Washington Wine of the Week – Selections for Fall, 2024

For the week of October 13, 2024: Bergevin Lane Vineyards 2021 and 2022 The Princess Syrah – It’s the end of the era at Bergevin Lane, where General Manager and Founding Partner, Annette Bergevin recently announced that the winery will be closing its doors near the end of 2024. After 22 years, she’s ready to branch off into a new direction, which she hinted might be more focused on vineyard management, rather than winemaking and retail sales. That’s bittersweet news for Washington wine enthusiasts, who have been big fans of her wines for over two-plus decades, especially her Syrahs. She leaves us with two, still available releases from her Princess label, which showcase some beautiful fruit from Francisca’s Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA. Look for the varietal’s signature dark, inky color, lots of blackberry and blueberry flavors, touches of savory black olive, and nicely integrated tannins. The 2021 comes across as just a bit more floral and fruitier, but both vintages show exceptional promise for cellaring. That’s a good thing, because when the winery closes, Bergevin Lane wines will be gone forever.

For the week of October 6, 2024: New Red Wine Releases from Floating Balance Cellars – Floating Balance has three new 2022 vintage reds for you to try and they’re all winners: an Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the winery’s Aria Vineyards, a Syrah from Patina Vineyard, and a proprietary red blend under the “Lost in Time” label. These wines all hit the sweet spot between fruit-forward flavors and youthful chalkiness, which makes them perfect for drinking now with the promise of being even better with proper cellaring. The Cabernet is a personal favorite, with big, voluptuous black cherry cordial and wild blackberry flavors and a near-silky finish. Only 300 total cases were produced for the three wines and all are available for purchase online at floatingbalance.com

For the week of September 29, 2024: Chandler Reach Vineyards 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon – If you’ve yet to visit Chandler Reach Vineyards, go! The Italian-style villa and tasting room, along with over 40 acres of vineyards, make for a lovely wine tasting destination, and it’s only about 15 miles west of the Tri-Cities off Interstate 82. This stunning Cab is intense and expressive, and if you’re seeking out delicious, full-bodied red wines you will not be disappointed. Violets and cherry blossoms on the nose lead to flavors of star anise, cherry cola, and ripe strawberry compote with hints of tobacco and leather on the finish. Double Gold/94 points from the 2024 Pacific Northwest Wine Competition, where one judge noted, “this is a beautiful, well-balanced wine.” Chandler Reach also earned a Double Gold for its 2020 Reserve Super Tuscan and Golds for its 2020 Cabernet Franc and 2020 Monte Regalo Red Blend.

For the week of September 22, 2024: El Corazon Winery 2022 Swordfight – Walla Walla’s Spencer Sievers and the El Corazon tasting room (now in its 18th year) have achieved cult-following status with a welcoming, laid-back atmosphere, R-rated wine pourers, coloring books and videos, and some very tasty wines.

This 50/50 blend of Syrah and Mourvedre comes across essentially as a GSM without the ‘G’, and there’s really no need for the Grenache because the other two varietals provide plenty of vibrancy to go with the mouth-watering fruit you’ll experience in every sip.

Blackberries, black plum, and red currant flavors are backed with understated touches of roasted coffee, cinnamon spice, licorice, and sweet tobacco, and the silky finish intermingles with pliable tannins. This wine simultaneously pulls off a fresh, fruity, and full-bodied profile, allowing it to please a wide range of palates. The Syrah was sourced from the Horse Heaven Hill’s Phinny Hill Vineyard, while the Mourvedre was harvested from Upland Vineyard in the Snipes Mountain AVA.