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Pond OR Ray? I’ll Tell You If You Read On!
by Phil Anderson
Here is the majestic Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast in Athol, Idaho.
Last Saturday night I had the fantastic opportunity to experience a wonderful winemakers dinner at Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast featuring wines from Pend d’Oreille Winery (pronounced pond-or-ray), out of Sandpoint, ID.
Stopped and smelled the roses before tickling our taste buds
Before I lavish praises on the wines we tasted along with the food we ate let me just say that the award winning Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast is as majestic as it comes. Tucked away in the fir trees of Athol, ID, it is a true log home with six luxurious rooms, all with their own bathrooms. Midnight Dream even has a private hot tub on the balcony overlooking the waterfall at the entry. Gorgeous flower gardens brighten up the exterior decor and this B&B also boasts fresh eggs and veggies that they gather right there from their property!
We would have stayed there for sure but they were all booked up, which is a very common thing. I was quite impressed by both hosts, Robin and Lew, who made us feel like we were the most important guest’s in the lodge. There were no spirits, per se, that visited us at Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast but the wildlife sure paid us a visit as a small family of deer wandered by as we ate. Great food, great wine, great company and great wildlife all rolled into a three hour period of blissful satisfaction and contentment.
I can’t wait to return to the serenity of Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast at some point in the very near future!
And now for the main event
Well, this IS a wine blog, afterall, so I will get right to it.
This whole night came to be because of Lew who happens to love wine. He continued to pester Stephen Meyer, owner and winemaker at Pend d’Oreille, to do a winemakers dinner at their B&B. After literally years of this ongoing persistence, Stephen was able to come up with an available night and thus this event was born.
The evening started at 6PM and, believe it or not, we were EARLY! Think we were excited?
The first course was blueberry-bleu cheese ball and liver pate with crackers served with Pend d’Oreille’s Rosette, which is their dry Rose of Merlot. The Rosette had some strawberries on the palate and paired wonderfully with the liver pate.
The next course was an avacado cream soup with a 2008 Pinot Gris. VERY interesting finish in the Pinot Gris…quite heavy; not like the fruit foward and light Pinot Gris’ we’re used to. This was a little peppery on the finish and it lingered a LONG time. I don’t believe there to be a better wine to compliment this soup. It was fantastic and at this point we were two for two in the food and wine pairing.
Here is the Asian-styled buffalo short ribs, roasted winter squash and fanned rosmeary new potatoes with the Syrah (L) and the Cabernet Franc.
After a palate cleanser, which simply consisted of a lemon sorbet (that was phenomenal) the next course paired an apple salad with caramel walnuts and bleu cheese/balsamic vinegar dressing with Pend d’Oreille’s 2008 Chardonnay. This Chardonnay had a little oak in the mix (about 9-10 months on new French oak) but it was well balanced. A wonderful nose, with hints of caramel. We ended up buying a bottle of this to bring home with us.
Time for the big boys
At this point in the evening the heavy artillery was presented to us in the form of Asian-styled buffalo short ribs, roasted winter squash and fanned rosemary new potatoes. The meat literally fell off the bone as it was just SO moist and tender. We had two bold reds to go with this entry: A 2006 Cabernet Franc and a 2006 Syrah.
Lew made no bones about it, the Cabernet Franc is his most favorite Pend O’Reille Winery wine. In fact, after talking with him a bit more, it sounds like it could be his all time favorite wine. Subtle he wasn’t! I personally enjoyed the Cabernet Franc more than the Syrah, as well, though the Syrah was also very good. It had licorice on the nose and some soft tannins. The Cabernet Franc, however, was smokey, dirty and earthy; just a lot of terrior. It also had hints of raspberry on the nose. Delicious!
Time for a treat?
Then we were treated to a surprise! Stephen had brought down from Sandpoint (only 20 miles North of Athol) his 2007 Meyer 100% Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which only 97 cases were produced. Wow! Although very young, this wine packed a punch. Extremely structured with raspberries and blueberries on the nose and very smooth. I rated this as the best wine of the evening. Of course, it also had the highest price tag of the evening at $35 a bottle but it will be well worth it after laying it down for a few years.
The evening ended with a raspberry parfait with chocolate hearts paired with a Port styled Oui! which is made from Syrah. After tasting the three big boys this Port styled wine seemed to lack the nose and taste. It paired well with the parfait, especially the chocolate.
Stephen Meyer, owner and winemaker at Pend d'Oreille Winery (L) and I enjoying a glass of the 2007 Meyer 100% Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
Pend d’Oreille has been around since 1995 and gets almost all of their grapes from Eastern Washington. They have worked out exclusive relationships with the vineyards so that there will be no quality control issues. Stephen learned about winemaking from Burgandy, France, which is reflected in his terrior driven wines.
One thing I love about Pend d’Oreille Winery, besides their quality wine, is their “Think Green, Drink Red” self coined slogan which refers to their value priced Red Blend Bistro Rouge re-fill program. When you buy a magnum of their wonderful red table wine, Bistro Rouge for $25 (which is a value right off the bat!), then finish it, just wash it out with hot, HOT water, dry it VERY well and bring it back into their tasting room where they will fill it back up for only $16!
