What Critics Are Saying
'07 Boulder Red 7 '07 Cabernet Franc Now AvailableTwo great new releases are now available from Gamache Vintners. 2007 Boulder Red 2007 Cabernet Franc GOLD MEDAL West Coast Wine Competition |
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Awards Round UpSeattle Wine Awards Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition West Coast Wine Competition |
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'07 Malbec wins Gold at the Grand Harvest AwardsTruly one of a kind! What sets Grand Harvest Awards apart from the rest? One word…terroir. Established in 1990, it is the only wine-judging event in North America that is based on terroir – a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine. In other competitions, this factor is ignored. At the Grand Harvest, judges taste wines with other wines of the same appellation. Thus, with cross-regional competition removed, the inherent quality of wines can be seen without the influences that sometimes eclipse even a wine of very high quality. |
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3 Medals at the Seattle Wine Awards2006 Boulder Red Double Gold |
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2007 Riesling Scores 91 in Wine Enthusiast, wins Gold/ Best in Class at LA Intl. Wine & Spirits Competition |
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2005 Estate Syrah scores 91 in Wine Spectator“Broad and generous with an airy feel to the texture and nice density to the dark berry, pepper and licorice flavors, hinting at tobacco as the finish persists impressively.” This wine will be available in July, so get it while you can! |
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April Releases Score "Excellent" in Wine Press NorthwestOur 2006 Estate Cabernet Franc and 2006 Estate Malbec, both scheduled to be released in April, have been scored “Excellent” in Wine Press Northwest’s Bourdeaux Gems tasting. 2006 Estate Cabernet Franc “aromas of peppercorns, blueberries and cloves, followed by round, ripe, hedonistic flavors of blackberries and plums backed with velvety tannins and sweet spices.” 2006 Estate Malbec “opens with aromas of sweet spices and blackberries, followed by juicy flavors of blackberries and a streak of minerality. One judge described this wine as “sexy.” Ooh-la-la.” |
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Gamache Vintners' Syrah and Reserve Cabernet make Seattle Metropolitan Magazine's Top 100 Northwest Wines List#40 Gamache Vintners 2005 Estate Syrah “Scents of bacon fat, leather, and black cherries.” #64Gamache Vintners 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon “Spicy, intense black currant flavors. A universally well-regarded cab that’s a no-brainer holiday gift for anyone on your list.” |
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2005 Estate Merlot Takes the Gold at the Seattle Wine Awards!We are proud to announce that Gamache Vintners 2005 Estate Merlot received the Gold medal at the third annual Seattle Wine Awards. We are also extremely excited that the 2004 Reserve Cabernet won a Silver medal, and the 2005 Estate Syrah was selected for the Vintners Honor – Outstanding Syrah Award. Grand Awards of Excellence are earned by the top scoring wines – 1st / 2nd / 3rd – in each varietal/price category. The Vintner’s Honor ~ Outstanding Wine Award recognizes wines that have received a minimum scoring consensus to be eligible for an award. |
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Seattle Magazine Awards Gamache Vintners 2004 Estate Syrah "Best Syrah Over $20"!In Seattle Magazine’s third annual wine awards Gamache Vintners 2004 Estate Syrah was selected as the Best Syrah over $20. “Bob and Roger Gamache have been growing some of the best grapes in the State since 1982 in their eponymous vineyard and now they have begun making some incredible wines as well. Their estate-grown Syrah highlights why Washington Syrah is gaining accolades. This first release is a luscious, complex combination of smoky, meaty aromas, a silky feel on the tongue, and intense dark cherry fruit and peppery spice with balancing acidity. A great match for grilled lamb or beef.” |
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Gamache Vintners Scores Big in Wine Enthusiast Magazine!89 Gamache 2004 Gamche Vintners Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon “This 50-50 blend from two well-established vineyards is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Young and stiff and still quite tannic, it shows compact cassis and blackberry fruit with an earthy underpinning, a hint of stem that adds some bite to the tannins. As time smooths it and softens the tannins, more of the concentrated fruit should emerge; it’s well made and balanced; a fine example of Washington Cabernet Sauvignon done in a classic Bordeaux style.” 89 Gamache Vintners Estate Cabernet Sauvignon “Consistent with the rather lean house style this opens with herbal aromas set against firm, varietal cassis and blue plum fruit. The grapes cpme from a block planted in 1985. Some barrel spice adds cinnamon to the nose, and there is a touch of Cab Franc (6%)in the blend, which stiffens up the tannins. Retasting this wine after it had spent a few extra months in the bottle, its smoothed out a bit, and the sweet black-cherry fruit has moved forward. This should age really well. Cellar Selection” 90 Gamache Vintners 2004 Estate Syrah “this is young, tangy, juicy, and sweet, with ripe but quite tart fruit, showing plenty of acid and citrus rind. the toasty oak flavors are front and center, and delicious. All the Gamache red wines will benefit from additional bottle age, which will soften and meld the bacon fat, herb, and sharp spice flavors. There is a lot of potential here for further development. Editors’ Choice” |
