COMPASS

1405 Commercial Avenue • Anacortes WA 98221 www.compasswines.com

Happy New Year!

Every year at this time, we here at Central, up in little ol’ Anacortes look back over the last year to reflect on the 10 Washington reds and 5 whites that blew us away. This is our own, extremely subjective, biased and politically incorrect assessment of what we have tasted over the last year. Unlike the other guys, we don’t do it blind, we don’t require wines to be submitted and we do wait until the whole year is over (seriously, a ‘wines of the year’ list that is written in August?). In fact, many of these wines are not even available for us to sell anymore, so blatant sales expectations are not part of the picture either. We pick those wines that really spoke to us, our customers and maybe they sold well, maybe they didn’t. There are a couple of ground rules: none of our own wines are allowed, i.e.; No BBQ or ded.reckoning or any other custom bottling done for us. We only will pick one wine per winery. But if there are multiple wines nominated by the staff, the winery is in the running for ‘Winery of the Year’. Two obvious choices that would probably be on this list every year have been grandfathered into the de-facto ‘Compass Wines Hall of Fame’ to make room for everybody else; Leonetti and Quilceda Creek, so they will not ever appear on here again, unless some monumental thing happens like the first 101 point wine or the first winery to get a perfect score on every wine they make. If a winemaker makes wines for multiple labels, they are looked at as a hired gun and the wines are all open for this process. We won’t try to breakdown the source of the juice or who blended it or who punched it down. The winery takes ‘ownership’ not the winemaker(s). And finally, even though all the staff participates in the process of picking the wines, I am the unelected, non-electoral college, autocratic dictator here, so the final decisions are all mine.

As the time progresses, we will continue to be moving this newsletter to a more digital format, so please get your email to us. You can sign up for the email list on the website, or just send it to us and we can do it for you. We don’t want you to miss any upcoming news from us.

We had a fabulous 2017 and hope all of you did as well! Keep your fingers crossed that winter isn’t too bad, and remember that spring is just around the corner, along with all those great, new releases which come with it! Now to our awards! Doug, Will, Laura, Sandy, Candace, Brandi and Theodore (from afar)

‘ of the Year’ ‘Washington Winery of the Year’ Ashan Boushey Vineyard Chardonnay2016 Cadence was $45.00 now $28.99 We love to give Ben Smith from Cadence a ration of grief Chris Gorman is no stranger to this list, but I think this is for always being the first person to get all of his fruit in. Well the first time his Ashan Chardonnay project has made on for 2014, the gamble paid off in spades. He is now making here and this is the first white wine to be the top dog. What some of the most elegant and refined wines in the state, can I say? Maybe the most profound Chardonnay value especially knowing that they hail from Red Mountain, home Washington has ever seen. Only 70 cases made and we sold to some of the biggest wines produced. A hearty round half of that in the first week. Insane value. of congratulations are due. Bravo Ben, but try to wait until August to pick this year, will ya? WASHINGTON’S TOP 10 REDS

