An Insider's Exploration of Yakima Valley Treasures
Washington state's first designated AVA was the Yakima Valley (certified in 1983). Nestled within its borders are sub-AVAs Snipes Mountain, Rattlesnake Hills and Red Mountain. This last sub-AVA may surprise you as Red Mountain has acquired a stellar reputation all its own. But as winery owner/winemaker Co Dinn explains, one of the authors of the Yakima Valley AVA application was Kiona's John Williams, who along with Jim Holmes had only recently planted the first vineyards on Red Mountain.
To this day many of this state's oldest vineyards are located within the broad borders of the AVA, some with grapevines dating back to the 1950s. Despite that head start and the presence of much-admired sites such as Red Willow and Boushey, there is more potential than actual recognition for the AVA’s world-class wines. In his quiet, unassuming way Co Dinn is out to change that.
He arrived in 1996, packing a master's degree in winemaking from U.C. Davis and fresh off work as an enologist at Napa's Trefethen Vineyards. Hired by Mike Hogue, Dinn was fortunate to meet and work with many of the region's finest talents. But when Hogue was acquired by VinCor in 2001 and re-sold to mega-giant Constellation Brands in 2007 the brand's family-owned focus vanished. Quarterly reports and shareholder returns became important, and Hogue's visibility on supermarket shelves across the country did nothing to improve perceptions of quality.
By 2013, Co writes on his website, it was time for a new challenge. "Consulting for estate winery Côte Bonneville since 2001 had confirmed for me the potential of single vineyard wines made with artisanal methods." That became the focus and mission of Co Dinn Cellars.
Drawing upon his decades of hands-on experience working with vineyards throughout the region he dialed down his choices to select sites that he calls "vineyard jewels" scattered across the non-Red Mountain parts of the Yakima Valley. Roskamp vineyard on Snipes Mountain he calls "an island in the sky for its ancient Columbia riverbed gravels. Painted Hills (technically just outside the Yakima Valley AVA but within its geographical borders) is a northwest-facing strip of the Horse Heaven Hills somewhat akin to the southern hillside vineyards of the Walla Walla AVA. Lonesome Spring Ranch is just a bit west of Red Mountain and is chosen for its Rhône varieties such as Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Nearby French Creek vineyard has old vine Wente clone Chardonnay. And the ace in the deck is Elephant Mountain, the Yakima Valley's highest site, topping out at almost 1500 feet.
As I explored Co Dinn wines from these various sites it became clear to me that the quality of these top tier Yakima Valley wines far exceeded the buzz that listing the AVA on a wine label might or might not generate. Compare it, for example, to the reputation of Walla Walla and you'll see what I mean. Why is this?
Dinn points to several contributing factors. "The Yakima Valley exports many of its grapes, including many from top vineyards, to wineries outside the AVA. These grapes are dispersed around the Puget Sound, the Gorge, Walla Walla, Tri-Cities, Spokane, Wenatchee, Chelan, Idaho and Oregon. In the case of Walla Walla," he explains, "it is its own AVA and is focused on promoting that AVA. Many wineries may blend Yakima valley grapes into a Columbia Valley designation. Others focus on identifying the specific vineyard (Red Willow, Boushey) or the sub-AVA (Red Mountain) rather than the broader Yakima Valley."
In order to drill down into the most valuable assets within the AVA a little more background is helpful.
CD: "Yakima Valley viticulture mainly (~80+%) consists of band between 800 and 1500 feet in elevation along the generally WNW-trending Rattlesnake Ridge complex including Red Mountain and Candy Mountain. The complex includes Red Willow, Owen Roe, Sugarloaf, Elephant Mountain, Two Blondes, Roza Hills, Portteus, DuBrul, Boushey, Wyckoff, Kestrel, Lewis, French Creek, Olsen, Lonesome Spring and the Red Mountain and Candy Mountain Vineyards. Even excluding Red Mountain, grapes from Yakima Valley go into many of the most prestigious and highly regarded wines in the state, including Betz, Sixto, Kevin White, DeLille and others."
