Happy Independence Day! Well, it's my second to last day in Walla Walla doing some wine tasting, and it was a busy day! I started this morning with a trip down to Pendleton to visit the woolen mills (don't ask me why I thought shopping for a wool scarf and blanket when it was 102 degrees was a good idea!), as well as Hamley's, the old west store (I may have also done some vodka tasting at the Oregon Grain Growers distillery). Then I came back up to Walla Walla for a wine tasting at Maison Bleue, which is owned by Willamette Valley Vineyards, of which I am a proud shareholder.
Unlike the last time I tasted here, the Maison Bleue tasting room now has the Pambrun line of Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux style blends which were very nice! Next I went to AK Mercado for lunch. This is the restaurant started by chef Andrae Bopp, who is a long-time fixture in the Walla Walla food scene, operating a catering business and a small place out of a gas station. I enjoyed the brisket, braised short rib and grilled cod tacos which were phenomenal!
After lunch I went to the first of two Mark Ryan tasting rooms. The old one which has been there for the better part of a decade is the one I've been to many times, and is now focused on the core Mark Ryan label.
The Mark Ryan Annex is devoted to the other Mark Ryan labels, such as the Board Track Racer, Lu & Oly, and Monkey Wrench. In any case, the wines were still great, and I was able to pick up a bottle of 2019 Numbskull GSM blend which was sourced from Red Mountain fruit as well as the new "bubbles" white wine, which will be featured on the patio at some point this summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment