My Favorite Washington State Winery

[Roy Hersh]

I have been involved in the WA wine scene since the 1995 vintage, having been part of the bottling line volunteers for Delille Cellars not long after moving here in Sept. 1996. Of course before then, I had tried my share of the big names that made it to the East coast of the USA, like Hogue, Columbia Winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, L'ecole no. 41, Columbia Crest and a handful of others.

Then I was responsible for putting together unique wine lists in each of 5 states, obtaining allocations for 30 restaurants and training the employees. That was my side job ... as I was really in charge of negotiating the procurement and contracts for all food, beverage, equipment and restaurant supplies. It was a great time to be involved with wine too. I loved my job and got to visit the Napa, Sonoma, Oregon's Willamette Valley and Washington's Columbia Valley about 2x/year apiece. What's not to love?

At the time of my arrival there were about 80 wineries in WA State and 13 years later there are now well over 600 wineries here in Washington. In 2000, I was married at one of the prettiest, albeit one of the largest wineries in the state, but I have lost touch with that one and quite a few others and now typically only buy from two in WA on an annual basis.

There is one that stands above all others for me and that winery is CADENCE. I have grown to really appreciate the wines made by Ben Smith who in my opinion has reached the pinnacle of WA winemaking and has always been below the radar. His wines are special, really old-school old world classics, made from a blend of WA grapes, but from specific vineyard sites. Several years ago, he and his lovely wife Gaye bought a vineyard and named it after their daughter, Cara Mia. Their single-vineyard designated wines are priced very reasonably (for WA or CA fruit for that matter) in the mid-$40 range for their top end juice which is stellar.

Here is a current article which is far more articulate than I am and goes into great detail about Cadence. If you are looking to explore a great red wine producer from WA ... look no further:
http://cadencewinery.com/wp-content/upl ... raison.pdf

Every time a wine loving friend comes to visit WA State I try to convince them by opening a bottle for them or having them visit the winery which is a short drive from Seattle. If anyone ever needs an introduction, please let me know and I'd be happy to help or at least to open a bottle or two for you to try.

I am curious if anyone from other areas in the USA have seen this brand in their local wine shops or have tried any of Ben's wines before?