Their tasting room, which is right there at the winery in Sandpoint, was named one of the 10 Great Pacific Northwest Tasting Rooms by Wine Press Northwest in their Summer 2010 edition of their magazine. Their tasting room also boasts a wonderful Lifestyle Store which I visited last Christmas for some of Shelley’s Christmas gifts.
If you’re ever in Sandpoint, Idaho, be sure to visit Pend d’Oreille Winery. If you make it there, you likely drove right through Athol, Idaho, so you might as well stay at the Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast as well. Tell them Phil sent you!
If you like drinking wine please become a fan on Facebook. You can also find me on Twitter as well by clicking here. I also want to thank the many people who have subsribed to this blog! I am very humbled and honored that you have chosen to read this blog when you have so many options out there. Thank you, very much.
As always, thank you for reading and remember, bottoms UP!
Celebrating A Loved Ones Life
Lloyd celebrating his 86th birthday at The Cedars Floating restaurant in Coeur d'Alene, ID, September of 2008.
By Phil Anderson
This column started out, and has continued to be, about general wine thoughts. After all, that is why I named this blog the way I did. But this post will be a little more subdued. Shelley and I have been together, off and on, for awhile now and I’ve had the privilege to get to know her family during that time, but nobody more than her father, Lloyd.
He lived with Shelley for over four years and was instrumental, in various ways, in her leaving her nursing job at the hospital and starting an online support website for those taking care of their aging loved ones or parents. She has rapidly become one of the foremost experts in the field of caregiving for seniors. Her goal when her Dad came to live with her was to keep him OUT of an assisted living facility and now that goal has turned into a passion to help others that are in the position SHE was in to do the same if that is what they desire.
Last September he passed away at the age of 88. Because he wanted his remains to be scattered over Christopher Lake, which is about a half hour North of Prince Albert in Saskatchewan, Canada, we had to wait until just recently because the lake had already froze last year. The logistics of getting a boat out on a lake to spread ashes when the lake is actually ice was too much to manage.
For four years I played three hand Cribbage with Shelley and her father, Lloyd, nearly every night while sipping wine. We had to dilute his wine about a third with water because he refused to quench his thirst with water so he usually finished his wine rather quickly (we learned this the hard way). His famous saying was, “Water is to wash with not to drink!”
Shelley and her father, Lloyd, bidding winter goodbye in April of 2009.
Lloyd had a knack for picking out the subtle nuances of a wines characteristics that amazed Shelley and I, even though he might have trouble remembering names of close family members or even what we did an hour before. He DID enjoy his wine.
He also enjoyed Marilyn Monroe. Certainly that is no surprise; many men of his generation had a special fondness for her. He would have calenders, wall hangings and other things with the image of Marilyn Monroe. He combined his love for wine and his “crush” for Marilyn Monroe by drinking, when the opportunity presented itself, a Napa Valley wine called, Marilyn Merlot.
Marilyn Merlot is produced and bottled by Nova Wines of Oakville, California. What started out as just some fun with a group of friends in 1981 spiraled into a cult wine. According to their website Marilyn Wines traces its origins to 1981, when a small group of friends started making wine at their home near St. Helena, in Napa Valley. One evening in 1983, over dinner and a bottle of homemade Merlot, the concept of “Marilyn Merlot” was born. The wine enjoyed a good deal of popularity around the valley and was often donated to charity auctions and given as Christmas gifts. To learn more about the journey of Marilyn Wines just click here.
I had found, and purchased, a bottle of the 2003 Marilyn Merlot for Lloyd about five years ago. Often I would ask Shelley if “this” night would be a good night to open that bottle with her Dad but the occasion never seemed to be right. This is EXACTLY what Open That Bottle Night is all about, isn’t it!
Well, his health continued to deteriorate and it seemed apparent that he would not be enjoying this bottle of Merlot with us. After his death, the bottle sat motionless in the pantry. When a date surfaced on when we would be making the trek up into Canada to honour (that’s the way Canadians spell honor) Lloyds life I suggested we bring the bottle of Marilyn Merlot up with us and enjoy it as we spread his ashes onto Christopher Lake. Shelley agreed and that’s what we did yesterday morning.
Shelley and her family prepare to scatter Lloyds ashes into Christopher Lake just after toasting his life with a 2003 Marilyn Merlot.
The weather certainly wasn’t conducive for this event, nor did it cooperate! Windy and frigid was the lake air as the pontoon boat waited for the arrival of our group. There would be a total of 13 family members. We had glasses for everybody. As the Last Post played from my iPod through the boats’ stereo system we poured about 2 ounces of the 2003 Marilyn Merlot into each glass, passing them around. Shelley’s son, Tyler, was chosen to gently pour Lloyds remains from a ceramic vase into the chilly waters of Christopher Lake, where Lloyd had spent so many summers of his life playing.
As Shelley put it, “It was the best event of the weekend.” Although each function honored Lloyd well, the barbeque the day before at Jill and Gerald’s house and the actual memorial service following the boat ride on Sunday, this really was a special moment, for a special person, with a special wine.
