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Main

October 22, 2008

Trio Vintners 2007 Riesling

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) The Trio Vintners 2007 Riesling Lewis Vineyard Yakima Valley is a wine that executes well on the inside and the outside of the bottle. And it is easy on the pocket book as well, retailing for $16 at the wine shop where I purchased it. We paired the Trio riesling (12.8% alcohol) with a wonderful chicken yakisoba dish Kari crafted, which combined cut up chicken thighs stir fried along with fresh shitake mushrooms, green onions, julienne carrots, and yakisoba noodles. Best of all was this amazing sauce Kari made that pulled it all...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:44 PM | | Comments (0)

October 21, 2008

LA Times Profiles the Walla Walla Valley

Earlier this month, Patrick Comiskey wrote a nice feature on twenty wineries to visit in the Willamette Valley. In Wednesday's food section of the Los Angeles Times, he's now turning his attention to a special place in southeastern Washington, "Walla Walla wineries: a place for exciting reds". Comiskey, a senior editor for Wine & Spirits magazine, focuses much of his feature on the amazing syrahs coming out of this part of the Pacific Northwest, but along the way highlights the unique characteristics of Walla Walla fruit. I wholeheartedly agree with Comiskey on his fondness for Walla Walla Valley wines....

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:01 PM | | Comments (0)

October 18, 2008

Saviah Cellars 2005 Malbec

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) The Saviah Cellars 2005 Malbec is one of my new favorite wines from the Walla Walla Valley. From the first sip to the last glass, I was completely smitten, if not carried away, with this delicious wine. In fact, after learning it was crafted by Richard Funk, Saviah's founder and winemaker, it wasn't long before I started channeling George Clinton of Parliament: "Ow, we want the funk Give up the funk Ow, we need the funk We gotta have that funk" Okay, so my wife didn't think it was very funny either when...

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Posted by Thad W. at 12:56 PM | | Comments (0)

September 18, 2008

Rulo 2007 Sauvignon Blanc

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) It is amazing how some folks can invest so much of themselves into making good wine, yet do the bare minimum to connect their customers to the people and places behind their craft. For example, there are times when little detail about a wine is offered on the bottle's label. And then there are instances when even less information is provided online at the producer's web site. Granted making wine is an incredibly time consuming process, yet it seems a shame that for all of the energy invested, the only testament to this...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:04 PM | | Comments (0)

August 06, 2008

Review: Walla Walla Vintners Winery

If you visit the Walla Walla Vintners web site, you will be treated to a great story detailing how Myles Anderson and Gordon Venneri got their start in winemaking and eventually founded the 8th winery in Walla Walla. You will also read about their generous support of other winemakers, having lent space, equipment, and know how to a variety of folks who are now part of the Walla Walla Valley winemaking fold. This generosity extends to Myles and Gordon's involvement with the Institute for Enology & Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College. However, if you visit their winery, you...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:04 PM | | Comments (2)

July 22, 2008

Review: Seven Hills Winery

When it comes to running a tasting room, there are wineries that get what it means to provide a truly connected experience. And then there are those that clearly don't. The folks at Seven Hills Winery get it, for their tasting room is one that provides strong connections to the people and places behind their wines. Seven Hills Winery is located in the historic Whitehouse-Crawford building in downtown Walla Walla. Their spacious tasting room offers a wide bar with views into the winery's barrel room. The restored wood plank floors, high ceilings, exposed beams, and brick walls provide a...

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Posted by Thad W. at 07:19 PM | | Comments (0)

July 13, 2008

Review: Trust Cellars

While in Walla Walla over the Fourth of July, my father-in-law, Bob, a.k.a. Pappa Rosso, suggested I check out Trust Cellars. Then Catie, the Walla Walla Wine Woman, urged me to stop by as well. As a result, it quickly moved to the top of my list of wineries to see during that weekend. The Trust Cellars winery and tasting room is just a short drive south from downtown Walla Walla. It is located in a small building situated on the outskirts of a sizable vineyard. Trust shares its tasting room with Chateau Rollat, another start up winery, which...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:31 PM | | Comments (0)

July 11, 2008

On the Walla Walla wine trail

I love visiting the Walla Walla Valley in the summer. The long, hot days combined with being outside amongst acres of farmland rekindles memories of my childhood in Oklahoma. It's hard not to feel a bit at home in this part of Washington state, especially at this time of year. Walla Walla is a much prettier place as evidenced by the panorama above, which I shot at my brother-in-law's place a few miles southeast of downtown. With each visit to this valley comes new places to see, new people to meet, and new discoveries to be made along the...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:49 PM | | Comments (2)

July 09, 2008

Review: aMaurice Cellars Winery

àMaurice Cellars is located east of downtown Walla Walla on Mill Creek Road. It is next door to Walla Walla Vintners and just down the road from K Vintners and the Abeja Inn. Along the lane leading to the winery, rows of lavender greet you, which were in full bloom on the Saturday afternoon I visited. The winery is housed in a temporary structure (there are plans to build a larger complex) next to the 13 acre estate vineyard planted in 2006. àMaurice, is a family-owned and operated winery, named after Maurice Shafer, the father of founder Tom Shafer,...

