"Ten Best Washington Winemakers"
This is actually impossible, since there are well over 600 wineries in Washington, and undoubtedly more than a hundred great winemakers, so I will just name some winemakers who come to mind in no particular order. I look forward to hearing your faves and suggestions.
- Brian Carter
- Mike Januik
- Chris Upchurch
- Trey Busch
- Ben Smith
- Tim Sorensen
- Tim Narby
- John Bell
- Poppy Mantone
- James Mantone
- Bill Owen
- Erica True
- George Kirkorian
- Scott Greer
- Chirs Carmada
- Jean Francois Pellet
- Alex Golitzen
- Gary Figgins
- Anna Shafer
- Deborah Hansen
- John Abbott
- Serge Lavelle
- Chuck Reininger
- Marty Clubb
- Caleb Foster
- Don Corson
- Mark Ryan McNealey
- Chris Gorman
- Ross Andrew
- Brett Isenhower
- Richard Funk
Well, we are up to thirty-one and could just keep going. We've heard that Christophe Baron is a great winemaker. We'll just have to wait 'til we taste his wines. I know I've left out dozens of great winemakers in Washington. I guess this shows the absurdity of ten best lists and how far Washington has progressed. Now that you've seen my loose associations, why not add yours? Oh, yes, we left out all of the Long Shadow winemakers. Yes, but are they Washington winemakers? Can we all get to 100? How about a Zagat approach? I know you all will be atwitter about this.
posted by Gene Stein, Ph.D. @ 5:12 AM
6 Comments:
At 7:54 PM,
Anonymous said…
I would certainly add Bob Betz to this list. He has been promoting Washington wines for over 30 years and his own wines for over 10 now.
At 9:13 PM,
Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…
Totally right! Thanks for your comment. Laura Williamson pointed out the omission of Larry Lehmbecker. There are a lot of omissions. Let's hear from you all. Gene
At 2:01 PM,
bryan said…
I would think you would add Greg Harrington from Grammercy if you are going to include Anna Schafer (that's the correct spelling). They have been making wine about the same length and Grammercy wines have been getting wide acclaim, including being a top rated Washington syrah by the Wall Street Journal. His pending Cab release should be outstanding.
At 8:08 PM,
Anonymous said…
If you had to pick a new face with the "phenom" attached to his name-Marcus Miller of Airfield Estates. This winemaker is producing wines that just are beyond his age. I give him the chance to put Yakima Valley on par with Walla Walla wines in the next few years.
At 8:16 PM,
Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…
Totally agree! And Marcus is a nice guy and his wines are reasonably priced.
At 8:51 AM,
Lynnell Morgan said…
You might consider adding Doug McCrea to that great list. Thanks, very informative!
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