It had been a long weekend, full of sadness yet fond memories. Family members that hadn’t seen each other for many, many years were reunited because of Lloyd. Two full days of emotions. As we made our way into the hotel room last night, after it was all over, I looked over to Shelley, showing her what was left of the bottle of the 2003 Marilyn Merlot, and said, “Care to finish the rest of this with me?” The answer was, of course, “Of course.”
I pried the cork (with a replica of Marilyn’s lips on two sides of the cork) out of the bottle and poured a decent glass for each of us. We swirled and smelled and sipped. Shelley noticed the beginnings of brown showing up on the edge of the wine as it started showing its age.
The wine had some alcohol in the nose but it smelled and tasted delicious with hints of prunes, raisins and soft dark cherries. It had structure and a lingering finish. But, honestly, it could have tasted horrific and we both would have loved it anyway. Thankfully, it was the perfect way to peacefully close the book on Lloyd, her father.
As I was doing research on this wine I found out what it sells for now. I paid about $35 US dollars for the bottle in 2005 and now you can purchase it for a mere 100 bucks at Marilyn Wines. To me, Shelley and her family, it was worth MUCH more than that.
Thank you for the years Lloyd, although too few, and may you Rest In Peace.
Remember, you can join the many people who like drinking wine by joining the drinking wine fan page on Facebook! We’d love to have you…
As always, thank you for reading, and remember, bottoms up and enjoy each swallow to the fullest. You never know when it will be your last glass.
WBC or Bust PLUS Wine Bloggers Conference 2010
By Phil Anderson
The past five days has been all about Walla Walla (and Washington, in general) wines and hospitality.
It’s all in the rear view mirror
I just wrapped up a five day wine tasting frenzy that started last Wednesday, June 23, in Seattle and finished last night back in Seattle. What happened in between will take multiple posts to unravel in better detail but I will attempt to give you a general overview through this particular column. I haven’t broke my notes out yet (and there are aLOT of them, so it really WILL be a general overview, based off my memory.
As you probably already know, if you’ve been reading these missives recently, I won a seat on the WBC or Bust: The Road to Walla Walla bus with about ten other winning wine bloggers (the ones who didn’t win a seat would be the ”whining” wine bloggers) who wrote something about Washington State Wine and live outside the State of Washington. There were over 100 entries that were submitted and I feel very blessed and fortunate that I was one of the chosen few to participate in the trip.
Marcus Pape, founder of Wine Chatr, spearheaded the idea of this trip and organized all of the events and participation as well as the sponsorships so that he didn’t have to declare bankrupcy afterwards.
And off we go
On Wednesday, all of the winners and selected media were collected and put on a bus and thrust up to Woodinville, Washington where we had a private tour of Chateau Ste Michelle given by the white winemaker, Wendy Stuckey, and then offered a wonderful, light food and wine pairing while sitting with the Wendy and culinary Director, John Sarich.
Immediately following we were ushered just across the street to Willows Lodge and a Grand Tasting of select wines from various Woodinville producers poured by the winemakers themselves! It was a very warm day (finally!) and so some of the wines struggled with getting too warm. Our group then had lunch at the Barking Frog restaurant which is located in the resort. It might surprise you to find out we enjoyed some fabulous wines at lunch as well.
After lunch we sashayed back to Seattle for a “change of pace” tasting of some of Seattle’s finest local beer at the Pike Brewery. I have to tell you, I absolutely love beer, but during this stop I only tasted each beer (about six of them, as I recall) and then dumped the rest in a spit bucket. Turns out this would be a precurser for the rest of the week while tasting wine.
After checking into the Renaissance Hotel we headed toward the Waterfront Seafood Grill for a Winemakers Dinner. An outstanding dinner by one of Seattles finest seafood restaurants with superior wine. We didn’t get out of there and back into our rooms until about 11:00 and we had to be up quite early the next morning.
Morning came quickly
After watching the tail end of the USA Soccer Teams win to advance to the second round of the World Cup we boarded the bus heading East. Our first stop was at the Cave B Inn for some simple appetizers and, of course, more wine tasting. This day marked the first day in my wine career that I learned to spit while tasting. I’m here to tell you that I have been completely converted! No more swallowing when tasting umpteen wines.
After a brief and (the ONLY, it turns out) non wine stop for burritos we found our way to Milbrandt Vineyards tasting room for a Yakima Vallety Grand Tasting with more food! Stop after stop, wine after wine. This stopped featured wines from Washington’s Yakima Valley and everything was scrumptious, except I was not very hungry at that point so I didn’t eat much.
The last stop of the day was in Walla Walla at Walla Walla Vitners for some brick oven baked pizza and some of their fine wines. They also had chilled beer which I declined because I was enjoying the scenic property while drinking their wine. I met Colby and Kori
I am enjoying a glass of Walla Walla Vitners finest with Kori Voorhees (M) and Colby Voorhees (R) of Wine Peeps.
(I had met her the day before in Woodinville) Voorhees of Wine Peeps, which I have as one of the few sites under my blog roll to the upper left of this column.
I poured myself into bed at my bed and breakfast, which I will write more about later because it would take too much time, room and effort now and I wouldn’t be giving it justice.
And we’re off!
