Ahh…the first day of true summer and the weather is sunny and warm here in the PNW in the mid-70’s Fahrenheit, so it seemed appropriate to visit two favorite winemaker/producer friends in Woodinville, famous for making warm-hearted, exuberant and stylish red wines as well as more recently, delightful white and rosé wines to celebrate solstice and beyond. I speak of Sparkman Cellars’ Chris & Kelly Sparkman, and their winemaker Linn Scott, along with Sleight of Hand Cellars Trey Busch and Jerry Solomon. (www.sparkmancellars.com; www.sofhcellars.com
Both wineries have recently inaugurated brand new tasting rooms; in Sparkman’s case, the winery as well, in Woodinville’s Hollywood District, not far from Chateau Ste Michelle. Sparkman moved into part of the old Red Hook Brewery building, along with DeLille Wines, while Sleight of Hand, based in Walla Walla, took over a space that had been occupied by Long Shadows.
The ‘Wall of Fame’ in Sparkman Cellars new winery and tasting room at the old Red Hook Brewery building in Woodinville (JBMW)
My visits unfortunately did not synch well with either gentlemen’s presence as both were out in Eastern Washington, but I was well taken care of by the fine staff at each tasting room. I had seen both Chris and Trey Busch at the annual Auction of Washington Barrel tasting back in March, where both had presented very cool one-off wines.
Tasting the newest and most currently available wines was my principal goal, and I had no distractions; ideal since both wineries make a number of wines, Sparkman rather more than Sleight of Hand (SoH). I have always liked these gents’ style, (personal and wine-related!). Since both had long experience prior to establishing their wineries (Sparkman in 2004, SoH in 2007) working in the restaurant business, they have evolved wine styles that are diner friendly, but also have gained the respect of top critics for their blend of focused intensity & richness with approachability.
Their wines can age pretty well, but are enjoyable almost immediately. Both wineries have been fortunate to have long ties with Washington’s best vineyards and viticulturalists, which has allowed them to gain top level fruit. For small wineries, this is no easy feat. Sleight of Hand makes a number of wines with Walla Walla Valley fruit, since that is their location, while Sparkman’s wines often are composed of fruit more from Yakima Valley and nearby, such as the White Bluffs and Royal Slope AVA’s. But both producers pull fruit from almost all of the top WA AVA regions and stellar vineyards, such as Boushey and Les Collines, with the exception of Lake Chelan (for now!) Excellent fruit costs more, however.
At the same time, both wineries have managed to maintain relatively sane pricing levels, given the current economic situation. While none of the wines from either Sparkman or SoH are inexpensive (nearly impossible to do in WA unless you are a large producer with economic scalability), most are priced fairly for their quality, age-worthiness and the variety involved.
Another positive consideration for these wineries is that both have done a pretty good job of establishing markets in several states outside of WA, and both can ship as well.
Hence, the notes below speak for themselves. As usual, I have marked them on my usual scale (*-***), with the retail prices based on the winery tasting room lists. Alcohol percentages are from the labels. Abbreviations are used for varieties in blends, such as CS for Cabernet Sauvignon, Syr for Syrah, FO for French oak (barrels) etc.
SPARKMAN CELLARS
(A Shout out to Rochelle in the Tasting room for ordering the wines so nicely!)
