Grape Crush: West Coast flavor

Mark McNeilly, founder of Mark Ryan Winery in Woodinville, Washington, says the wines produced in his part of the world have developed a reputation for merging the subtlety and elegance of wines from Europe with the dynamism of domestic wines.

“Washington is the best bridge from Old to New World,” says McNeilly, a leading winemaker in this part of the U.S. “Our wines tend to have higher acidity and structure and a real sense of terroir.”

That’s good news for Louisiana wine drinkers, who may be seeing more of McNeilly’s handiwork in regional wine stores.

The distributor Mystic Wines is holding a wine dinner at the Renaissance Hotel Nov. 6 to showcase some of the winery’s selections. And one of McNeilly’s wines, the 2012 Idle Hands Syrah under his Board Track Racer label, took home a gold medal in August at Fête Rouge, the major food and wine tasting event in the Capital City. Idle Hands, as well as a Board Track Racer red blend called The Vincent, will be featured at Calandro’s Supermarket’s Select Cellars on Government Street and possibly at other local wine stores, says Mystic sales representative Gabe Daigle.

McNeilly has developed a reputation for producing high-end wines known for their structure, many of which end up in the cellars of collectors. A recent partnership with Sleight of Hand winery enabled McNeilly to make high-quality wines with younger fruit under the Board Track Racer label. These wines range in price from about $18 to $25 and are meant to be drunk soon.

McNeilly worked in wine sales in Washington state before transitioning to winemaking in the late 1990s. He says he was fascinated by how wines were made—particularly blends—and he began playing around with winemaking on the side.

“I got a winemaking kit from a beer store and made wines in different people’s garages, including my parents’, for a few years,” he says.

But by 2000, McNeilly got serious, working with larger volumes of grapes and obtaining a commercial license. He was one of the first Washington winemakers to set up in the town of Woodinville’s warehouse district, now a hot wine corridor. He still makes wine from the same facility and continues to procure most of his fruit from Washington’s Red Mountain region.

“This is a hot region, but at night it cools down significantly,” says McNeilly. “That diurnal shift really sets the fruit.”

McNeilly suggests experimenting with a range of foods with his Board Track Racer wines.

The 2012 Vincent is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (47%), Merlot (40%) and Malbec (17%). Its berry fruit profile also features hints of vanilla. The finish is long and the acidity is perfectly balanced.

It’s a nice match for a range of foods, but McNeilly says it screams casual fare to him, such as pizza.

Idle Hands, comprised of mostly Syrah, is an elegant wine perfect for the roasted meats that might find their way to your table this month, as well as bolder flavors.
“It’s big and rich and would saddle up so well with barbecue,” he says. “I’m thinking pork ribs or pulled pork with a sauce that’s more savory than sweet, with a little bit of spice.” markryanwinery.com