We will run our contributor’ picks for Producer and Wine of the Year in this space almost every day as 2011 winds down, so please check back frequently to see the year’s best. M.F.]
When I was asked to name my choice for “Wine of the Year” and “Winemaker of the Year,” I scoured my computer memory and concluded that the “best” wines I had tasted in 2011 were from Washington State, with my nod for Winemaker of the Year going to those winemakers who hang in there making a red wine that is having a difficult time in today’s changing wine market, namely, Syrah.
I quibbled over my notes, with Russian River Valley Pinot Noir coming very close to being the best wine I tasted this past year, especially when I re-read my notes about such pleasures as Williams Selyem 2007 Westside Neighbors Pinot Noir and Merry Edwards 2008 Coopersmith Pinot Noir. But I had to go with DeLille Cellars 2008 Columbia Valley D2, a seamless blend 
of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, with nicely textured blackberry and spice flavors and great length; and Betz Family Winery 2009 Yakima Valley La Côte Patriarche Syrah, rich and fruity with refined tannins and impeccable balance from start to finish. California Bordeaux-style red wines and Syrah get a lot of attention, but in my mind, the carefully modulated Washington wines with their pure fruit flavors are in a class of their own.
Speaking about class, let’s hear for all those New World winemakers who continue to make excellent juicy Syrahs and Shiraz and blends. Wine fans already know the pleasures of Northern Rhône Syrahs like Côte Rôtie and Hermitage, gutsy big-boned Australian Shiraz from the Barossa Valley and Margaret River, as well as a trickle of impressive Syrahs coming from South Africa, Chile, Argentina and the odd one from Hawkes Bay in New Zealand. Most of these wines have an established market of admirers that is holding fast. What is needed, though, is more attention for impressive Syrahs like those from DeLille Cellars, Valley of the Moon and Zaca Mesa to mention a few. And while we’re at it, a few kudos for exciting Syrah-Grenache blends such as DeLille’s Grand Ciel Red Mountain Syrah with a bit of Viognier and Tor Kenward’s TOR ROCK 2008 North Coast Hommage Allan blend of Grenache and Syrah. If, like me, you are a fan of Pinot Noir but still like Cabernet, then Syrah more than splits the difference with the luscious fruit of Pinot and the structure of Cabernet.
You have a lot of choices from a huge range of very good wines, not the least of which should be Washington reds and Syrahs from anywhere in the world. Happy Holidays!
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