Can’t we all just get along? Probably not.

Every wine is different, even the same wine will taste different on different days – this is probably the greatest thing about the beverage. With Coca-cola or Budweiser one knows what one is getting; it is the mystery of what will be inside that bottle that makes wine so exciting.

Decades ago not much was known about the chemistry contributing to a wine’s taste and smell, but as science has progressed so has our understanding of the chemistry behind the flavor. With the ability to isolate yeast strains much of the guess work has been taken out of winemaking. Now it’s common practice to add yeast nutrient so the fermentation takes place seamlessly, creating fewer “stinky” aromas. This all sounds great, but with every new technology terroir loses its place as the driving force behind a wine and gives way to lab coats.

Santa Ynez Valley

Recently we discovered what causes cork taint in a wine. It’s the presence of a compound known as trichloroanisole or TCA – when this is present in a wine it is undeniably flawed. Nobody wants to drink acidic basement water, which is in effect what the wine becomes. When a wine’s volatile acidity (VA) is high enough, aromas of vinegar or nail polish remover become prevalent, but elevated levels are pleasant before becoming obnoxious, and personal tastes vary on the amount of acceptable VA.

Other than these two flaws (which I would argue VA only is at extremely high levels), there is nothing else commonly found which causes me to deem a wine as flawed. Oxidation could be mentioned, but some wines are purposely oxidized. Brettanomyces is often considered a flaw in the new world, but the yeast and it’s byproducts are commonplace in some famous old world wines, and honestly, I like a little stink in my wine and there’s nothing wrong with that.

It is varying levels of compounds which were inherent to the grapes and the oak as well as those produced by yeast and bacteria which contribute to the uniqueness of a wine. To me all four of these factors combine to create the elusive terroir – but the trend has gone the way of creating predictable character by eliminating the last two factors. Commercial yeast strains may produce pleasant fruity esters, but an important piece of terroir is lost. Similarly, adding nutrient might help avoid a stinky fermentation, but shouldn’t the wine represent the nitrogen levels that are naturally present in the vineyard? A fermentation with native yeast and low nitrogen levels will likely produce higher levels of compounds such as Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS), which can cause aromas of cooked cabbage, canned corn, and Walla Walla terroir.

This particular compound was a subject of controversy last week when Kori of Wine Peeps wrote on her blog about sending a wine from Cayuse, a well known Walla Walla Valley winery, to ETS labs to test for flaws. She claims the results show that Cayuse is inherently flawed, due to higher than normal levels of DMS (312 micrograms per liter). She also notes that the VA was slightly above sensory threshold and the pH was “high” – although neither number was provided.

Walla Walla Valley

Yes, Cayuse wines do have a high pH, as do many red wines produced in Washington. I supposed this means that Christophe Baron could have dumped in a few kilograms of tartaric acid to compensate for the natural result of growing wine grapes in the Walla Walla Valley. And to prevent high levels of DMS he could have added a commercial yeast strain and nutrients to help along the fermentation.

Had Christophe done this I’m sure the wine would still be good, as his vineyards are nothing short of awesome, but they wouldn’t be the same. Cayuse is one of very few Washington (OK, technically Oregon) wineries creating a unique product that gets me excited. To suggest that these wines are flawed because they are different than his neighbors is exactly what I can’t stand about the current state of the wine industry. The numbers don’t matter – the wines are distinctive and many are among the best I’ve ever tasted. I highly doubt that Christophe is too concerned over this accusation, either. It’s unlikely the seven year waiting list for his wines will suddenly crumble – I know I’m not giving up my spot. Does this mean Christophe could declare, “I fought the flaw and the wine won”? That doesn’t work as well as I had hoped.

When the day comes where all wines are treated as chemistry projects the entire industry should be considered flawed, and I’ll start looking for a new career.

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P.S – thanks to Ben Simons of Vinotology for bringing this issue to my attention, and thanks to Ed Thralls of Wine Tonite! for taking my orphan chair. Not my chair, not my problem, that’s what I say.

Walla Walla: Because I said so

It has been a while since I have written about my most beloved home of the past few years, so it’s about time I get to it. As many of you know, a large portion of the image of Walla Walla wines is dominated by larger-than-life, big-haired “rock star” winemakers and wineries that are in old school houses, which is not to say that either of the previously mentioned descriptions of wineries or the people in charge of certain wineries don’t make some great wines — they do. The goal here is simply to showcase some of the best Walla Walla has to offer that may slip under your radar.