Chris & Kelly Sparkman (courtesy Sparkmancellars.com)
2023 This Old porch Rosé, Columbia Valley ** $24 14% . Cs 30%, Syr 40%, Mal 11%, Mer 5%, Gren 14% Fairly deep salmon rose color, more like old school Rhone rosés like Tavel and very pretty. Grapy, fresh red fruit revealing some cherry, spicy clove & cinnamon notes on finish. Fuller than most with firm, phenolic crunchy texture and mineral stone finish. Very punchy, flavorful and anything but simple and candy-ish. Drank very well with pan-seared fresh halibut! Now-early 2025
2023 Sauvignon Blanc PEARL, Columbia Valley * $28 13.5% Slightly herby but more lemon honey aromatics. Medium body. Good flesh if a bit low in acidity for style, but good richness and pleasing whiff of pine on finish. Good if a bit short. Now-2025
2023 Sauvignon Blanc, AS YOU WISH Columbia Valley **+ $55 14% From Gamache vineyards old vine block planted in 1985. Gotta love the reference to the “Princess Bride”! Fermented mostly in older FO barrels and small steel drums. Medium + green gold . Very bright, focused, green pea & lime peel flavors and medium full body. Firm acid and some oak or stone fruit on finish adds definition. Light touch of honey- herby notes add distinction. Good depth and serious finish. Like a less well delineated or oaky Pessac Bordeaux style. Solid. Good long finish and sense of presence/style. This bears keeping a few years, perhaps. Now-2028
2023 Apparition White Rhone blend Yakima Valley **(+) $28 13.5% All fruit from Olsen & Boushey Vyds ; 60% Roussanne, 25% each Grenache Blanc & Marsanne. Whole cluster pressed, fermented in neutral FO barrels. Subtle but insistent nut & lies inflected bouquet with honeycomb and dried apricot or quince aromas which carry over to palate. Medium + body. Full flavors showing youthful freshness and substantial depth. Good mouthful with light glycerine roundness, balanced by solid phenolic astringency and decent acidity. Rich but not torqued with oak so has style and clarity on finish. Not one to keep long but VG and solid value Now-2027
2022 Lumiere Chardonnay Stillwater Creek Vd. Royal Slope AVA * $35 14% Aged and fermented in 57% new FO barrels with only partial malo-lactic fermentation to maintain acid balance. More golden yellow color to above. Medium + body. Spicy, lanolin-vanilla fusion of aromas with appley palate with solid oak vanilla accents and tropical accents too. Good fruit if not much complexity. Straightforward, fruity, rich easy drink Now-2025
2021 Wonderland Grenache Columbia Valley ** $35 14.5% 86%Grenache from Boushey vineyard, 14% Syrah from Boushey, Olsen, Sagemoor & Discovery Vyds. Medium light ruby. Floral & vibrant dark cherry with hint of black pepper aromas. Good spiciness though a bit of heat on finish obscuring fruit, amplified in part by fairly low acidity. Still, lots of character and moderately intense mid-palate length. Bouquet shows hint of lilac and subtle rose. VG if not ideal given the slight tic of heat on the finish. That said, shows the potential of Grenache in WA state quite well. Aged in 43% new FO. Now-2027
2021 Wilderness Rhone blend, Columbia Valley *- $30 14.5% 67% Syrah, 16% Petite Sirah, 15% Grenache, 2% Touriga Nacional from a sextet of stellar vineyards including Boushey, Kiona, Ciel du Cheval and Upland. ,Medium dep ruby, a little garnet at rim. Strong earthy aromas with black fruit, olive, bark, earthy black pepper accents. Medium+ body. Rich fruit but clear alcohol heat mars finish. Some rusticity, and perhaps lacking some fruit on finish. Good but perhaps not at the higher level of some previous vintages which I have enjoyed more. Now-2026
