I need to learn a lot more about these relatively new AVAs. 
A while back, I went to a tasting that included aged (15+ years) Andrew Will and classified growth Bordeaux wines. The answer, in my mind, is clearly yes. I do think that only a couple of producers may ever accomplish this, though, and I’m still surprised at how good those Andrew Will wines were given the hot climate.
I have had some Andrew Wills from the mid to late 90s – really great wines. Not sure up to classified Bdx – but they are really stellar wines.
The thing to remember is that nearly half of the acreage in Washington has been planted in the last fifteen years. And as for corporate ownership, Chateau St Michelle has been supportive of new entrants because they realize that they generate additional interest in the wines of the state. So it’s really premature to offer predictions as to what might rival what. I think the folks in Washington have done a magnificent job in a short time, applying lessons learned from around the world to produce stunningly good wines. I just got back from WA a few days ago, having spent a few days tasting as much as I could, and while the total production is far smaller than it is in Bordeaux, the hit/miss ratio seemed to be much better. If you’ve ever been to Bordeaux to taste widely, you know that there’s a lot of swill bottled there in addition to some magnificent wines. Remember, Bordeaux has been a commerce center for centuries and they had to sell a lot of second rate wine over the years.
I say give it some time. As to whether the wines will “rival” those from elsewhere, they will be different. They shouldn’t be copies of something you can get elsewhere, they should be as good on their own. Then it will simply be a matter of personal preference.
Ok … had to pipe in on this one since I love Washington wines.
Latitude for Bordeaux is approx 45 degrees while that of the Walla Walla region is 46 degrees. Types of soil are different as previously stated with Bordeaux being at essentially sea level and Washington wines tend to be produced in “high desert.” There are major differences in soil types although a good part of Washington’s soil is alluvial soil from the old Missoula floods (which btw also spread as far south as the Willamette Valley, including Dundee).
Amount of rainfall is definitely a major influence with one area permitting irrigation and one are banning the same.
All the above being said … you are trying to compare apples and oranges as Bordeaux has made wine from their soils for centuries and Washington AVA’s are relatively new. I foresee world class wines including Bordeaux blends as wine making in the region matures. I believe due to the longer growing season and the ability of grapes to ripen more fully, you will always get a more fruit forward wine from Washington that would best be compared to warmer vintages in Bordeaux.
Just my opinion.
You and your Washington wines 
On a serious note- great/Informative post my man. I would expect nothing less!
Gilbane has invited me to drink (forced me to taste) multiple Washington cabs, as have others. I ha e had at least 30 WA cabs from various AVA’s and had nothing that would make me switch glasses with either a similar vintage Sociando Mallet or even a Malescot St-Exupery. The balance is different. The WA wines have always struck me as more Domestic IPA styled for a guy who likes Pilsners and Altbiers.
I will note that I certainly ha e not tasted every wine to come out of the state, nor am I denying that a great WA winemaker could make a wine that pushes Bordeaux, but I echo others that it is just not as evolved a winemaking scene as, say, Oregon for Pinot, and there’s a big push for commercial large scale production that works at cross purposes to making elegant and refined wines that push Bordeaux.
Sample size is 3-4 cases over 6-7 years, so not a huge sample size.
Thanks all!
As of now, thanks to the recommendations in this thread, I have:
2008 Cadence Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
2016 Upchurch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (today on Full Pull)
2016 Betz Heart of the Hill
(and already had)
2014 JB Neufeld Cabernet Sauvignon Two Blondes Vineyard
I’ve tried a handful of Andrew Will and it didn’t do it for me. In my opinion, I can find way better qpr in Bordeaux and Sonoma. I’m a bit biased against people making wine in Seattle and not near where the grapes are grown. How far is too far from the vineyard source? Could Andrew Will be in Cleveland? I’ve had wine, nearly as good, that was grown one county away from Cleveland.
I do buy Force Majeure/Sheridan Syrah/Rhone/Collaboration–and that is what actually prompted me to start this thread. I like their Syrah–and buy it almost every year, but the cab was a hot and oaky mess without enough acid to age. So far, for meritage blends, I like Betz Père de Famille and Clos de Betz and Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series.