El Corazon: They might put crack in the wine. That is the only reason I can think of as to why the wines are so damn addictive. Winemaker Spencer Sievers is one of the most down to earth winemakers I have met in my time here and we share a lot of the same principles when it comes to wine making; the focus should be on the fruit, and you shouldn’t have to pay an arm and a leg to drink amazing wine. I must say that their 2008 Supernova Malbec will always be one of my finest Walla Walla wine memories. El Corazon is very small production, I believe they hover below about 500 cases a year, which means they may not be the easiest to get a hold of. However, if you are so lucky to find their simple and understated label in your local wine hunt: buy it.

SYZYGY: Ok, those of you who know me are going to give me crap for this one because I work for SYZYGY. That being said, I still drink SYZYGY wines all the time. In fact I’m drinking the ’06 Saros right now. I also used to work at Pizza Hut and I can’t stand that crap anymore. Owner and winemaker, Zach Brettler, might be one of the nicest and at the same time craziest people on the face of the earth. His energy really shows in his wines and his 2007 Syrah will stand with some of Walla Walla’s finest.

Fort Walla Walla Cellars: I just don’t get how there isn’t a buzz about this winery. Fort Walla Walla Cellars is responsible for THE best Bordeaux style blend in the valley. It goes by the name Treaty and the 2006 is ruling my small but very interesting world. Seriously people, this place has a great location on main street in downtown Walla Walla. This is not the winery for you if you like your wines understated, watery and dare I say……wussy.

I have more, but I also don’t have that much to write about lately, so wait for the next installment.

Certifiably Insania

In a world saturated with musicians-become-winemakers spanning anywhere from Lil’ John to Dan Aykroyd, two stand out above the rest for sheer awesomeness. I’m completely unbiased despite leaning towards their particular genres, but Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate and Tool’s (and A Perfect Circle’s) Maynard James Keenan are undoubtedly the coolest winemaking frontmen around. It just so happens that Geoff Tate collaborates with Walla Walla’s own Three Rivers Winery for his Insania project.

Signed Goodness

It also happens that Andrae Bopp of La Porte Brune is friends with Geoff and his family. Good wine and good music is always a great combination, and on May 8, 2010 both of these were delivered at Three Rivers. The night started with duck confit atop dried heirloom tomatoes, and it ended with bacon whipped-cream. At least 131 animals were harmed during the making of this meal, and I have no regrets about that.

Sixty-four people packed into the event center at Three Rivers and collectively devoured four courses, beginning with a white bean gazpacho topped with perfectly spiced shrimp. This was paired with Geoff’s own 2009 Insania White – a blend of 78% Sauvignon Blanc and 22% Semillon. The wine has a healthy dosage of acid, making it a great food pairing wine but also completely delicious on its own.

Following the Shrimp came a steak roulade salad with beef from Thundering Hooves. During this course I almost understood how miserable it would be to be a vegetarian. I suppose I’d rather give up meat than wine though. At least those who were confined to the fresh arugula still had the Three Rivers Tempranillo and Malbec to enjoy. The Tempranillo had just enough funk to make the kitchen crew want to get jiggy, and that we did.

For the entree the big wines were whipped out – the Petit Verdot-based 2006 Three Rivers Svelte and the Cabernet-based 2008 Insania Red. These proved a great accompaniment to more great beef from Thundering Hooves – this time short ribs served with gorgonzola gratin dauphinois and port shallots. Put the word shallot on a menu and I’m sold – add gratin and things start to get crazy.

Geoff’s red wine, while young and in need of bottle age, provided a great pairing to the concert which followed the main course. It’s amazing how Geoff still sounds like he did in “Walk in the Shadows” in 1986. I wasn’t even alive when that song was recorded, but Geoff’s pipes still think they’re teenagers. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Luckily, on this particular night, we had profiteroles stuffed with bacon whipped cream to ease our sorrows. I had never conceived the idea of bacon whipped cream before, but Andrae continues to amaze me with his dishes which OMC can only describe as “How Bizarre”, and yet they somehow manage to work perfectly. The caramel sauce and the subtle bacon flavors made me dream as if Geoff was belting out “Eyes of a Stranger” in my living room.

Only a small amount of the current releases of Insania remain, and considering the 2009 red won’t be bottled until next February or so and the 2010 white is just now seeing budbreak, it’s probably well advised to pick up a bottle sooner rather than later. While it might take some effort to get the bottle signed, when it is finally consumed one can think about how much better it would taste when sipping the nectar while basking in the glory of the best vocalist that the 1980′s hair metal movement produced. Even Axl Rose proves little competition to the Queen of the Reich.

Corliss Estates: I’ve got a Golden Ticket.

