Sean P. Sullivan Northwest Wine Report

02/11/2024

Checking out another 2011 tonight. Currently in the decanter.

02/11/2024

Friday night folks! November 1st! What's everyone opening up tonight?

People who accepted the 2024 Northwest Wine Challenge, I forgot to post reminders in October, so I'm giving a 48 hour extension on your wine for last month! Tomorrow night, I'll post asking what wine everyone had.

If you haven't read them already, check out my articles from the last two weeks:

Wine Reviews October 21st 2024

A closer look at Chateau Ste. Michelle’s redevelopment plan

Fall subscriber drive

Tirriddis opens new tasting room in Prosser

A deep dive into Beverly, Washington – the state’s 21st appellation

Sip Magazine SIPfluencer recognition

WineBusiness Monthly 2024 Wine Industry Leaders recognition

Link in the comments.

Go!

01/11/2024

This week WineBusiness Monthly recognized me as a 2024 Wine Industry Leader for my work at Northwest Wine Report. They write, in part, "Sullivan's Northwest Wine Report is the first place you look for news on the wine business in the Pacific Northwest."

I am honored and truly humbled to be recognized alongside such a distinguished group of people.

I'll link the full list in the comments. Congratulations to all!

01/11/2024

Halloween wine. 2011 Walla Walla Vintners. Singing. What’s everyone enjoying tonight?

31/10/2024

I am honored to be named a 2024 SIPfluencer by Sip Magazine. The Fall issue recognizes my work at Northwest Wine Report as an “Industry Champion.”

The magazine writes, in part, “The award-winning report offers in-depth coverage of the wines and wineries of the Pacific Northwest, from news features to blind-tasting wine reviews, and has become a trusted resource for wine enthusiasts.”

I am deeply humbled. Thank you Sip Magazine!

Congratulations to other wine industry friends and colleagues who were recognized, including Remy Drabkin (Remy Wines), Tim Gamble and Teresa Spellman (Tinte Cellars), Ashley Trout and Maddie Richards (Vital Wines), JJ Williams (Kiona Vineyards and Winery), Martin Fujishin (Walla Walla Community College Center for Enology and Viticulture), Mary Derby (DAMA Wines), David LeClaire (Seattle Uncorked), Liz Knapke (Walla Walla Valley Wine), Lois Cho (CHO Wines), Reggie Daigneault (Reggie Wine), Jim Bernau (Willamette Valley Vineyards), Brandon Ackley (Ackley Brands), Kathryn House (House of Wine), Brittany Komm (Sagemoor Vineyards), Brooke Robertson (Delmas/SJR Vineyard), Madeline Puckette (Wine Folly), and Eric Degerman (Great Northwest Wine).

30/10/2024

Woodinville Wine Country is doing a first ever 'Stock the Cellar' event Saturday, November 16th at the Columbia Collective. Wines will be sold by the case at a generous discount.

Participating wineries include Ancestry Cellars, Baer Winery, Brian Carter Cellars, Damsel Cellars, Elevation Cellars, Glacier View Cellars, J Bookwalter Wines, Laterus Winery, Long Cellars, Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards, Bayernmoor Cellars, Love That Red Winery, Michael Florentino Cellars, Obelisco, Page Cellars, Pondera Winery, Rocky Pond Winery, and WilridgeWinery & Vineyard.

Tickets are $20. Link in the comments.

30/10/2024

Washington has a new appellation, the state's 21st!

A Northwest Wine Report, an in-depth look at what makes Beverly, Washington unique as a growing region.

Beverly, Washington courtesy of Four Feathers Wine Services Editor's Note: See a summary table of Washington's appellations. On October 29th the Alcohol and To***co Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) approved Beverly, Washington as the state’s newest appellation. This brings Washington’s total number of...

29/10/2024

“It’s totally changed the dynamic of who comes to taste and who’s staying,” Tirriddis co-founder Gabriel Crowell says of the winery's new tasting room in Prosser. Tirriddis, which is dedicated to sparkling wines, is now located on Wine Country Road.

Full story at Northwest Wine Report.

Tirriddis tasting room, Prosser, Washington Tirriddis, one of Washington’s only sparkling wine-dedicated producers, has opened a new tasting room in Prosser. The tasting room, a short distance from the winery’s previous facility, is located at the former Walter Clore Vineyard Pavilion. “We've ...

26/10/2024

Friday night folks! What’s everyone opening up this evening?

23/10/2024

23/10/2024

All right everyone, it’s that time of year. Time for a fall subscriber drive!

