2005 Andrew Will Annie Camarda Syrah

Andrew Will Winery is on Vashon Island, a small island in the Puget Sound just west of Seattle, Washington. The winery was founded in 1989 by Chris Camarda, a restaurant industry veteran who named his winery after his son Will and nephew Andrew. Camarda sources his wines from vineyards in Eastern Washington, some of which he owns. Camarda focuses on blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc made in the style of Bordeaux. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Camarda “one of America’s finest producers of Merlot” and Andrew Will wines consistently earn high ratings from reviewers.

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.

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.