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2007 Acclaim
The Best of 2007
A quick recap of what the critics said about our wines in 2007.
TOP 100 WINES of 2007
The Best of the West
Jon Bonné with Lynne Char Bennett
Sunday, December 2, 2007
2005 Betz Family Winery La Cote Rousse Syrah
Few winemakers also hold a Master of Wine certification, but Bob Betz has more than earned his. Both of his Syrahs, La Serenne and La Cote Rousse, were excellent, but this year we sided with the Cote Rousse, sourced from two Red Mountain vineyards and showing more elegance than the raw power that wines from that tiny appellation often exhibit. The nose is heady, packed with bacon, brown spices and white mineral, and the wine's gifted with an extravagant palate of salted plum, blackberry and chewy game meat flavors.
December 31, 2007
#5 on the list of the Top 50 Cellar Selections for 2007
2005 Betz Family Vineyards Syrah La Cote Rousse 94 Points
"...offers perfectly ripened, silky, beautifully proportioned flavors of mixed fruits, highlighted with Rhone-like notes of mineral, forest floor, truffle and smoke...."
Nov/Dec 07
2005 Betz Family Winery Besoleil Red Wine Columbia Valley 91 Points
"Good bright ruby-red. Highly aromatic nose offers black raspberry, leather and pepper, plus a sexy herbal element reminiscent of garrigue Suave and sweet, with a fairly lush texture lifted by strongly spicy/herbal notes of black pepper and fennel. Offers a silky mouthfeel but boasts serious underlying structure. Today the fruit is in the background, but this wine has a lot of life. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins and good peppery lift. Bob Betz used a lot more mourvedre in this blend than in 2004 and it's obvious in the wine's peppery, spicy character."
2005 Betz Family WinerySyrah La Serenne Columbia Valley 92(+?) Points
"Entirely from Boushey Vineyard fruit. Good saturated ruby-red. Sexy aromas of black raspberry, woodsmoke and bacon fat. Sweet, silky and utterly seamless, with captivating notes of brown spice, coffee bean and smoked meat. (Betz is starting to use some Darnajou barrels for his syrah and it shows.) Showing more texture than mid-palate nuance now but this backward wine simply needs time to express itself. Finishes with plenty of sweet oak and superb persistence. Don't make the mistake of opening this one too soon. Betz expressed an opinion similar to that of Paul Golitzin when he told me that '2005 is as ageworthy a vintage as I've ever made.' "
2005 Betz Family Vineyards Syrah La Cote Rousse Red Mountain 91(+?) Points
"Bright, deep ruby-red. Wild spices and herbs lift the lower-toned aromas of woodsmoke and roasted meat. Lush and fat with fruit; finer-grained than the Serenne, with a more leesy, wild, Cornas-like character. Intriguing tar and wild herb notes. As expressive on the nose and ripe in the mouth as it is, this big, broad, rather muscular dry wine possesses plenty of acidity and needs time. For his part, Betz believes this will be singing after the Serenne has faded."
2005 Betz Family Vineyards Syrah Chapitre 3 Columbia Valley 93(+?) Points
"A barrel selection that Betz says is 'for pleasure, but also for the long term'. Bright, deep ruby-red. Reticent but highly nuanced nose offers dark raspberry, bacon fat, coffee bean and mocha, lifted by a note of wisteria. Wonderfully lush on entry, then solid as a rock in the middle palate, with outstanding chewy density and concentration to its blackberry, cassis and strawberry flavors. Finishes with terrific lingering sweetness and lift. Indeed, this should gain in texture and complexity over the next decade."
2005 Betz Family Winery Clos de Betz Red Wine Columbia Valley 92 Points
"Good deep red-ruby. Sappy, spicy aromas of blackberry, redcurrant and wild herbs. Dense, supple and sweet, with captivating wild berry and floral flavors complicated by a light weedy note from the cabernet franc and roasted herbs from the malbec. Plush and fine-grained; the smooth texture of this wine reminds me of La Serenne."
2005 Betz Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille 93(+?) Points
"Good deep, bright ruby-red. Sappy aromas of crushed blackberry, licorice, minerals and spices. Wonderfully sweet but less pliant and open today than the Clos de Betz; more affected by the bottling. With aeration, this showed subtle cabernet notes of cassis, Belgian chocolate and fresh herbs. This dense, thick wine boasts outstanding structure and dimension, and finishes with terrific persistence. Betz used his highest percentage of cabernet sauvignon to date in this wine, and the lowest amount of merlot."
2005 Betz Family Vineyards La Parrain Red Wine Columbia Valley 93 Points
"Medium red-ruby, not quite as dark as the Pere de Famille. Explosive, superripe aromas of musky berries and nuts. Lush and sweet but with a minerally element giving this slightly reduced wine an impression of spine. I picked up an exotic suggestion of peach flesh. A hedonistic and very pliant style (Betz calls it "a wine of unctuous pleasure"), for drinking earlier than the Pere de Famille."
