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« April 2008 | Main | June 2008 »

May 29, 2008

Vintage Walla Walla: June 6 and 7

Although we regularly visit Walla Walla every few months, our timing is always off relative to the seasonal wine events held there. We make the annual trek for Thanksgiving, which is the week before Holiday Barrel Tasting, and then for Easter, which is several weeks in advance of Spring Release Weekend. Fourth of July is our regular summer trip, which comes after Vintage Walla Walla. It's time to start planning more trips to Walla Walla that are scheduled around key wine events, for I am starting to feel left out of all that is going on in this special part...

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Posted by Thad at 08:12 PM | | Comments (0)

May 28, 2008

Syncline 2007 Rose Columbia Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Syncline describes their rosé as a "wine for warming up the grill, watching the sunset, or packing a picnic". Last night, we not only warmed up the grill, but cooked a delicious wild king salmon on it, which we enjoyed eating outside while a bright spring sun set slowly on the horizon. This dinner was extraordinary for several reasons. It's been a rare occasion when the weather has been warm and sunny enough to enjoy eating dinner al fresco. And with wild king salmon at $30 a pound, it has to be a special...

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Posted by Thad at 08:25 PM | | Comments (0)

May 25, 2008

Robert Mondavi: Lasting Connections

Of all the recent blog posts and news articles on the passing of Robert Mondavi, it is the personal stories that recount connections made by meeting Mondavi or experiencing his wines that are the most captivating and inspiring. These stories demonstrate the rewards that come in getting to know the people behind the wine they craft. They also show how certain wines can create connections to periods and places in our lives that will remain with us for decades to come. As to understanding the person behind the wine, two bloggers on opposite coasts described similar experiences when meeting Robert...

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Posted by Thad at 01:40 PM | | Comments (0)

May 21, 2008

Why being "best" no longer matters

It seems you see the superlative "best" being overused in a variety of situations these days in print, on television, radio, and online. When considering its use with wine, "best" has clearly reached a point of becoming gratuitous. "Best wines" are no longer reserved for end of year features, for this adjective has become ubiquitous in magazines, tv shows, blogs and podcasts. As a result, it no longer seems to hold much value. Consider the ad above for a moment, which positions the Waterbrook 2005 Mélange as the "best American red wine". Is that what the folks at Waterbrook...

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Posted by Thad at 08:12 PM | | Comments (0)

May 20, 2008

The Logos of Thor Iverson

Even though I subscribe to dozens of wine blog feeds, there are but a handful of sites that provide truly meaningful learning experiences helping to further my wine knowledge. Thor Iverson of oenoLogic is one of those few wine bloggers whose writings grab my attention, invite me to read, and encourage me to study. His recent posts on alcohol levels in wine are terrific examples of how Thor can take a current blog topic and expound on it in a way that takes you beyond what has already been stated, resulting in a deeper understanding of wine. Thor is...

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Posted by Thad at 09:00 PM | | Comments (2)

May 14, 2008

Seven Hills 2006 Pinot Gris Oregon

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) One of the nice things about living in the Pacific Northwest is having access to a wide assortment of local wines. This access enables us to try new Washington and Oregon wines on a regular basis at our dinner table. It's a rare occasion when we repeat a bottle, for there are just too many new producers or new releases in our region to sample. However, there are dinners when a decent everyday wine is worth repeating. Such is the case with the Seven Hills 2006 Pinot Gris. At $15 retail, it is...

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Posted by Thad at 08:11 PM | | Comments (0)

May 13, 2008

Otis Kenyon 2005 Syrah

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Ever since several readers had recommended a visit to Otis Kenyon winery in Walla Walla, I have been eager to try one of their wines. It was rather fortuitous that I received a bottle of Otis Kenyon 2005 Syrah (14.3%) in the mixed case prize from Northwest Palate a few months back. With some steaks to grill, I thought it was an opportune time to pull the Otis Kenyon from the cellar and give it a try. Our dinner consisted of grilled tri-tips with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, and twice baked potatoes....

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Posted by Thad at 04:45 PM | | Comments (0)

May 12, 2008

Fort Walla Walla Cellars 2003 Syrah

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Last July, I paid a visit to the downtown tasting room of Fort Walla Walla Cellars, where I ended up having a memorable experience sampling their wines and learning more about this winery (read the review here). After tasting their wines, I decided to purchase a bottle of the Fort Walla Walla Cellars 2003 Syrah Walla Walla Valley (13.8%). It's too bad I didn't purchase more than one bottle of this wine, for it was a terrific syrah. We paired the Fort Walla Walla Cellars syrah with an Italian sausage and white bean...

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Posted by Thad at 06:57 AM | | Comments (2)

May 11, 2008

Fidelitas 2005 m100 Columbia Valley

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) I love a wine with a good story behind it, especially when it is shared directly on the bottle's label. There is nothing more effective at connecting you to the people and places behind a wine than a label that shares something about the who, what and/or where. I found this and more in the Fidelitas 2005 m100 Columbia Valley ($20), a bottle given to me by my father-in-law, Bob (a.k.a., Pappa Rosso). What immediately captivated me about this wine was the winemaker notes on the bottle's back label: Let’s raise a glass...

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Posted by Thad at 02:56 PM | | Comments (0)

May 10, 2008

Mixing things up with dinner

Any regular reader of BeyondtheBottle.com might surmise that only Washington or Oregon wine is served at our table. This is true for many nights of the week, but not every dinner is matched to a local wine. In fact, there is an occasional week when no Pacific Northwest wine is poured, allowing us to mix things up and experience varietals from other regions and countries. So, what do we enjoy when it's not an Oregon or Washington wine? Recently, we've been drinking wines from Italy, Spain, France, Argentina and New Zealand. From Italy, we enjoy dolcetto, barbera, and nebbiolo from...

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Posted by Thad at 05:00 PM | | Comments (0)

May 03, 2008

Argyle Nuthouse Pinot Noir: 1997 vs. 2004

While on a trip to the Oregon coast eight years ago, Kari and I spent a day visiting wineries in the northern Willamette Valley. It was our first trip to Oregon pinot noir country and to be honest I came away unimpressed with the wines. Looking back, I know why this was the case, for it was in that year, 2000, that I was fully immersed in full-bodied, high octane wines such as California zinfandels, Australian shiraz and Washington syrah, just to name a few. On that fateful trip, I purchased a bottle of Argyle 1997 Nuthouse Pinot Noir...

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Posted by Thad at 12:48 PM | | Comments (0)

May 02, 2008

Walla Walla Spring Release Weekend

It's the first Saturday in May and that means Spring Release Weekend in Walla Walla. Over sixty wineries will be opening their doors to the public, some for the only time during the year, to celebrate the release of new wines. Although we can't make it this year, I am looking forward to hearing from Catie of Through the Walla Walla Grapevine and Amy of amyrootvik.com about their experiences at the weekend event. Catie and Amy are must read bloggers covering the local wine scene in the Walla Walla Valley. If you happen to attend, then please share your experiences...

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Posted by Thad at 08:14 PM | | Comments (0)