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« April 2009 | Main | June 2009 »

May 28, 2009

When good wine goes Brett

That fresh, fruit forward, balanced wine you sampled years ago and purchased a few bottles to set back for a while? It's now got a gamey or Band-Aid taste to it. The culprit? Most likely it's a case of brettanomyces, a yeast that in some instances can add "character" to a wine, while in others can be a total turn off. I recently encountered two cases of brett in wine, both of which helped me realize that I have a high sensitivity toward a particular compound, 4-ethylpheno (4EP), which tends to impart smells of a barnyard or stable as well...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:06 PM | | Comments (1)

May 25, 2009

Broadley Vineyards 2007 Estate Pinot Noir

The Broadley Vineyards 2007 Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13.5%) was a deep ruby red in the glass offering notes of fresh raspberry and cherry fruit with hints of earth. These flavors continued to open up with every glass we enjoyed with our grilled Copper River king salmon which was served on a bed of herbed orzo with fresh asparagus and a caprese salad alongside. At $33, this was a more expensive Oregon pinot noir than others I have been drinking in the 2007 vintage. Although it offered fruit sourced from its vineyards, I am not sure if this...

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Posted by Thad W. at 03:17 PM |

Brooks 2007 Riesling Willamette Valley

This Oregon riesling offered a delicious pairing with a spicy, lamb kefta dinner one night. In fact, it became the Brooks 2007 Riesling Willamette Valley became an instant hit with our meal, offering acidity to cut the rich lamb with sweetness to cool the heat. In the glass, the Brooks riesling was a clear, light straw color delivering a slight petrol signature followed by distinct notes of wet stones. There was an appealing minerality to this crisp, light wine, one that carried itself through a long finish. The Brooks (11.2%) offers a style in riesling that is a clear...

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Posted by Thad W. at 02:17 PM |

Sleight of Hand "The Magician" 2007 Gewurztraminer

This Columbia Valley gewurztraminer, Sleight of Hand's "The Magician" (12.7%), is a clear, straw yellow color in the glass, delivering tropical floral scents to the nose. Flavors of ripe pineapple and creamy coconut remind one of a piña colada. Too creamy, viscous for my taste, as I was hoping for more spice and acidity along with the slightly residual sweetness. Purchased at retail for $17. Related Links Sleight of Hands "The Magician" Web Page...

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Posted by Thad W. at 01:58 PM |

Kyra 2007 Chenin Blanc Columbia Valley

The Kyra Chenin Blanc 2007 Columbia Valley ($13), with 1.5% residual sugar and a syrupy viscousness to it, is too much sweetness for my taste. I enjoy off-dry wines with spicy foods, but the Kyra (12.8%) was just not my style. It was like sugar cane in the glass. Related Links Washington Wine Report Review...

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Posted by Thad W. at 01:27 PM |

Meditrina (5) NV

The Meditrina (5) is an approachable blend of syrah (48%), pinot noir (27%), and zinfandel (25%) from Sokol Blosser in Oregon. In the glass, this wine looks like a syrah, with a deep purple color, while delivering notes of red berry fruits, earth, and toast. This is a very drinkable wine, one that offered good fruit, balanced acidity, and a decent finish. We paired it with a dinner of a rich, hearty sausage sauce on soft polenta with fresh roasted asparagus alongside. At 10,000 cases, a $15 price point, a stylistic name/label, and it's own web site, the Medtrina...

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Posted by Thad W. at 12:37 PM |

May 19, 2009

Paul Gregutt 2.0

For more than a decade, I have enjoyed following Paul Gregutt's column in The Seattle Times, as his coverage of the Washington and Oregon wine scene has broadened my exposure to wines and wineries I might have otherwise overlooked. Along the way, I may not have always agreed with Gregutt's opinions or his approach toward covering wine, but I was better off for reading his column. During the last few years, I started getting the sense that there was something more that Gregutt had to offer. This sense came from attending a Taste Washington 2008 seminar he led featuring the...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:03 PM |

May 18, 2009

Review: Adamant Cellars Winery

One of the aspects I enjoy most about visiting new wineries is that you are usually served by the winemaker him/herself. It's a great opportunity to not only meet the person behind the wines you're sampling, but more importantly to hear firsthand their motivations to getting into the business and their approach toward their craft. Entering Adamant Cellars on a late March Sunday afternoon, I was immediately approached by Devin, founder/winemaker, who proceeded to pour several of his wines at no charge. Along the way, he offered stories about growing up in Portland and learning to make wine from...

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Posted by Thad W. at 07:32 PM | | Comments (2)

Review: Kontos Cellars Winery

To see firsthand that starting a winery can be a full time family affair, all one needs to do is walk into a tasting room and see kids hanging out. Such was the case when I arrived at Kontos Cellars, where I had the privilege of meeting Chris Kontos and his young daughter working one Sunday afternoon in late March. Kontos Cellars is one of several incubator wineries built in an identical group of buildings on the northeastern edge of the Walla Walla Regional Airport industrial park. Kontos and its neighbors each have a six year lease on their...

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Posted by Thad W. at 07:04 PM |

May 17, 2009

Review: Mannina Cellars Winery

If you're looking for evidence of things changing out at the Walla Walla airport, then look no further than Mannina Cellars. This winery is located on a street containing several newly constructed buildings housing some upstart winemakers in the valley. The backdrop of wheat fields and the Blue Mountains just behind this stretch of wineries is just beautiful. On the Sunday afternoon I visited, a Walla Walla Community College eunology student was working in the tasting room, pouring a merlot and a red blend with no tasting fees attached. I was impressed when the young woman behind the counter...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:01 PM |

Review: Dunham Cellars Winery

Dunham Cellars is located at the Walla Walla airport in an area that used to serve as the hangars and barracks for flight test crews during WWII. It is an interesting setting and Eric Dunham, winemaker/founder, has made the most of it converting their building into a combination tasting room and "hanger lounge". On the Sunday afternoon I visited, there were eight different wines being poured for a $5 tasting fee, which was refundable with purchase. These wines included a chardonnay, two rielsings, two cab sauvs, two syrahs, and a red blend. The woman serving me was very knowledgeable...

