Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1399
july 2009 / the tasting panel / E W I N E R Y Four years ago, Bijal Shah produced 400 cases of Washing- ton State wine. This year, the number grew substantially, to 11,000 cases. "There's a demand now for our wines," Shah tells THE TASTING PANEL. With fi ve different labels and a diverse set of varietals and blends, Shah's outstanding portfolio has won hearts—and wine list real estate—among chefs and somms throughout Washington State. Buying fruit from top vineyard sites, Bijal and his wife Sinead donate 20 percent of the winery's gross revenue to charitable organizations. In fact, they sell an un- usually huge amount of their wine by the barrel at auction fundraisers. The blend- ing party is part of the deal, held at the winery with its state-of-the-art show kitchen and its own bottling line. French-born winemaker Jean-Claude Beck insists that he prefers making wines in Washington to any other place in the world. "It's so exciting to be here because you can speak with the people who have planted some of the area's fi rst grapes." D Bijal Shah, proprietor, with Woodhouse Family Wines. R E S T A U R A N T Although Pearl co-owners Mikel Rogers and Bradley Dickinson have been part of the Seattle restaurant scene for 20 years, this lovely Bellevue dining spot of their own is less than a year old. "We wanted to create something uniquely Northwest," explains the over-six-foot-tall Bradley Dickinson, whose elegant location is surrounded by a sea of chain restau- rants. "We could be anywhere," he says, point- ing this way and that to familiar signs of food operations that could be in Anywhere, USA. "We're the local operator," he says proudly. His dishes are fresh, seasonal and inven- tive (we just loved the foie gras sliders) with no fear of seasoning (Copper River salmon with spirit!). "I'm not drawing pictures on the plate," Dickinson adds, when we use the word inventive. "No foams, no frou-frou, just a contemporary presentation." D Pearl co-owners Mikel Rogers and Executive Chef Bradley Dickinson, sporting fresh stalks of organic rhubarb. Pearl's Chef Dickinson shows off Walla Walla sweets, on- ions that are only in season for a couple of weeks. W o o d h o u s e F a m i l y P e a r l The incredibly luscious Kennedy Shah 2007 Merlot from Woodhouse Family Wines hails from the Rattlesnake Hills appellation in Yakima Valley, the most recent region in Washington State to acquire AVA status. Vineyards are set on ridges and terraces above the valley fl oor, ranging in elevation between 850 and 2,000 feet. SRP $13.