Novelty Hill Winery offers some of the best value wines in Washington

Novelty Hill Winery, whose sleek, modern, well-appointed production facility and tasting room share space (and winemaking) with Mike Januik's winery in Woodinville, has quickly earned a place on the short list of Washington's best value wines — and best wines, period.

Novelty Hill made its first wines in 2000, the same year the winery's estate vineyard, Stillwater Creek, was planted. Though the first grapes were harvested in 2002, it takes more years for a vineyard to reach its full expression. Stillwater Creek is not there yet, but what is already being produced has made believers out of many of this state's winemakers.

The newest Novelty Hill releases — white wines from 2006 and reds from the exceptional 2005 vintage — are brilliant across the entire spectrum. The rare trifecta — a great vineyard, an experienced and sensitive winemaker, and a price-to-value ratio that is among the best in the country — sets Novelty Hill apart.

Production has increased with each vintage. The most affordable and widely available releases, labeled Columbia Valley, are made with a mix of estate-grown grapes purchased from a variety of vineyards, notably Alder Ridge and Weinbau. There are almost 2,000 cases of the 2005 syrah, 3,000 of the 2005 merlot and more than 4,000 of the 2005 cabernet sauvignon. I cannot think of a better lineup of Washington reds at these prices.

Novelty Hill 2005 Columbia Valley Merlot ($22) brings sweet, tangy red berry fruit, fresh acids, ripe tannins and toasty oak, adding layer after layer to the extended finish.

Novelty Hill 2005 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($25) is a fine-tuned Bordeaux blend, with cab franc, merlot and malbec making up 10 percent of the total. It's dark and tannic, tight and compact, but fully ripe and balanced nicely. The flavors are layered and seamless, rather than relying on sugar and oak to fill in where the fruit is lacking.

Novelty Hill 2005 Columbia Valley Syrah ($22) gets my vote for the best of the three. It's almost pure varietal, dark and tight and spicy, with pure blackberry and black cherry fruits, grace notes of black olive and a finish tasting of coffee grounds and a lick of licorice.

Though made in much smaller quantities, the wines labeled Stillwater Creek Vineyard are priced only marginally higher and represent even greater value.

As the vineyard brings more and more fruit on-line, new varieties keep appearing. Among the current releases are a Novelty Hill 2006 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Roussanne ($22) — the winery's first — and a Novelty Hill 2006 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Viognier ($20). Both are made in limited quantities, and are 100 percent varietal. Roussanne is a white wine grape that has its origins in France's Rhone Valley.

Only a handful of Washington wineries are making it as a solo offering. "I had never done roussanne before," Mike Januik explains. "I wanted to see what it was like." Well, it's like ... wow! Here are mouthwatering flavors of melon, white peach, pineapple and still more-exotic tropical fruits.

The exquisite viognier — also a Rhone white, though not a grape I am generally partial to — reveals a masterful winemaking touch. It sends up an almost indefinable mix of flower petals, perfume, citrus rind and stone fruits; beautifully defined, racy and sharp.

Along with the Stillwater Creek plantings of syrah, there are smaller amounts of grenache and mourvèdre. No plans for a Cotes du Rhone blend at the moment, but Januik promises a 2007 rosé made from all three, bottled under a different label: Spring Run. A portion of the proceeds from that wine will benefit Salmon Safe, an organization that works toward habitat restoration. Look for it to come out around the end of May.

The mainstays (both in terms of quantity and quality) of the Novelty Hill white wine portfolio continue to be the 2006 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Chardonnay ($22) and the 2006 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Pick of the Week). The chardonnay not only can stand alone, it makes you reach quickly for that second glass. It does not require food to "fill in" what's missing. Nothing is missing.

Quickly touching upon the estate reds — merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah — they are priced just a few dollars above the Columbia Valley bottlings but offer extra strength and muscle. Because the vineyard has been planted to quite a number of different clones, Januik feels that despite its youth, each block expresses itself uniquely.

I asked how he chose the barrels to use for the vineyard-designates, and he replied, simply, "It's a hedonistic thing." What tastes best gets put aside for the Stillwater Creek bottlings. All of these wines are distributed by Noble and are currently available. They are not to be missed.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Washington Wines and Wineries The Essential Guide." His column appears weekly in the Wine section. He can be reached by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.