Arbor Crest wines earn top scores

Winemaker Kristina Mielki-van Loben Sels at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars in Spokane has won two more top scores for her 2004 vintages of cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

In its latest edition, Wine Spectator magazine gave a 90-point rating to the cabernet and an 89-point rating to the merlot on the magazine’s 100-point rating system.

Both marks are considered top scores, and once again rank Arbor Crest among the top wineries in the region. Last summer, Mielki-van Loben Sels rang up a pair of 91 ratings from Wine Spectator for her 2002 Dionysus blend done in a Bordeaux style and her 2003 Klipsun Vineyard cabernet sauvignon.

The 2004 cabernet and merlot both benefited from the effects of a freeze the previous winter, which reduced harvests but allowed the remaining grapes to have more concentrated flavors than they would in a normal year. Mielki-van Loben Sels said she has gained enough experience working with Washington grapes to fine tune her choices of oak barrels, yeast strains and vineyard locales, all of which help improve the finished wine.

Wine Spectator described the 2004 cabernet as “ripe, generous and focused to show off its dark currant and cherry fruit against a backdrop of black olive and red pepper notes.”

The 2004 merlot was judged to be “dark and juicy with lively mouth feel of blackberry, cassis and hints of smoke as the finish persists impressively.” (Cassis is also known as black currant.)

Mielki-van Loben Sels said the write-ups were so descriptive the wines sounded like something you could eat. “It made me hungry when I heard about it,” she joked.

One of the keys to Arbor Crest’s consistency has been high-quality grapes from some of the state’s best vineyards. The 2004 cabernet was taken from five vineyards – Bacchus 3 near Pasco, Stillwater Creek, Frenchman Hills, Dionysus 18 near Pasco and Katherine Leone near Mattawa.

The merlot was taken from Bacchus 4 and 8, Dionysus 16, Stillwater Creek and Wahluke Slope.

Mielki-van Loben Sels said the recently completed harvest promises to be a good vintage as well. “The fruit was incredible,” she said of 2007. The grapes generally ripened early and came with high acidity levels and lower sugar levels. The result should be long-lived wines that are moderate in alcohol content and have the typical dry finishes.

Mielki-van Loben Sels said the grapes matured in a way that will allow layers of different flavors to emerge in the wines.