Hello again. Sorry about that lapse, but I'm back once again with a new issue of the newsletter and good news to report about the state of Washington wines.
Janina and I just got back from Seattle earlier this week, having enjoyed it just as much as we expected. We have yet to visit that city during the apparent months long drizzling, because all we've seen are gorgeous blue skies and crisp, clean air.
We ate some great food, incuding a whole bunch of wonderful salmon, dungeness crab, and mushrooms, which were pretty much the three things I was looking forward to eating the most. None of them disappointed, but rather inspired several of the recipes in this month's newsletter. For the current issue, click here:
We also had the great fortune of visiting one of the top wineries in that state, Betz Family Winery. Bob Betz and his daughter Carmen truly could not have been more gracious, kind hosts, and the wine's not bad, either. We were there during a tricky time, smack dab in the middle of harvest. That timing made for a missed visit to Cadence, as Ben Smith was doing his crush by himself, so we figured we'd give him some room to breathe. But at Betz we chatted for a while with Bob and Carmen about the harvest, the wines, and good restaurants in the area, all surrounded by a dozen or so vats full to the brim with the fermenting grapes that constituted most of what will be there 2007 wines. Cabernet, Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Syrah had all been picked and were smelling great. Grenache was coming in the day after were visited, and the press for the Cabernet was happening then, too.
While we talked for a bit with Carmen about life and food, Bob was busy taking gravity measurements and tasting through all the vats. Here you can see him checking out some Cab.
What struck me most about the small winery was the organization and cleanliness, which Carmen said were her father's obsessions. Things were spotless, and everything was in its place, even in the midst of the craziness of the week. The was no musty smell, just that beautifully fragrant fruit bubbling away underneath some clean white sheets that you can see Janina peaking under below.
And, of course, we were quite struck by the 2005 Pere de Famille that was popped open for us, a spring '08 release. Despite everything that's said about Washington Cabs being harshly tannic, this wine barely showed that tannin whatsoever. I mean, there was great structure, for sure, but the wine truly seemed to be in perfect balance. Bright, very fresh tasting fruit streamed out of the glass, and the elegant, palate staining mouthful that ensued certainly filled every corner of my mouth, but never felt heavy or clumsy. It was like drinking the textbook Cabernet, truly a study of what a bottle of wine should be all about. And all that was at 11:00 in the morning, so you know it had to be good! If you can find these wines, and if you don't mind shelling out for them, they are worth every penny.
Carmen sent us down the road into Woodinville to eat at Purple Cafe, a surprisingly busy, vibrant, tasty bistro with a hell of a wine list in what looked like your average, run of the mill strip mall. That was just one of several terrific meals in the area, including some shockingly good waterfront seafood shacks, an organic haute cuisine place called Tilth, and a homemade birthday dinner for our friend Deepa that I cooked with the help of great local produce and fish.
So, until our next trip out there, enjoy the recipes in this month's newsletter, and I'll be back soon. As you can see here, just smelling that petit verdot is enough to put a huge smile on your face.
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