Best Betz Wines!
If you love red wine…… You’ll love the wines from Betz Family Winery in Woodinville. Bob Betz is a Master of Wine (of which there are only about 200 in the entire world), and his Rhone-style reds are simply put — great. We’re getting ready for the Spring Release Weekend on March 5, 6, and 7 at the winery in Woodinville, when hundreds of wine aficionados converge upon the winery to collect what may be one of the best vintages to date: the blends made in 2007. Now, the sad part is, there’s a waiting list to get on the mailing list to even order Bob’s wines. That being said, if you find any Betz Family Winery wines in your local grocery store or wine shop, or restaurant — give them a try. They’re not inexpensive, but made with some of the finest grapes grown in Eastern Washington from Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills, among others. (The photo on the left is during harvest, while we were sorting grapes from stems, bugs and spiders. I assure you — we got them all! The photo on the right is the full team who was there during the last day of harvest on a gorgeous fall day in October. Bob Betz is seated on the giant pumpkin).
How we met the Betz’s: My husband and I were attending the WSU Celebrate Washington Wine a few years back when we ‘won’ an incredibly tense bidding war for a dinner hosted by Bob and Cathy Betz, along with Ted and JoAnne Baseler at the Betz’s house. We’ve been friends ever since, after being invited to help out at release weekends, and volunteer during harvest and bottling when we can. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to learn about winemaking, and meet the rest of the enthusiastic and very knowledgeable team that helps create such tasty wines. Plus, you won’t meet nicer people who genuinely care about their team and their customers, and go ‘above and beyond’ to create a welcoming atmosphere during release weekend. It’s during release weekends when you’ll hear “Oh, I’d love to try a sip of the Pere de Famille, because when I went to order it, it was already sold out.” Our advice, buy online as soon as you get the email inviting you to do so.
How Bob describes the 2007 wines: 2007 is proving to be a very good vintage. This is what Bob says about the 2007 Pere de Famille: “It resonates with the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend; at 85%, the Cabernet fraction provides the depth and fruit purity thie wine has come to represent. Penetrating black currant and sweet black cherry are the foundation fruits, with elements of exotic spice, smoke and camphor in tow. Merlot (8%) and Petit Verdot (7%) play supporting roles, contributing mineral and black olive hints. On the palate it’s lush and full, with a pure fruit expression, while fine grained tannins provide structure for a silken mouthfeel and extraordinary length to the finish.”
What the experts say: Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate says Betz Family Winery remains one of Washington’s benchmarks for top quality wines from Rhone and Bordeaux grape varieties. Betz’s 2007 collection shows him continuing at the top of his game….,” awarding 95 points to the Pere de Famille.
Update next weekend: I’m very much looking forward to the release weekend. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to pour wine for the many customers, vineyard owners, winemakers, wine bloggers and others who truly care about the wines and how they turn out. I love meeting everyone, while my husband helps fill orders. I’ll let you know how it goes! Check out: www.betzfamilywinery.com.