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Posted by Thad W. at 05:44 AM | | Comments (0)

July 03, 2008

4th of July in Walla Walla

Tomorrow, I make the five hour journey east from Seattle to Walla Walla for our annual Fourth of July gathering with family and friends. Kari and the girls flew out on Tuesday, therefore I am looking forward to seeing them again as well as spending time with my extended family. To celebrate our nation's birthday, we gather at my brother-in-law's place southeast of downtown Walla Walla, in the heart of wheat country. After an afternoon of the kids swimming and adults playing bocce ball, we come together around a long table outside to celebrate local food and wine. I...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:32 PM | | Comments (0)

July 02, 2008

L'Ecole No 41 "Walla Voila" 2007 Chenin Blanc

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Whenever I stumble upon a bottle of Washington or Oregon wine that is made from a varietal that is off the beaten path, I will always buy it. No matter what the chance it might be poured down the drain, these wines are worth a try. Why? You just never know when one of these easily overlooked varietals might become a newly discovered favorite. Such is the case with the L'Ecole No 41 "Walla Voila" 2007 Chenin Blanc ($12.99), which was described on the back label in the following manner: A trademark of...

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Posted by Thad W. at 07:25 PM | | Comments (1)

June 21, 2008

Tertulia Cellars 2006 Viognier

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) With pork chops and onions grilling, a pot of Spanish rice cooking, and fresh avocados ready to be sliced, I pulled from the refrigerator a bottle of Tertulia Cellars 2006 Viognier. This wine immediately reminded me of the visit I enjoyed at the Tertulia Cellars winery in Walla Walla last spring, which was where I purchased this bottle for $18. The Tertulia '06 Viognier (14%) is comprised of 76% viognier and 24% roussanne. Some of the viognier and all of the roussanne was sourced from the Lonesome Spring Ranch in the Yakima Valley...

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Posted by Thad W. at 01:10 PM | | Comments (0)

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 W. at 08:12 PM | | Comments (0)

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 W. 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 W. 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 W. at 06:57 AM | | Comments (2)

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 W. at 08:14 PM | | Comments (0)

April 29, 2008

WIDWD: Boedecker Cellars 2004 Athena Pinot Noir

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) While shopping for wine, I am always on the lookout for any 2004 or 2005 Oregon pinot noirs that I have yet to try. Such was the case with the Boedecker Cellars 2004 Athena Pinot Noir (13.9%), a wine I discovered at Esquin Wine Merchants a few weeks back. Unfortunately, I recall little after having this wine with dinner, while forgetting the meal entirely. Goes to show the downside of forgetting to write anything down. I guess it was due to being somewhat neutral on this wine. The label describes the wine as,...

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Posted by Thad W. at 05:56 AM | | Comments (0)

April 09, 2008

Isenhower Cellars: Team Terroir

While in Walla Walla weekend before last, I had the opportunity to stop by Isenhower Cellars to visit with my father-in-law, Bob, who works in their tasting room. For full disclosure, I have no financial or business interest in this winery, just a connection through family. It was an opportune visit, in that they had recently started pouring some of their new releases. At the same time, it was a very inspiring visit, for Isenhower Cellars has clearly set a new benchmark when it comes to focusing on terroir. While tasting through their new wines, I noticed how the...

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Posted by Thad W. at 07:38 PM | | Comments (2)

April 03, 2008

Tertulia Cellars: A Social Approach

A few miles south of downtown Walla Walla amongst acres of wheat fields, a new colorful winery has arisen. Tertulia Cellars is a place that stands out amongst its peers in terms of architecture and design. From the outside, one is immediately struck by the bold multi-colored building as a place that might be taking a different approach to the winery experience. Walking inside only confirms what these folks have brought to the Walla Walla Valley: a place designed to be a social gathering around wine. The approach Tertulia Cellars is taking with their tasting room is in keeping...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:13 PM | | Comments (0)

April 02, 2008

Weekend in Walla Walla

Yesterday I returned from a few days in Walla Walla visiting family. Weather wise, it was a bizarre weekend for late March, with snow showers throughout the day on Sunday. I did get a chance to visit a couple of wineries and eat at a few restaurants, which I will be writing about in the coming week. I was really jazzed about the wine experiences that were a result of this short trip. After going thru pages of notes that have yet to be crafted into worthwhile reading, I am feeling way behind on sharing my experiences with Washington and...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:21 PM | | Comments (0)

March 06, 2008

WIDWD: Seven Hills 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Hills Vineyard

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) I am becoming a big fan of Walla Walla Valley fruit. Red or white, I enjoy the flavors, the acidity, and many times the lower alcohol in wines sourced from this valley. I have become especially fond of cabernet sauvignon from Walla Walla Valley, with Pepper Bridge and Amavi being two of my favorite Washington cabs. While shopping at Esquin Wine Merchants a few weeks back, I picked up a bottle of Seven Hills 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Hills Vineyard for $31.95. Last Saturday night, we grilled a couple of fillets along with...

