Wine Enthusiast By Sean P. Sullivan
September 27, 2018

Despite being the hottest growing season to date and facing many other challenges, Washington winemakers still produced 2015 vintages you should seek out.

The 2015 vintage was a challenging year for Washington State. It was the hottest growing season on record—a step up from the hot 2013 vintage and even hotter 2014.

While most Washington producers weathered the heat quite well in the previous two years, 2015 appeared to present more ­challenges which revealed themselves in a number of ways: From slightly underripe seeming fruit—particularly with the ­tannins—to overripe fruit that, at times, could even seem slightly desiccated. Some wines, however, were pitch perfect despite these challenges.

The early ripening Merlot seemed to be particularly hard hit by the vintage, though high-quality examples still shined through, with examples from producers such as Pedestal and ­Savage Grace.>>>Read the entire article that also features Woodinville’s Januik Winery on Wine Enthusiast

[photo cred: Duval Images]