In a few days I’ll be moving from my beloved Pacific Northwest to Southern California. One of my biggest concerns of the move – besides how my 13 year old Lab will handle it – is how to get my wine down there safely. I have about 15 or so cases, which in my mind isn’t a huge wine collection, although Hubs might disagree with me on this particular point. (Sidenote: One somewhat uncomfortable part to the move thus far was having to disclose all of my wine hiding spots to Hubs – the two boxes behind my sweaters in the master closet, the one stashed under the extra dining room chairs, others that I won’t mention here so I can reuse these spots in our new digs.)
Thankfully, our moving company is going to handle transporting the majority of the bottles. However, just in case (pun truly not intended), I’m setting aside a carefully curated case that will travel with us in the car. We’ll take these 12 bottles of wine along with other precious and irreplaceable items (our Yellow Lab’s ashes, wedding photos, Hubs’s very first home run ball) and head south – funny that the things that mean the most to you in life have almost zero monetary value.
It was at this point in the move that I realized that I had some very difficult decisions to make: What 12 wines would make the cut? Which wines would I be the most distraught over losing? The most expensive ones? The oldest? The wines purchased on our trip to France? Those from my favorite wineries? Those that elicit amazing memories?
After an extraordinary amount of consideration (and consternation) – I present to you in no particular order the dozen that made the I-can’t-live-without-them list and will be joining us on I-5 in a climate controlled environment…
Bottle #1: L’Ecole No. 41 2012 Ferguson Vineyard Estate Red, Walla Walla Valley, Washington. L’Ecole will always have a special place in my heart because it’s the first “real” wine that I ordered when we were out to dinner with friends who handed me the wine list. This was at least a decade ago and it was a bottle of their Recess Red – back when they had the fun crayon drawing of a schoolhouse. 
L’Ecole’s Ferguson wines have received some serious accolades the past few years (like best Bordeaux blend in the WORLD from Decanter Magazine).
Bottle #2: Jean Foillard 2015 ‘Cote du Py’ Morgon, Beaujolais, France. I had the 2012 vintage of this wine in my French Wine Scholar class back in 2014 and it totally turned me onto cru Beaujolais. This Morgon tasted like a dirty Pinot – and I absolutely loved it. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with the 10 crus and what differentiates them from one another. Plus, I’ve ordered some 2016’s of this wine and want to geek out on vintage comparisons.
Bottle #3: Betz Family Winery 2014 ‘Heart of the Hill’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, Washington. This is me when I think of Bob Betz: 
He is truly one of the most genuine, likable and admired people in the Washington wine industry. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know his wines over the past few years – as well as stalking him at various wine events. And even though I’m not usually a Cabernet Sauvignon lover – particularly one from Red Mountain – this wine was my favorite at the Betz Spring Release last year.
Bottle #4: Pago de los Capellanes 2016 ‘O Luar do Sil’ Godello, Valdeorras, Spain. It may seem odd to bring an under $20 bottle of fairly easily replaceable Spanish white as one of my “delectable dozen” but I have a good reason for doing so (besides this being an incredibly tasty wine and Godello a likely upcoming outline). We’re stopping for two nights en route to SoCal, and I’m fully expecting the hotels’ minibars to only offer an overpriced, mass produced California blend. So as to avoid that Conundrum (pun totally intended), I’ve included this wine as one that I won’t feel guilty opening. Which brings me to . . .
Bottle #5: Savage Grace 2016 Underwood Mountain Vineyards Riesling, Columbia Gorge, Washington. As mentioned above, we’re stopping for two nights. So one “ok to open now” bottle isn’t going to be enough. Hubs loves Rieslings and I love Savage Grace – so this bottle will be a win-win. 
