Last month, members of our wine team headed off to Washington State. Wine consultant Heather Hitson (Lady Lake) shares a few of her favorite memories from the trip.

Here I go again into Washington wine country, with some new friends and new experiences.  Read on for a few highlights from this trip.

 Among the wineries visited were Spring Valley, Northstar, Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge, Col Solare, and Chateau Ste. Michelle.

On Wednesday, August 1^st, we visited Northstar Winery, located in Walla Walla.  Walla Walla became an AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1984, and currently has 65 wineries and more than 1200 acres of vineyards.  Cabernet Sauvignon is the leading variety planted, while Merlot, Chardonay, and Syrah are other predominant varieties.

Northstar first starting producing wine in 1994.  During fermentation, all wines go through punch-down, both hand and pneumatic, with no pump overs.  This allows for maximum extraction of color and tannin, and is gentler to the fruit.

The juice is aged in 65 % to 75 % new oak, mostly French and American.  Winemaker Dave Merfeld likes to use barrels with medium-plus toast.  They just received their barrels for the 2012 vintage.  At Northstar, Dave Merfeld and his team take great pride in producing award-winning Merlot. 

The 2008 Walla Walla Merlot was my favorite this year.  A blend of 82 % Merlot from Anna Marie, 14 % Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Valley, and 4 % Petit Verdot from Stone Tree Vineyards, it's been described by Wine Advocate – which awarded it 92 points - as “silky in texture, with notes of dark fruit and spice on the nose, leading into a palate rich with flavors of vanilla, chocolate, raspberry, and earth, before a long seductive finish.”   

 Along with this wine we tried a 2008 Columbia Valley Merlot, 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 Malbec, 2009 Petit Verdot, 2008 Stella Maris red blend, and the 2011 Stella Blanca Semillon.

After our tour and tasting, dinner was outside on the patio.  We had a lovely pairing of wine with our Tuscan-inspired meal.  The Stella Blanca Semillon with a salad of fresh greens, olives, and prosciutto; and Northstar Merlots from Columbia Valley and Walla Walla with marinated flank steak, roasted potatoes, peppers, olives, and long beans.  All this,  and then a cheese course and desert!

Chef Tamara came out to tell us about our menu, and to answer any questions.  She also gave a lesson on cheese tasting, and informed us that all the cheese we were sampling were different types of Gouda.  Gouda is a style of cheese, not a type, and it ages from the outside in.  Some of the Gouda we had was made from goat's milk (Tamara said that not all goat milk has a strong flavor – that only happens when they keep the billy goat too close to the female.  If she can smell him, she produces an enzyme that gives the milk a more “goaty” flavor.)

 A perfect way to end the evening, we watched the full moon rise over the Blue Mountains, and the sun set behind us.