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Gamache Vintners Wins Big at the Wine Press Northwest Platinum JudgingThe results of Wine Press Northwest’s 8th annual Platinum Juding have recently been released, and Gamache Vintners faired very well. The Platinum Judging gathered together over 258 wines which had earned top medals at one of more than 30 competitions that the editors of Wine Press Northwest monitor throughout the year. Our 2004 Estate Syrah was awarded a Platinum Medal, and was described as a “lusciuos and sexy Syrah that opens with aromas of blackberries, spicy oak, a hint of tobacco, and even black corinthian leather. On the palate are lush flavors of ripe dark fruit, chocolate and such spices as rosemary, thyme, and mint. It’s a complex red wine with an extensive finish.” Also honored was our 2004 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, which took double gold. The Cabernet was described as having “aromas of dark fruit and toasted oak and intense flavors of black cherries and black olives.” Platinum awards were given to “the best of the best,” while wines earning double gold were considered to be “among the best wines in the Pacific Northwest.” |
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2004 Cabernet & Syrah reviewed in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate2004 Cabernet Sauvignon “Purple- colored, it delivers aromas of pain grille, plum, and black currant. This is followed by a soft, plush wine with ripe flavors.” 2004 Estate Syrah “saturated opaque purple with a smoky, slightly kinky nose of leather, sausage and blueberry compote. Supple-textured, forward, and tasty.” |
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Gamache Vintners featured in Paul Gregutt's new book, Washington Wines and WineriesPaul Gregutt, wine columnist for the Seattle Times, has recently released the book Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide. This book examines Wshington’s top vineyards, wineries, wines, and newcomers to watch. Gamache Vintners is featured in the “rookies” section. The rookies group is comprised of wineries which have produced less than five vintages, but whose “early results are exceptional.” Paul writes ” Gamache certainly has access to great fruit, so everything it makes for its own vines is giong to be worth hunting for.” Gamache Vintners Cabernet and Syrah are also featured on the list of best vaietally labeled bottles. |
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Gamache Vintners featured in Seattle TimesPaul Gregutt, wine writer for the Seattle Times, recently featured Gamache Vintners in his article titled “The growth of the state’s grower-winemakers.” “I first brought the wines of Gamache Vintners to your attention in a column written in March 2005, when these Columbia Basin growers had just released their first cabernet. Another brother operation, the Gamache vineyards date back to the early 1980s. Bob and Roger Gamache (pronounced guh-MASH) have grown grapes for such prestige wines as Northstar merlot, Eroica riesling and Columbia Crest reserve cabernets. Abeja, Long Shadows and Tamarack are also customers. Gamache Vintners’ production is up to 3,000 cases, and the lineup is expanding as the brothers add new plantings of such trendy varietals as malbec and roussanne. Gamache wines are made by Charlie Hoppes, and their new winery will be located adjacent to his Fidélitas winery on the lower slopes of Red Mountain. Why did they get into winemaking after two decades as successful growers? “We were swallowed up for years by the big company [Ste. Michelle],” says Bob Gamache. “We wanted to see what we could do on our own. People have picked up on the fact that we make 100 percent varietal, 100 percent estate wines. They say there’s something different about this. It made us think we might have accidentally stumbled on something here,” he says with a grin. Personally, I love the pure varietal/estate vineyard concept, but it is very difficult to do well. Gamache has all the necessary ingredients to make it a success: established vines and a track record for carefully nurturing them, an experienced winemaker and a clear sense of varietal character. It all comes through nicely in the 2005 Estate Merlot ($24) and 2004 Estate Syrah ($28), substantial wines that are still quite young and a bit rough around the edges. The 2004 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($28) breaks the pure-varietal mold slightly with the addition of about 6 percent cabernet franc. Nonetheless, it’s a very firm, spicy and attractive wine from vines that were planted in 1985.” |
