Steele Shooting Star Blue Franc 2001

In 1975 I had the opportunity to travel to Austria and visit their wine-growing region on the banks of the Danube River. This country produces many great wines but until recently they were mainly for local consumption. One wine that impressed me was a red wine made from the Lemberger grape. This is an odd name and some growers did refer to it with its ancient name: Blau Frankisch or blue grape from France. These were very nice wines full of berry fruit flavors and great color but with little tannin or harshness. These wines remained in my memory and when I began to consult for Columbia Crest Winery in the early 1990's I discovered that there was a significant planting of Lemberger in Washington State in the Yakima Valley appellation. The winemakers in Washington loved the variety but universally hated the name as brings up bad memories of the strong cheese of the same name. I decided that the wine was worth pursuing and recalling the other name from Austria, chose to call our version Blue Franc. In a flash of inspiration I selected a French Franc note as our label, getting approval for which was no easy task. Each year we choose to watermark a wine person of note on the label. This year we chose Andy Quady of Quady winery as our featured personage. This wine is very similar to the wines that I tasted in Austria 25 years ago. It has a medium body with great color and the flavor and aroma profile that is a cross between Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. We give the wine 3-5 months in older oak barrels. The absence of tannins makes this an easy wine to enjoy now and with a variety of foods. Given the whimsical label and great flavors, this is a wine for festive occasions especially outdoor events like barbecues and picnics.