On Friday we checked in at the Wine Bloggers Conference registration table at the Marcus Whitman hotel in Walla Walla. During this first day we tasted wine, were served tacos from
Host Kaz (L) and co-host Randy Hall (R) of Wine Biz Radio, out of Sonoma, California interview me at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, WA.
a taco truck (it’s better than I make it sound), heard Steve Heimoff deliver a keynote speech, attend the Wine Blogging and the Wine Industry seminar with Craig Camp, Lori Narlock and Bob Silver, took in an hour of speed tasting of 12 different white wines, accepted a Ste. Michelle Wine Estates sparkling wine at the pre dinner reception, then dinner sponsored by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and ending the evening with a Walla Walla walkabout where all the downtown tasting rooms stayed open for us.
WHEW!
Here we go again!
Saturday was, by far, my most favorite day. After an early 8AM dynamic Terroirs of the Walla Walla Valley talk presented by geologist Kevin Pogue we all boarded 15 different buses that went to three different wineries. Our bus number 10 stopped at Abeja, Woodward Canyon and Va Piano. Loved, loved, LOVED this part of the conference! We met the winemakers at each stop and really learned, in an intimate way, about all the passion that is poured into each wine.
After we got back to the hotel I sat in to listen to Andrea Robinson (whom I met the night before at Walla Walla Vitners), Barbara Evans and David Honig talk about Growing Your Audience From Other Bloggers To Consumers. After this ended I up and ran off to the next one about the use of video in your blog with Lisa Mattson, Andrea Robinson and Christian Oggenfuss. All very informative.
We did speed tasting with reds, which I must say is a kick, then the pre dinner reception and dinner, both provided by the Washington Wine Commission. At dinner, Lettie Teague, who now writes about wine for the Wall Street Journal (I miss John and Dottie!) gave a keynote speech which I have to say was completely out of place. Glasses, plates and silverware (OH MY!) were clinking and you could hardly understand a word she was saying. Fortunately, she conducted a question and answer session the next morning.
Right after dinner there was MORE WINE as an after hours fiesta with Rias Baixas Albarino and wines from Spain was presented to us. 12 Abarinos from Spain were being poured and, with rare exceptions, they all tasted the same to me. Of course, my palate could have been destroyed by that point of the night.
I must have thought the same thing that night as that was my last endeavor for this very long day.
Last day already?
Sunday morning I forced myself out of bed early so I could listen to Lettie Teague answer questions which was very informative–much better than the night before.
Craig Sutton talked about Increasing the Conversion Rate of Your Blog at the first seminar I attended and then we had Top Gun Blogging with Andrew Lazorchak, Ben Simons and Joe Herrig for the last seminar (they actually called them break out sessions) of the conference.
A very action packed Food & Wine Pairing Seminar with energetic chef Jeffrey Saad talked about the “rules of thumb” regarding food pairings. I learned a lot during his non stop, non scripted talk. That was a good preview of what was to come: A Wine & Food Pairing Lunch with Chef “Bear” Ullman that featured five white wine and food combinations and five red wine and food pairings. I only did the red but it was spectacular!
I barely had time to gather my things in time to load back onto the bus heading West this time. But the weekend hadn’t ended quite yet, no siree….
Other than Seattle, our last stop was at Alexandria Nicole Cellars for an unbelievable lunch and a tasting of 13 of their wines. CEO and Winemaker, Jarrod Boyle, took us into heaven and back with the wines he served us. As we left he graciously allowed us each to take a wine of our choice with us to take home! What a great way to end this unforgettable weekend.
Even an hour and a half delay over Snoqualmie Pass didn’t cast a shadow on the weekend, though a few of the passengers missed their flights home.
I have to say, this will be an experience that will propel me into the next phase of wine education. I want to thank Marcus Pape of Wine Chatr as well as each and every person in our group. We had two Sommeliers in our group as well as media and other bloggers. I can’t wait to get back to Walla Walla.
Until next time, remember, bottoms up! (And you don’t have to spit if you don’t want to!)
Taste Washington Takes On A Whole New Meaning
By Phil Anderson
In the month of June “Taste Washington” has taken on an entirely new meaning for me. To start, on June 6th I completed the Hat Trick of pouring at the White Out Table at Taste Washington! Spokane for the third year which is held at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington. This year we had double the white wines to pour. These are all supposed to be wines that pair well with seafood, which is good because our White Out Table was immediately following the Anthony’s Seafood bar which boasted muscles, clams and oysters (oh, my!). With their plates full of fresh seafood, people continued on to us hoping to find a great wine to pair with their delicious seafood.
Phil Anderson (that's ME!) pouring at the White Out Table at Taste Washington! Spokane!
The past two years we poured between 20-25 white wines but this year we were around 40-45 ranging from your standard whites that pair well with seafood to a Rose or two and even a sparkler. There was a Terra Blanca Chardonnay that was quite delicious; of course, the Ryan Patrick Naked Chardonnay, as well. Gifford Hirlinger brought a Pinot Gris for us to pour so that was kind of cool, because that was one of our favorite stops in Walla Walla last November.
