Two from Covington / Two Vintners

Hello friends. Is 2012 going to be the year of the heat-seekers?

I can tell you that, one month into 2012, I have already tasted more compelling Washington Zinfandels and Petite Sirahs than in all of 2011. This is setting up to be an interesting year for these varietals, in large part because many of the red releases we’re going to see in 2012 are going to come from the 2009 vintage, a warm one.

We’re not California. We need warm years and warm sites to properly ripen the heat-seekers. Well, 2009 was that warm year, and StoneTree Vineyard is certainly that warm site. As you can see on our vineyard map, it’s a large site that sits at the top of the Wahluke Slope. Looking at that topography, you can probably imagine this site getting blasted by plenty of summer sun, and you’d be exactly right. StoneTree gets plenty of heat units, and the fruit ripens nice and evenly, managed to perfection by Tedd Wildman.

The vineyard has skyrocketed in importance over the past few years. It’s a poorly-held secret in Washington wine circles that this vineyard was the source for most of the Cabernet Sauvignon in the Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon that was #1 on Wine Spectator’s 2009 Top 100 list. And it succeeds with varietals that just don’t seem to work in most of the rest of Washington.

When Morgan Lee joined Covington Cellars in 2007, Cindy and David Lawson (Covington’s owners) asked him which additional vineyard contracts he’d like the winery to pick up. StoneTree was at the top of his list; no surprise considering Morgan’s previous employer: Columbia Crest.

Since then, Morgan has worked wonders with this fruit, continuing to cement its reputation as one of Washington’s finest warm sites. Today, we have two of his wines, from two very thermophilic varietals:

2009 Two Vintners Zinfandel StoneTree Vineyard

My first experience with StoneTree Zinfandel was Morgan’s 2008 for Two Vintners (a companion to Covington Cellars, Two Vintners is a passion project for Morgan and his assistant winemaker, Donavon Claflin), and I was blown away. We offered it back in June of 2010 (can you believe it has been that long?!), and I have been eagerly anticipating the 2009 ever since.

This is the real deal, a big, ripe, 15.6%-alc Washington Zin. It’s a hedonist’s delight, to be sure, and it manages to strike a fine balance among all its oversized components. Zinfandels tend towards grotesquerie when something is out of balance (usually it’s the alcohol, when it ventures into porty, fire-breathing-dragon territory). Here, the high-wire act works, a generous mass of raspberry jam, brambly brush, and sassafrass. As we turn our minds towards spring, and brushing the cobwebs off the grill, the smell of pork ribs and burgers gets me thinking about this wine.

2009 Covington Cellars Petite Sirah StoneTree Vineyard

Fee fi fo fum.

That’s what you’ll think when you see this go into your glass, because this is a giant. Among the blackest wines you have ever seen, such that even the bubbles are black. It will stain your glass, your teeth, your clothes, your children: anything it touches will be stained by its dark majesty.

And yes, once in the mouth, it confirms what your eyes already told you: this is a giant. A gargantuan.

There is a real fruit-skin quality in the mouth, and a brambly character, and a blackness. Think blackberry and tar and charcoal. But what you notice, more than anything else with this wine, are the tannins. You have to love tannic heft to love Petite Sirah, and this will not disappoint. It grips your teeth, your gums, your lips, and it won’t let go, all berry skin and black tea. It positively cries out for some lipids to scrape off your palate. Grab your nearest steak and belly up to the bar.

This is sensationally rustic, a textural delight, and a big, big, big wine. Just 98 cases made (compared to 300 for the Zinfandel), so of the two, this will be in shorter supply.

Washington Wine Report (Sean Sullivan): “[REVIEW TEXT WITHHELD]. Rating: **** (Excellent).”

First come first served, up to 18 bottles total (mix and match as you see fit), and the wines should arrive in about a week, at which point they will be available for pickup or shipping during the spring shipping window.