Same grapes, weirdly different results
One of the aspects of wine that never fails to amaze and entertain me is the different results wineries achieve with the same grapes. And I don’t mean the same type of grapes: I’m referring to grapes from the same source. A case in point is Portteus Winery. In the past, I’ve found their wines to be odd, atypical, and sometimes exhibiting bizarre pickle-barrel flavors—not particularly pleasant and impossible to match with food. Since Portteus grows more grapes than they can use for their own production, they sell the excess to other wineries, such as DeLille, L’Ecole, Dunham, and Matthews Cellars. What’s truly mind-boggling is that these four Washington wineries make wines that are stunning, inky dark with concentrated and hugely complex flavors. So it begs the question: What are these four wineries doing that Portteus isn’t?
Catch a rising star
I had a chance recently to reflect on how quickly Matthews Cellars has grown. In a span of five years, Matt Loso has nurtured a garage operation into a full-fledged winery in Woodenville, all made possible by his fixation on quality wines.
Example no. 1 is the ’99 MATTHEWS CELLARS SEMILLON ($15). Your first hit reveals aromas of cotton candy and talc and gobs of honey and cantaloupe flavors. Example no. 2 is the breathtaking ’98 MATTHEWS CELLARS YAKIMA VALLEY RED ($45). You’ll detect violets and vanilla beans in the nose, and espresso, blackberry, blueberry, and mint in the mouth. Cellar it for a year and your patience will be rewarded with a wine that spins your head around with the intensity and complexity of its flavors.
DENNIS,
Help! Wine is taking over my life. Since I discovered wine (about two years ago), I’ve been on a buying binge that has seen my kitchen, basement, and living room overwhelmed with wine boxes. What should I do with all this stuff?
LOST IN LESCHI
LIL,
Deliver it to the offices of Seattle Weekly, along with a note to my attention; I’ll figure out what to do with it. But if you’d actually like to keep it, I’d recommend the following: Short of buying a new house, many people are storing their collections at wine-storage facilities, temperature- and humidity-controlled warehouses whose business it is to pamper your wines. Esquin (Fourth and Lander, 682-7374) offers just such a facility. They’ll rent you a storage space that you can lock up. It’s a good solution for people who have the means to buy lots of wine but don’t have the room to care for it properly.
DENNIS
E-mail: wine@seattleweekly.com.