One thing that was interesting was just the Friday before I had stopped in the tasting room at Jones of Washington in Quincy, Washington, to taste some of their wines on my way back home from Wenatchee. We actually enjoyed their Chardonnay and a Rose of Syrah that Friday night, with the Rose of Syrah REALLY standing out and hitting the spot with outstanding mouth feel. And come Sunday, there was that same Chardonnay from Jones of Washington so we could really add some insight for people when they had questions about that wine, since we weren’t given ANY tasting notes this year.
Yvonne Swanberg, General Manager of San Juan Vineyards (left) and Vivian Flanagan, co-owner of Ryan Patrick Vineyards.
A highlight of the evening was when I got to venture out among the masses to taste and visit and I went directly to Ryan Patrick Vineyards’ booth to introduce myself to Vivian Flanagan (and it turned out Terry Flanagan, as well) and it turned out they were right next to San Juan Vineyards’ booth! You might remember Yvonne and San Juan Vineyards from the previous two years when I went on and on about their Madeleine Angevine. We poured that again as well as their Siegerrebe, which I STILL cannot pronounce to save my life! I tasted a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Ryan Patrick that was wonderful and a Cabernet Franc from San Juan Vineyards that would stand up great with a juicy steak.
It’s always a pleasure to see Jill from Townshend Cellars and I said, “hello” to her and Marlene from Woodward Canyon told me she reads this blog all the time, which I am very grateful for. Now, if I can only find the time to write more than once a month! (Remember, last year I was a complet failure at this point of the year. I vow not to let that happen again!)
Some other reds that stood out during the evening were Five Star Cellars Super Tuscan Red, a Tempranillo from Kana Winery, Hedges Family Estate Red Bordeaux Blend, Robert Karl Claret and Forgeron Cellars Syrah. You just can’t taste every wine at the event but every year I give it my best go!
This year we stayed at the hotel which was wonderful. The room was extremely comfortable and it was such a luxury not to pack everything in the car and then drive an hour back home after tasting wine for four hours and then helping to break down for another two. Personally, I think we’ll do that every year from now on. Click here to watch a short video of Taste Washington! Spokane and look for me pouring at the white out table in the upper left hand corner (bald dude!) at about the 2:08 mark and at the end!
As for the rest of the “Taste Washington” scenerio, I will be partaking in the North American Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla this weekend, preceded by the WBC or Bust Road to Walla Walla tour, sponsored by Wine Chatr, that I won a seat on because of this very blog. It starts Wednesday and we will arrive in Walla Walla on Thursday night. I am going to do my very best to blog about each of the days’ activities, but there are no guarantees! I can’t begin to tell you all of the things that are lined up for the journey to Walla Walla and then the conference once we get there.
And lastly, I have just entered TWO (count ‘em, TWO) contests with a blog that ALSO won a seat on the WBC or Bust trip, Another Wine Blog and at Andrea Wine. The first one is for a set of The One wine glasses developed by Master Sommelier Andrea Immer Robinson and the second contest is by that same Master Sommelier that developed The One wine glasses as she is giving away a trip to Napa Valley! If you are going to enter those two contests, as well, I wish you luck!
Remember, if you really DO like drinking wine you should absolutely show your passion by “liking” drinking wine on Facebook (it’s kind of like becoming a fan but then they changed it!). Everyday you’ll find a little tid bit about wine and you can share your OWN general wine thoughts, as well!
So, until Wednesday night, ciao for now and remember, bottoms UP!
Running Into A RockWall Tongue First
By Phil Anderson
Omak, Washington. Not a place you would think to look for a quality wine. Or is it?
Upon a local recommendation I seeked out and found RockWall Cellars in the phone book and realized it was only 3.2 miles from my hotel. After phoning the winery I was told the tasting room had closed for the day. Bummer.
The person on the phone said he would call the owner to see if he would come open up the tasting room and I said that would be great. After five minutes my cell phone buzzed and, sure enough, I could come up to the tasting room right away.
“What great customer service,” I thought. I ALREADY like them!
Owner and Vintner of RockWall Cellars, Doug Sheets, pours a glass of 2008 Off The Wall in the tasting room at RockWall Cellars.
Little did I know what I was about to walk into. The tasting room was simply decoratated but comfortable. Doug Sheets introduced himself as the owner and vintner of RockWall Cellars and asked me what I wanted to start with.
After taking a look at 19 (yes, 19!) different wines to taste I started checking off the ones I wanted to try and still came up with 13. I tasted four different whites, including their 2008 Dry Riesling, 2008 Auxerrois, 2008 Chardonnay and their 2008 To Di For–Lula, which is a blend of 55% Gewurztraminer and 45% Riesling.
It became quite apparent from the first taste that this was a good idea to look these guys up. I liked all of the whites I tried. The Chardonnay uses light oak and it had perfect balance of oak and fruit along with a very floral nose. Their top selling wine is their To Di For–Lula blend which I found delightful. Interesting profile, however. Do you remember those felt pens that are designed for kids that have fruit fragrances in them? I got that in the nose, strawberry to be exact. And on the palate I detected a bit of petrol, which I understand is not probably something one would look for in wine but it didn’t detract from the wine. It was very interesting to be sure.