Washington’s top 10 red wines of the year in alphabetical order

A Maurice Involuntary Commitment Boushey Vineyard Grenache 2015 Columbia Valley Red 2016 $38.99 $18.99 If Washington made Burgundy in the Columbia Valley, it would Basically declassified Andrew Will fruit, mostly from the Two taste like this. Brilliant garnet color, medium body with cherry, Blondes estate in Zillah, this stunning value is nearly impossible raspberry and hints of baking spice. Crisp and refreshing with to keep in stock. Classic Cabernet and Cab Franc fruit, with loads of acid and a zippy finish. Try with a slab of King salmon. coffee, dark chocolate and kirsch with just the most subtle amount of smoke. Cadence Bel Canto Cara Mia Vineyard 2014 Savage Grace $60.99 Rattlesnake Hills 2016 Every one of Ben Smith’s wines could have easily been on this $28.99 list, but this one makes it just by the skin of its nose. Classic If one were to imagine the most perfect rendition of a Loire Red Mountain fruit, but done in a much more restrained and style Cabernet Franc made in Washington State, this may be it. Bordeaux-like style. Gorgeous and a perfect candidate for the Rhubarb, hints of green tea, orange peel and bright red currant cellar. fruit. Not a massive wine in any way, but a showstopper none the less. Cuillin Hills Dungeon Columbia Valley 2015 Sightglass Cellars $40.99 Columbia Valley Cabernet Franc 2014 Even though Walla Walla Syrah gets most of the press, there $45.99 are some remarkable examples made all over the state. Lots of You remember Sean Boyd from Woodinville Wine Cellars and funk and gamy fruit, smoked bacon, blackberry and even a hint his famous ‘Eagle Eater’ Cabernet, but this may be one of the of maple. Pretty compelling juice. finest Cab Francs from the new world I have ever tasted. A radically different style than the Loire-like Savage Grace, but Damsel Cellars just as compelling. Boushey Vineyard ‘The Fates’ 2015 $36.99 Whidbey Island Winery Damsel is tiny, but trust me, you need to know what Mari is Puget Sound Pinot Noir 2014 doing here. A simply stunning GSM from the famed Boushey sold out vineyard in Yakima. Lots of fruit, smoked meat, game and earth. Pinot Noir from the West side of the mountains, when done A dead ringer for a top wine from the Rhone. Brilliant stuff. right, is one of the undiscovered gems of the state. Very classy and European in style with more akin to Pommard than Portland. Hightower A crowd pleaser all summer, but regretfully all sold out. Red Mountain 2013 $30.99 Woodward Canyon Hightower is Red Mountain star and last year made this list with Artist Series 2014 a Walla Walla Merlot. Maybe they are just Merlot stars as well? $49.99 Dark chocolate, candied violets, mocha and Swiss Miss in the Woodward Canyon is pretty much a shoo in for this list nearly finish. Pretty much a slam dunk. every year and this time, the Artist Series Cabernet is the wine to take note of. Classic Washington Cab with layers of pie cherries, espresso, raspberry and a moderate layer of tannin for the cellar. All wines subject to prior sale. TOP 5 WHITES WINE CLUBS

Washington’s top 5 white wines in alphabetical order. Welcome to the world of wine clubs. We have several different clubs for all your hassle free wine buying. We will select your wines and either ship them to you, put them in your locker, or have them ready for pickup Delille at the store. And best of all, by being a club member, all featured wines come to you at a minimum of 10% off our Chaleur Estate Blanc Columbia Valley 2015 $35.99 everyday price. Usually, Delille is best known for their Bordeaux styled reds, but this year, it is their white which really knocked my socks off. A traditional New Washington ‘Hot List’ Wine Club Our new Washington ‘hot list’ wine club will provide the Sauvignon/Semillon blend which is aged on the lees in French oak prior to lucky recipient with two bottles of wine per month, of the bottling. A fantastic clone of a Graves Blanc. newest, hottest and tiniest production wines in the state. We are lucky to be in a position to taste and actually have the opportunity to buy many of the ultra limited production Lobo Hills wines made out there that often are only available at the winery (or through us). In many cases, we are talking about Yakima Valley Auxerrois 2016 $22.99 production levels in the range of less than 50 cases total. The Tony Dollar is making arguably the most profound collection of white price will vary each month, with the average bottle being wines in Washington right now and this rare may just put this in the $30-$40 range, and always discounted well below our usual price. If you want the newest and the hottest on the map here. Kiwi fruit, guava, ripe pears and little kisses of properties, and those hyper limited production wines that grapefruit. others just dream about, then this club is for you.