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Los Angeles Intl. Wine and Spirits Competition2004 Reserve Cabernet wins Silver! For 67 years, thic competition has showcased the finest vintages from countries throughout the world, and illustrated time and again why this wine competition is considered one of the most prestigious. |
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Northwest Wine Summit 20072004 Cabernet Wins GOLD! The Northwest Wine Summit is managed by VinoChallenge, LLC. It focuses exclusively on wines produced in the Northwest, specifically, wines from Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. |
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Seattle Wine Awards - Grand Award of ExcellenceSyrah wins Silver! |
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Grand Harvest Awards2004 Estate Syrah wins Gold! Truly one-of-a-kind, wines submitted to the Grand Harvest Awards are judged according to terroir or the context of their own viticultural area. The goal of the Grand Harvest Awards has been, and continues to be, to identify the finest examples from each viticultural region. |
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Washington CEO Magazine Best of Washington Wines 2006Top 30 Cabernets of 2006 #19 Gamache Vintners 2003 Reserve Cabernet #29 Gamache Vintners 2003 Estate Cabernet Top 20 Syrahs of 2006 #8 Gamache Vintners 2003 Estate Syrah |
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2003 Reserve Cabernet scores 90 in the Wine Enthusiast“Both of these outstanding vineyards contributed equally to this older (25+ years) vines Cabernet. It’s sleek and sappy, and it serves up a full spectrum of berries as only Washington Cab can. Young, primary fruit flavors carry a lot of snap at the moment, and the bright acids suggest that a few more years in bottle will continue to improve this impressive effort.” P.G. |
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2006 NorthWest Wine Summit AwardsGOLD SILVER |
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Jeffeerson Cup Invitational Wine CompetitionThe Jefferson Cup is a country wide invitational competition. There were 540 wine competing and Gamache Vintners 2003 Estate Syrah was awarded the GREAT AMERICAN WINE award and the 2003 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon the upper award of Jefferson Cup Honoree. Recognizing this wine “as an example of a wine with extrodinary character, personality and integrity, represenative not only of it’s region and variety in the American marketplace, but of wine throughout the world”. |
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CEO Magazine February 2006Best of Washington Wines See article in the February issue of CEO Magazine for full details |
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Wine Press Northwest- Winter 2005Gamache Vintners 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2003 Estate Syrah received GOLD ratings in Wine Press Northwests Platinum Tasting. |
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Seattle Times: Gamache Syrah is Smooth, Soft and SuppleMore praise from the Seattle Times Wine Adviser, Paul Gregutt:
Read the entire article |
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Gamache Featured as "Rising Star" in Seattle TimesGamache Vintners was listed among the Seattle Times Wine Adivser’s list of rising stars. |
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2008 Gamache Viognier
90 pts
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate August 31, 2010“aromas of mineral, peach and apricot . . . creamy texture, bright spicy fruit, good balance, and a medium-long finish.” |
2008 Gamache Estate Riesling
| 92 pts |
Paul Gregutt's 2010 Top 100Top 100 Wines of the Year from Paul Gregutt, Seattle Times wine critic December 2010 |
| 92 pts |
Wine Enthusiast October 2010“This ripe and rich Riesling continues a string of (Gamache) successes with this grape . . . what stands out best is the succulent mix of tropical fruits. Big and plush flavors . . . yet the wine retains its balance and detail.” |
2007 Gamache Cabernet Franc
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91 pts
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Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate August 31, 2010“enticing nose of olives, herbs, spice box, tobacco, cassis, and black currant on the palate it is round, plush and seamless. . . pleasure-bent offering. . .” |
2006 Gamache Merlot
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90 pts
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Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate August 31, 2010“notes of cedar, spice box, violets, cassis and black currant. Sweetly fruited, ripe and harmonious.” |
2005 Syrah
| 91 pts |
Wine Spectator June 30, 2009Broad and generous, with an airy feel to the texture and nice density to the dark berry, pepper and licorice flavors, hinting at tobacco as the finish persists impressively. |
2005 Gamache Syrah
| 91 pts |
Wine Spectator June 30, 2009Broad and generous, with an airy feel to the texture and nice density to the dark berry, pepper and licorice flavors, hinting at tobacco as the finish persists impressively |
About Gamache Vintners
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The Growth Of State's Grower-Winemakersby Paul Gregutt, Seattle Times August 22, 2007 Read more |