While I was tasting the To Di For–Lula, Doug told me of the story behind the name. Lula was his Great Grandmother and she inspired the naming of this wine. He also mentioned that the winery has only been around a couple of years and he owns it with his partner and sister, Diana Mock.
Pinot Noir grapes growing across the street from the RockWall Cellars tasting room.
The next wine I tasted I had never heard of and that was Auxerrois. I was very intrigued. He poured it and as I was sipping it I stared out the front door of the tasting room gazing at the sprinklers watering the Pinot Grapes just across the street. As the sun hit the water coming off the sprinkler it had a magical look to it. The Auxerrois had a slightly pungent nose and, for a white, had some body to it. It was very interesting and I’m glad I tried it. I look forward to doing some more tasting of this “off the beaten path” white varietal.
Doug then found out I am rather partial to reds and turned the tasting sheet over to reveal 11 different reds that they pour. I realized then I should probably learn to spit, but concluded now was not that time. I tasted ALL of his reds and gave each a very good score. I tried RockWall Cellars’ blends including Off The Wall, To Di For–Eddie (named after his Great Grandfather, naturally), To Di For–Amore (probably named for the love his Great Grandparents had for each other!), Generation and Second Generation. I also tried their varietals including their Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot and Reserve Merlot. RockWall Cellars also makes a Port style wine that they call Foch Lore, which is made from 100% Marechal Foch, aNOTHER varietal I had never heard of before.
It would have been rude had I not tried their Foch Lore and that’s exactly what I did. It was marvelous! It was SO good! This was the first time I actually smelled AND tasted tobacco in a wine. This had it on the nose and at the front of the palate. I know it sounds odd to say something that smells and tastes of tobacco would be good. I don’t like black licorice but when those profiles show up in a red wine I like it.
The wine that I purchased was RockWall Cellars’ 2008 Off The Wall red blend which has Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Marechal Foch in it. It had a FANTASTIC nose which I immediately fell in love with…pepper, smokey, licorice. There was a LOT going on. It also had a very long finish. I can’t wait to open this up and try it with a steak because I think this will be fantastic.
My very favorite wine from RockWall Cellars, however, came from a varietal that I don’t often enjoy this much and that was both their 2007 Merlot and their 2007 Reserve Merlot. I gave my highest marks to both but they were actually both quite different. Their Merlot had an outstanding nose and I there was plum in the taste. Doug didn’t have a bottle of the Reserve Merlot open but he felt compelled to open one for me. Although I didn’t expect that because it WAS after hours, after all, I was extremely thankful for him offering this and I accepted, with great anticipation, his pour.
This Reserve Merlot is sold for $47 a bottle, by far the most expensive of RockWall’s collection of wines. The Off The Wall blend that I purchased was only $16 a bottle, a virtual steal for what you get. Everything about the Reserve Merlot was smooth…the nose, the taste, the mouthfeel. It was a bit tight at the very beginning but it opened up quickly and wonderfully. I caught a little bit of chocolate on the nose, as well. One of my very favorite wines to date. Spectacular.
RockWall Cellars only produces about 1,200 cases of wine a year so you won’t likely find them in your favorite wine store. One of the major benefits of stopping by wineries to taste their wines is that you are likely going to taste something brand new because stores and restaurants just cannot stock ALL of the wines made in the world. What you CAN do, however, is call them right away and sign up for their wine club or, at the very least, get on their mailing list. This WILL be my next wine club that I join, without a doubt.
I am SO happy that I took the time to stop by RockWall Cellars in Omak, Washington, and taste what they’re making. If you have tasted their wine, or when you do, let me know what you think by writing a comment about it below. And if you like drinking wine but aren’t yet a fan of drinking wine on Facebook, you can click here and sign up today…like right now.
As always, thank you for reading (sorry this was such a long post) and, until next time, bottoms up!
Thank Goodness Ryan And Patrick Were Born!
Toni getting herself prepared to pour Ryan Patrick Vineyard wines for me in the tasting room located in Leavenworth, Washgington.
By Phil Anderson
For many, many months we have been drinking a particular un-oaked Chardonnay, naked Chardonnay if you will. Each time we buy it we open it, drink it and say, “This is just really good wine!” The amazing thing is that this wine costs UNDER $8 a bottle AND you can find it in most stores in their wine section. Let me see…easy to find, easy on the pocket book and EASY to drink. Sounds like a great combination, yes?
Ryan Patrick Vineyards is doing it the way a winery should do it. They are single family and estate winery with three vineyards located in central Washington State near the banks of the Columbia River and is ideally located to assure the successful growth of top quality grapes. They grow Bordeaux varietals as well as their Chardonnay, naked and clothed (with oak). Terry Flanagan, and his wife Vivian, own the winery and vineyards and sons Ryan and Patrick serve as the inspiration for the company’s name. Terry says, “Our goal has always been to produce limited quantities of reserve quality wines at affordable prices.” Their first vintage was just 10 years ago, 1999.