It seems to hold true on the cheap end too. I love Kiona Syrah but their Red Mountain Cab was swill. 2003 McCrea Syrah Ciel du Cheval Vineyard was one of the best QPR’s I’ve ever purchased. I did think the Powers AVA Collection Red Wine Horse Heaven Hills (Champoux Vineyard–78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot) was at least balanced and looking forward to seeing how it ages. I’ll keep trying. Thanks again for all the responses.
And the classic irony being, many Classified Growths product 20,000+ cases of their flagship wine! How they do that with such attention to quality is amazing.
And I agree with your other perceptions, but of course, that’s just my palate.
I have not had any recent vintages of Andrew Will, so cannot comment. But as noted above I have loved their wines from the 90s. I must say that I have not been that impressed with WA cab and cab blends either. The one recent exception was JB Neufeld – if I were buying WA cab blends to age that would be one of my top choices. Let us know what you think when you open any of the above!
You can also look at Pepper Bridge. And even smaller producers like Robert Karl or Spring Valley. Those wines age very well. In fact, I’ve had Columbia Crest wines at over 30 years and they were shockingly good.
WA will catch CA before it catches BDX. The single largest difference is going to be the acceptance that in most areas the single greatest contribution to a blend will be a foundation of Merlot or Franc, not Cabernet. Problem is both have image issues while Cab still garners top $ from consumers, so many in less generous locations continue to add Merlot or Syrah to bolster Cab.
To Greg, lots of wines age well in WA, to this day some of the best wines I have had were the Ste. Michelle Cold Creek wines from the early 1980s, 1983 being the best, the old David Lake wines from Red Willow and Sagemoor and the old QC wines.
Question is (same for most Napa/Sonoma) are they better after the 10 or 15 year mark, whereas in BDX I think that’s a resounding yes, especially over $50, in WA and CA, while there are some outliers, I think many are just older.
It won’t be like Bordeaux but who wants Bordeaux all the time? Within their style, in terms of showcasing their fruit and terroir, WA St wines are quality equals to the Bordeaux grape wines made over there and here in CA.
The aging question is to be determined but I had a 94 DeLille Chaleur and a 96 Woodward Canyon Artist Series these past two years that I’m sure would stand with some exceptional first and second growths from the same vintages.
GLENN! How the heck are ya?
Not Yakima, but I was damn impressed by a 2007 Chateau Rollat “Edouard de Rollat” (Walla Walla) that I tried last year. Beautiful wine and definitely Bordeaux leaning, style-wise.
For as many Washington wines as I’ve drunk, I’ve still never had a Ch. Rollat. Are they still in business? A quick glance at their site sure doesn’t give any indication, but they only have 2008-2010 wines listed for sale.
Oh yes. Those are great wines – I have some resting in the cellar in fact!
You can find them in Costco S. 4th.
Very late to the party on this one. My main input is that folks seem to want to make judgements on these wines at 6-8 years of age, but these are Bordeaux blends and as with other places in the world, they are best at 15 plus years of age. Not many folks are drinking and assessing them at this stage. The thought of assessing a Bordeaux at 6-8 years of age is admittedly a bit silly.
They are hard to compare with Bordeaux, but the best Washington blends at 15-20 years can be beautiful world class wines. I would second what others have said about the classic wines here. Ste Michelle cabs from the late 70’s, and 80’s could be stellar wines, and Woodward Canyon wines from the 1990’s now can be beautiful aged cabs that have improved markedly with age. Many of the new crop of wines don’t have enough of a track record to have aged this long, but for the well made ones, I am very optimistic.
For those outside of the region, I would suspend judgement on the younger wines, and if you have a chance at an older wine, I would jump at it.
I do like Woodward Canyon and Betz’s Columbia Valley meritage offerings (I have not tried Heart of the Hill). I do love Syrah from all over Washington. I think I might of just tried wine from too young of vines and/or producers who mass produced grapes and didn’t practice things like dropping bad clusters.