2021 Holler Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley *+ $35 14.5% Another stellar group of vineyards here. The blend is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot. Medium dark ruby with light Violet tint.. Ripe, rich blackberry-plum oak-vanilla flavors with violet, berry and some vanilla in nose. Age in 540% new FO, AO for 18 months. Hint of graphite accents the fruit, but there is also moderately intrusive alcohol heat to finish. Big bold flavors with good underlying mineral-graphite black tea notes. Solid character and good freshness if perhaps just a touch riper than ideal. Now-2028
2020 Rainmaker Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley **- $70 88% Cs, Mal 12% from Olsen, Red Willow. Stillwater Creek Sagemoor and Klipsun Vyds. Medium dark ruby. A rich bouquet showing cassis, a hint of minty oak and dried herbs CS aromas. Rich, glyceriny mouthfeel with bright berry fruit, firm acid sweet oak smokiness (21 months aging in 82% new FO) and good tannins, only marred by some heat on finish. A bit stoic at present, yet there is a sense of generous superbly ripe fruit before the alcohols kicks in, to which I am more sensitive than many folks. Now- 2030
2020 Outlaw Merlot, Columbia Valley ** $55 14.5% Mer78%, Mal11%, CS11% Discovery Weinbau and Olsen Vyd Merlots, Red Willow Cabernet and Gamache Malbec here. Medium dark ruby. Slightly leathery, dark Robusta coffee and bitter chocolate, dried herbs bouquet. Quite generous rich black fruited flavors open up to reveal hints of chocolate-vanilla oak and wood fire smoke. (but not the BBQ burnt notes of smoke taint). Aged in FO and AO barrels 56% new for 21 months. This bottle shows good chewy tannins but not too harsh though there is some heat on finish but less than the Rainmaker. Quite tasty and lengthy. Now-2028
2021 Black Dragon 50-50 Malbec/Petit Verdot, Red Mountain **(+) $70 14.5% Most likely only available directly from the winery, but this is a very nifty blend. From Klipsun, Sagemoor and Dionysus Vyds. Deep purple ruby, near opaque. Strong savory cassis black fruit earthy bouquet with graphite accents. Smoky new oak accents (50% new FO aged) frame rich, potent, black fruit and ferrous flavors. More focused and better extract than above. Solid finish with firm but not angular tannins though this will need time to knit together. Pricy, but seriously good with a long minty finish. Now-2032
2020 Darkness Syrah Yakima Valley **- $70 14.5% All syrah from Boushey & Olsen Vyds. Fine dark ruby hint violet still. Strong ,peppery black fruit bouquet, if clear scent of alcohol cramps fruit adding a balsamic note. Medium + body, firm tannins lead into a young, primary closed finish. Lacks some of the vibrant floral notes of other Boushey syrahs tasted from this vineyard and vintage, but does have the violet bitter chocolate accents typical of it. A bit too tannic maybe? Alcohol warmt is slightly high but not out of control. The fruit dramatically shows better with aeration. Now-2031
2020 Evermore Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley **+ $110 14.5% A rare wine only available from the winery tasting room. Made from a single older block from Dionysus vineyard planted in 1973 Medium deep ruby, no purple. High-toned floral cherry-herbal, savory bouquet with some graphite accents and cedar. Oak is negligent, even though aged in all new FO for about 19 months! Richly fruited, fine light if chewy tannins, full body and excellent length, even with some pesky alcohol heat on finish noted! More St Emilion red fruit earthiness than Medoc with good finesse. VG depth and richness. A literal tour de force! Now-2032.
SLEIGHT OF HAND CELLARS
(A Shout out to Daniel in tasting room whose knowledge of the SoH wines is excellent.)
