Another excellent day of tasting in Walla Walla!

Well here I am, another day of wine tasting here in Walla Walla, I know it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it! Today I went to a few great wineries to taste their wines in their tasting rooms.

First stop was the Mark Ryan Winery tasting room, which I loved because it was so cool! It was close to 100 degrees today, so walking into a tasting room that was 70 degrees was a breath of fresh air! Now as an aging Gen Xer, the thing I love about Mark Ryan is that his wines are all named after Pearl Jam songs, so you get wines like "Crazy Mary" and "Dead Horse" but not onl are they great names but great wines as well! I ended up buying the Vincent Rose (have I mentioned a predilection for rosé I the heat?) the Dissident Red blend and the Dead Horse Cabernet.

Second stop was Forgeron, a great winery that produces nice Bordeaux style blends that I've been a fan of since my last trip to Walla Walla last May. Today I tasted a bunch of great wines, but ended up with some library wines including a couple bottles of the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2007 Klipsun Merlot and a 2009 Anvil blend, so delicious that one!

Next I stopped in at joint tasting room of Mansion Creek Cellars and Plumb Cellars and who should be manning the tasting room but Michael Mettler, a marketing pro that I met as "Bradley Cooper's stunt double" when I was visiting the TERO tasting room the other day! After tasting some great wines I ended up with a bottle of the 2009 Waldheim Cabernet Sauvignon and a bottle of the 2010 Plumb Estate Sangiovese (which was my bargain of the day at only $18!).

Then I went to my last stop of the day, Fort Walla Walla Cellars where I met a load of fun people from the tri-cities and Bainbridge Island, but more on that in a future post! In any case I really loved the Treaty red, but ended up with a bottle of the 2008 Reserve, a great blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (66%), Merlot (14%), Cabernet Franc (9%), Malbec (6%) and Petit Verdot (5%). A really nice blend that reminded me of why I love Walla Walla wine! Cheers!

Tasting at Cadareta

So I just walked down the street and ended up at Cadaretta Cellars to try some of their wines. So I ended up spending a wonderful hour of tasting some wonderful Bordeaux blends!

In no particular order the 2010 Syrah which sold out at the tasting room, and given the cold harvest there were very few bottles produced. The wines is really nice, with some nice morse of leather and chocolate an just a phenomenally dry finish, so nice!

Then the Windthrow, which is a classic GSM blend of Syrah (53%), Mourvèdre (24%), Grenache (23%). This one has a nice blend of fruit and a bit or tar very nice fruit with a wonderful minerality.

Next up the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (88%), Merlot (11%) and Petit Verdot (1% which has some nice red fruit up front with some great minerality that just makes this a pleasure to sip!

Finally, the 2008 Springboard a blend of Caberbet Sauvignon (78%), Petit Vrtdot (10%), Merlot (8%) and Cabernet Franc (4%). Great black fruit some lovely pepper notes and wild herbs, a spectacular blend!

And a special thank you to Stephanie who was a great host and spectacular help to get me some great dinner and lunch suggestions in Walla Walla!

More Tasting in Walla Walla

So after a wonderful lunch at the Green Spoon I stopped at the new Maison Bleue tasting room which just opened up last weekend (perfect timing eh?).

Maison Bleue is a winery started in Proser that specializes in Rhone style blends. I tasted a variety of their wines including the whites and a Mourvèdre rose that was really nice. What impressed me most was the 2010 Le Midi Grenache from the Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. The wine had lovely fruit on the outset with a good balance of pepper that made this a pleasure to drink (so much so I had to order a couple bottles to ship home!). And to show was a fun small town community Walla Walla is, here I met Dawn, the tasting room manager who was trained by Julie Titus, the tasting room manager at Seven Hills and Brandon who was formerly the tasting room manager at L'Ecole, and as we were tasting who should walk through the door but Jaime from L'Ecole! Small world indeed!

Next off to Rotie, on the recommendation of the folks at L'Ecole and Seven Hills, a great producer of Rhone style blends. Tried a number of their basic blends, and the "Little G" (100% Grenache) and "Northern Blend" (95% Syrah and 5% Viognier) were very nice indeed, but I ended up ordering a couple bottles of the 2010 Swordfight, not just because of the cool name but because its a blend of Syrah (75%) and Mourvèdre (25%) that I think will taste fantastic! Cheers!

Tour of the Seven Hills and Ferguson Vineyards

Well here we are, another live blog post from my Walla Walla vacation! And today's early morning post (yeah I know 9:00 am PT isn't early, but I am on vacation after all!

Today, we are on a wonderful tour of the Seven Hills vineyard and the newly established Ferguson vineyard with Marty Clubb and Jaime Chalk of L'Ecole No. 41.

Our first stop on the tour was the Ferguson vineyard planted in 2008, but the difference between the soils and the microclimate make a huge difference in the fruit and wines. Ferguson is at a 1,450 foot elevation, however the major deposits of wind-blown loess ends at about 1,200 feet. So at the top of the hill there is only 1-2 feet of soil before you hit the basalt deposits. The basalt creates a great minerality to the wines, particularly an iron flavor which is really quite different that what comes from the Seven Hills vineyard. One of the interesting features to see at Ferguson is the basalt wall where there removed and crushed rock to build 10 miles of road through the vineyard. What that shows is the level of the rock and the thin layer of soil at the top.

Marty Clubb of L'Ecole talking to us about the basalt underlying the Ferguson Vineyard

The basalt wall showing the thin layer of soil on top.

Next stop down the hill to the gazebo at the Seven Hills vineyard where we learn about the history and varietals planted there and get to sample some wine! Now the gazebo is beautiful with grape vines at the top forming the roof making this a perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine. Now for the tasting, first a taste of the 2012 Estate Luminesce which is a very pleasant white, white which I am learning to appreciate! Then a glass of 2010 Perigee which I just love, it has a soft elegance to it that really highlights the beauty of the Seven Hills Vineyard. Finally another taste of the 2011 barrel sample of the Ferguson blend, which just has a minerality that is so different than anything I've tasted from the Walla Walla Valley.

The wind machines that blow on the vineyard to help combat pests.

The Seven Hills Vineyard with the Blue Mountains in the background.

The trellis as the roof of the Gazebo at the Seven Hills Vineyard

Overall it was a spectacular tour with a lot of great information (perhaps I'll share more o this in a future non-mobile post). A great way to spend a Saturday morning. And a bid thank you to Marty and Jamie for being such wonderful hosts!

L'Ecole No. 41 Honor Society 30th Anniversary Celebration!

Tonight I am thrilled to be a guest at L'Ecole No. 41 for the Honor Society 30th Anniversary Celebration! I just got to the barrel room and an enjoying the coolness as just outside the door it's about 95!

Despite the heat the wine is cool and we are enjoying some great wines! Starting with some 2012 Grenache Rose and 2011 Luminesce that helped cool me off. Then some wonderful library comparisons to current releases, I especially liked the 1997 Seven Hills merlot which was drinking very nicely. We ended with a fine toast by Marty of the 2004 Ferguson.

Some barrels of the original Ferguson from 2004!

Then a barrel sample of the 2011 Ferguson blend, this one from the newly named Ferguson Vineyard a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (57%), Merlot (32%) and Cabernet Franc (11%). A very nice wine to be released in Spring 2014.

On to a 5-year vertical of Perigee, my favorite blend, including barrel samples of the 2011 vintage. I am really liking the 2005 vintage now! With music and great hors d'oeuvres and great wines this is shaping up to be a wonderful night! More tomorrow from the vineyard tour, cheers!

TERO Estate and Flying Trout

So I'm at my second tasting of today at the TERO Estate and Flying Trout tasting room right on the corner of 2nd & Rose in the same building as the Marcus Whitman Hotel.

The first was the 2010 TERO red the red blend of Merlot (73%), Cabernet Sauvignon (23%) and Petit Verdot (4%). Overall a nice blend for everyday drinking.