I visited their tasting room recently and Toni, who was behind the bar, treated my like a V.I.P. It was a delightful time. Right next to their tasting room, located in Leavenworth, Washington, is a fine meat and cheese shop called Cured at Visconti’s (Visconti’s Ristorante is located right up the stairs) selling old world salami and market cured meats as well as fine cheeses. We sashayed over to pick up some samples of things that might go with their wine and came up with porcini, cacciatore, elk jerky and an assortment of different cheeses thanks to Randy Nichols, the helpful man behind the counter.
The first thing that touched my lips was my old friend, their 2008 Naked Chardonnay which is fermented totally in stainless steel tanks at cool temperatures. No oak touches this wine ever and it is so refreshing! This has literally turned into our house white wine in the past year. They made just under 4,000 cases of this vintage but have continued to increase producion over the years because of it’s popularity, and it will soon push to near 6,000 cases. My notes didn’t get too specific with this wine other than to say, “Still love it!” Crisp and clean–just delicious.
Ryan Patricks 2007 Estate Chardonnay was actually a nice surprise with a touch of oak that was not too overbearing. It had good balance and a little bite on the finish. Certainly a nice alternative to their Naked Chardonnay.
I tasted their 2006 Barbera, which was earthy and smokey with some pepper on the nose, their 2006 Syrah, their 2007 Rock Island Red and their 2008 Rose. I have to say, I really enjoyed the Rock Island Red, consisting of 50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc, but what surprised me was their Rose. It was absolutely delicious! Very floral on the nose as well as strawberries. Perfect for a nice summer afternoon that rolls into a nice summer evening. It is made with Syrah and it is sensational.
I didn’t get the opportunity to taste their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve as it was basically sold out and they’re down to just about three cases left, just enough to stick in their library. I couldn’t quite get Toni to open a bottle. Can’t say I blame her for not opening one but I DID try…can’t hurt to try, right?
I know I’ve seen the Rock Island Red at the Costco in Coeur d’Alene. The Naked Chardonnay is everywhere around where I live. If you can’t track these down call Ryan Patrick Vineyards and have them send you a bottle of each. Don’t forget the Rose! Like I said, the Naked Chardonnay is under eight bucks, usually, and the Rose is $11 while the Rock Island Red will pull $18 from your money clip.
I really don’t care how you do it, just do it. These guys are trying to make a good wine for inexpensive and I, for one, am liking the results.
I want to thank all of the people who have become fans of wine on Facebook (or have now “liked” wine on Facebook). I can’t tell you how thankful I am that you take the time to read this simple little wine blog and have taken the energy to join wine on Facebook. I hope that you continue to enjoy my scribes here at General Wine Thoughts. I am toying with the idea of changing the name to something more catchy, more hip, more….more something I don’t really know.
Any suggestions? Any comments? Please don’t hesitate to click on “comments” at the bottom of this post. Until next time, keep it real, keep the beat and BOTTOMS UP!
Stemilt Fruit Growers Now Includes Grapes For Wine!
By Phil Anderson
My travels have recently brought me to Wenatchee, Washington. As has become habit, I’ve sought out wineries first instead of the work that originally brought me here. That’s ok, noboby has to know that! The first winery I happened upon was Stemilt Creek Winery.
Roni greeted me with a warm smile as I entered the tasting room in the heart of downtown Wenatchee. From the very start of the convesrsation she let me know of the history of the Mathison family and how they started growing quality fruit on their Stemilt Hill homestead just after the turn of the 20th century. They have now grown into one of the worlds largest producers of quality fruit including apples, pears, cherries, peaches, nectarines and blueberries.
Until 2002.
That is when they decided to add grapes to their repertoire. Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot, to be specific. I had the pleasure of tasting all these with the exception of the Syrah.
What I found very interesting was that Stemilt Creek Winery didn’t produce a white wine. No Chardonnay. No Reisling. No Viognier. Only red, which would make my friend Les Sargeant very happy. What I also thought was interesting is that none of these wines had many tannins; at least no harsh tannins. They were all very ready to drink, very smooth, had personality, character and depth. I found the Merlot to be complex and very rich with a hint of plums on the nose. The Cabernet Franc also had a very rich nose and a hint of raisins on the palate. The Cabernet Franc runs $28, their Merlot $14, and the Syrah $20.
My favorite wine was their 2005 Stemilt Hill Red which consisted of 63% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Syrah. Winemaker Jan Mathison, with her husband Kyle keeping an eye on the vineyard, hit a home run with this blend. It was lovely with cherries on the nose and palate. I enjoyed this wine so much I asked how much it was, thinking it must be pushing $30. To my astonishment it was only $14! How could I NOT get a bottle? And since I had no answer to the just asked question, I had no choice but to purchase a bottle and now I look forward to tasting it with a luscious steak.
Roni went on to explain that their winery produces less than 1,400 cases of wine a year which qualifies them as a boutique winery. What that also means is that their wine is not so easy to find in your favorite wine store. What I would suggest is to visit them at their tasting room in Wenatchee or in their just opened tasting room in Leavenworth, Washington, which is a very cute Bavarian themed village.
If you can’t visit the winery then the next best thing is to become a Stemilt Creek Winery wine club member because that is likely the only way you’ll be able to taste the quality wine that the Mathison family has taken so much pride to produce.
