Washington merlots stand tall standing alone

Two extraordinary tastings this spring have shone the spotlight on what is arguably Washington's best red grape, merlot. Yes, merlot, that much-abused also-ran, was the star of the show at vertical retrospectives hosted by Walla Walla Vintners and Canoe Ridge Vineyard.

For Myles Anderson and Gordy Veneri, the survey of all 13 Walla Walla Vintners merlots — from 1995 to 2007 — was an opportunity to see how the wines were aging. Though they were the eighth winery to open in Walla Walla, their newly planted estate vineyard will not be in production until 2010. Up until now their merlots have been assembled from a well-chosen list of growers from around the state.

Canoe Ridge Vineyard debuted in 1992 and quickly developed an excellent reputation for its merlots, made with fruit grown at the estate vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. For the first decade the winemaker was John Abbott (now at Abeja); most recently Christophe Paubert has been the man in charge.

Paubert is French-born and educated; his résumé includes work as cellarmaster at the famed Château d'Yquem, and winemaking at Château Gruaud-Larose in Bordeaux and Montana in New Zealand. His first vintage at Canoe Ridge was 2006, and this was his first time tasting all of the winery's merlots at a single sitting.

Why should it matter how any wine ages? Most bottles are consumed within 24 hours of purchase, and wineries fashion wines accordingly, with bright, ripe, forward fruit, set against lush new barrel flavors and soft, pillowy tannins.

Paubert, with his Old World background, had a good answer to the question. "In the past in Bordeaux," he explained, "the young wines were so tannic you couldn't enjoy them without aging. It was also recognized that great vintages and great terroir could age well; so it stood for the quality of the château."

He went on to point out, and I heartily agree, that one of the pleasures of wine is to see it evolving through the years. "If you have a cellar and several bottles of a certain wine, you have the pleasure of drinking it, and another pleasure, which is to see it evolving. Some food also matches better with an aged wine; when it matches well, that is magic."

It was a happy coincidence that both wineries elected to pour their merlots within days of each other. I am regularly asked by readers which red grape I think is Washington's best, and though I do not say it is merlot, I would happily nominate it as a strong candidate.

There are very few places in the world where merlot as a stand-alone varietal or principal blending grape has the stuffing, the power and the palate presence to command serious attention. But here in Washington, for reasons that remain mysterious, it ripens more fully, develops more complexity and simply is more expressive than almost anywhere outside of the right bank of Bordeaux.

These tastings provided ample evidence to support that notion. From a total of 36 wines — 13 from Vintners, 23 from Canoe Ridge (including eight reserve bottlings) — an aging pattern emerged. The oldest wines, from the mid-1990s, were still balanced and showed mature, soft flavors. The sweet spot was reached when the wines were eight to 10 years old; the 1999, 2000 and 2001 vintages showed especially well.

My favorites were the 1999 and 2000 merlots from Walla Walla Vintners, and the 1996, 1999 (regular bottling) and 2005 reserve from Canoe Ridge. But the real winner was Washington merlot, for which we may all be grateful.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Washington Wines & Wineries — the Essential Guide." Contact him at paulgwine@me.com.