It was a night to show the love for the great wines from our very own state. Yes, March is Washington Wine Month so the tasting focused on three Washington wineries... Barnard Griffin, O Wines and Delille Cellars. Actually it was about a year ago that I was at a dinner with Karen Nelson and company where I met Greg and Stacy Lill. I mentioned that I had a monthly tasting and they said they would love to be part of it. Greg and Stacy own Delille Cellars and Stacy has her own project with a business partner known as "O" Wines, the O standing for opportunity. The purpose behind the project is to donate a portion of the profits to help underprivileged women get scholarships for a higher education. They have had great success and have helped many young ladies go on to bigger and better things. Quite a lofty purpose and a good reason to support these wines. Delille Cellars is a "Top Shop" in Washington and produces some very premium wines that are always in high demand. I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate another winery with wines in the value range. When it comes to consistent quality and great values out of Washington, Barnard Griffin always comes to mind. Now, all the pieces were in place for a terrific tasting, and terrific it was. The crowd was huge, the wines were outstanding and everyone had a great time. Here is a brief summary of the wines tasted at the event.

Let’s start with Barnard Griffin Winery...

2008 Barnard Griffin Riesling... Columbia Valley

This was the only wine at the tasting that made the "Top 100" wines in the Wine Spectator for 2009. It certainly was worthy. Very fragrant on the nose with notes of white flowers, apricots and peaches. The wine is fresh on the palate with wonderful fruit notes of apricots, mangos and papaya. This is a drier style riesling so it was not cloying at all. Alsace comes to mind when you put this wine to your lips. A lot of folks who do not normally like riesling enjoyed this one. Certainly a crowd favorite. 91 points

2008 Barnard Griffin Reserve Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley ... $13.99

This is a new one for this winery and as much as I lament the continuing popularity of this varietal I have to say this was a nice effort. Not your typical pinot gris, there was not a lot of viscosity on the palate. Fresher and drier in style with notes of green apples and citrus. Very clean on the finish yet it had some substance. This was not boring at all and I could see myself indulging in this wine with some roasted chicken, freshly cooked crab or even some sushi. This wine had mixed reviews with the crowd and most liked it. 87 points

2008 Barnard Griffin Tulip Label Chardonnay, Columbia Valley ... $9.99

I have been a fan of this chard for many, many years, so I have to say that I am a little prejudice. Barnard Griffin distinguishes their value line of wines by the term "Tulip Label" referring to the picture of tulips on the label (Of course). The chardonnay is understated and elegant displaying nuances of tropical fruits and hints of light toast. This is a chardonnay you could drink everyday and all day if it did not have alcohol ( In never encourage over-indulgence)! For ten bucks you would be hard pressed to find a better chardonnay 89 points

2009 Barnard Griffin Rose’ of Sangiovese, Columbia Valley... $10.99

This is far and away my top selling rose in the ten to fifteen dollar range. I was quite happy that it was released in time for our tasting. Because it is produced from the sangiovese grape it displays some interesting qualities. Good acid, dark in color with notes of strawberries and rhubarb with some interesting red plum notes. The wine feels big on the palate but is very refreshing with a pleasing, lingering finish. This wine makes us beg for a sunny day out on the lawn sipping rose. The crowd loved it and took advantage of the great price being offered. 88 points

2007 Barnard Griffin Reserve Chardonnay, Columbia Valley ... $19.99

This was a last minute addition to the tasting, and I am glad we did it. A little different in style then the Tulip Label sister wine which means just a little more wood on the palate. However, this is far from over-oaked. Nice baked apple notes nested on hints of pear and lemon-lime. This chard has a nice minerality reminiscent of chardonnay from the Beaune. I believe it is the spice from the wood and the minerality that set it apart from the other chardonnay. The winery certainly offers two styles, both of them excellent and made for different occasions and personal tastes. I for my part love them both and depending on the stock market will make my choice. 90 points

Barnard Griffin non-vintage Cabernet-Merlot, Columbia Valley ... $9.99

Rob Griffin has for years produced a cab-merlot that is non-vintage. As a consumer, the only clue you have that it has changed is the percentages of cab, merlot and cab franc you read on the front label. That being said, most of us do not pay close attention to this unless you are a wine guy like myself. This particular batch has 11% cabernet franc, and I have to tell you it is one of my favorites. The cab franc adds some herbal notes to the wine that haven’t been present in past blends. Very smooth with a challenged bouquet that takes a little while to open up. Notes of vanilla, dark cherries, plum and hints of celery and anise. This wine is very versatile and a real nice everyday red. Great with burgers, pizza or mac & cheese. I would be tempted to stock up on a few of these because I am thinking that this baby will be good over the next couple of years. At the price it is being offered... c’mon! 89 points

2008 Barnard Griffin Tulip Label Syrah, Columbia Valley... $13.99

This syrah has all the elements that you look for in this varietal without the pizzaz. Plum and boysenberry notes with slight hints of smoke and blueberries. I love syrah, especially when it shows off the blueberry and bacon fat notes that Washington syrah can. This syrah will offend no one. It’s good... but not great. 87 points.