"I see the slopes of the Rattlesnake Ridge complex and Snipes Mountain as a distinct contiguous winegrowing region, just as we see in the Northern Rhône and Burgundy. By making wines of place and identifying them as such I feel I am contributing to the understanding of the area as a cohesive world-class winegrowing slope."
PG: To sum it all up?
CD: "The Yakima Valley AVA is currently performing very well as a high quality grape growing region inclusive of its sub-AVAs. Like the Willamette Valley or Napa Valley AVAs, the Yakima Valley is diverse enough to be subdivided. The sub-AVA designations are useful here just as in those other areas. However in those regions there has been no effort to downplay the overarching AVA as there has been here. There are many competing interests, many of whom downplay the significance of this world class winegrowing slope. Until critics, somms and others in the wine trade begin to conceptualize the region as I have described it the perception will continue to lag this reality."
In order to prove his case and give me a thorough grounding in his select vineyards, Co brought multiple vintages from each of them. Over the course of the past week I've had the pleasure of taking deep dives into all of these wines and taken all together they are as impressive a group of Yakima valley wines as I have ever experienced.
Across different vineyards and vintages a clear style emerges – a deft blend of fruit and phenolics, ripe but never jammy, aromatically inviting, with supple tannins and very gentle application of new oak. Notwithstanding that it's fair to say that vineyard terroirs are well-differentiated. The blends are seamless and layered, the structures built for aging. Everything is finished in screwcap, ensuring freshness and adding to the overall ageability. That said, many of these wines were actually at their best 24 hours after first being opened, which suggests that you must absolutely decant them for maximum pleasure.
Most of the wines reviewed below (those with prices indicated) are still available for purchase at the tasting room or from the website.
It's worth noting that I almost always eliminate lesser wines from my posted tasting notes. There are no omissions here – these are truly exceptional wines from start to finish. I've listed them by grape/blend from oldest to most current vintages.
Chardonnays
Co Dinn 2013 Roskamp Vineyard Chardonnay
This vineyard was planted on Snipes Mountain 1999-2000 in gravelly soils. Fresh looking and tasting, this near-decade old wine opens up with light layers of butter, toasted nuts, caramel around apple pie fruit and crust. Give it a good aeration and the texture and length continue to expand. It finishes with broader flavors of banana cream pie, along with sufficient acidity to keep it firm and focused. This was still drinking deliciously on the third day.
14.4% (Snipes Mountain)
Co Dinn 2014 Roskamp Vineyard Chardonnay
Not as full-bodied and juicy as the 2013, but with excellent framing and structure this can still develop further. The flavors from the Dijon clones at this site bring green banana, apple, white peach and skin tone highlights. Excellent length and persistence.
14.4%; $45 (Snipes Mountain)
Co Dinn 2015 Roskamp Vineyard Chardonnay
Sealed with screwcaps, these Roskamp Chardonnays are perfectly preserved but need aggressive aeration. This is tight, framed with apple skin phenolics, and very slowly broadens out with a mix of tree fruits and toasty barrel flavors.
14.4%; $45 (Snipes Mountain)
Co Dinn 2016 Roskamp Vineyard Chardonnay
Tasting five consecutive vintages of this wine the consistency of Co Dinn's winemaking is apparent, even as he captures the vintage-specific details. Here is a finesse wine with delicate notes of fresh herbs around broader peach and apple fruit. The barrel aging (17 months on the lees) brings lush texture, toasted nuts and a lick of caramel.
14.4%; $45 (Snipes Mountain)
Co Dinn 2017 Roskamp Vineyard Chardonnay
Right from the start this shows the full-throated richness of Co Dinn's 2013 edition of this wine. There's an interesting highlight of cut tobacco which puts a leafy streak right down the center palate. As with all of his wines, the balance is spot on and the structure suggests that long term aging potential is an option. Sealed with screwcaps, these wines must be decanted for immediate drinking.
