New Releases from Washington State

Many of the new releases I tried this summer and early fall were reds from 2004, a vintage that produced big wines with generally healthier pHs and a slightly cooler character than the lush, high-alcohol 2003s, which were mostly made from ripe grapes that were harvested quickly during a hot spell in September. In 2004, which was also plenty warm, many growers could safely allow their fruit to hang on the vines into October. It must be noted that 2004 began with a damaging freeze in early January, which was generally at its most destructive in Walla Walla Valley. Some vineyards did not produce grapes, while others had difficulty ripening their fruit properly. So there's a lot of "Columbia Valley" fruit in numerous 2004 Walla Walla bottlings, as growers were forced to go outside their home base to purchase grapes.