This small article rolls out the first of the Washington reports. This report and the follow-up, part two, contain the first few tasting notes of the troublesome 2020 vintage, with the bulk of the wines being from the 2018 and 2019 vintages. When the majority of the 2020 wines are released next year, we will see whose integrity is most steadfast and who was able to make high-quality wine from what Mother Nature gave them. Now, it’s not just Washington but the entire western seaboard—with California, Oregon, Washington and parts of British Columbia—that all had varying amounts of smoke particulates in the air. I’ve spoken with dozens of winemakers who saw the 2020 vintage as a complete wash. Unsettling as it may be, the 2020 vintage will most certainly be filled with a few breathtaking gems that may end up sitting on the shelf next to the bottle that is a smoke bomb, ruined by low to medium levels of smoke taint. I’ve already begun to see “bourbon-barrel wines” from the 2020 vintage in my local market.
When I connected with producers and winemakers, there was a handful who wished to show some of their wines in a vertical setting. Fascinating and eye-opening, the ability to observe and assess the quality of a producer and single bottling through the lens of a vertical tasting not only displays the skill set of the winemaker but also keenly demonstrates a sense of place. Within these Washington vertical tastings, one factor was almost always present—climate change. Looking back at the last decade or so, one can find the chilly vintage of 2011 and the brutally warm 2015 vintage. In a vertical lineup, these two particular vintages were clearly the most recognizable expressions that stood apart from the rest of the group. I find cool and warm vintages to be a barometer of quality winemaking: when you find a skilled and capable producer that can tackle the extremes in vintages and winemaking, the rest just falls into place, and you realize that you can trust the producer that gets it right.
Look out for my Washington State - Part 2 report that will be published in the next month or two, along with a full vintage report and more verticals.
