WT Vintners

The folks at WT are tucked almost as far back into the Warehouse District as it’s possible to be without tumbling over the side of the hill and down onto the freeway. As our hostess told us, this poses some challenges, not the least of which is almost no random foot traffic to serendipitously stumble across the place. In short, you usually have to know about WT beforehand to make it there in the first place. Well, that was us; we’d heard good things and made our way over in the hopes of tasting some serious grape. Here’s what we found.
The tasting started with a nice Grüner Veltliener that has good aromatics and fruit. After leaving the sole white, we did a mini vertical of their Rhôné style red blend (’12 and the ’13). The ’12 is Mourvèdre-​driven and well-​structured with a pleasant nose and palate; the ’13 has a Grenache engine and was the only fly in the ointment. I was not feeling this wine and, frankly, found it bitter and medicinal; it was so different an experience than the other wines that I don’t know what to chalk it up to. The tasting finishes with three of their Syrahs and these are what they can really brag about. Each of the Syrahs has grapes from a different vineyard: one from Les Collines on the Washington side of the Walla Walla AVA, one from Destiny Ridge in the Horse Heaven Hills and one from Stoney Vine in the Rocks District of Milton-​Freewater, (but — get ready for some abbreviations — they’re not permitted to put this last AVA on the label thanks to some major BS from the TTB). Each of these Syrahs is a study in both terroir and good winemaking. The real stunner is the Stoney Vine, a smooth wine with rich fruit and balanced acid suggesting that there’s something to all of the hype about the Rocks.
Bottom line: though I really struggled with one of the wines, everything else was either solid or exceptional, and that’s good enough to merit a solid recommendation to get out there and taste these wines. If you’re a fool for Washington Syrah, then bump these folks to the top of your list.

Beautiful wine by some wonderful local Washingtonians! Knowledgeable and friendly service from the head Sommelier at RN-​74 and the other passionate folks that work at WT Vintners. Clearly, they really care about their grapes and working with the local growers they’ve hand selected. Love the wine and the stories behind the wine: we walked away with several bottles and cases, some new friends, and wonderful memories! Will be back for sure!