Barrister ’04 Cab Franc Earns Best of Show Honors at Tri-Cities Wine Festival

Earlier this month I attended the 28th Annual Tri-Cities Wine Festival in Pasco. This year’s festival featured over 60 wineries and nearly 200 wines from the Pacific Northwest.

As a regular participant in the festival for the past 22 years, I think it’s always interesting to look for trends in the wines that are presented. Merlot and Chardonnay still lead the way among respective red and white wine entries, but the selection of other varietals such as Syrah, Pinot Gris and Viognier continues to increase each year. Also notable was the large amount of Cabernet-based red wine blends that seem to be offered by an ever-increasing number of Northwest wineries.

The big winner of the evening’s festivities was Barrister Winery of Spokane, whose 2004 Cabernet Franc took best of show honors. This is an awesome red wine with a wonderful balance of berry fruit and herbaceous flavors and a silky finish. It’s currently available at Compass Wines in Anacortes for about $25 a bottle.

Other top winners in the double gold category were: Barnard Griffin 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Crest 2004 Reserve Syrah, Domaine Ste. Michelle Non-Vintage Blanc de Noirs, Hyatt Vineyards 2004 Syrah, Saint Laurent 2005 Chardonnay, Samson Estates Non-Vintage Delilah Blackberry Wine, Ste. Chapelle 2005 Reserve Cabernet Franc Ice Wine, Basalt Cellars 2004 Merlot, Spring Valley Vineyard 2004 Uriah Red Wine and Vin du Lac Winery 2005 Dry Riesling.

In addition to Samson Estates, local winery Mount Baker Vineyards claimed a silver medal for its 2005 Reserve Viognier and bronze medals for its 2004 Malbec and 2004 Sangiovese.

For a complete list of medal winners go to www.tricitieswinefestival.com.