Scott Overturf

I was wine tasting in Arizona recently with my cousin. She well represents America’s normal wine drinker. Ask her what she likes and Karen will knowingly say she loves rich red wines. So I knew when we started the tasting off with a lean, acidic sauvignon blanc what her reaction would be. She gave me that wincing gag look and I laughed. Yet, when I broke it down for her (cut grass, dill,  and because this one had green apple (malic acid) that this wine needed food. Imagine using it instead of lemon juice to complement sole with capers and green onions (much nicer than water), then she was OK with it. In fact, she ultimately ended up with a crisp white wine to take home that night.

I enjoy modern classical works and opera so much more if somebody gives me a little background or story line so that I can better picture and understand the work. It is not so important how much you know but who you surround yourself with and what they know that can enrich your experiences. 

I’ve spoken with people who “toured” Australia for two or three weeks and said “I don’t get the big deal about it”. Of course not! They were on and off a bus, in large group (for restroom breaks too), overwhelming everyone they encountered; similar to big busses wine touring in Napa or Yakima. My adventures in Australia have been alone or with a close friend. We seek out locals and easily pick their brains for where to go and what to look for that isn’t in the tourist books. The same with wine touring. You will get a richer experience at the winery solo or in small group, engaging the most knowledgeable person available. Come near the end of the day with some nice wine to share with one of the winemakers and you might get lucky with a real rich time. It can also tie you in to a winery emotionally which can be rewarding.

Like most states, Arizona has a few dozen wineries and is birthing a loyal local following. This particular winery, Su Vino, was unique because it imported it’s juice; Sauvignon blanc from Ca., Riesling from Wa., Malbec from Argentina and so on. Wisely, they accent sweet whites to match their local clientele’s preferences and hot temperatures. When you go to new wine regions, don’t necessarily expect them to be anywhere but where we were when Washington first started. You can have fun visiting beautiful destinations, speak with pioneer vintners and be glad they are bringing more  new wine drinkers into the fold. Beyond the west coast, my favorite wine states have been Idaho, Colorado, Texas and Virginia. Seek them out wherever you travel this year, and then be grateful that you can fast forward 30 years to Washington’s current place in the modern wine industry. 

Remember, many of our vineyards are even older than California’s when you consider phylloxera, Pierce’s disease, etc. have required replanting there. Try new vintages and wineries here, folks. It can hardly be overstated how diverse and dynamic your opportunities for tasting are here amongst Washington’s 700+ wineries.

You get two subjects this month. I was reading today’s email from a favorite wine shop promoting one of my favorite Cabernet Francs; Barrister, out of Spokane. 

The wine shop correctly identified it as an icon; consistently a leader of the variety in Washington. Since they are featuring it, that is where the subject ended. But that doesn’t tell the story. Cabernet Franc was first commercially sold here by Mike Paul of Patrick Paul Winery back in 1984. He lived a country block down the street from Leonetti, where Gary Figgins had asked him to grow it to blend in his famous reds. Mike isolated it, selling Washington’s first bottling. It was so good that another sommelier pried it out of me where the only source for it was in Seattle (the now defunct store #1 liquor store on sixth ave, a wine specialist) and then promptly bought them out. 

Whenever I would visit Leonetti, I would be sure to drive a minute further to get this good and rare juice. 

He made roughly 300 cases, about the same amount as Lang and Reed; the only California Franc specialist I knew of back then. This was before we had computers, cell phones and CD players. Obscure information on outliers was hard to come by back then. Again, it was who you knew and what they knew. Mike Paul left us 2 years ago. My only tangible evidence of his touch with Cabernet Franc was being sure to buy the 2005 vintage, the last he would have a hand in making.
 
   Barrister’s winemaker/partners would be the first to agree with me that Walla Walla Vintners was Cabernet Franc’s second iconic producer. They set the standard and continue to hold it. In fact, co founder Myles Anderson was the one who taught them how to make it so fine, when one of them studied under him at the Enology and Viticultural school he founded at Walla Walla Community College. Another perrenial set of pros with the variety, in an elegant style, are Kay Simon and Clay Mackey of Chinook Winery(founded 1983) in Prosser. Both their Cabernet Franc and Cab Franc Rose are so picked off by long term loyalists, that you rarely see them in Seattle’s stores. I couldn’t believe it last month when I found one bottle and swooped it up to make my day. A star that arose this last decade is Isenhower. Their  Road Less Travelled Cabernet Franc hails from the highly respected Weinbau Vineyard of Wahluke Slope; a source for giants in Washington winemaking. It is managed by former Vineyardist of the Year, Michael Rodriquez. Isenhower is in my favorite neighborhood; between Dusted Valley, Beresan, and Pepper Bridge and only a stone’s throw from Saviah, Rulo, Gramercy Cellars, Waters, Rotie, Northstar, Va Piano, Trust and Watermill. This is the power alley of southern Walla Walla. 

Maybe you prefer smaller, harder to get leaders of Franc by contacting them directly at Fielding Hills, Watermill, and Barrage “Outcast” from another Vineyardist of the Year; Dick Boushey. If you want the producer with the most awesome track record of medals through blind tasting competition, that would be Vin Du Lac at Lake Chelan. They have 5 consecutive years awarded Platinum and Double Platinum at Winepress Northwest Platinum competition. That is where every northwest wine that gold medaled at a major competition each year battles it out. No one has had more success ranking top dog with Cabernet Franc. It appropriately lists at $40. 

My first listed recommendations are all $20-30. These are great prices for benchmark examples of a varietal. I haven’t even discussed the newbies who are having success with it. As you shift gears into Spring and seek lighter bodied alternatives to Cabernet Sauvignon, do yourself a favor and savor the generous aromatics and softer flavors of a Washington Cabernet Franc.. 

Cheers.

Scot Overturf