Entertainment - Wine column

POSTED: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009

Washington malbec a fine, stand-alone wine

For the past several years I've been doing an annual update on the progress of Washington malbec, one of my favorite red wine varietals.

Although it's been a mainstay as a stand-alone varietal in South America for decades, malbec was virtually nonexistent in the Pacific Northwest as little as 10 years ago.

Today, malbec still accounts for only about 1.5 percent of all red wine grapes produced in Washington. While most of it is used for blending purposes (similar to France's Bordeaux region) it's becoming much easier to find it in wine shops and grocers under just the "malbec" label.

Earlier this month, I participated in a blind tasting of malbecs from Washington and Argentina with a group of friends. Of the seven wines tasted, the two entries from Washington were the overall group favorites.

I took part in a similar tasting format a couple of years ago, and the results were identical. In that case, over 10 wines were sampled, and again, the two Washington malbecs scored highest against the remaining international entries.

Coincidence? Unlikely.

Yes, the Washington wines were at the higher end of the price scale, but that doesn't always mean a better wine. Also, the concealed labels reduced the chances of participants' biases entering into the scoring.

The top two wines in this month's tasting were the Olsen Hills 2007 Malbec (about $20) and the Alder Ridge Vineyard 2006 Malbec (about $40).

The Olson Hills was the top scorer, and it's produced by Olsen Estates, out of Prosser. Many tasters liked the wine's earthy, berry-like fragrance, well-rounded flavors of cherry, strawberry and toasted coconut, and its soft, plush finish with just the right touch of tannins and acidity. The wine was purchased at Purple Smile Wines in Fairhaven.

The Alder Ridge Malbec, from Washington's Horse Heaven Hills Appellation, was another favorite. The wine's butterscotch/berry aroma was remarkable, and the full-bodied flavors of strawberry and spice were also noteworthy. It has excellent cellaring potential, although the wine's production was limited to only 100 cases.