14.4%; $45 (Snipes Mountain)
Co Dinn 2015 French Creek Vineyard Chardonnay
This Yakima Valley site is sought after for its old vine Wente clone grapes. This is rich, almost viscous, with broad fruit flavors of banana and apple and a dash of citrus rind to frame it. A light dusting of barrel toast adds further detail and extends the finish. It's drinking like a dream.
14.2%; $45 (Yakima Valley)
Cabernet Sauvignons & Bordeaux Blends
Co Dinn 2013 Painted Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Painted Hills is planted on the north-facing slopes of the Horse Heaven Hills, technically within the Yakima Valley but outside of the AVA, hence the Columbia Valley label. There's 15% Malbec in this blend from the winery's first vintage. It's still in good drinking shape, though moving into secondary fruits, with softened tannins and a lightly buttery finish. It's definitely European in style, and elegant to a fault. Drink now and over the next five years.
13.8%; $50 (Columbia Valley)
Co Dinn 2014 Painted Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
The blend is 83% Cab, 9% Petit Verdot and 8% Malbec. This is closer to the 2015 in style than the 2013, which lacks the Petit Verdot component. Dried figs, cocoa, some dried sage and even more details are showing, and build to an extended finish that gently fades with a touch of citrus tang. Despite its age, this held up well over 24 hours, thanks (at least in part) to the Stelvin closure.
13.9%; $50 (Columbia Valley)
Co Dinn 2015 Painted Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
The blend is 83% Cab, 9% Petit Verdot and 8% Malbec. It's aromatic and inviting with plush aromas of figs and black pastry fruits and a soft palate that expands with a burst of spice. This is a lovely blend showing a more subtle and detailed style of Yakima Valley Cabernet from a site just outside the southern bounds of the AVA. The tannins are ripe but restrained, with thin streaks of lead pencil. It's a supremely drinkable style, with instant appeal and yet the structure to age over the medium term.
14.4%; $50 (Columbia Valley)
Co Dinn 2015 Elephant Mountain Vineyard Red Blend
This is 58% Cab, 16% Petit Verdot, 15% Merlot and 11% Malbec. The tannins have the richness, the ripeness and yet remain soft. Exceptional winemaking. The fruits are still in full flower, loaded with flavors of fig and sweet blueberry and black currant. There are accents of coffee and well-managed phenolic touches of stem and earth. This has grip and tension, dark fruits and lightly spicy, ripe and firm tannins but no bitterness. A brilliant effort and a sensational value. Drink now through mid-2030s. CW
14.6%; $65 (Rattlesnake Hills)
Co Dinn 2016 Elephant Mountain Vineyard Red Blend
This is 63% Cab, 17% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot and 9% Malbec. Co Dinn tweaks his blends with exquisite precision to capture the specifics of each new vintage. The Elephant Mountain site may be his finest discovery. These Bordeaux blends have the depth, detail, concentration, silky tannins and ageability of the very best American examples. Black fruits, cassis, clean earth, licorice, coffee grounds, toasted walnuts... well I could go on and on but best you should try the wine for yourself. Simply gorgeous!
14.8%; $65 (Rattlesnake Hills)
Co Dinn 2017 Elephant Mountain Vineyard Red Blend
This is 58% Cab, 12% Petit Verdot, 11% Cab Franc, 10% Merlot, and 9% Malbec – the first time Co Dinn added Cab Franc to this Bordeaux blend, completing the full house. If there is one wine from this entire overview you should absolutely try it is this one or its 2016 predecessor. Both are stellar examples of why and how Yakima Valley Bordeaux blends can and should be the iconic standards for Washington state. WW
14.6%; $65 (Rattlesnake Hills)
Rhône Varietal Wines
Co Dinn 2014 Lonesome Spring Ranch Vineyard GSM
This 36% Grenache/35% Syrah/29% Mourvèdre blend is an appealing, fruit-driven wine, with a mix of blueberry, plum and blackberry flavors. The phenolic influence is tempered by fresh acids, and the the overall balance is spot on. It's drinking quite well at eight years of age, with plenty of life still ahead.