Long have I driven by Corliss Estates winery in downtown Walla Walla and equated it to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory; you never see anyone go in or come out. Today I and my fellow Terroirists and wine students got a tour of the Area-51-like winery, and I must say it was what one might expect from a place surrounded by such mystery. The insides are somewhat cramped and for me it seems like moving barrels around would be a lot like that parking lot game. All of that aside the winery is incredibly beautiful and I was honored with the chance to finally see inside. The winery use to be a bakery a long time ago, but you won’t find any traces of yeasty bread-like aromas left.

We got to try a few of their wines from tank. One of them was a syrah that had real jammy aromas, this wine will be a hit when its released. Another wine (technically a Tranche wine) was a blended wine named “Slice of Pape” which is a homage to the famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines of France. This wine interested me, and I am very eager to try it when it is released — it had a sharp taste with crisp acids. I found the attack very pleasing but the mid palate a little jumbled, only to be brought together in the end almost like a Guy Ritchie movie. All of of the Corliss Estates wines are fermented in oak. They do, however, have one of those crazy concrete “egg” fermenters that they plan to use for chardonnay in the future. The wines are not hurried to be released; they sit in the library in the basement until they are ready to go. Because of this they have a special section of their bottling line that is just for cleaning the bottles before they are labeled to remove any dust that has caked itself over the extended bottle aging period. It was pretty much a rocking time.

I would tell you to visit them at some point, but as I said before this is pretty much an off-limits winery; they don’t have tasting room hours, and as far as I know are limited when it comes to hosting special events. If, however, for some reason you have the opportunity to tour the facility and try their wines, drop everything and do it!

For more on Corliss Estates one might read Steve’s article A Dinner Which Did Not Suck

Terroirists at Tero

The Windrow On the Hill

Steven Washuta

Were it not for the dozens of tasting rooms scattered around town, much of Walla Walla hardly looks like wine country. A drive south of the border to the area known as “the rocks,”  instantly transforms the scenery into that of vineyards young and old, but mostly young. The 220 acres of Seven Hills Vineyard looms on a hill above the area, and just a stone’s throw to the west lies Tero Estates at Windrow Vineyard.

View up Dry Creek

Part of the vineyard is actually the original Seven Hills, planted in 1980. The story of what is now Seven Hills is more complicated than some second order differential equations. Regardless, Doug and Jan Roskelley now own Windrow Vineyard – a medium-sized estate (small by California standards), with some of the oldest vines in the Walla Walla Valley and some of the youngest — including recent plantings of Charbono and Petite Sirah. They’ve built a towering winery on premise which provides a commanding view of the surrounding hills and vineyards.

After checking out the view,  Ashley Trout poured us her 2006 Flying Trout Deep River Red, a blend of Sangiovese and Malbec from Stillwater Creek and Phinny Hill vineyards, respectively. Ashley is now producing the 500 or so cases of Flying Trout at Tero in a deal which seems to be working out very well on both ends. I’ve yet to be sold on both Sangiovese and Malbec being grown in Washington, but this wine is spot-on. The nose is a very attractive blend of fruit and flowers, and the wine is much more in balance than many found in the great state of Washington.

More than a feeling

Eric Noreen

I feel the need to chime in on this one as well. The trip to Tero Estates did wonders for me. It felt as though everything that made me fall in love with wine were all together in one place: beautiful vineyards, great wine and good people. The wine from Tero Estates was evolution in bottled liquid form, every time I took a sip I was able to find something completely different. Flavor profiles running the gambit of nutty cheese’s to cherry flavored pipe tobacco. I believe this wine may be one of the finest Walla Walla wines I have had here in my close to two years. It may be a bit of a task to get there, but then again when are the best things in life easy.

Responsible Viticulture

Michael Penn

The line between organic viticulture, and making the most sustainable decision in the vineyard can be a fuzzy line at times, and Windrow Vineyards walks it thoughtfully and carefully.  For example, organic vineyards are heavily reliant on sulfur to control mildew.

Windrow Vineyards chooses to use mild synthetic fungicides for three reasons.  They require less sprays per year and this mean less consumed fuel.  In sulfur dependent vineyards, the sulfur can accumulate in the soil, and on the grape skin, and are thus available for microbes to eat and turn into flavor compounds.  And finally, sulfur can kill beneficial insects which are the marker of a healthy vineyard ecosystem.

The wines from Tero Estates are terroir driven because they reflect a beautiful and responsibly managed vineyard.  In the 2007 Windrow Blend that we tried, the entire wine was harvested in a single day.  This wine reflects a unique time and place, its unique profile could be found in no other wine, and the Terroirists highly recommend that you get in contact with Tero Estates on your next visit to Walla Walla.   Call ahead, they are by appointment only.  And please, don’t be scared by the appointment only.  If you have read this blog, then you will be welcome.