BOLD BREAK

Washington State enjoyed one of its finest vintages in 2023, and the JamesSuckling.com tasting team found a distinct character and balance in the wines. The reds, in particular, sat in stark contrast to the big, bold nature of past years’ bottlings.

- Words: COURTNEY HUMISTON

Washington State's winemakers are calling the 2023 vintage one of the best, producing wines of depth and beauty on just about every level.

“It was pretty damn perfect,” said Matthew Rawn, the winemaker and co-founder of Two Mountain Winery in Yakima Valley. “There are a depth and freshness to the wines. Because there was no pressure to pick, we were able to get flavour development without too much sugar ripeness as well as balanced tannins. Every variety was just about right. There isn’t an outlier.”

During a recent two-week trip to Washington, the James Suckling team tasted nearly 700 wines, primarily from the 2023 vintage, and found a distinct character and balance in the offerings. The reds, in particular, sat in stark contrast to the big, bold nature of past years’ bottlings.

What made 2023 so special was the long, moderate autumn, said Weathereye Vineyard’s Vineyard Manager Ryan Johnson, who has been farming in Washington for 27 years. Weathereye Vineyard is located on Red Mountain.

“It’s kind of crazy how perfect it was,” he said. “I always say it’s not how you start the year; it's how you finish.”

That could be true everywhere, but it's especially important in Washington. As the country's northernmost winegrowing region, it can have very compressed growing seasons, often featuring late spring frosts, very hot, dry summers and plentiful rain in autumn. Add to that the complexities of farming everything from Riesling to cabernet sauvignon — sometimes in the same vineyard.

“In June, we get two-and-a-half hours more of daylight than Napa,” Rawn explained. “But when you get into autumn, the days get shorter faster, so you're getting a shorter window of sugar ripening. But in a year like 2023, we got longer hang time. Heat makes sugar, but hang time makes flavour development.”