The Perfect Climate, First Hand

San Francisco Chronicle wine editor Jon Bonné included 14 wines from Washington State in his annual Top 100 wines of the year column. This non-ranked list focused on wines from the West Coast, with special attention to wines priced $30 or less. Bonné is especially complimentary to Washington’s production of Riesling, saying it “has rarely been better”. Furthermore, Washington Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet-based blends received 8 of the 22 spots on the list of the best Cabernets released in 2009.

Washington State wines made an impressive showing in Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Wines of 2009, with 11 spots on the list. The editors of Wine Enthusiast compose the list based on several criteria, giving special focus to wines with a high quality-to-price ratio. Despite being a relatively small producer in the global wine market, Washington State managed to capture over 10% of the top wines of the year.

Wine Spectator’s prestigious Top 100, a list of the best wines of the year from around the world, has awarded a Washington State wine the number one spot for the first time. Washington State also received more spots on the list than in any year past. In total, nine wines from Washington made the Top 100.

In the latest issue of his bi-monthly journal, International Wine Cellar, influential critic Stephen Tanzer awards 138 Washington State wines scores of 90 points or better. Tanzer also remarks on the outstanding overall quality of recent vintages from Washington. Tanzer is well known for his fierce objectivity and tempered prose, which makes his generous praise for Washington State wines all the more remarkable.

In its latest issue, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - an influential bi-monthly newsletter of wine reviews - awarded ratings of 90 points or better to 338 Washington State wines, up from 277 wines last year.