Features
Hi Wine Friends!
Just prior to Wine Spectator releasing its list of the Top 100 wines of 2009, a couple of girlfriends and I had planned an afternoon checking out the tasting room at Efeste. After the list came out and we saw the Ceidleigh (sounds like Kaylee) landed at number 36, we were even more anxious to visit and taste all of Brennon Leighton's wines. I asked my sommelier friend Yashar to join us since he'd managed Efeste's crush at the last harvest and knew all about the winery and the wines. We were greeted inside by the assistant winemaker Ben Paplow, who proceeded to explain who the various people were on the photo wall mural that wrapped the four walls of a very chic tasting room. After a few moments Brennon Leighton joined us and pulled several glasses out from under the bar. "How about a tour of the winery and a some tasting?" he asked with a gleam in his eye and three wine glasses laced between his fingers on both hands. Little did we know our afternoon was just about to become a two hour long science class that would end with the story of Stone Soup.
Our first stop was the stainless steel wine tank where the 2009 Evergreen Riesling was fermenting. He poured some of the wine into our glasses and asked what we tasted. Cathy, Kim and I mumbled things like grapefruit and apples, Brennon's eyes brightened as he declared "Yes! Bubble Yum". "And why is Bubble Yum a good thing?" I asked, remembering the Evergreen Riesling I'd shared with my friends Bob and Nancy on a lazy summer evening on their back patio. Crisp fruit and citrus but not a trace of Bubble Yum did we encounter. "Bubble Yum at this stage means that this wine is doing exactly what it's supposed to do to end up with the flavors you know in Evergreen Riesling when it's finished." I wondered if fruit stripe flavor was in its future at some point as well but decided not to ask.
From the Riesling tank we moved into the barrel room where Yashar explained all of the crush equipment. Then Brennon decided to explain in detail the wonders of yeast and the difference between wine produced with native yeast vs. commercial yeast. Keep in mind that I'm not a science whiz when I share that what I walked away with was this: commercial is predictable and not so exciting while native is risky but when a winemaker knows what he/she is doing with all other variables, the payoff can be fantastic. Only a handful of winemakers in Washington use the native yeast. When we got to taste the difference I understood. (What can I say, I'm a kinesthetic learner) "So," I asked, "who are the other winemakers who use native yeast?" "Charles Smith (K-Vintners) and Christophe Baron (Cayuse)" was his reply.
Our last taste was a blend from Stone Tree Vineyard grapes. Marionberries or Ollalaberries with a hint of mineral tone was what we ended up with--in short, delicious. When Cathy asked what it was called, Brennon said he hadn't named it yet, but he was thinking of Stone Soup. "Have you ever heard the story of stone soup?" he asked. Cathy and Kim had not.
"Well, once upon a time, somewhere in post-war Eastern Europe, there was a great famine in which people jealously hoarded whatever food they could find, hiding it even from their friends and neighbors. One day a wandering soldier came into a village and began asking questions...."
And if you've never heard the story of stone soup, you'd better check it out. But first, I'd recommend checking out 2008 Evergreen Riesling, 2006 Jolie Bouche, and 2006 Final Final.