Thomas Cottrell is Bellevue Club’s wine consultant and the owner of La Cantina Wine Merchants.
It seems to be about time for a look at another small Northwest winery; this time it’s one of the newest around. Kind of. In truth, Brian Carter Cellars has been around for a little while now; the first release of their signature Bordeaux-style blend called Solesce (pronounced soh-less) was the 1997 vintage in 2000. But March of this year marked the release of four additional wines, all blends anointed with their own romantic names; a new label design—five new label designs, in fact—and a Woodinville tasting room scheduled to open about the time you read this. And they’ve announced plans for a new winery facility, also in Woodinville, to open in 2007. With all this activity afoot it seems fair to call them a new winery. The hallmark of most of Washington’s new wineries, especially the smaller ones, is the youth of the winemakers behind them. The vast majority of these vintners tends to be enthusiastic and often well trained, formally and/or otherwise. But they usually lack much in the way of experience. The same cannot be said of Brian Carter Cellars.
Washington state currently boasts more than 400 wineries; just a decade ago we hosted just 80. But a decade ago, Brian Carter already had 16 years of experience making wines in Washington state (coincidentally, there were just 16 wineries in existence when he arrived in 1980). Prior to coming to Washington, he’d spent two years as assistant winemaker at Mt. Eden Vineyards and Ch. Montelena in California. Few wineries hereabout, regardless of size, have a winemaker who’s worked so many vintages. Of course, experience alone
doesn’t guarantee good wines, but in Brian’s case there’s plenty of evidence of winemaking skill. He’s probably won more medals for more wines than anyone in Washington, starting with his eight years at Paul Thomas. While there, his 1983 Cabernet Sauvignon knocked off the 1983 Ch. Lafite-Rothschild at a blind tasting at the famous Windows on the World restaurant in New York. He also won the rarely awarded
Grand Award at the Seattle Wine Society competition. The honor has been given just 20 times; Brian is the only three-time winner. In 1988, Brian left Paul Thomas to establish a consulting business. Among his clients were Hedges, where his wines garnered five consecutive “Best Buys” in the Wine Spectator; and McCrea Cellars, where he established their reputation as fine-quality Rhone specialists. The year 1988 also saw the beginning of his relationship with Apex Cellars, then known as Washington Hills Cellars. He has been a winemaker there ever since and the Brian Carter Cellars wines have been produced at the Apex facility in Sunnyside. It was there that he won two more Grand Awards, along with all the gold medals and the Thomas Jefferson Cup, that have made Apex wines so famous. Not a bad family tree for a “new” winery. And the new wines? As you might expect, they’re delicious, starting with the single white: 2004 Oriana ($25), a blend of roussanne, riesling and viognier. It’s delicate, lightly
floral/fruity and dry with a smooth, lingering finish.
The 2002 Tuttorosso ($30), Italian for “all red,” combines sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon and syrah—sort of a “super Yakima” instead of a “super Tuscan.” The sangiovese makes it a bit dry, so this one is best with food; but the cabernet and the syrah flesh things out and make it complex. I enjoyed it on its own. The Rhone blend, 2002 Byzance ($30), is the most sensual of the reds, with fleshy dark fruit and spice and pepper notes in every aspect of the wine. The blend here is classic: grenache and syrah; think Chat-eauneuf-du-Pape, only richer and fatter. Brian produces two Bordeaux-style
blends. The 2002 L’Etalon ($30), is a mélange of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot—the traditional five grapes. Together they create a finely balanced red, oaky yet rich in fruit, with soft tannins and impressive length. It’s a “Bordeaux” with sex and panache. The name in French means “the stallion.” The flagship red is still called Solesce, now a 2000 vintage ($60). The blend changes slightly from
L’Etalon, with merlot dominating and no petite verdot in the mix. But this “merlot” is unusually rich, deep and a bit on the tight side. I recommend decanting the wine for an hour—or cellaring for a few years—to let this wine show its layers of flavor and polished elegance.
Yet to come is another red blend, a “second” wine that I, for one, am eager to taste. Ultimately, Brian Carter Cellars will produce some 7,000 cases of wine; right now there are less than 1,000 cases available. Look for it in fine restaurants, wine shops, and grocery stores with a broad selection. The wines are well worth searching out.