Sleight of Hand but not of mind or talent! (L to R) Winemaker Keith Johnson, Owner /Winemakers Trey Busch & Jerry Solomon [courtesy Sleight of Hand winery]
2022 The Magician Riesling Evergreen Vyd. Ancient Lakes AVA ** $22 11.8% Probably the driest Riesling yet from this famed vineyard ( <2gl Residual sugar). Zingy, tangy, fresh pear, mineral-nutty bouquet. Very dry finish. Good finesse and light stony finish with ample fruit focus and medium body. Best yet from this property?! Now-2030
2022 Enchantress Old Vine Chardonnay, Yakima Valley **+ $35 13.5% Truly from an old vine (40+ years stand at French Creek Vineyard, this is a beautifully balanced fine chardonnay, aged 11 months in 12% new FO barrels on the lees. Fine, lightly reductive, pear-hazelnut strong flavors and bouquet. Medium body. Sleek acidity and well-judged oak frame and accentuate the nuanced flavors into finish. Excellent length Now-2028
2021 The Conjuror Red Blend, Columbia. Valley ** $35 14.4% Aged just 11 months in 25% new FO. Cs53%, CF 40% Mer7%. Strong medicinal cherry currant and herby bouquet with minty oak accents prevalent. Fine tannic palate with Cab Franc green olive tapenade accents the slightly astringent but not bitter finish. Medium + body. Tobacco flavors on finish. Strong rich and nuanced finish, showing the nuance, especially aromatically, that Cabernet Franc in WA brings to the party. Now-2030
2021 The Archimage Reserve Red Blend **/**+ $65 14.7% CF54% MER46% from their Blue Mountain estate Vineyard in Walla Walla and their estate block at Red Mountain. A serious yet opulent WA version of a fine Bordeaux St Emilion blend. Aged 20 months in41% new FO. Solid medium plus ruby. Smooth,lingering palate with more nuanced dark fruit with finer tannins and hint of both graphite & olive compared to the Conjuror. Lively sweet red fruit and good acidity with judiciously supportive tannins. More visionary and less rustic than past vintages I think, if still bold. Now-2032
2021 Illusionist Reserve CS. Columbia Valley **+ $65 14.3% 90% CS, 7% CF 3%PV., all from estate vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills(H3), Red Mountain and Walla Walla AVA’s. Aged in 60% new FO for 20 months. Darker violet ruby. Strong black tea, cedary-tapenade/graphite bouquet with hints of vanilla oakspice. Firmer, more density and spicier tannic palate to above. Charcoal notes add length (is this the H3 fruit?). More structured, deeper and with a longer finish. Needs time. Elegant and crisp, precise and to my mind, less flat than in past? Very savory. Now-2032
2021 Levitation Syrah Reserve Columbia Valley **+ $55 14.9% Lewis Yakima and Les Collines Walla Walla Vineyards, 74/26%. Aged 16 months and fermented in concrete and older barrels with 13% whole cluster fermented fruit from les Collines. Fine dark ruby, violet tinge. Dark berry, blood orange accents lift the bouquet with fine minerally-graphite black cherry cassis fruit. Fine-grained tannins and raspberry liqueur fruit and some roast meat accents bright finish. Firm yet not hard tannins. Long finish. Almost red peppery finish. Surprisingly not showing much alcohol warmth on finish-bravo! Now 2032
2021 Off He Goes Block 50 Les Collines Syrah, Walla Walla **+/*** $75 14.6% Made in honor of Trey’s late friend and ‘mentor’ Eric Dunham, this is a special lot, only available from the winery-sorry. Foot treaded, whole cluster fermented with the ambient yeast and aged 24 months in oak with no racking-only3 barrels. Really dense dark color. Strong charcoal, blue/black berry nose with graphite accent. Normally this fruit goes into Levitation Syrah blend. This vintage provided enough to do this on-off fine wine. More powerful firm tannins, good acid and granite-ferrous back palate provide compelling evidence for this vineyard’s Syrah greatness. More like Cornas from the Rhone Valley in depth, gamy fruit intensity and style. Needs time. Now 2033
2021 Psychedelic Syrah, Stoney Vine Vyd. The Rocks District of Milton Freewater/Walla Walla **+ $75 14.3% Aged in 20% new FO barrels/puncheons for 16 months, and 55% whole cluster fermented in concrete fermenters with foot treading to extract the awesome Rocks gamy, meaty yet floral characteristics. Dark ruby violet. Suppler, ‘Rocks-y’ palate and nose, compared to the more potent black-fruited nature of the Off He Goes Syrah above. Grilled meat black pepper, ferrous finish. Softer tannins. Medium+ body yet good acidity. Stylish Rocks spiciness with fine hints of blood orange balsamic aromas on finish. Engaging and long finish with less pH-driven softness denotes fresher fruit and refined tannins. This is very well balanced, serious juice with clear ‘terroir’ character and the ability to age, I believe, better than most Rocks District Syrahs. Now-2031