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www.buyersandcellars.ca Cellar Profile
In 1983, with a small truckload of borrowed fruit and a rented cellar, Rob Griffin and his wife Deborah Barnard established Barnard Griffin Winery. Since that time, it has become one of Washington’s most enduring and award-winning wineries. Nearly half of the wine produced comes from their estate vineyard, Caroway, while the remaining fruit is sourced from some of the best vineyards in Washington State. Since inception, Barnard Griffin has cultivated strong partnerships with vineyards and viticulturists throughout the Columbia Valley. These wines are distinctly Washington, with ample weight and expressive fruit, framed beautifully with elegant structure and terrific length.
Region
Columbia Valley was granted AVA status in 1984. Located on the eastern side of Washington, it is the largest AVA in the state, responsible for 99% of total wine production. With its dessert-like conditions (average annual rainfall is only 6-8 inches per year), irrigation is a necessity. The Columbia River, as well as snowmelt from the Cascade Mountains, supplies the region’s water for agriculture. Washington has an interesting dynamic between winemakers and grape growers in that they are often exclusively ‘Makers’ or ‘Growers’. Today, nearly 50% of Barnard Griffin’s fruit is grown on the estate.
Vineyard
Sourced from Lonesome Spring Ranch (Yakima Valley) and Gunkel Vineyard (Columbia River Gorge). Rob Griffin has spent decades working these vineyards and knows the land like few others. These soils are some of the most varied and interesting in the world. The Missoula Floods, caused by the movement of a giant continental glacier across Washington State 13,000 years ago, picked up soils from Idaho as they crossed into Washington, depositing them haphazardly and carving out the Columbia Gorge.
Varieties
A Bordeaux-style blend of Petit Verdot (75%), Cabernet Sauvignon (11%), Malbec (12%) and Merlot (1%). Petit Verdot plantings in the New World originally came from clones from Southwest France, particularly Bordeaux. It is an extremely late-ripening grape, needing copious amounts of sunlight during the growing season to achieve full ripeness, a good reason why it has fallen out of favour in Bordeaux. Known for its dark pigment, floral notes, ample tannins and structure, Petit Verdot is generally used in blends, but in very good vintages it can craft phenomenal single varietal wines.
Winemaking
Harvested late in a very dry season. The end of summer in the Columbia Valley was punctuated by huge fires which brought smoke to the region. Thankfully, fears of smoke-flavored grapes did not materialize. Aged 22 months in French and other European oak barrels. Only 304 cases produced.
Tasting Notes
Delicious and satisfying, brimming with cherry, plum and dark fruit flavors. Solid acidity, well-integrated tannins and spicy oak accents add depth and complexity. A flicker of cocoa, black pepper and black olive join the chorus on the lingering finish.