WASHINGTON

The 2016 growing season was unusual for Washington State. As in recent years, it was quite warm, and by late August, the state was ahead of the previous year’s historic heat accumulation.

A perfect storm of growing conditions led to larger berries and clusters in some varieties. The harvest came in as much as 30% above expected numbers, even after extensive thinning. Hanging larger amounts of fruit is not necessarily a bad thing, especially in a warm vintage, but then 2016 took a turn. Conditions from mid-September until the end of harvest cooled down considerably, and there was intermittent rain—a rarity in ever-dry eastern Washington.

Producers who were not well on top of what was happening in the vineyard in 2016 paid a price in quality.

The results of these factors can be tasted throughout the wines with mixed outcomes. At the entry level, growers typically push the tons per acre as high as the vintage will support. However, from this vintage, a number of these wines are lacking in ripeness and concentration due to the cooler temperatures in the fall.

Even in some higher-tier wines, these characteristics can occasionally be found, along with less midpalate density than the norm. Simply put, producers who were not well on top of what was happening in the vineyard in 2016 paid a price in quality.

For those who were diligent—and there is a great abundance of examples—the results are sublime. Some wines from 2016 are as good as or better than any I’ve had from the region and often promise profound aging potential, with late ripening varieties in particular excelling. The top wines have a compelling display of ripe fruit