2009 Unofficial Classification Of Washington State Wineries
This is the fourth annual Unofficial Classification of Washington State Wineries. The 2009 Unofficial Classification Of Washington State Wineries represents my personal, perhaps, idiosyncratic or eccentric, opinions of the quality of Washington State wineries. Out of more than 650 wineries, there are at least a hundred producing great wine. About half of the wine produced in Washington comes from wineries owned by Chateau Ste. Michelle. The other 600 some odd wineries are mostly small artisanal family enterprises typically producing 2000-3000 cases, in some cases up to 20,000 cases or more. The AP reports that Washington wineries are increasing their production.The emphasis has been on quality rather than quantity. Let us hope it remains so. In contrast to other classifications of wine such as the 1855 classification of Bordeaux, the Unofficial Classification of Washington Wineries is not set in stone and changes every year. Since it is retrospective, it does not necessarily predict future rankings, past performance is no guarantee of future results.This has been a difficult year with so many people unemployed, retirement funds cut in half, and a housing market that is limping along at best. In general, it appears that most people have lowered the price they are willing to pay for a bottle of wine, but have not cut consumption.Wines at the top of the list be special wines for special occasions, whereas wine in the "Cinqieme" group tend to be outstanding values. Exclusion from this classification, in no way represents a commentary on the quality of a winery. In many cases, it may simply mean that I am not familiar enough with the wines or winemaker to form an opinion. On the other hand , not all Washington wines and wineries are great, so only the best that I am familiar with are listed here. Wineries are listed in alphabetical order and not ranked within each category. Wineries are listed as "deferred", if I have reason to believe they are worthy, but haven't tasted enough of their wines recently.
Premier Grand Cru ( Extraordinary)
Cayuse
Leonetti
Quilceda Creek
Deuxieme Grand Cru (Outstanding)
Andrew Will
Betz
Cadence
DeLille
Januik
Long Shadow
Pepper Bridge
Spring Valley
Troisieme Grand Cru ( Exceptional)
Abeja
Adams Bench
Amaurice
Boudreaux
Brian Carter
Buty
Cougar Crest
Doyanne
Fall Line
Five Star
Gorman
Hestia
Hightower
Isenhower
Mark Ryan
Note Bene
O-S
Palouse
Ross Andrew
Saviah
Sleight Of Hand
Sparkman
Syncline
Trio
Quatrieme Grand Cru ( Excellent)
426
Adamant
Amavi
Baer
Barrage
Basel Cellars
Beresen
Bergevin Lane
Canoe Ridge
Darby
Desert Wind
Dusted Valley
Flying Trout
Forgeron
Gifford Hirlinger
Hedges
Kestrel
Kiona
L'Ecole
Mountain Dome
Nicolas Cole
Northstar
Novelty Hill
Ponum
Red Sky
Reininger
Seven Hills
Sheridan
Syzygy
Terra Blanca
Tertulia
Thurston Wolfe
Three Rivers
Trust
Vin Du Lac
Walla Walla Vineyards
Walter Dacon
Whitman
Willis Hall
Cinqieme Cru ( Very Good)
14 Hands
Airfield Estates
Apex
Balboa
Boomtown
Barnard Griffin
Chinook
Columbia Crest "Two Vines"
Dama
Goose Ridge
Gordon Bros
Hogue
Martinez & Martinez
Maryhill
Nelms Road
Pavin & Riley
Pine & Post
Red Diamond
Revelry
Ryan Patrick
Sagelands
Saint Laurent
Willow Crest
Deferred
Agate Field
Andrake
Animale
Cameraderie
Canon De Sol
Chatter Creek
Columbia Crest Reserve
Dunham
Ensemble
Glacial Lake Missoula
Hedges
Latitude 46 N
Massett
McKinley Springs
McCrea
Parejas
Rulo
Sandidge
Sandhill
Soos Creek
Terra Blanca - Onyx
Two Mountains
Woodwark Canyon
Yellow Hawk
Zefina
Premier Grand Cru ( Extraordinary)
Cayuse
Leonetti
Quilceda Creek
Deuxieme Grand Cru (Outstanding)
Andrew Will
Betz
Cadence
DeLille
Januik
Long Shadow
Pepper Bridge
Spring Valley
Troisieme Grand Cru ( Exceptional)
Abeja
Adams Bench
Amaurice
Boudreaux
Brian Carter
Buty
Cougar Crest
Doyanne
Fall Line
Five Star
Gorman
Hestia
Hightower
Isenhower
Mark Ryan
Note Bene
O-S
Palouse
Ross Andrew
Saviah
Sleight Of Hand
Sparkman
Syncline
Trio
