A Washington wine

First, it was such a beautiful day in Sonoma, I just had to share....

Okay, I'm a little out of my comfort zone tonight - I opened a Washington wine. I know, I know, it sounds silly, but my focus has and remains to be Sonoma County. So when I open something out of the area, I never know what to expect. Despite what you just read, this is a good thing. I really do enjoy exploring other areas though I generally have little time to do it.

This wine, however, is not entirely an unknown. I did taste it a few years ago upon purchase. We were travelling in Seattle and I tasted this in a little wine shop in Pike Place market. That was in 2006. Almost four years have passed since I tasted it and, from what I remember, it hasn't changed significantly.

Camaraderie Cellars sits on the west side of the Cascade mountains. If you know anything about Washington, it's cold and rainy most of the year on the west side of the mountains. Not an ideal place to grow grapes. But that's the interesting part. The winery is on the west side, but the grapes come from the dry east side of the Cascade mountains.

99% of Washington's grapes are grown on the east side of the mountains. Just like in California, a winery can source grapes from any place grapes grow. In the case of this Cabernet Franc, the grapes are grown in the fairly well known Yakima Valley.

The wine has aromas of blackberry and cherry with a bouquet of white pepper and clove. The difference between an aroma and a bouquet? Aromas are generally characteristics that are associated with a young wine and a bouquet will develop with time in the bottle.

On the palette, it's full and rich with a strong backbone. It doesn't have a lot of complexity, but it's a good drinking wine on its own - especially for the $25 I paid for it. It's easily a wine I would compare in the $30-plus category.

And that pretty much sums up Washington - a great value. Washington still hasn't been fully recognized as a premium wine growing region. As a result, there is still great value to be had. A good example was the sweepstakes winner in the dessert category at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition this year: Watermill Winery's 2008 Gewurztraminer from Walla Walla Valley.

I think we'll see more and more from this growing region in the future. Keep your eye (and your wallet) out.

Cheers!