Washington Wine of the Month Club Two Vintners One bottle, or one each of Washington State red and white Boushey Vineyard 2016 $25.99 wine per month, or 4 reds, 2 for drinking now and 2 to lay in the cellar. $14.99 single Boushey Vinyard is popping up on this list with abandon this year and this $28.99 for one red and one white / $99.99 for 4 bottles one is a white. Morgan Lee has become one of the top winemakers in the state using the formula of natural yeast fermentation. Explosive tropical Unlimited Club fruit with a lime popsicle finish. Yum! You decide what you would like, or let us decide! Would you like Grand Cru Burgundy every month? California Cult wines? How about a case of cider or sake every few weeks? Vaulted Cellars Give us a budget and some parameters to shoot for and we will do the rest. Some restrictions apply. Mkt/month Washington State Albarino 2016 $19.99 About as rare white grape as is to be found here, Albarino may be the Rare Washington Club white of the future for the state. Passion Fruit acidity, bright as the sun With every release, you will get the following wines: Leonetti, Quilceda Creek, Woodward Canyon Old Vines, in Yakima in August and about as refreshing a white as I had all year. This Doubleback, Reynvaan, Rotie, Upchurch, Andrew Will Ciel tiny winery came out of nowhere with these first wines and pretty much du Cheval, Owen Roe Red Willow Red, Betz , Corliss blew us away with this one. Only 25 cases produced. and Walla Walla Vintners Select. This club is currently sold out, but we do have some limited ‘provisional’ memberships available. Please contact us for details. You Can Have It All Washington’s New Classics Wine Club Lawrence Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $19.99 With the ‘Rare Washington Wine Club’ all filled up now, One of those rare, custom-made wines which really hits on all cylinders. we continue to be bombarded with calls for a new club, Produced for a tiny distributor using all native fermentation, it has classic loaded with a bunch of the new wine stars in the state. We will set aside any amount you would like of each of the grassy and lemon curd notes, with mouth watering acidity and a fabulously following wines upon release. You will get the following refreshing finish. Obviously tiny production. wines: Cadence, Fidelitas Optu, Sheridan L’Orage, Mark Ryan Dead Horse, Two Vintners Syrah, Gorman Evil Twin, JM Tre Fancuili, Sightglass Cabernet, Lobo Hills Left Bank, Lonesome Springs, Hightower Red Mountain Reserve, Our annual “oh crap, the credit card bill just arrived” Lawrelin Cabernet, Avennia Justine. Mkt/month value wine The Burgundy of the Month Club Valle Las Nencias Malbec Reserve 2013 $10.99 In this club, you can pick either red or white, or let us mix it up for you (this is how I would do it). Every month, we will pick a Mendoza Argentina has become synonymous with fabulous value Malbec, fantastic wine for you to try. As is true of all of our clubs, there and this one is the best we have had in quite a while. In the bottle for a is no fee to join and the discount you get on the club wine few years more than most, it punches way above its weight class with rich, applies to that same wine every time you come back for more, until we are sold out. The price per month on this one will vary, black fruit, smoked meat, baking spice and dried herbs. Tastes like twice but typically it will be in the $30-$50 range per month. Pre-pay the price, at least. A great value any way you look at it. for a year and pay an even $450. COMPASS PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BELLINGHAM WA WINES PERMIT NO. 114

1405 Commercial Ave Anacortes WA 98221

Store Hours Monday - Thursday 10 - 6 Friday 10 - 7 Saturday 10 - 6 Sunday 11 - 5

Contact us 360.293.6500 compasswines.com

Send your e-mail address to: [email protected]

UPCOMING EVENTS

Friday, February 2 from 4:00-7:00 Our annual pre-Super Bowl Junk Food and fine wine Tailgate Party In recent years, this now famous event was even featured on KOMO TV in Seattle for our memorable pairing of BBQ Red and Skittles. How do we follow that up? Only time will tell. Typically about half a dozen great wines and classic tail gate party junk food to pair with them. Some memorable pairings from the past have been Bollinger Champagne and Twinkies, Silver Oak and Ho-Ho’s and 1975 Chateau Rieussec with McDonald’s Apple Pie. This one is $25 per person to pay for all the scrumptious food. Reservations highly suggested.

Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25 Taste Washington Seattle Come visit the ded.reckoning both at Taste Washington and for the third time, there will also be a Soy Copper USA booth as well. We will be there both days, all day long and are also selling copper at the show with special pricing, plus we have both standard and VIP tickets for both days in the shop. We cannot sell these on line, so please give us a call or stop by for details.