New Releases from Washington State

As 2007 by now has gained a reputation as one of Washington’s most outstanding and complete vintages of the past generation, this vintage from the state’s better producers has sold well, even in this moribund economy. It remains to be seen whether consumers will pull the trigger on the less consistent 2008s, a vintage that nonetheless has produced many well-delineated, juicy wines.

Washington has one huge plus going for it, at least compared to California: its wines are priced as if their makers actually plan to sell them. Most “expensive” Washington wines are priced between $40 and $60, or a fraction of the cost of big names from California, Burgundy and Bordeaux. Only a handful of wines retail for more than $100, and in nearly every case these bottlings have established track records for excellence and thus benefit from a loyal clientele. When I taste outstanding wines for $30 or less, as I did repeatedly in my tastings of new Washington releases this year, I get charged up. And that doesn’t even include the growing number of very good values in the $20 and under range.

If Washington wineries have not obviously cut their prices in the last year or two, many are making the necessary deals to clear out their old vintages and are pricing their new ones realistically. With many of their long-time customers hesitating to spend $30 or more on a bottle of wine these days, some wineries have shifted more of their volume into lower-priced labels. This has been good for the consumer as there’s now higher-quality juice available in the $15 to $25 range. And syrah seems to be struggling less here than it is in California. Many Washington wineries and their fruit suppliers are convinced that this variety holds out great longer-term potential in Washington, and if they have to cut prices today to sell these wines, they seem willing to do so.