2007 Barnard Griffin Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley... $13.99

Very classic cabernet sauvignon. Cherry on the nose with hints of cedar. The palate shows off smooth tannins with dark cherry, mint and cedar tones. Very well made with nice balance. This baby is not made to age but is drinking pretty darn good right now. If you are a cab afficionado and want something good for under twenty bucks, this is well worth it. 88 points

2007 Barnard Griffin Reserve Merlot, Columbia Valley... $24.99

This wine showed some muscle! Big, bold and delicious this wine had some excellent tannic grip, dusty cherry notes on a bed of herbs and cedar notes that filled your palate integrated nicely with the tannins into a pleasing long finish. Yes, you can drink it now but I would suggest you have it with some food. Give this another three to five years and WOW! I believe this one will flesh out as nicely as the Reserve 2005 Barbera did that we opened latter that night at dinner. Great wine that needs just a little time. 91 points

2009 Barnard Griffin Syrah Port.... $14.99

How can you score a port or dessert wine? They are all good, so I will not score it. Rather, I will rate it on the delicious factor. This syrah port tipped the scale to a TEN on the delicious factor! This effort by Barnard Griffin never misses. Every time I show it at a tasting the crowd loves it. This night was no exception. Just about everyone took advantage of the special price being offered at the event.

Now let’s move on to the "O" Wines table with Stacy Lill...

2008 O Wines Chardonnay, Columbia Valley ... $13.99

I have to say that I am glad they have sold out of the Yakima Valley version of this chard. I was not as fond of that one as I am this version. Actually I thought this rivaled Barnard Griffins Tulip Label chard which is one of my favorite everyday whites. Very elegant on the nose with nice tropical fruit notes that are not oak influenced. Good weight in the mouth with wonderful notes of pineapple, pear, red delicious apple and a dash of butterscotch. This chard is both refreshing and delicious. I would have this with shellfish or poultry and be perfectly happy. I have to tell you it is hard to find a chardonnay that is this versatile. From the looks of the orders the tasters agreed with me on this one. 89 points

2007 O Wines Red, Columbia Valley ... $14.99

This wine was a very pleasant surprise! I knew last year that they were working on a red blend, and what a way to start. A blend of syrah, merlot, cabernet franc and sangiovese this wine is a definite over-achiever. Very mysterious and sexy on the nose with deep dark fruit that is very enticing. The palate is intense with notes of dark cherries, leather, spice and a wonderful hit of dusted cocoa on the back end that is quite alluring. I have to tell you that a couple of folks came up to me and talked about what a serious red this was. Will it lay down? Absolutely. Very approachable now, but will definitely improve over the next five years. What’s hard to believe is you get all of this for only fifteen bucks. CRAZY! 94 points

Now on to the Big Boy of the tasting... Delille Cellars With Greg Lill

I say "Big Boy", because Delille Cellars has always been considered a top shop in Washington right up there with Quilceda Creek and Leonetti. The prices reflect the high quality of these wines and I was honored to have both Stacy and Greg come up to pour their wines. Many of the tasters hanged out at Greg’s table to get just one extra taste of these terrific wines.

2007 Chaleur Estate Blanc ... $34.99

I believe this is about as close as you can get to a quality white Bordeaux without being french! I was blown away by the intensity of this white. This is not a glug, glug, glug white. 62% sauvignon blanc and 38% semillon this wine got serious right from the start. Intense viscosity on the palate with obvious oak influence. The oak is not overbearing and is balanced out nicely by the powerful fruit notes of gooseberries, grapefruit and figs. The mid-palate is enormous with layers and layers of flavors that intensify through into the finish. On the backside there are some interesting roasted nut flavors along with hints of honey and toast. Not for the person looking for an easy to drink pinot grigio. This wine will lay down nicely over the next ten to fifteen years which will mellow out the oak influence. If your portfolio has experienced a recent surge in value it would be worth the investment to put a few bottles away. Try to find a white Bordeaux of this quality and you will be spending three to four times as much. 95 points

2007 Doyenne "Signature" Syrah ... $36.99

This was the first time I had tried this wine and it will not be the last. As I said earlier, I am a syrah nut and this one dips into the syrah nerve. A little pricier then I like but it is well worth it. Wonderful nose of dark berries, smoke and lavender. Tremendous intensity on the palate right from the start with toasty boysenberry notes, black plum, black raspberries, bacon fat and white pepper. The wine’s intensity never stops and neither does the finish. I could taste this wine for at least two or three minutes after I swallowed. I also enjoyed the earth tones that came through which to me was reminiscent of many of the wines from the Rhone Valley. The crowd went nuts over this wine and ordered a fair amount. 94 points

2006 Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate ... $77.99

Imagine a silk chocolate pie made only from the finest chocolate in the world drizzled with a decadent boysenberry and plum sauce. Add some alcohol liquify it, bottle it, and call it wine. That is Chaleur Estate. This stuff is incredible and the flagship wine of Delille’s Portfolio. The first time I tried this wine I was blown away by it’s intensity and elegance all at the same time. Vibrancy of dark fruit wrapped in a silk blanket. This wine makes you think, and I love wines that make you think. Complex, with layers of flavors that take time to pull out and contemplate. Blah, Blah, Blah I think you get the picture that I love this wine! So did everyone else. 94 points

I have to say that I like to score higher priced wines a little lower since many times they do not deliver the quality you would expect for the price. Delille Cellars is an exception. Yes, the Chaleur is a little more then we like to spend but for a special occasion it is a good value. The "Signature" syrah is both affordable and could demand a higher price for the quality. In my opinion it blows Shafer Relentless out of the water, which is twice the price. The Chaleur Blanc is a super value when compared to white Bordeaux of similar quality. However, my personal pick for the night was the O Wines Red. Check it out, it is a great bang for the buck and a wine that will improve with age. The crowds pick of the night was the Barnard Griffin non-vintage cab-merlot. Always and excellent value and one of the best Washington reds you’ll find for ten bucks.

There you go! I want to thank everyone who shows up and supports the tasting. It is a fun and educational event the exposes everyone to wines they may not try on their own. See you at the next one! Stan