Quatrieme Grand Cru ( Excellent)
426
Adamant
Amavi
Baer
Barrage
Basel Cellars
Beresen
Bergevin Lane
Canoe Ridge
Darby
Desert Wind
Dusted Valley
Flying Trout
Forgeron
Gifford Hirlinger
Hedges
Kestrel
Kiona
L'Ecole
Mountain Dome
Nicolas Cole
Northstar
Novelty Hill
Ponum
Red Sky
Reininger
Seven Hills
Sheridan
Syzygy
Terra Blanca
Tertulia
Thurston Wolfe
Three Rivers
Trust
Vin Du Lac
Walla Walla Vineyards
Walter Dacon
Whitman
Willis Hall
Cinqieme Cru ( Very Good)
14 Hands
Airfield Estates
Apex
Balboa
Boomtown
Barnard Griffin
Chinook
Columbia Crest "Two Vines"
Dama
Goose Ridge
Gordon Bros
Hogue
Martinez & Martinez
Maryhill
Nelms Road
Pavin & Riley
Pine & Post
Red Diamond
Revelry
Ryan Patrick
Sagelands
Saint Laurent
Willow Crest
Deferred
Agate Field
Andrake
Animale
Cameraderie
Canon De Sol
Chatter Creek
Columbia Crest Reserve
Dunham
Ensemble
Glacial Lake Missoula
Hedges
Latitude 46 N
Massett
McKinley Springs
McCrea
Parejas
Rulo
Sandidge
Sandhill
Soos Creek
Terra Blanca - Onyx
Two Mountains
Woodwark Canyon
Yellow Hawk
Zefina
posted by Gene Stein, Ph.D. @ 5:29 AM
7 Comments:
At 6:35 PM,
Anonymous said…
Nice list. I am very much aligned with you, except for me Betz is now above Quilceda Creek.
Love Cadence too. It's like the musician's favorite rock band, not the general public's though.
At 11:04 AM,
Anonymous said…
Interesting that you don't have Darby listed anywhere on this list, nor Guardian, when they are right in between Kevin at Barrage and Chris's spot at Sparkman. Those two are arguably some of the standout producers in the Woodinville Warehouse District. They are also part of the Grape Killers group with members such as Mark Ryan, Gorman and Sparkman.
Just spotted another glaring set of omissions in Efeste, Stevens, Cuillin Hills, and Des Voigne.
These are some folks you'll want track down and drink some of their wine if you haven't and probably add them to your list when you do.
At 1:49 PM,
Anonymous said…
McCrea would be 2nd cru for me. Incredible rhone style wines (their Sirocco and Mouverdre in particular).
Canon del Sol would be 3rd cru. They have a fantastic blend (I think it was bordeaux style but with higher than normal Malbec).
For me I'd bump Gorman up on the strength of their Evil Twin. Good stuff.
Owen Roe is kinda in between WA and Oregon and they source grapes from both areas... however if you put them in here they would be premiere cru to me. The cab franc and kilmore pinot (willamette grapes however) are unbelievable.
At 10:15 PM,
szymanskiea said…
I am far from familiar enough with WA state wines to comment on your listing in general, but I can't help but notice that you've omitted a fair number of the well-recognized Woodinville wineries. No unfavorable reflection on yourself whatsoever -- I just assume that you aren't as familiar with that area. I might, however, add William Church Winery to your "Deuxieme" list, along with Des Voignes and Cuillen Hills to either the 2iemes or 3iemes. Plaza winery from the Yakima valley should definitely make the 3iemes, though Plaza's prices make them a far better value than most. Tons of other fantastic wineries and winemakers that I am omitting, too, but I felt obliged to add at least these fews. Thanks again for at least making the effort while ackowledging the inevitable omissions!
At 10:15 PM,
Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…
Thank you for all your comments. Thay are great. In fact, I know all of these wineries and they are quite good. As I said, my list is excentric. I did add Darby which was a particularly glaring omission on my part. Your comments expand the universe of good wineries for possible inclusion in future "Classifications." Gene
At 9:34 PM,
Bill said…
Good list - I would have Barrister and Robert in the Outstanding if not Excellent range
At 8:42 PM,
Waage said…
Fun list, Still exploring the WA wines as I am a new commer to the area. I do like the wines from o'shea scarborough.
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