Last month I covered several of the more popular Rh\u00f4ne varietals that have found their way into Washington vineyards. Since then, I\u2019ve been on a self-imposed mission to search out, taste, and come up with some specific recommendations of wines produced from these varietals that I think you\u2019ll enjoy.<\/p>\n
The only problem I encountered: narrowing down the list of superb wines I tasted in an effort to give you the best of the best.<\/p>\n
![\"null\"](\"http:\/\/www.owenroe.com\/assets\/images\/products\/thumbnails\/2012-Lenoreweb11.png\")
To refresh your memory, a Rh\u00f4ne varietal is one of 22 grapes sanctioned by the French government for wine production within that country\u2019s Rh\u00f4ne Valley. Of these, the top six varietals now grown in Washington are syrah, viognier, grenache, roussanne, marsanne, and mourv\u00e8dre.<\/p>\n
Corvidae Wine Company Lenore 2011 Syrah<\/strong> (about $16) \u2013 Gorgeous, black cherry flavors stand out with undertones of gamey meats and subtle, sultry spices on a silky-soft finish. This over-achieving, entry-level selection from Owen Roe Winery delivers from start to finish and is a classic example of excellent winemaking during a challenging vintage year. The 2012 vintage of this wine is now also currently available.<\/p>\n Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2013 Viognier <\/strong>(about $22) \u2013 Sourced from Walla Walla Valley estate vineyards, this wine\u2019s big aromatics of lemon and key lime are matched with honeydew melon flavors and bold tropical fruits of mango, papaya and pineapple. The finish is slightly plump with a borderline-sweet trailing note.<\/p>\n Maryhill Winery 2009 Syrah<\/strong> (about $22) \u2013 This older vintage syrah is still available and drinking beautifully. Honey-graham and vanilla bean aromas, a mouthful of dark cherry fruits on the mid-palate, and a lengthy finish with accents of caramel and black licorice highlight this fine effort.<\/p>\n Keep your eye on winemaker George Petzinger, who\u2019s really hitting his stride with this micro-boutique winery that operates from a cozy tasting room in downtown Yakima.<\/p>\n Forgeron Cellars 2013 Fa\u00e7on Blanc<\/strong> (about $25) \u2013 This tasty blend of four white Rh\u00f4ne varietals \u2013 roussanne, grenache blanc, viognier, and marsanne \u2013 is filled with mouth-watering white peach and apricot flavors that transition into crisp, vibrant citrus while still maintaining a full-bodied quality. Another stunning effort from Walla Walla winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla.<\/p>\n Maryhill Winery 2011 Marvel ~ GSM<\/strong> (about $40) \u2013 What more can one say about this highly-decorated wine that was Great Northwest Wine\u2019s 2014 Wine of the Year? Grenache, syrah and mourv\u00e8dre converge in this red blend with smoky, pepper bacon on the nose, understated mincemeat and fig flavors and, when decanted for several hours, a soft, chocolaty finish. Truly a phenomenal wine worth savoring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last month I covered several of the more popular Rh\u00f4ne varietals that have found their way into Washington vineyards. Since then, I\u2019ve been on a self-imposed mission to search out, taste, and come up with some specific recommendations of wines produced from these varietals that I think you\u2019ll enjoy. The only problem I encountered: narrowing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-washington-wines","category-from-the-bellingham-herald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1979"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1987,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1979\/revisions\/1987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"null\"](\"http:\/\/www.greatnorthwestwine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Lookout-Point-Grenache.jpg\")
Lookout Point Winery 2011 Grenache<\/strong> (about $24) \u2013 There\u2019s a nice fleshy quality to this wine, while at the same time brighter strawberry, red currant and pomegranate flavors come through on the finish along with a spritz of white pepper. <\/p>\n