Next the 2010 Flying Trout Malbec from the Gamache Vineyard, overall it was tolerable, given I really don't like Malbec!

On to the 2010 TERO S.T. Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese (42%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (58%) a very nice blend with lots of floral and pepper notes.

Then the 2008 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon a very nice wine with deep black fruit, leather and a nice dry finish

Finally the 2009 Windrow Vineyard Walla Walla Cabernet Franc. Nice fruit, plenty of black cherry and spice notes a very nice wine.

My favorite of the group was the Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon which I bought a bottle and a bottle of the 2009 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Cheere!

Welcome to Walla Walla

Ok, it's officially vacation time and boy am I ready! A little over a year ago I did a walkabout that ended up in Walla Walla, where I had the chance to enjoy a good bit of fun and great wine so why not go for a repeat? Now keep in mind that I'm live blogging this trip from my phone, so you'll have to excuse my typos!

So this time rather than driving I decided to fly, there was my first mistake! Anymore you've got better odds of getting to your destination on a greyhound bus that flying, and sure enough, my first flight was delayed 2 hours but when I got to O'Hare my flight to Seattle was also delayed 2 hours! There's where it gets ugly since the last Alaska Airlines flight to Walla Walla leaves at 12:40 pm and my flight's scheduled to land at 1:00! So it looks like I might have some dinner with some old friends in Seattle tonight!

Well, I made it to Pasco then took the Grapeline bus to Walla Walla, so I finally made it! And despite a delay on one of my bags, I've now had time to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather in Walla Walla sunny and about 80 degrees! I started my day at Seven Hills Vineyard's tasting room. I enjoyed the selection of current vintage wines and had the chance to order some library selections including a 1992 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon in honor of the year I graduated from college.

And now I'm enjoying lunch at Brasserie Four, for a lovely Copper River Salmon tartar atop a bed of greens and a bowl of rabbit stew, so yummy! Expect a lot more more posts over the next few days, including some tasting and vineyard tours at L'Ecole No. 41!

2010 Noble Vines 337 Cabernet Sauvignon

It's a hot summer day and a perfect time for grilling out, and where there's steak, there's Cabernet Sauvignon!  For tonight's adventure, I've decided to open a bottle of 2010 Noble Vines 337 Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi, California.  Now you know I've always been a big fan of Lodi Zinfandels as I think there is just something magical about what they do with Zins out there, but the Cabs are more of an open question for me.

The wine is a bit lighter in color than I expected, with a bright ruby color throughout.  The nose exhibits notes of leather, oak and rich ripe fruit, blackberries, cherries and plums.  The taste is somewhat fruit forward, with a blast of sweet ripe fruit at the outset, eerily similar to many Lodi Zins, which then transitions to some earthy limestone notes midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat subdued, even though this wine has a very nice, long and modestly dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's a little young and might improve a bit with age, but I believe this wine is better consumed now rather than waiting.  It was also a good value, as I recall buying this at Trader Joe's and I seriously doubt I paid more than $10 for it!  Tonight I am pairing it with a classic summer dinner of rare grilled Angus ribeye with some grilled corn on the cob and some steamed asparagus, so yummy!  The rich fruit presents a nice counterbalance to the heavy flavors of the steak, which is ideal in my view.  Cheers!

2009 Domaine Virginie Thunevin Bordeaux

I know, I know, I've been totally slacking off on my wine blog, I could blame my insanely busy work schedule, but that's really not an excuse.  So here is my attempt to make it up to you, a new bottle of 2009 vintage Bordeaux, this from Domaine Virginie Thunevin, from Jean-Luc Thunevin, a producer that is one of the original "Garragistes" from the 1990s who rocked the Bordeaux world with wines crafted in their garages!  This particular wine is a blend of Merlot (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and Cabernet Franc (10%).

