I've only recently moved to Washington after years of living in California—and drinking California wines. One of the things I've enjoyed the most about living in Washington is discovering Washington wines (and Washington microbrews, but that's another story). Right now I'm looking for a particular wine;—O Wines Horse Hills Heavens' 2006 Chardonnay. I'm particularly interested in this specific wine for a number of reasons.
First, Chardonnay is one of those wines that are intimately associated with California, even in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I'd really like to see what this climate produces. Secondly, Horse Hill Heavens is a new vintage from a very young winery in Woodinville. O Wines was founded by Stacy Lill and Kathy Johanson, and the 2006 Chardonnay is their first release. They've just recently released the 2007 Chardonnay, and yes, I'm hoping to find a bottle of that to try as well. I note that both vintages are retailing for about $15.00. That's pretty unusual, by California standards. I'm also interested in the fact that while the grapes come from several Pacific Northwest sources, they're a 100% Chardonnay, not a blend of several types of grape.
I'm intrigued not only because O Wines (the O stands for Opportunity) is a woman-owned and operated winery, but by their business plan— "expressly in the business to make reasonably priced wines, with an amazing taste far exceeding the price." What's not to love there? And then, I'm delighted by their commitment to the community: they donate a portion of all proceeds from O Wines to scholarship funds for underprivileged/at risk young girls in Washington State. These are scholarships for pre-college aged girls, right at the age when girls start thinking about whether or not they have a chance at college, and with a scholarship, those who might not have academic opportunity, have a chance. Apparently O Wines have already awarded their first scholarship in April of 2008, administered by the Washington state College Success Foundation.
I note that the 2006 Chardonnay has been positively reviewed by several sources; Wine Spectator gave it 91 points and described the wine as "Smooth, polished and silky in texture, with pretty pineapple, pear and spice flavors settling gently against refreshing wisps of acidity that make themselves felt as the finish persists." There's a similarly positive review from Paul Gregutt in the April 23, 2008 Seattle Times:
I discovered this wine at Taste Washington and was delighted to find a quality chardonnay from the Horse Heaven Hills at an affordable price. . . . Full-flavored, fleshy and dolloped with buttery oak, this classy wine is available at many area grocery stores, wine shops and restaurants.I note that it looks like I ought to be able to find the wine fairly easily. The O Wines site describes the wine as "Our wine is the perfect compliment for girl talk (no food) but it is also wonderful with veal, shellfish, crab, salmon, salads, fowl, fish, and chicken." I'll let you know what I think, but I expect I'll skip the girl talk and go for the salmon.