October 2007
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille Columbia Valley 92 Points
"Bob Betz's yin-yang statement - a cabernet that blends the power of Red Mountain fruit and the finesse of Horse Heaven Hills. Its aromas are all cigar box and cassis---that fruit a Red Mountain trademark---while the palate bears a top note of red cherry that suggests Horse Heaven's contribution. The wine is powerful, concentrated and unrelenting, but there's also a sense of purity, with plum and earth flavors building through a long and arresting finish."
2004 Clos de Betz Columbia Valley 92 points
"2004 Clos de Betz is about 60% merlot, but the wine has such a smoky depth that you'd never know it---think powerful cabernet darkness. When first opened it smells like devil's food cake with fudge frosting. The wine is beefy and massive, with plenty of cocoa-sweet oak in the attack; but in the middle the wine turns savory and brightens to juicy cherry, leaving the finish surprisingly brisk."
Robert Parker's
Wine Advocate Issue # 172
Aug 2007
2005 Betz Family Winery Syrah La Cote Rousse 93 points Drink 2011 - 2030
Red Mountain, Washington, USA
"The 2005 La Cote Rousse, from two superb sites in the Red Mountain AVA, is nearly black in color. It has a multi-dimensional bouquet of violets, smoked meat, game, chocolate, black raspberry, and blueberry. This leads to a loaded, dense, full-bodied wine with layers of spicy, ripe blue and black fruits, silky tannins, great balance, and a 45+ second finish. It will evolve for 4-6 years and drink well through 2030. "
2005 Betz Family Winery Syrah La Serenne 93 points Drink 2011 - 2024
Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
"The 2005 La Serenne comes from the Boushey Vineyard, a cooler site. Its aromatics are at least as impressive as its sibling’s with aromas of smoke, meat, chocolate, and blueberry leaping from the glass. Velvety-textured, dense, and rich, the wine has remarkable concentration and great integration of the oak, tannin, and acidity. It has enough structure to evolve for 4-6 years and should drink well through 2024."
2005 Betz Family Winery Syrah Chapitre 3 94 points
Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
"The 2005 Chapitre 3 is opaque purple-colored with a seductive, nearly kinky perfume of cedar, vanilla, mocha, plums, bacon, sausage, and blueberry. Plush on the palate with layers of flavor (smoke and tar make a presence), this supple-textured wine somehow manages a sense of elegance. The finish is very, very long. This wine will develop with a few years in the cellar but it is hard to resist now."
2005 Betz Family Winery Clos de Betz 92 points Drink 2010-2030
"The 2005 Clos de Betz, composed of 56% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec, and 9% Cabernet Franc, is opaque purple colored with bright aromas of pain grille, spice box, cranberry, clove, cassis, and black currant. This is followed by a harmonious, layered wine with tons of flavor, well-concealed tannins, and outstanding length. It will evolve for 3-5 years and drink well through 2030."
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille 90 points
Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
"The 2005 Pere de Famille, a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec, is even more saturated in color. The nose, however, is a bit muted. With coaxing, mineral, pencil lead, espresso, black currant, and blackberry aromas emerge. This is followed by a supple-textured wine with gobs of fruit but less complexity than its sibling. There is sufficient structure for further evolution, but the finish is slightly compressed. Time will likely round out this wine and my score will then appear to be conservative. "
2005 Betz Family Winery Le Parrain 96 points Drink 2017 - 2045
Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
"The 2005 Le Parrain (the Godfather) is a great addition to the portfolio. It is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and 17% Cabernet Franc sourced from three vineyards. Opaque purple with superb aromatics including pain grille, plum, blackberry, and black currant, the wine is full-throttle on the palate with huge extract, great depth and concentration, layers of spicy blue and black fruits, licorice, and chocolate. This promising wine requires a decade of cellaring and should provide pleasure through 2045. The Bordeaux-styled wines are scheduled for release in March, 2008."
Sunset Magazine Western Wine Awards 2007
Bob Betz, MW, Winemaker of the Year
September 2007
Catch Bob Betz describing the gentle gravity-flow treatment he gives grapes in his new facility or the intense fruit and structure that eastern Washington's vineyards yield, and you get the knowledge of an academic propelled by the passion of an artisan. One of only 257 people in the world (24 in this country) who hold the insanely rigorous Master of Wine degree, Betz helped establish the quality that put Washington on the map, in a 28-year career with what's now Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, one of the best behemoth wine companies in the world. These days, at his family winery, Betz's hands are quite literally in the must: Since his wine press deliberately lacks computer controls, he has to decide when he's extracted enough fermented juice from the grape skins and seeds. Betz's "Père de Famille" Cab — nominated for our awards this year — tells all.