The wine itself is a lovely deep ruby in the glass.  The nose is a wonderfully rich blend of ripe fruit, black currant, ripe plum (almost a prune), leather and tar, a classic Bordeaux.  The taste is very fruit forward with ripe berries, cherries and plum, that transitions effortlessly to some floral notes midpalate.  The finish has some lovely cedar and tar, as the nicely structured tannins support a very dry, classic garragiste Bordeaux finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a lovely example of a nouveau style of Bordeaux at a very good value as I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for less than $12!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a somewhat nontraditional pairing of Thai peanut curry noodles, as the richness and spice of the dish play nicely off the rich dark fruit and tannins of the wine. Sante!

2012 Finca Torremilanos Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado

Well, I think that might be the longest title of a wine I've had on my blog!  Two Wednesdays ago there was a fun virtual tasting at Snooth.com which is something that I always enjoy, but unfortunately I was traveling and couldn't taste all four wines on the menu.  The tasting was focused on the Ribera del Duero wines of Spain and included four different wines: 2009 Malleolus Ribera del Duero, 2011 Ferratus A0 Ribera del Duero, 2008 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza and the 2012 Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado.  Now tonight I am tasting the last wine of the group, the 2012 Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado.

Now you know that I really prefer red wines, but in the intense heat of last summer I've grown to really appreciate the rose wines, or rosado as the case may be, as they really present a refreshing departure on those hot, humid days of summer that just beg for something chilled and refreshing!  Such is the wine tonight. The nose of this wine has a distinct set of floral overtones, mixed with a bit of fresh citrus, green grass and a bit of oak.  The taste is really quite nice, with flavors of green apple, and a hint of citrus up front, which gives way to some lovely green herbs and oak midpalate.  The finish on this wine is super dry, with nicely structured tannins supporting a crisp, refreshingly dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's really a refreshing departure from many roses that can be more on the sweet and fruity side, this one is much more crisp and green.  And at $12 it's a very good value for an everyday summer wine!  Tonight I am pairing it with some alder planked salmon fish tacos topped with a bit of homemade salse verde and fresh cilanto and avacado.  The crispness of this wine and the rich floral characteristics really matched well with the richness of the salmon, but it also stood up well to the spice of the salsa.  Salut!

2006 Sawtooth Skyline Red Wine

So tonight I've decided to open up a bottle of wine that I bought about a year ago at a KOA campground in Twin Falls, Idaho of all places!  In my cross country drive, I decided to stop and camp at this KOA, and it was a real first class operation, you could buy firewood and they'd deliver it to your site, and the camp store had a lot of grocery items and a selection of local wines.  I picked up a bottle of the 2006 Sawtooth Skyline Red Wine to have with my dinner cooked out in the moonlight and decided I liked it so much I bought another bottle the next morning to bring back.  The wine is from the Snake River Valley, a still developing wine region that has a lot of hidden gems I've discovered.  This particular wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (62%), Syrah (29%), Merlot (8%) and Cabernet Franc (1%).

The wine itself is a nice ruby color in the glass and the nose has some sweet, tangy notes, along with some leather, smoke and green herb aromas.  The taste is modestly fruit forward, with some flavors of ripe plum and blueberry that transitions to some smoky, woody flavors midpalate.  The finish is very dry, with some flavors of limestone as the rather brusque tannins leave it a bit short.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very pleasant drinking wine from an unexpected place, and it was a good value at only $13 (even at a campground store that likely has higher markups!).  Tonight I paired this wine with a nice northwest dinner of cedar planked salmon, whole grain shells with four-cheese sauce and some haricots verts almandine.  The smoky notes in the wine along with the acid and fruit played really nicely against the smoky richness of the salmon, so yummy!

2007 Labastide Dauzac Margaux

It's sunny and rather warm and humid here today, so it just struck me that this seems like a Margaux sort of afternoon, so I've decided to open a bottle of 2007 Labastide Dauzac Margaux to enjoy.  Now this is a rather young Margaux, though it does modestly exceed my minumum 5-year age requirement to even try a Margaux so we shall see how this goes!  The wine is a classic blend of Merlot (59%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (41%) which should provide some nice structure and backbone to this wine.