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Posted by Thad W. at 06:38 PM |

Review: Otis Kenyon Tasting Room

What a terrific experience I had at the Otis Kenyon tasting room in downtown Walla Walla. On the Sunday afternoon I visited in late March, I was greeted by Jessica, who proceeded to pour four distinct red wines with no tasting fees attached. These included a cab sauv and a syrah, both 100% varietal makeup, as well as a malbec and a carmenere, both blends. Jessica is the type of person you want working in a tasting room, for she is well trained about serving and well informed about the wines she pours. Even better, she's a good story...

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Posted by Thad W. at 03:10 PM |

Review: Zerba Cellars Tasting Room

Just south of Walla Walla across the WA-OR border on highway 11 is the Zerba Cellars tasting room. It is located inside a modern log cabin next door to one of their estate vineyards. On the Sunday I visited, Marilyn Zerba was pouring a broad flight of wines for about half a dozen folks, with everyone clearly having a good time. I really enjoyed meeting Marilyn and hearing her story about how she and Cecil, her husband, were long standing nursery owners in the area who decided to go into the wine business about ten years ago. She did...

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Posted by Thad W. at 02:21 PM |

Review: Saviah Cellars Winery

In late March, I paid a visit to the Saviah Cellars winery, which is located about 10 minutes south of downtown Walla Walla. Having enjoyed a bottle of the Saviah 2005 Malbec, I was eager to taste the 2006 vintage in hopes of getting more. On the Sunday of my visit, I was greeted by a friendly young woman who offered eager pours but seemed a bit reserved when it came to going beyond the bottle with each wine. Fortunately, there were some detailed winemaker notes available with each of the four wines poured on this day, which included a...

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Posted by Thad W. at 01:36 PM |

May 16, 2009

Dobbes 2007 Grande Assemblage Cuvée Pinot Noir

What a terrific wine the Dobbes 2007 Grande Assemblage Cuvée Pinot Noir is. In the glass, this Oregon pinot noir ($26) was a light ruby red delivering strawberry, raspberry, and cherry fruit to the nose along with hints of truffles, fennel, white pepper and dusty earth. I really enjoyed the red berry fruit flavors and balanced acidity that led to a lush and long silky finish. We paired the Dobbes pinot (13.5%) with grilled Jamaican jerk chicken thighs, fresh Washington asparagus, and steamed herb rice. This wine was a wonderful complement to our meal and one that I am...

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Posted by Thad W. at 03:26 PM | | Comments (1)

May 09, 2009

Cayuse 2005 God Only Knows Grenache

After seeing some of the rave reviews about this wine and then trying it for myself over dinner recently, I could not help but think, "God only knows what the fuss is all about..." or maybe it's better put "God only knows how anyone could claim to taste anything but alcohol..." I am a big fan of grenache and have enjoyed many a Washington rendition of this variety. But I just don't get it with Christophe Baron's version, the God Only Knows 2005 Grenache Cayuse Vinyeards. At 14.7%, this wine packs a bunch beyond that delivered to one's brain...

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Posted by Thad W. at 06:44 PM | | Comments (4)

When that bottle you've been saving breaks

After doing some wine shopping this morning, I was down in the cellar loading up a rack when suddenly a bottle leapt from one of the shelves. Before I could react, I watched as a long brown bottle of Trust Cellars 2006 Riesling fell to the floor, shattering with a horrifying sound of breaking glass. For over a decade of collecting and storing wine, I have yet to drop a bottle or have one fall off a shelf in my cellar. My first reaction was to look at the label to see what I had lost, a Trust riesling, another...

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Posted by Thad W. at 01:34 PM | | Comments (1)

May 07, 2009

Sokol Blosser 2006 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills

After a challenging vintage, some wineries will try to embellish the description of their wines in order to overcome any shortcoming in their product. At the same time, there are others who are straight up with the consumer, letting them know of the challenges they faced and the resulting wine they produced. The folks at Sokol Blosser winery clearly fit the latter case, as evidenced by the straight talk they offer about the Sokol Blosser 2006 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills. It wasn't until after I drank this wine that I came upon their candid winemaker notes on their web...

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Posted by Thad W. at 07:55 PM |

May 02, 2009

L' Ecole No. 41 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley

For the record, I am extremely biased toward Walla Walla Valley fruit, therefore my subjective palate has a tendency to become fully smitten with wines made from grapes sourced in this area of Washington state. Such is the case with the L' Ecole No. 41 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley, a wine I am left with feelings of regret for not having another bottle to enjoy. I came into possession of this wine as part of a mixed case I won well over a year ago after completing a customer survey for Northwest Palate magazine. In the glass,...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:32 PM |

Cristom 2007 Pinot Noir Mt Jefferson Cuvee

What a terrific Oregon pinot noir. In the glass, the Cristom Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir Mt Jefferson Cuvee Willamette Valley (13.5%) is a clear, ruby red giving off scents of dusty earth and perfumed notes of strawberry/raspberry fruit and mint. On the palate, the Cristom has a very nice, clean mouth feel, with red berry fruit flavors and balanced acidity, all leading to a deliciously long finish. We paired the Mt Jefferson cuvee , which is a blend of fruit from 13 different vineyards, with fresh wild King salmon which was seasoned with fennel salt and olive oil and...

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Posted by Thad W. at 03:10 PM |


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