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Posted by Thad W. at 03:55 PM | | Comments (0)

February 03, 2008

WIDWD: L'Ecole Nº 41 2002 Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Syrah

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Boy, did this L'Ecole Nº 41 wine live up to its label, which states, "The fruit for our Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Syrah was harvested ultra-ripe, resulting in a dark, massive and dense wine." It certainly was a big, extracted wine with dark cherry fruit, providing a hearty wine on a cold winter night. Even still, it paired well with the grilled filet mignon we had last night with roasted fennel, red onions and carrots along with onion rings. The kosher salt and ground pepper seasoned free range beef was served with a chipotle...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:32 PM | | Comments (0)

January 03, 2008

WIDWD: 2001 Isenhower Cellars Columbia Valley Wild Alfalfa Syrah

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) The adage, "good things come to those who wait", is useful when it comes to wine. It speaks to the merits of being patient and discovering the rewards that come in due course. Far too often, the desire for instant gratification with wine trumps any willingness to wait for the good things that might come later. The merits of being patient were evident the other evening when I opened a 2001 Isenhower Cellars Wild Alfalfa Syrah. It was a clear, cold winter night on New Year's Eve, when Kari and I started dinner. Our...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:08 PM | | Comments (0)

November 29, 2007

Local Guidance for Holiday Barrel Tasting

If you're headed to Walla Walla this weekend for the annual Holiday Barrrel Tasting, I encourage you to visit Catie's blog, Through the Walla Walla Grapevine, and Amy's blog, amyrootvik.com. Both bloggers not only live in Walla Walla, but have been involved in the valley's wine industry for some years now. Catie has been writing about Walla Walla wine for over two years now, while Amy began blogging last December. Their blogs offer some useful guidance on how to get the most out of this weekend's event as well as providing insightful background on both established and new wineries in...

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Posted by Thad W. at 10:46 AM | | Comments (0)

November 26, 2007

Walla Walla and Woodinville Wine Weekend Events

This weekend there will be two significant wine events in Washington state. In Walla Walla, the 12th annual Holiday Barrel Tasting will be held with over 50 wineries offering barrel tastes of upcoming releases on Saturday and Sunday. In Woodinville, the St. Nicholas Day Open House will be held with more than 30 wineries opening their doors to visitors on both days as well. For those planning to attend either event, I wanted to highlight the wineries I have visited in the last six months that provided experiences that went beyond the bottle to connect me to the who, what...

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Posted by Thad W. at 03:56 PM | | Comments (0)

WIDWD: Walla Walla Thanksgiving Weekend

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) For the last five years, my wife's parents have hosted Thanksgiving dinner in Walla Walla. It has become an annual tradition to bring both sides of our family together to celebrate and give thanks, making this holiday a truly unique occasion. Moms, dads, brothers, sisters, and friends from both clans have come from near and far each year for this special gathering. As a result, an extraordinary bond has been established over the years between our respective parents and siblings. This year's Thanksgiving was yet another fun celebration, although it went by far too...

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Posted by Thad W. at 10:04 AM | | Comments (0)

November 19, 2007

The Fruits of Paul Gregutt's Labors

Fall is always a busy time for wineries, with harvest bringing in the new vintage and the previous years' bottlings being released. It seems Paul Gregutt, wine columnist for The Seattle Times, has been just as busy crafting some enjoyable and insightful pieces on the Pacific Northwest wine scene. Terroir Is Not A Small Dog! - an excerpt from Paul's new book, "Washington Wines & Wineries", which should be a good read considering the witty approach he takes with this piece about Washington state vineyards. Acquiring A Taste - a recent cover story for the Pacific Northwest magazine's annual wine...

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Posted by Thad W. at 01:43 PM | | Comments (1)

November 05, 2007

A Toast to Pappa Rosso

You may recognize Bob, aka Pappa Rosso, from a Washington wine event or the tasting room at Isenhower Cellars in Walla Walla. I wanted to write about Bob for several reasons, all of which focus on how he celebrates wine in a way that clearly distinguishes him from others. First, I believe Bob is the benchmark when it comes to tasting room managers. He is truly unique when it comes to connecting folks to the wine he pours. Second, Bob's been a terrific teacher and mentor to me. Over the last decade, my knowledge and appreciation for wine has...

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Posted by Thad W. at 12:22 PM | | Comments (4)

October 31, 2007