When I first opened this wine I was really thirsty, so I couldn't resist trying a bit and the Bordeaux "funk" that is so often present with great wines from the region was quite present, but if you are not a fan of the funk it subsides with a bit of breathing. Now it's been a couple hours, and the color is a generous ruby and the nose is a lovely combination of oak, earthy gravel, and a hint of hard cheese (perhaps the last gasp of funk!).  The taste is a lovely combination of subtle fruit flavors up front, with some blueberry and floral notes that transitions effortlessly to some earthy notes of forest floor (barnyard anyone?) and gravelly notes.  The finish is just pure Bordeaux, with an exceptionally smooth and dry finish that seems to last several minutes.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 9, as it's a great example of Margaux that's drinking well now, but could easily improve over the next two decades!  I was trying my best to figure out where I got this wine, and then I remembered it was from a tasting we did at Bar Divani in Grand Rapids, and I liked it there and bought a couple bottles for $38, which isn't a steal, but certainly for a good Margaux it's not a bad price!  Tonight I am pairing it with some tacos (come on, who else do you know that would pair Margaux with tacos?), though these are made with some smoked chorizo, roasted poblano peppers and some machego cheese, very simple, but the flavor combinations really bring out the beauty of this wine!  Salut!

2008 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza

Last Wednesday there was a fun virtual tasting at Snooth.com which is something that I always enjoy, but unfortunately I was traveling and couldn't taste all four wines on the menu.  The tasting was focused on the Ribera del Duero wines of Spain and included four different wines: 2009 Malleolus Ribera del Duero, 2011 Ferratus A0 Ribera del Duero, 2008 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza and the 2012 Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado.  Now tonight I am tasting the third wine of the group, the 2008 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza, the last of the reds we tried.

This wine has a lovely deep ruby color in the glass.  I've let this one breathe a bit, it's now been opened for a few hours, and the nose presents some lovely aromas of leather, oak, ripe berries and some licorice and vanilla notes.  The taste is quite nice, with some wonderful ripe fruit up front, blackberries, plum, and some nice toasted oak and coffee flavors midpalate.  The finish is quote nice, with some smoky, earthy notes with a good bit of minerality, almost a limestone quality.  The tannins are well polished making for a long, smooth, dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, and it's probably my second favorite of the group we tasted and it's a pretty good value in the mid-$20 range.  Tonight I am pairing this with a big steak, specifically a thick Angus ribeye that I've grilled rare and topped with a bit of bernaise, as I find the structure of this wine really matches well with the richness of the sauce, and some mashed potatoes and steamed purple asparagus.  Such a delicious meal!

2009 Malleolus Ribera del Duero

Tonight is a fun virtual tasting at Snooth.com which is something that I always enjoy.  For tonight's tasting, we are focused on the Ribera del Duero wines of Spain and I am set to taste four different wines: 2009 Malleolus Ribera del Duero, 2011 Ferratus A0 Ribera del Duero, 2008 Matarromera Crianza Ribera del Duero and the 2012 Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado.  Now considering that I am traveling right now, I won't be able to taste all four wines during the virtual tasting, so instead I will focus on the first two wines tonight, and then taste the last two this weekend.  So stay tuned for the rest of my tasting notes!

 

For the 2009 Malleolus Ribera del Duero, the wine is 100% Tempranillo that is a nice deep purple color in the glass.  The nose is somewhat fruity, with notes of blackberry and plum, with some notes of green grass, some toasted oak and a hint of minerality.  The taste has some lovely tart cherry up front that quickly transitions to some lovely leather notes and flavors of green grass, as the wonderfully structured tannins lead to a long, smooth and delicious finish.  This wine is just incredibly well structured, it makes me want to drink this wine all night long!

 Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, even though it's not a stellar bargain at about $50, but I remain convinced that it's well worth the price.  This wine would pair well with a big grilled steak, but it would also be perfect with a nice spicy dish, like a smoked chorizo with some rice and grilled veggies.  Again, just a fabulous wine and a great example of the best of Spain and the Ribera del Duero.  Cheers!

