WTN: Two Puget Sound pinots plus Cloudline

[Jenise]

I'm carrying on an email conversation with Jim Lester of Michigan's Wyncroft winery, and he's interested in who is growing red wine grapes on the west side of the Cascades so I picked up bottles for both him and I of the only two I know of, 05 pinot noirs from Mt. Baker and Challenger Ridge wineries.

2005 Challenger Ridge Pinot Noir, Puget Sound, Washington, $20
Tasted after an evening that included 04 and 05 Cottonwood Marina Piper from Oregon and 05 Foley and 03 Calera "Ryan" from California, this pinot, which was highly praised on the shelftalker at Compass Wines in Anacortes, was monotonously tart and underflavored. With food it might have been more palatable, but after dinner it was too lean to drink. I am told that this wine was the first vintage for Randy ____, who was formerly the winemaker (and a very good one) at Mt. Baker Winery. I believe the grapes are grown in the Skagit Valley.

So the same friends we shared the above wine with last weekend dropped by yesterday, and they had a bottle of this in tow:

2006 Cloudline pinot noir, Oregon, $20
Volatile, vinegary nose lacks pinot character. Purple color and extracted flavors. Tastes better than it smells, but I'm struggling to be kind. Pass.

This seemed like a good time to pop a Mt. Baker for further comparison, so we did:

2005 Mt. Baker Winery pinot noir, Puget Sound, Washington $20
These grapes are grown at the winery in Deming near the foot of Mt. Baker about 20 miles east of Bellingham, Washington, where I live. Anyone who has ever been to that mountain to ski drove right past the vineyard. A standout effort all things considered, the nose had entirely correct and relatively (compared to the other two wines) pinot character. Though it shows a bit more oak than prior vintages I've tried, it has more body than any previous vintage I've tried and this is a good thing--it needs the structure to balance the cool climate acidity. The black cherry palate's less giving initially, but it smoothed out overnight in the bottle and got a bit spicier. We were all quite impressed.

I've seen the Cloudline in stores here and thought it might be worth trying since it's from Oregon. Thanks for saving me!

I'm carrying on an email conversation with Jim Lester of Michigan's Wyncroft winery, and he's interested in who is growing red wine grapes on the west side of the Cascades so I picked up bottles for both him and I of the only two I know of, 05 pinot noirs from Mt. Baker and Challenger Ridge wineries.

Jenise, one more you can add to your list is another west-of-the-mountains pinot, made by Bainbridge Island Vineyards and estate-grown. I haven't had a chance to try the Mt. Baker version but my guess is it would still be at the top of your list.

I'm carrying on an email conversation with Jim Lester of Michigan's Wyncroft winery, and he's interested in who is growing red wine grapes on the west side of the Cascades so I picked up bottles for both him and I of the only two I know of, 05 pinot noirs from Mt. Baker and Challenger Ridge wineries.

Jenise,

I'm curious. I visited a few wineries between Port Angeles and Port Townsend, but only one made wines from juice/grapes that were not from eastern Washington. What opinion do you have of Puget Sound wines? Promising producers/grapes/styles?

Jenise..You may had a bad bottle of Cloudline..have tasted this wine several times in past 6 mos and have never picked up any volatile or vinegar notes aromawise ..won't quibble re your comment re extraction as it is somewhat aytpical for an Oregon Pinot flavorwise..all in all, I thought it was a nice quaffer..nothing special perhaps but certainly easy to drink..

[Jenise]

Jenise..You may had a bad bottle of Cloudline..have tasted this wine several times in past 6 mos and have never picked up any volatile or vinegar notes aromawise ..won't quibble re your comment re extraction as it is somewhat aytpical for an Oregon Pinot flavorwise..all in all, I thought it was a nice quaffer..nothing special perhaps but certainly easy to drink..

Interesting! Maybe we did have a bad bottle. I presumed not simply because this kind of volatility is, in my experience, usually not a bottle to bottle thing. I'm relieved to hear there are good bottles out there, though, as the friend who brought this bought several bottles.

Jenise,

I'm curious. I visited a few wineries between Port Angeles and Port Townsend, but only one made wines from juice/grapes that were not from eastern Washington. What opinion do you have of Puget Sound wines? Promising producers/grapes/styles?

Keith, I'm not Jenise but I am a relatively recent arrival in western Washington. It depends on what you mean by "Puget Sound wines". Washington is a little bit strange in that the wineries are often not near the vineyards. I came from California where fruit sometimes travels some distance to get made into wine but as a general rule, wineries and vineyards are close to each other. There are now many wineries east of the mountains in WA but those are mostly a very recent phenomenon. Of course, the whole WA wine industry only goes back a few decades but "historically" the grapes are east of the Cascades but the wineries are often where the customers are, west of the mountains. Examples would be the biggest, Chateau Ste. Michelle and the whole crowd of wineries in the Woodinville area and others of note, like Quilceda Creek.

So there is plenty of good wine being made in the Puget Sound but as I used to explain when I poured wine at a local tasting room, "if you've heard of the varietal, the fruit probably comes from east of the mountains". Now if, as I suspect, by "Puget Sound wines" you mean from grapes grown here, that's something different altogether. It sounds like Jenise's friend is going to give it the old college try but generally we just don't have enough summer heat here to ripen the more famous French and Italian varieties. If any red could be successful it would probably be Pinot but I suspect for most it will be a struggle. Generally, the varieties that are planted here are white, early-ripening varieties hailing from cooler areas in Europe, like Germany and the Loire - also, some obscure hybrids. Some examples are Madeleine Angevine, Madeleine Sylvaner, Siegerrebe and Muller Thurgau. Mt. Baker makes a Chasselas, and there is the odd Pinot Gris out there. I read that somebody has planted Melon.

You get the idea. Wineries have a tough time making an economic go of it selling varietals like that - just not enough name recognition, even if there are some nice, crisp examples around. People just don't go to the store looking for Madeleine Angevine, they want Chardonnay. So wineries make wine out of fruit from eastern WA with names people have heard of. Whidbey Island winery grows the Madeleines and Siegerrebe here in the island and does a solid job. Even though I dissed Bainbridge Island's Pinot, they do some nice whites with locally grown fruit and make a really interesting late harvest Siegerrebe. Mt. Baker does a generally good job on everything and buried in their line-up are at least a few wines from local fruit, including the Chasselas I mentioned.

Thanks, Mark, you are correct, I was referring to wines made from grapes grown in the Puget Sound, not those shipped in from eastern Washington.

I have developed an affection for offbeat grapes--which is why I am interested in Puget Sound wines. Thanks for your input . . . it looks as though there are at least a few interesting ones, though the region is undoubtedly at a significant disadvantage versus the position (both in terms of climate as well as marketing) versus the appellations further east.

[Jenise]

Thanks, Mark, you are correct, I was referring to wines made from grapes grown in the Puget Sound, not those shipped in from eastern Washington.

I have developed an affection for offbeat grapes--which is why I am interested in Puget Sound wines. Thanks for your input . . . it looks as though there are at least a few interesting ones, though the region is undoubtedly at a significant disadvantage versus the position (both in terms of climate as well as marketing) versus the appellations further east.

'

Keith, Mark answered your question better than I could have. There are some decent whites grown/made here but the costs of small production and success of low-demand grape styles has relegated those wines to the boutique category, and they mostly cater to the "I prefer sweet wine" buyers.

and they mostly cater to the "I prefer sweet wine" buyers.

Aha, duly noted. Thanks, Jenise.