Besides, I firmly believe that the primary reason the 2017 Auction of Washington Wines Picnic sold out was because their advertisement featured me and my galfriends with awesome winemaker, Michael Savage. 🙂
Bottle #6: Zenato 2011 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Veneto, Italy. I’ve been studying for the Italian Wine Scholar certification for several weeks now and making slow progress. (Note to self: next time you’re planning a move after 18 years in one house, don’t sign up for a challenging wine certification). This is probably the wine I’m most looking forward to tasting out of the several Italians that I purchased earlier this year. And I’m saving it until I’m almost finished with my certification . . . which at this rate, will be around Thanksgiving.
Bottle #7: Quilceda Creek 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington. This wine got 95+ points from all the major wine critics and is worth the most $$ of any bottle in my collection. That’s a strange sentence to write as I’m not at all a points pusher nor do the most expensive wines typically grab my attention. However, this is from an iconic Washington winery and my departure from the Pacific Northwest deserves at least one status bottle. All that being said – I have no idea how I will personally feel about this wine as my palate tends to differ from some of the critics and, unlike shoes, I don’t always end up preferring the most expensive wine.
Bottle #8: Guy Bernard 2013 ‘Cote Rozier’ Cote Rotie, Rhone Valley, France. Hubs and I purchased this bottle from the amazing Vincent on one of the most memorable days of my life. We hired him as our personal tour guide in the Northern Rhone and Guy Bernard was our last stop of the day. Their facility/tasting room was a very unassuming place, charmingly cluttered and their wines were some of the best I’ve ever tasted. And when Vincent took us in the back for some barrel thieving, I was hooked.
Bottle #9: Remi Niero 2014 ‘Chery’ Condrieu, Rhone Valley, France. This was another winery we visited with Vincent. He grew up in Condrieu and drove Hubs and me through its streets like a Formula 1 driver pushing his Peugeot to the limit. Vincent was also on a first name basis with the local winemakers including Remi Niero, who produces some damn delicious Viognier. If you’re ever lucky enough to find yourself in this beautiful wine region, I cannot recommend Vincent highly enough. He made our day so memorable and I’d go back just so he could take us out for another spin around his hometown. You can read more info about Vincent here.
Bottle #10: Kevin White Winery 2013 ‘DuBrul Vineyard’ Red Wine, Yakima Valley, Washington. I have such fond memories of this wine! I purchased a case at the Auction of Washington Wines barrel auction a couple years ago. And, of course, after a few hours of tasting my competitive streak came out so I had to be the top bid and “win” the autographed barrel top. 
Kevin White remains one of my favorite Washington wineries for producing wines that taste like they should cost at least twice as much.
Bottle #11: Archery Summit 2013 ‘Looney Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge, Oregon. I first visited this winery with my mom-in-law in 2010, thus beginning my love for Oregon Pinot Noir. Besides being an absolutely gorgeous tasting room, Archery Summit produces unique, terroir driven wines from their six distinct vineyards. Looney Vineyard is consistently my favorite, and I’ll be writing more about it in my upcoming Ribbon Ridge AVA post.
Bottle #12: Gramercy Cellars 2015 ‘L’Idiot du Village’ Mourvèdre, Columbia Valley, Washington. I could have filled my entire case with Gramercy wines. So selecting just one was like picking a favorite dog – which Hubs might be able to do, but I cannot. Greg Harrington is just the bees knees. He’s an incredible winemaker and is always coming out with something different – Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Picpoul(!). And while his Syrahs are among the best I’ve had, his Mourvèdre is one of my favorite wines. Ever. I credit him for turning me onto this varietal, and giving me a borderline obsession with it. I also credit him with teaching me the proper method for opening a bottle of wine so as to pass the certified sommelier exam (minus the screwy face). 😉 
Greg – if you happen to read this, and plan on opening a tasting room in Southern California, please let me know and I’ll get you my resume ASAP to apply to be your tasting room manager. And if you’re planning on opening a spot in Woodinville . . . well, I just might hightail it back to the Pacific Northwest.
So there you have it, the delectable dozen that made the cut! Although my next blog post will be from my newly adopted home in California – I will always remain a PNW wine girl at heart!!
Outwines 