Memorable NW Wine Events of 2002

1. Shea Stadium- Patty Green creates fascinating barrel room with tremendous variety of Shea vineyard block designate wines- this was a wonderful oportunity to try wine from many of the different blocks of this famous vineyard.... the range of flavors and styles showed the tremendous quality wine Shea produces, and gave everyone a chance to try individual blocks before blending.

1.5 Carlton Winemakers Studio- pioneers new ideas both with their "Green" practices and with their collaborative organization of six wineries under the same roof. Miraculously, excellent construction management made it possible for the winery to open in time for harvest, which, it seems, went extremely well. Expect their concept to be widely imitated, and their tasting room, combining the wines of six wineries, to be very successful.

2. Solena the baby and the winery- Danielle and Laurent marry, have baby girl Solena, start winery "Solena", Laurent leaves Willakenzie to work for Solena fulltime- first releases are wonderful.

2.5- Ken and Karen Wright adopt a baby girl, start new winery "Tyrus Evans", and begin bringing sons Cory and Cody into the winery business.

Cadence Spa Baby Cara, 15 months

2.75. Cadence owners Ben and Gayle Smith keep gaining national attention for their red wines. The former Boeing employees also had time in the last 18 months to have Cara, the newest member of the clan.

3. "Wine by Joe" - Joe Dobbes leaves Willamette Valley Vineyards, moves to Southern Oregon and hooks his future to the Syrah star.

4. Gary Andrus sells Archery Summit, marries after a whirlwind courtship, moves to New Zealand and starts wine business there, moves back to Oregon with wife and new baby, purchases Lion Valley Winery, and is now "Bi-hemispheral", living in both New Zealand and Oregon.

5. Kiona, Di Stefano get national attention- after years of making wonderful and affordable wines, national wine publications gave their wines high ratings, leading to long deserved recognition.

6. David O'Reilly gets a real winery- incredible winemakers David O'Reilly and partner Peter Rosback finally built a winery, moving barrels and bottles from the numerous locations across Oregon and Washington where they made their wines in the past. Owen Roe, Sineann, and O'Reilly wines now have a home.

7. Lynn Penner Ash leaves Rex Hill to join husband Ron in founding a family winery. Penner Ash Winery immediately successful, high ratings, poin Carlton Winemakers Studio, purchase vineyard land on Ribbon Ridge, planting starting March 2003.

8. Andy Perdue, Wine Press NW, completes NW wine book- exhaustive book covering wineries in Or, Wa, and BC will be published in 2003, includes tasting notes and detailed winery/winemaker info. His magazine, Wine Press NW is the must read mag of the NW wine industry.

9. Neil Goldschmidt starts winery- his high profile in national news brings attention to NW wine industry.

10. Famous movie star and daughter of legendary singer almost/maybe/could have bought a winery in the Willamette Valley except they got a divorce after 4 months.

Looking forward to 2003- Ten Trends

1. The $15 bottle of Oregon Pinot noir- every winery's going to have one!

2. Screwtops will continue to grow in popularity- they really work!

3. Dijon clone Chardonnays made from NW fruit will continue to make inroads in the national press with their very high quality.

4. Walla Walla will become even more of a wine tourist destination - expect new gourmet restaurants and fancier stores when the economy improves.

5. Cadence, Delille, and Andrew Will wineries will top even more lists of the best Washington wineries.

6. Fermenting in wooden barrels, a practice brought to Oregon by Sam Tannahill (Shea) will continue to gain popularity, even though it's much harder to control temperature with them.

7. Even more interest in organic wines will lead many established wineries to offer at least some of their selection as organic.

8. The inside scoop about 2002's very high quality is going to get out to the public, and we'll see a surge of purchasing when the 2002 wines are released.

9. Cab, Merlot, Syrah and other such "big reds" made from Southern Oregon fruit by Ken Wright, Joe Dobbes, Penner Ash, etc are going to finally begin to impact the market, as their quality finally changes the perception of Southern Oregon fruit. At the same time...

10. Oregon and California winemakers will speed up their purchase of Washington fruit as more and more winemakers discover the saleability of wines made with these very popular grapes. And California Pinot noir makers will adapt more Oregon winemaking practices in an attempt to capture some of the qualities that Oregon pinots offer.

Wineries/Vineyards/People to Watch

Momtazi Vineyard, Maysara Winery- quiet but excited word going around that this vineyard is one to get connected with before all contracts are let- winemaker Jimi Brooks doing surprisingly sophisticated wines with thrird leaf grapes.

Bill Hatcher, A to Z Wine and Hatcher Wineworks- he has a tiger by the tail with A to Z Pinot noir- it hits just the right price point, and the concept he has pushed, of wine made from many different vineyard sites, is proving popular. Wineries will imitate, but the blend of many different sites may prove hard to match in quality.

Laurent Montalieu, Solena Winery- now that he has left Willakenzie, he has time to expand the Solena portfolio. His initial releases are gutsy, big, wonderfully true to the grape, with wonderful complexity that a lot of big red wines lack. Definite similarities between his Syrahs and the Syrahs of fellow French winemaker at Cayuse.

Top Ten Lists


Ann's Favorite NW WInes in 2002:
(Store Manager)
1. Walla Walla Vintner's Merlot '00
2. Patricia Green '01 Chardonnay
3. Waterbrook Melange '01
4. Briggs Hill '98 Pinot Noir
5. Sineann Hillside '01 Merlot
6. Eugene Wine Cellars '00 Viognier
7. Academy '00 Cabernet Sauvignon
8. Snoqualmie Syrah '00
9. Andrew Rich LH Gewurztraminer '01
10. Sweet Sidney '01
11. L'Ecole Chenin Blanc
12. Patricia Green Balcombe Pinot Noir

Ann's Favorites Under $15
1. Snoqualmie cab/merlot
2. Snoqualmie syrah
3. Waterbrook Melange
4. Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon
5. Academy Pinot Noir '00
6. Kings Ridge Pinot Noir '01
7. L'ecole Chenin Blanc Walla Viola
8. Springhill Rsv Pinot Noir
9. Isenhower Red Paintbrush
10. Winter's Hill Pinot Gris

Jean's Favorite Wines of 2002
(Store owner)
1. Shea Wine Cellars "Homer" Pinot Noir 2001
(made by Patricia Green Cellars)
2. Beaux Freres Pinot Noir 2000
3. Patricia Green Balcombe PN, "Oregon" PN, Chardonnay
4. L'Ecole #41 Apogee
5. Spring Valley Uriah
6. Owen Roe Dubrul Cabernet Sauvignon
7. Sineann Old Vine Zinfandel
8. Seven Hills Merlot
9. Walla Walla Vintners Merlot
10. St Innocent Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive

Teresa's favorites
(Avalon Customer Rep)
1. Patricia Green Chardonnay
2. Patricia Green Balcombe 1b Pinot Noir
3. Academy Merlot
4. Griffen Creek Viognier
5. L'Ecole Syrah
6. Eola Hills Mystery Block Chardonnay
7. St Innocent Seven Springs
Pinot Noir
8. Reininger Merlot

Carl's Favorite Wines of 2002
(Store Manager)
1. Academy Cab Sauv
2. Academy Merlot
3. L'Ecole Syrah
4. CSM Syrah
5. Isenhower Red Paintbrush
6. Dunham Syrah
7. Sineann Baby Poux Cab
8. Briggs Hill Pinot Noir
9. Patricia Green Four Winds Pinot Noir
10. Siskiyou Pinot Noir