The Last Hurrah of Washington Wine Month!

Happy Easter!  And since it's the last official day of Washington Wine Month, I thought I'd end it with a tribute to all the wonderful Washington wines I've enjoyed throughout the month that I just haven't had the time to devote a full blog posting to, of course it's easy to lose track of blog time when you're traveling for more than half the month!  So without further delay, here are the remaining Washington wines I've enjoyed with a few notes and a bit of context for where I enjoyed them:

2008 L'Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Merlot

What can I say, I love me some L'Ecole! This wine we enjoyed at my Washington tasting at the beginning of the month, and I had intended to have posts on all the wines we enjoyed, but alas, what do they say about all good plans of mice and men or something like that?  From what I recall, this wine was a lovely example of a high quality Merlot, with rich black fruit and a lush mouthfeel that made is a joy to sip.

2009 Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet Savignon and Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

At the Washington tasting I decided to do a vertical, or is this a horizontal tasting of the same vintage Cabernet Sauvignons, but allow folks to see the difference between the Walla Walla and Columbia Valley wines.  Although I love the Walla Walla Cab, it was interesting that a number of guests actually liked the Columbia Valley better!  In any event, I thought both were lovely to drink, and I got a terrific price on the CV Cab, so I couldn't complain about either one.  I found the Columbia Valley to have a bit more pepper and spice, and some more earthy tones, while the Walla Walla was much smoother, and more refined, with notes of dark chocolate and mocha.

2009 Substance Washington Cabernet Sauvignon

This one I picked up at Rolf's Wine Store in Newport Beach and brought to my old college roommate's house for a nice dinner of lovely Costco ribeyes as we watched our Alma Mater, the Bucknell Bison win the Patriot League tournament and secure a place in the NCAA tournament.  We had three bottles of wine that night, and from what I recall, this one had a good bit of black fruit with some boisterous tannins and some cherry cola on the finish.  Overall, it was a nice wine that paired perfectly with steak.

2007 Hogue Genesis Cabernet Sauvignon

The last of the unrequited Washington wines was the 2007 Hogue Genesis Cabernet Sauvignon that I had at Roy's in Newport Beach with my old roommate.  I was glad I found a nice Washington wine on the wine list as I was committed to drinking only Washington wines throughout the month.  The bottle was pretty reasonable by restaurant wine list terms, and it was a nice easy sipping Cabernet that I enjoyed with my sushi of all things!  Yes, I had this with a rainbow roll, some unagi and some tuna sashimi, and it worked out well for me!

So there you have it, the missing wines of Washington Wine month, here's to enjoying many more before March 2014 rolls around!

2007 Sparkman Stella Mae

Almost done with Washington Wine Month, and what a month it's been!  Tonight I've decided to open another bottle that's been in the cellar for a couple years, but I thought at age 6, this one might be worth opening, the 2007 Sparkman Stella Mae Columbia Valley Bordeaux style blend, made with Cabernet Sauvignon (62%), Merlot (21%) and Petit Verdot (17%).

The wine is a deep purple color in the glass, and the nose is an interesting combination of prune, ripe cherry, Asian spices and smoke.  The taste is not at all what I expected given the nose, but there were lush flavors of ripe berries on the outset, followed by some lovely notes of mocha and cocoa powder midpalate, followed by a very smooth, very dry finish that seemed to last a good 30 seconds.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a really nice Columbia Valley blend that would pair nicely with a broad variety of dishes.  Tonight I am enjoying it with some chicken breast stir fried with some fresh vegetables and then simmered in a Thai green curry sauce over jasmine rice, and the dryness of this wine really compliments the richness and spice of the curry.  Cheers!

2008 Waters Interlude Columbia Valley Red Wine

How sad, I've been away for a week and suddenly Washington Wine Month is almost at an end! Fear not fellow Washington Winos, I mean Wine Fans, I have at least two more to share with you, including tonight's feature, the 2008 Waters Interlude Columbia Valley Red Wine.  Now I'll admit, I bought this a year or two ago, and I can't even remember where I bought it from, but it's from Washington, so I'm going to enjoy it tonight!

For a Columbia Valley wine, this one really throws you off, since it has a nose that is so reminiscent of the lovely Walla Walla blends, which suggests for a CV designation, this one is likely under-appreciated,  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, ripe red fruit and a bit of spice, all surrounded by a hint of musky earth.  The taste is just lovely, with some ripe berries up front, along with some tart cherry, which makes for an interesting combination, followed by some green grass and cedar midpalate.  The finish is perfectly dry, as the well developed tannins support a long, lush, dry finish.

As I mentioned earlier, I can't remember where I bought this one, so I have no idea whether it was a bargain or appropriately priced, but I can certainly have no hesitation rating this one a solid 8.5 as it's just a terrific example of a Columbia Valley blend that is at the top of its game.  Tonight I am enjoying it with a rare angus ribeye, a big baked potato and some lovely veggies (purple carrots, asparagus, zucchini, red onion and green pepper) grilled in a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.  What a lovely pairing as this wine supports the big red meat, but also plays nicely with the rich aromatics of the grilled veggies.  So delicious!