Since I launched the subscription side of Northwest Wine Report in 2023, I’ve been heartened by the response. As I wrote in June, I fully expected to have to shut this site down at some point in 2024.

Still, what I am trying to do is a hard go. Most of the content you find on the internet is provided at no cost because it relies on some combination of advertising, capturing your data and selling it to others, and paying the person who writes the content little to nothing. This has made it challenging to convince people to pay for content, which is part of the reason so many newspapers and magazines have gone out of business.

I am taking a path that relies solely on subscriptions, which is by definition swimming upstream. Additionally, given the niche nature of Northwest wine, that path will always be difficult.

How difficult? At present, I’m at risk of missing my subscriber goal for 2024. To be blunt, I quite literally can’t afford for that to happen. I need your help.

If you haven’t subscribed already, I urge you to consider doing so. Subscriptions are available on a monthly or an annual basis. With subscriptions, you get access to:

Subscriber-only articles
New wine reviews
A searchable database of over 17,000 Northwest wine reviews
Growing season summaries
Growing season markers
Appellation information

While some content at Northwest Wine Report remains freely available, understand that subscriptions allow for all of the content to be produced.

Northwest Wine Report is my main source of income. The site is 100% subscriber funded. I can only continue doing what I do if I have your support to do it.

So, if you find value here and haven’t already, please subscribe. It truly is the only way that the site will continue to exist.

If you are already a subscriber, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I ask for your continued support.

Link to subscribe in the comments.

22/10/2024

Last week, Chateau Ste. MIchelle submitted its plan to redevelop portions of its Woodinville property. Today, I drill into the details, looking at the current schematic that the Chateau is working with. Full story at Northwest Wine Report.

I wrote last week about Chateau Ste. Michelle submitting to the City of Woodinville its plan to redevelop parts of its property. There, I outlined the key aspects of the plan. Here, I drill into the plan based on the schematic representation the Chateau provided. I have broken down key aspects and s...

21/10/2024

80+ wines reviewed in this set, including the latest from Airfield Estates, Amos Rome Vineyards, Bighorn, Björnson Vineyard, Foolhardy Vintners, Furioso Vineyards, Gard Vintners, Lone Birch, Phelps Creek Vineyards, Prospice Wines, The Miscreant Project, TruthTeller Winery, Walla Walla Vintners, and Willow Winery & Vineyard.

A few quick hit thoughts on some of the wines in this review set.

Lone Birch is quietly establishing itself as a go-to value Washington wine brand. The wines are extremely well-priced for the quality, are varietally correct, and reflect the region where they are grown (Yakima Valley). The wines are also estate fruit. It’s hard to ask for more at $12-13.

Moving up a tier in the same portfolio, Airfield Estates offers a number of wines reviewed here that punch well above their weight class. Several of them are Value Picks.

I’ve written about Foolhardy Vintners previously. I can’t recommend Foolhardy’s wines highly enough. The wines are all distinctive, they have a voice, and they focus on purity and freshness without sacrificing intensity and flavor. These are wines that consumers (and winemakers) should pay attention to.

People who accepted the 2024 Northwest Wine Challenge, seek out The Miscreant Project NV Gobsmack’d Miscreant Affirmation #32 reviewed here. It’s rare to find that level of quality in a Rhône-style blend at that price.

Willamette Valley’s Furioso Vineyards has a strong set of wines reviewed here. The winery is well worth exploring.

What fun it is to see such diversity coming out of the Willamette Valley. Reviewed below are high quality examples of Gamay, Mondeuse, Trousseau, and Pinot Meunier, with a number of them from Abbey Road Farm. Pinot Noir will always be the valley’s red variety calling card, and rightfully so. But the valley is about much more than that.

Reviews at Northwest Wine Report.

80+ wines reviewed below and in the database, including the latest from Airfield, Amos Rome, Bighorn, Björnson, Foolhardy, Furioso, Gård, Lone Birch, Phelps Creek, Prospice, The Miscreant Project, TruthTeller, Walla Walla Vintners, and Willow Wine. A

21/10/2024

Tonight’s pairing: 2011 Leonetti Sangiovese with homemade marinara. The wine sings with a short decant.

20/10/2024

Saturday night folks! What's everyone opening up this evening?

19/10/2024

Friday night folks! Fall is definitely here! What's everyone opening up tonight?

Make sure to check out my articles from this week. Lots of exciting things happening. Looks like there might be a La Niña this winter. Michael Fagin writes about what that might mean and looks at recent weather trends.

Brian Carter Cellars has opened a tasting room in the Columbia Collective - the old Columbia Winery building. A legacy Washington wine brand will also be resurrected and open a tasting room in the space.

Finally, Chateau Ste. Michelle outlined its plans to redevelop parts of its Woodville property. The plans include new retail and restaurants, a hotel, relocation of the concert venue to a different part of the property, residential development, and other changes.

Link to these three stories the comments.

What La Niña this winter means for the Pacific Northwest

Brian Carter Cellars opens tasting room in Columbia Collective

Ste. Michelle outlines plan for Woodinville property redevelopment

18/10/2024

For anyone who missed this last night, Chateau Ste. Michelle has submitted its plan to redevelop parts of its property to the City of Woodinville. The plan has a high level of detail as well as a schematic. The plan includes adding a boutique hotel, retail and restaurants, an expanded concert venue, and other changes. The Chateau has also selected the architect for the project. Full story at Northwest Wine Report.

Design packet submitted to the city will bring extensive changes to the property Chateau Ste. Michelle announced Thursday plans to redevelop parts of its 118-acre Woodinville property. The plans are fully consistent with what the winery has outlined previously. However, they provide a substantially....

18/10/2024

Chateau Ste. Michelle announced Thursday plans to redevelop parts of its 118-acre Woodinville property. The plans are fully consistent with what the winery has outlined previously. However, they provide a substantially higher level of detail. Full story at Northwest Wine Report.

Design packet submitted to the city will bring extensive changes to the property Chateau Ste. Michelle announced Thursday plans to redevelop parts of its 118-acre Woodinville property. The plans are fully consistent with what the winery has outlined previously. However, they provide a substantially....

16/10/2024

Brian Carter Cellars has opened a tasting room in the Columbia Collective - the former Columbia Winery building in Woodinville. This is the winery's fourth tasting room. A legacy Washington brand will also open a tasting room at the location. Full story at Northwest Wine Report.

Legacy Washington brand will also open at the location Brian Carter Cellars has opened a tasting room in the Columbia Collective building in Woodinville. The tasting room is the first to open in the space since Landmark Event Company became involved with the property earlier this

14/10/2024

At Northwest Wine Report, Michael Fagin looks at recent temperature and precipitation trends in Columbia Valley and Willamette Valley, drought conditions, and what the forecast La Niña might mean for the Pacific Northwest this winter.

The following article was written by Michael Fagin. Fagin is an operational meteorologist providing weather forecasts to clients in the Pacific Northwest and providing custom forecast for groups climbing Mt. Everest and other major peaks. Fagin is also a travel writer with a focus on

12/10/2024

Friday night folks! What's everyone opening up this evening?

If you haven't seen them already, make sure to check out my articles from this week. Link in the comments:

Owen Roe founders buy back winery in Vintage Wine Estates selloff

Getting to know Virginie Boone, new JebDunnuck.com Washington reviewer: Part I

Getting to know Virginie Boone, new JebDunnuck.com Washington reviewer: Part II

11/10/2024

At Northwest Wine Report, Part II of my interview with Virginie Boone, new JebDunnuck.com reviewer for Washington.

In part one, I talked with Virginie about her background and how she got involved in the wine industry. In Part II, we discuss her time at Wine Enthusiast, her new responsibilities at JebDunnuck.com, her thoughts on Washington, and her approach to wine reviewing.

Late last month, JebDunnuck.com announced that Virginie Boone had joined the team as senior editor. Boone will be the site’s new reviewer for Washington and will also cover a number of other regions for the publication. In part one of a two-part interview, I talked with

09/10/2024

At Northwest Wine Report, I talk with new JebDunnuck.com Washington reviewer Virginie Boone.

Late last month, JebDunnuck.com announced that Virginie Boone has joined the team as senior editor. Boone will be the site’s new reviewer for Washington and will also cover a number of other regions for the publication. Boone is a wine industry veteran. She graduated from the University

08/10/2024

In the U.S., there is no agreed upon definition of a reserve-labeled wine. However, there is almost always a common thread: more new oak. Should this be the case? My thoughts at Northwest Wine Report.

While there is no agreed upon definition of what constitutes a reserve-labeled wine, there is almost always a common thread. The wine sees a high(er) percentage of new oak. For example, a winery’s standard Cabernet Sauvignon might see, say, 75% new French oak. A ‘Reserve,’ however, will often