14.4% (Yakima Valley)
Co Dinn 2016 Lonesome Spring Ranch Vineyard GSM
This blend of 41% Grenache/30% Syrah/29% Mourvèdre is juicy and loaded with berries. It's tart and tangy and tasty all the way through. The concentrated fruit has good balance throughout the length and breadth of the palate. The Grenache and Mourvèdre give the spice, the Syrah adds tangy berries and darkens up the color. The texture, purity and fruit expression are exemplary, and there's a finishing burst of milk chocolate.
14.7%; $45 (Yakima Valley)
Co Dinn 2017 Lonesome Spring Ranch Vineyard GSM
This blend of 39% Grenache/35% Syrah/26% Mourvèdre is a good example of how Co Dinn slightly tweaks each different vintage of this wine to achieve a consistent style year in and year out. The overall balance is seamless and shows the fruit, acid, phenolic and tannic components in good proportion. Brambly, juicy blackberries, a hint of compost, ripe but rather soft tannins, and good length make this a real palate pleaser.
14.5%; $45 (Yakima Valley)
Co Dinn 2013 Roskamp Vineyard Block Two Syrah
More akin to Boushey than Red Willow Syrahs in style; this is a medium weight, aromatic, classic Syrah with black fruits and berries galore. The phenolics are well-integrated and add texture and depth. Flavors darken as the wine breathes open and bring on highlights of licorice, black olive and coffee grounds.
14.2% (Snipes Mountain)
Co Dinn 2014 Roskamp Vineyard Block Two Syrah
This carries the same imprint as the 2013 – pure varietal flavors of black fruits, smoked bacon, balsamic and peat. Barreled for 20 months in neutral oak, and tasted at eight years of age, it remains fresh and vibrant, balanced and long, with medium concentration through the finish.
14.5% (Snipes Mountain)
Co Dinn 2015 Roskamp Vineyard Block Two Syrah
Consistent with the previous two vintages, this is textbook Syrah from a favored Yakima Valley site. Tight, spicy and focused, its compact black fruits are framed with dark chocolate, espresso beans and licorice. Acids are sharp and the neutral barrels have somewhat tempered the tannins without adding any toasty flavors. It's all about the fruit and the terroir.
14.6% $50 (Snipes Mountain)
Co Dinn 2016 Elephant Mountain Vineyard Block Five Syrah
This uniquely high, southeast facing slope ripens late and delivers sleek, expressive, compact and detailed Syrahs. You sense the layers immediately, but it takes a fair amount of breathing time for the wine to unwrap itself. The blackberry and black cherry fruit is the star here, with an appealing streak of mineral running down the spine. Although this is already six years past harvest, I suspect its best days are ahead. Drink now to 2030.
14.7%; $50 (Rattlesnake Hills)
Co Dinn 2017 Elephant Mountain Vineyard Block Five Syrah
Black cherry and cassis fruit come up as the wine breathes. It's tight and compressed, all potential when first opened. Details of branch and leaf add texture and length, and with ample breathing the grip and power of this wine and this vineyard become obvious.
14.7%; $50 (Rattlesnake Hills)
Co Dinn Cellars
501 Grant Ave
Sunnyside, WA 98944
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NOTE: The wines I recommend have been tasted over many hours and days in peer groups and are selected for excellence. I have chosen to eliminate numerical scores from this website. Only recommended wines are shown, no negative reviews. My notes are posted immediately with links to the winery website, so you may purchase them directly from the producer before they are sold out. I take no commission, accept no advertising, and charge no fees for wines reviewed.
Coming next week: A detailed look at the terroir-inflected wines of the McMinnville AVA
Heads Up: Features coming later this fall include surveys of Syrah/GSM blends; single winery features; holiday bubbly and more stories and wine notes from the Pacific Northwest. Please send current and upcoming releases for these features as soon as possible; however there is no final deadline as I can and do post regular updates to past features. All new releases from Pacific Northwest wineries are welcome and will be tasted. Only recommended wines will be posted on this website.
Please contact me at paulgwine@me.com with your feedback and suggestions for future posts. Thank you for your support! – Paul Gregutt
