We all know that California is blessed for growing world class wines. From the Paris Tasting of 1976, where California wines bested the French counterparts in both white and red, to the foreign ownership of vines here in this state by some of the world’s oldest and most revered families like the Perrin family, the Frescobaldis and the Rothchilds. We know that a lot of the wines being made in our state are considered to be at or near the top of their respective categories on the world stage. Sometimes success breeds ignorance, and sometimes, in the case of grape growing regions, it breeds xenophobia. I think both of these issues come to light when talking about Oregon and Washington wines — not just to us spoiled California winos, but to the rest of this country. Oregon, in my opinion, is making the best and most dependable pinot noir on the planet. People in some wine circles know this to be true, but try telling that to the average diner at a New York City restaurant and you’ll surely be met with a laugh. Oregon, and more specifically, the Willamette Valley, produces some of the most earthy and ethereal pinots anywhere. The wines have the red fruit of the best years in Burgundy, France, along with the telltale barnyard/earthy aromas. The wines show beautiful minerality and purity of fruit — every year. Some years are better than others, but you are very infrequently going to be disappointed with a vintage to the point that you are often disappointed with the Burgundian counterparts. Domaine Drouhin in the Willamette stunned the wine world by taking first place in a 1979 pinot tasting in Paris. Of course, it only further underlines the point of Oregon’s potential when you learn that the Drouhin in said Domaine is actually the Drouhin family of Burgundy, France. They know a thing about terroir. Washington is excelling at producing Bordeaux varietals, as well as syrah, which if you remember my last manifesto — er, article, does well albeit differently almost anywhere. You may be surprised to learn that the center of Walla Walla is longitudinally the same as Bordeaux, France. But, much like California, Washington offers a much more consistent growing season than the French equivalent, resulting in wines that range from good to great between different vintages, instead of epic and terrible. The eastern high plains and near-desert regions show a different soil type than California as well — much more like the sandy/alluvial soils in France. Here’s some interesting facts about Washington as well: Did you know that there are 300 days of sunshine? How about that the more northerly latitude gives the grapes almost 17 1/2 hours of sunshine every day? Perhaps the most interesting factoid is that the soils are very poor in nitrogen, meaning that the vines have to work harder for their nutrients, and the resultant grapes therefore have the potential to be much more interesting. One of my favorite producers from Washington is L’Ecole 41. They make a dense and luscious cabernet, as well as a lipsmacking merlot — and my absolute favorite, their Columbia Valley syrah. You may only know the Chateau St. Michelle’s and Columbia Crests of Washington, but there are more than 600 bonded wineries in the state. Actually, Columbia Crest produced what Wine Spectator last year called the No. 1 wine in its top 100 issue — their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from the Columbia Valley. While a score from a magazine or a medal at a competition is no guarantee that you’ll love the wine, you can at least take away that the wine was interesting and unique enough to capture the hearts of those tasters at the magazine who taste tens of thousands of wines a year. And, you should take away that Washington may in fact be at or near the top of the world charts for cab, merlot and syrah. Yes, there are domestic vineyards outside of California that matter to the wine connoisseur. Oregon and Washington are often surpassing California in terms of great wine, so open up your buying patterns a bit and prepare to be amazed at the stellar flavors and structures of these Pacific Northwest wines. Do you know the trouble that USC has playing Oregon up in Eugene? That’s kind of what I’m talking about. California is not always and not even usually better than Oregon, or Washington, at what they do best. Go Ducks and Huskies! Mike Kallay and his wife, Stephanie, own the Cask Room, a wine bar in East Village. www.thecaskroom.com