WTN: Two Washington losers

[Jenise]

Tasted at a dinner party on Friday evening:

2004 Glen Fiona Viognier: I've often joked that viognier smells like "dead old ladies", but here's one that really does. Smells like Granny poured en entire bottle of Estee Lauder perfume on herself before she kicked the bucket, too. Suffocatingly strong aroma of decayed funeral flowers, and cloyingly concentrated fruit with overt RS on the palate too. I could not only not drink it, I couldn't bear to have the glass anywhere near me.

2007 Avery Lane Shiraz: The worst of the worst. Dense nondescript black fruit, huge extract, burnt coffee, residual sugar and bitter alcohol burn. Australia should sue us.

Ugh.

I am becoming less and less taken with most of the wines from Precept. About a month ago they brought by Waterbrook 2007 Chardonnay. It reminded me of the old saying about Olympia beer, "it's the water". It had no varietal character whatsoever. I wondered how long it would take to see the demise of Waterbrook wines. As too the Glen Fiona brand, it also seemed to go downhill after it was sold. Prices dropped but so did the quality.

[Jenise]

Thought the same thing of Waterbrook when someone poured a Melange for me. Just not as good as it used to be. They've come out with a new brand, haven't they? I seem to remember being in a tasting room in Walla Walla last April where the wines turned out to be Waterbrook though not by that name. Either a higher end or a lower end brand--tells you something about the wines if I can't remember if they were supposed to be better or not as good, doesn't it? I'll check my notes.