 |
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Wine Pick Of The Week: 2003 Barnard Griffin Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($14)
With more than half of Washington's nearly 400 wineries less than 5 years old, the Barnard Griffin winery, at 22, is one of the oldest in the state. And although the production of approximately 60,000 cases is small by industry standards, it makes Barnard Griffin one of our largest producers, considering that most wineries here make less than 5,000 cases annually. Barnard Griffin is, in my view, perhaps our most underrated winery. For years, winemaker Rob Griffin has been quietly crafting some of the best-made and well-priced wines in the region.
Griffin was the first winemaker for the Hogue winery back in the early 1980s and almost immediately began moonlighting for his own label, which he also named after his wife, Deborah Barnard. But it wasn't until the early 1990s that Griffin finally devoted himself fully to his own wines. During those years he developed a careful touch, making wines that could be appreciated and afforded by nearly everyone. He has always eschewed the bling of flashy oak and high alcohol found in many of the trendy glam vins and instead concentrated on balance, quality and value.
And now it looks like the winery finally has been discovered. In December, the winery's 2003 Columbia Valley Merlot was ranked as one of the top 100 wines of 2005 by Wine Spectator magazine, placing the $14 wine among the best in the world (forget about it, it's all sold out). But I think the '03 cab is as good as that merlot. This is a big, silky-textured, sexy red with lots of everything and but not too much of anything. It shows notes of mocha and coffee and red fruit such as cherry, which, when mixed with the touch of vanilla, gives the wine a hint of cherries and cream. To find the wine, contact Noble Wines at 206-326-5274.
-- Richard Kinssies
My web site
My Yahoo!
Google
 Day in Pictures Wind, fire and more |
 David Horsey Palin joins the Straight Talk bus |
 The week's best photos Great shots from the P-I staff |
· Drink up: Lemoncello Collins
· Cook it: Corn Dogs
· Get Organic: Seattle Tilth's Harvest Fair will 'Celebrate Local Food'
· Drinks: A Perfect Day
· Dinner: Grilled Turkey Cutlets with Apple-Rosemary Glaze
· Drinks: The Delebate
· If you spot luscious, fresh figs at a farmers market, snap them up
· Dinner: Mushroom, Pepper and Onion Quesadillas
· The Green Kitchen: Fill the freezer with summer's best
· On Food: Boat Street Cafe's owner now sells those unusual pickles
· Ask the Splendid Table: A non-mayo clinic: Try baba ghanouj instead
· Wine Pick of the Week: Mildiani Family Winery Saperavi, Katsiteli $9
more
Reader blog: Italian Woman at the TableA Seattleite’s culinary travels
· The Gilley family murders. Kathryn Harrison talks about "While They Slept: An Inquiry Into the Murder of a Family"
· Amanda Knox's prison diary: What did she really say?
· Meredith Kercher case: Insights from "The Monster of Florence"
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