Read the article in the September 2007 issue.
Washington Hits Its Stride With Cabernet and Syrah
By Harvey Steiman
July 31, 2007
“Buoyed by a succession of high quality vintages, Washington winemakers have produced more outstanding wines in this year’s report than in any previous. America’s No. 2 wine-producing state… now excels with Cabernet Sauvignon and, increasingly, Syrah. … At the top are Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2004 (95, $100) and a stunning Syrah from Betz Family Winery, La Côte Rousse 2004 (95, $45). These two wines pretty much encapsulate what Washington does best.”
New Releases (3/07) From Betz Family
Thursday, 08 March 2007
Bob and Cathy Betz own and operate this outstanding Woodinville boutique. For the sheer precision of his winemaking, his attention to detail, technical knowledge and expansive knowledge of global wines, Bob Betz is almost without peer. Betz Family wines are released in late fall and late winter. Increasingly, they sell out immediately. In fact, the winery is already sold out of the brand new releases, and these wines will not last long in retail shops. The advice from here is to sign up for the mailing list before it closes.
Spring 2007
NOTE: Scores are listed as potential because my tasting was brief and the wines need a lot of breathing time.
Betz Family Winery 2004 Père de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
As always, the Cabernet is the darker, tighter, more mysterious of the two spring releases. Deep and sensual, the very scents are dense and textural, and the wine promises a great deal before it hits the palate. At this young age it already shows impeccable balance, a compact display of elegance and power. Sinuous, supple and tightly wound, it would be best to give it several hours of decanting if you intend to drink it immediately. There are suggestions of the full spectrum of cabernet fruits: cassis, blackberry, black cherry etc. Seamless, fragrant and beautifully proportioned, it is consistent with recent vintages. Potential 95/97
Betz Family Winery 2004 Clos de Betz Red Wine Columbia Valley
This beautifully aromatic Clos de Betz is a showcase blend of grapes from four different AVAs: Red Mountain (Ciel du Cheval), Horse Heaven (Alder Ridge), Yakima Valley (Boushey) and Frenchman Hills (Stillwater Creek). All five Bordeaux grapes are used, with merlot predominant (60%) and cabernet sauvignon second (23%). In 2004 the grapes averaged two weeks extra hang time compared with 2003 and 2002, and the result is a slightly richer, more intense set of flavors. Yet there is nothing bloated or overdone, it’s a one wine graduate course in blending, with subtle, intricate flavors of mixed fruits, scintillating whiffs of herb, and supple, sweet tannins. This may be the most ageworthy Clos de Betz ever made. Potential 93/95
MARCH 2007
Cellar Selection
Betz Family 2004 La Côte Rousse Syrah
Red Mountain
94 points This Côte Rousse has really pulled itself together. It's a subtle wine but offers perfectly ripened, silky, beautifully proportioned flavors of mixed fruits, highlighted with Rhone-like notes of mineral, forest floor, truffle and smoke. This is the good funk – the exotic nuances that come only from the most sensitive winemaking. A vin de garde, this should continue to evolve ever more subtle scents and flavors over the next decade or more.
Betz Family 2004 La Serenne Syrah
Columbia Valley
93 points The Boushey Vineyard is the source for this Syrah, which once again delivers complex aromas and flavors whose ebullient mix includes wild herb, citrus, spiced plum, posh cherry and luscious vanilla cream. It’s killer juice, thick with tar, smoke and bacon fat; but its vivid citrus peel acidity lifts it until it soars. This is seamless, sensuous and thrilling syrah.
Tuesday, 16 January 2007
Betz Family 2004 La Cote Rousse Syrah
Red Mountain
... perfectly ripened, silky, beautifully proportioned flavors of mixed fruits, highlighted with Rhone-like notes of mineral, forest floor, truffle and smoke. This is the good funk – the exotic nuances that come only from the most sensitive winemaking. A vin de garde, this should continue to evolve ever more subtle scents and flavors over the next decade or more. (94 points)
Betz Family 2004 La Serenne Syrah
Columbia Valley
... delivers complex aromas and flavors whose ebullient mix includes wild herb, citrus, spiced plum, posh cherry and luscious vanilla cream. It’s killer juice, thick with tar, smoke and bacon fat; but its vivid citrus peel acidity lifts it until it soars. This is seamless, sensuous and thrilling syrah. (93 points)
Betz Family 2004 Bésoleil Red Wine
Columbia Valley
.... Bright and spicy, it attacks the palate with the grenache’s powerfully concentrated raspberry fruit. Added weight and mass come from the other two grapes; all beautifully proportioned and blended. Notes of pepper, sweet cinnamon and even a whiff of toast (though all barrels were used barrels) come into play in the creamy finish. (92 points)
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