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MORE WASHINGTON WINES
- LEONETTI CELLAR
 This winery has achieved some sort of cult status,
producing small quantities of lavishly oaked red wines. It started out back in 1977 and
production tallied but 500 cases. Today Gary and Nancy Figgins have about 20 acres of
vineyards and produce something like 5,000 cases.
Dial up their phone line and you'll hear Gary, sounding somewhat like "Father Guido
Sarducci," telling you they don't-a have-a enough-a wine-a for-a their-a own-a- table.
Sorry.
Photo: Inside the original Leonetti winery building....barrel racks and
topping wine containers.
In the new winery, Gary says the barrels will be at ground level, not stacked!
The original winery is a gorgeous small stone building. Just completed is a fabulous
cellar, complete with three amazing underground aging caves or galleries. Gary says,
"The barrels will be just one high. No stacks of cooperage."
Those who have visited the top estates in Bordeaux know this is a sign of prosperity!
Estates such as Mouton-Rothschild and Lafite do not have stacks of barrels,
making topping and racking somewhat easier.
Along with a "Reserve" red blend, they make Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese.
Figgins is somewhat "the grand old man" of Walla Walla wine history.
In blind-tastings, Leonetti wines have usually placed first. They are the
"Caymus" of the Pacific Northwest (or perhaps Caymus is the Leonetti of
California?). In 1996 Chateau Ste. Michelle gave up some fruit to allow Figgins to make
wine. A freeze had ruined his crop. Figgins even bought Merlot in Sonoma and Cabernet in
Napa in that vintage! As we get so few bottles of their wines, we typically
"share" one or two in the Tasting Room and the few others are snapped up upon
arrival by good customers.
The current wines are delicious, as usual. A few bottles are available
as of this writing (September 2005). These are reserved for walk-in
customers only.
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- Currently in stock:
2002 Sangiovese $56.99
2003 Sangiovese $56.99
2002 Merlot $75
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon $79.99
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon $89.99
2001 "Reserve" $109.99
2002 Merlot $74.99
2003 Merlot $79.99
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- CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE
 With more than 1600 acres of vineyards, Ste. Michelle is
Washington State's wine "ambassador". It's sister company, Columbia Crest, owns
2,000 acres. Both are owned by Stimson Lane, a company which is a subsidiary of U.S.
Tobacco. Who would expect that Chateau Ste. Michelle Fume Blanc and Skoal Chewing
Tobacco would be "cousins"? The winemaker for the past few years has
departed. The new fellow in charge of Ste. Michelle's white wine
production has been with the operation since 1993. He's Erik Olsen. Ron
Bunnell takes care of the red wines for Ste. Michelle. His winery facility is
located near the Canoe Ridge vineyards in southern Washington State, while Olsen's winery
is north of Seattle some 15 miles.
 They make a tremendous range of wines,
from basic, simple stuff to their vineyard-designated series to deluxe, premium quality
wines. Stimson Lane tried to lure the owner of Chateau Pichon Lalande to
collaborate with them on a Cabernet project as Chateau Mouton-Rothschild has done with
Robert Mondavi, creating Opus One. They have started a project with the Antinori
family of Tuscany. Their red wine is called "Col Solare", predominantly
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, though Syrah is used in small amounts.
Ste. Michelle's latest collaboration is with Dr. Ernst Loosen of the Mosel region
in Germany. The first Riesling is from the 1999 vintage and it's very good.
Called "Eroica" (wouldn't it sell better with a risqué label and the addition
of the letter "t" in the middle?), this is a lovely, off-dry Riesling. I
find it more fruity and floral than minerally. The 2004 is the current
vintage and it's delightful. Really has some "soul" to it.
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- 1995 Columbia Valley "Col Solare" $64.99
- 1996 Columbia Valley "Col Solare" $64.99
2004 "Eroica" Riesling List $25
SALE $19.99
- GLEN FIONA
 This small winery is owned by Berle Figgins. His brother owns
the famous Leonetti Cellar. Located in Walla Walla, Figgins is a fan of Rhone varieties
and is dabbling with Syrah and Viognier and other assorted grapes. With Italian and Irish
heritage, Figgins chose the name "Glen Fiona" explaining it as being Gaelic for
"Valley of the Vines". Apparently Mr. Figgins is also a vineyard manager for
several other vineyards. He's spent some time learning about Syrah in Australia, so he has
a well-rounded perspective on this variety.
I can't say his wine reminds me much of a top Cote-Rotie or Hermitage, nor are they
similar to Australian Syrah (Shiraz) wines. The variety seems to be less spicy (at
least by what I've tasted) than some of its cousins in other parts of the world.- 1995 Walla Walla Syrah $44.99
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