2011 Ferratus A0 Ribera del Duero

Tonight is a fun virtual tasting at Snooth.com which is something that I always enjoy.  For tonight's tasting, we are focused on the Ribera del Duero wines of Spain and I am set to taste four different wines: 2009 Malleolus Ribera del Duero, 2011 Ferratus A0 Ribera del Duero, 2008 Matarromera Crianza Ribera del Duero and the 2012 Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado.  Now considering that I am traveling right now, I won't be able to taste all four wines during the virtual tasting, so instead I will focus on the first two wines tonight, and then taste the last two this weekend.  So stay tuned for the rest of my tasting notes!

 

For the 2011 Malleolus Ribera del Duero, the wine is 100% Tempranillo that is a nice deep purple color in the glass.  The nose is somewhat fruity, with notes of blackberry and plum, balanced with some mint notes, and rich vanilla and tobacco aromas. The taste is really nice, with some bright fruit notes up front that transition to some wonderful green herbs, that transition to some vanilla and mint notes on the finish.  The tannins are well developed, leading to a very nice, long dry finish that make this a very nice food wine.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8, it's a very nice food wine, and a pretty decent value at around $20.  To me, this wine would be the absolute perfect wine to pair with a variety of lamb dishes, as the mint and herb notes would go well with the rustic flavors of lamb!  A nice food wine with a lot of great structure, cheers!

2006 E. Guigal Gigondas

What a lovely Sunday afternoon, I finally had some time to relax and take a nap, then I went to the gym for a bit and now I'm ready to ease into Sunday dinner.  And to go with that dinner, I've opened a bottle of 2006 E. Guigal Gigondas, a nice little Rhone blend (Grenache 60%, Mourvedre 30% and Syrah 10%) that I find to be food friendly, and more importantly, a pleasant drinking wine for nice spring afternoons like I'm enjoying today.

The wine is a deep violet color in the glass, edging toward some nice ruby color.  This wine can be a bit tightly wound, so you might find it more approachable letting it decant or pouring it through an aerator.  I did the latter and still let it breathe a bit in the glass before drinking it.  The nose presents some lovely dark fruit aromas of ripe plum, blackberry and cassis, along with some lovely earthy notes of cedar, anise and forest floor.  The taste has some nice fruit at the outset, that effortlessly transitions to some lovely black pepper and spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are well structured throughout, leading to a smooth, dry finish that is ideal for sipping on the patio on a spring afternoon.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, and it was a pretty good value that I bought from wineshopper.com for $25.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some steak and black bean tacos, something a little off the beaten path for a typical Rhone blend, but what the heck?  The wine pairs well with beef, and it really compliments the spice of the marinade and rustic flavors of the black beans, illustrating how versatile these wines of the southern Rhone and Languedoc can be.  Cheers!

2003 Scala Dei Priorat

Another fine "Cellar Saturday" and today I've opened a 2003 Scala Dei Priorat, a lovely decade old blend from Spain, made from Grenache (69%), Cabernet Sauvignon (24%) and Syrah (11%), and a blend that I've chosen specifically for the lovely dinner I have planned for this evening!

The wine is absolutely lovely in the glass, with deep purple colors, and a nose that just exudes dark fruit, with ample aromas of ripe plum, blackberry and cassis overlaying a hint of leather and cedar.  The taste is wonderfully complex, with a burst of fruit up front, lovely ripe plum, black cherry, and sweet blackberry that transition to some wonderful herb notes, along with some earthy notes of limestone and forest floor.  The finish is just wonderful, as the refined tannins support a long, lush and dry finish (I know those seem like contradictory terms, but really they aren't!).

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a great example of this Spanish blend, and one which really supports a variety of dishes. Tonight I have prepared a dinner which I believe perfectly compliments the beauty of this wine, some lovely grilled lamb chops marinated in chipotle olive oil, some linguine in pesto sauce and a wonderful spinach salad with bleu cheese, cranberries and white balsamic vinaigrette, so delicious!  Cheers!