2003 McCrea Grenache

McCrea is based in Western Washington, near the city of Olympia. It is owned and operated by Doug and Kim McCrea and Susan and Bob Neel. The winery was started in 1988 when Doug McCrea, a professional musician and educator, decided to turn his interest in wine-making, and making Rhone blends in particular, into a business. With his wife and business partners he started making Rhone-style blends from grapes grown in Eastern Washington, producing his first commercial vintages in the late 1980s. By the early 1990s McCrea was producing some of the first Grenache and Syrah wines in Washington. Within a few years they were also using Washington-grown Viognier, Mourvedre, Roussanne and other Rhone varietals to make Rhone-inspired blends. McCrea uses grapes sourced from Yakima Valley. Wine Advocate has noted that “Doug McCrea is one of Washington’s leading proponents of Rhone Ranger style wines. He gets considerable credit for getting Syrah underway in the State. He currently produces 3500 cases from his new winery from some of Washington’s finest terroirs.”

Washington State, with 59,000 vineyard acres, is the second largest producer of wine in the United States. Wine was made in the state as early as the mid-19th century, but Prohibition and, later, restrictive state laws killed the wine making business in the 20th century until the 1960s, when laws changed and large and small producers started making wines. An influential horticulturalist and agriculture professor name Walter J. Clore studied various grape clones in the 1960s to find the best ones for Washington, and by the 1970s Yakima Valley, Walla Walla and Columbia Valley had all become important grape growing areas. The best vineyards in the state are east of the Cascade Mountain range, where hot dry summers and cold winters are conducive to successful viticulture. Numerous grape varieties are grown, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc at the head of the list.

One of the most popular red varieties planted, it ripens late and prefers hot dry climates. It probably originated in Spain, where it is still widely grown. Grenache is best known for its use in Southern Rhone wines, including those of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.