing great wine right out of the shoot. Here are my choices for the ten best new wineries in Washington in no particular order.

1) Fall Line - Technically speaking, Fall Line is not exactly new, but in fact, Tim Sorensen only produced less than 100 cases of wine last year and this year came up with three beauties each reflecting his goals of balance, grace and depth. All three of Tim's wines - 2004 Horse Heaven Hills , 2004 Red Mountain and 2004 Columbia Valley - are excellent.

2) Palouse Winery - George Kirkish burst upon the scene with an excellent blend called Eclipse and a Petit Sirah called Black Pearl which may be the best Petit Sirah I've tasted.

3) 14 Hands - Outstanding value! A Cabernet, a Merlot and a superb Chardonnay for only $12 retail. The Chard was one of the three best I've tasted this year.

4) Harbinger - Winemaker, Sarah Gagnon is pioneering at the westernmost outpost of Washington wine on the Olympic Peninsula near her family homestead.

5) Red Sky - Excellent reds! The 2003 Red Sky Bordeaux Style Blend was an outstanding splurge of the week,.

6) Brian Carter - Winemaker Brian Carter has made delicious wine at Apex winery for years. Now he has his own winery and all of his reds and whites are excellent, especially the L'Etalon.

7) McKinley - A very interesting Syrah from Andrews Horse Heaven Hills Vineyard.

8) Willis Hall - Excellent reds from Boeing Wine Club graduate, John Bell, especially his Cabernet Franc.

9) Edmonds - Off to a good start with a very nice Cabernet Sauvignon

10) Agate Field - Good reds from a winery right next to Sheridan Vineyards.