Don’t forget, if you’re not yet a fan of wine on Facebook, it’s not too late to become one by clicking here. As of this writing I’m at about 90 fans so I need an additional 35 to become the official wine fan page of Facebook.
As always, thank you SO much for reading and remember, bottoms up!
With Their Collection of Quality Washington State Wines These Guys Have ‘Dunham’ Right!
To date, one of the best wine trips we’ve taken was the trip to Walla Walla last fall. On that trip there was a short list of wineries that I wanted to make sure we visited and Dunham Cellars was on that list.
Eric Dunham, the winemaker at Dunham Cellars, which is located in Walla Walla, WA, has been making wine for about 15 years and the buzz surrounding Dunham Cellars wines seem to always be, like wine in a glass, swirling.
I’ve had the opportunity to taste wines from Dunham Cellars periodically over the past years. Like I said, when we visited Walla Walla last November we made their tasting room a priority and didn’t regret it, having also bought a barrel top lazy susan from there that still sits on the island in our kitchen.
I was introduced to Trutina about a year ago when I had the pleasure of enjoying a juicy filet mignon at The Metropolitan Grill in Seattle and a friend of mine brought a 2005 Trutina from Dunham Cellars. Trutina is Dunhams Bordeaux style blend and their 2005 consisted of 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 13% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Franc. It paired wonderfully with the steak and I will always remember that dinner with great friends, including Dunham Cellars’ Trutina.
Recently we had the luxury of tasting the newest vintage of Trutina, the 2006. The blend was a bit different this go around as it had 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot and 3% Syrah. It has recieved high scores from wine reviewers everywhere which led me to buy this having high expectations.
We served this with rib eye steak, which Shelley prepares to perfection each time, and it paired wonderfully with it. There was rich raspberries on the nose and black pepper and plums on the taste.
This is a good spot to write about one of the things I enjoy most about tasting wine and that is the experience. When you purchase a wine that you are looking forward to drinking, THAT is when the experience begins for me. You make the conscious decision to choose a particular bottle of wine, in this case it was the Trutina, bring it home and set it on the counter. As the steaks are marinating you glance over to the bottle, wanting to open it, but withstanding the temptation.
FINALLY, you get to open it, but you still have to WAIT a bit before you pour. In this case, we let it stand for about a half hour and then poured a small amount in each of our glasses. That is when the experience really starts taking hold. We swirl the juice, looking at the color and consistency. THEN, we gently, albeit eagerly, put our nose in the glass to see what we smell (hmmm, that doesn’t sound right. We don’t ’smell what we see’, why do we ’see what we smell’? Just wonderin’…).
This can take anywhere from a minute to 3-4 minutes depending on what we’re getting on the nose and the conversation that takes place. FINALLY, after ALL of that, we get to actually taste the wine. We slowly taste the wine, swishing it around in our mouth, trying to make contact with each part of the tongue, bringing in air to mix and activate the tastes within the wine…..and swallow. All of that build-up for a swallow of wine!
After the initial taste we usually dish up and enjoy the meal with the wine. The sadness comes with the last sip of the wine. As I swirl the last sip, usually about ten minutes or more, I smell it often, seeing if I can tell any changes to the nose of the wine since I first opened it. I finally, slowly, take the last sip, let it rest in my mouth until the last possible moment and then……I swallow it. Reality sets in as I realize the wine is now gone. It is truly a sad moment. The only consolation is knowing I will once again be able to enjoy another bottle of wine, probably the next night.
With the Trutina, this was the case as I was very sad when it was all over. I will wait with frustrating patience until I once again get to go through the process of tasting a bottle of wine.
That is what wine lovers “get” to go through when tasting wines. Not all wines carry this long experience with them, but the ones that do are so fun because of that. I hope you’ll get the opportunity to visit Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla. If you can’t go THERE then bring them to you by purchasing a bottle of their wine. You won’t be disappointed!
One more thing to note about Eric Dunham is he has collaborated with Kyle MacLachlan to produced a Cabernet Sauvignon under the Pursued By Bear label. There are two vintages for sale, the 2005 and 2006, which both earned a 91 point rating from Wine Spectator. If you don’t recognize the name, Kyle MacLachlan, perhaps you will better recognize the name, Orson Hodge, as the character he plays on Desperate Housewives. Both those wines will run you about $65 a bottle.
You might have noticed that I’ve been writing about Washington Wines a lot recently, which is true. I’ve been leaning heavy on Washington Wines because:
A) They’re SO good and SO close and SO good. And…
B) …I’m trying to win a seat on the the road to Walla Walla to attend the annual Wine Bloggers Conference in June. You’ll notice a badge at the top of the column on the left, just below where you sign up to be a member of General Wine Thoughts (which, why haven’t you done THAT already?) that is for the WBC or Bust contest. It is sponsored by WineCHATr.com and I really want to win a seat on that trip because they will be stopping at all sorts of wineries from Seattle to Walla Walla and it will be a great opportunity to meet and talk with people in and around the world of wine.
And lastly, before I go, I want to ask you, “Are you a fan of wine?” If you answered ‘yes’ to that then are you a fan of wine on Facebook? If NOT, then just click here and you TOO can become one! Thank you!
Until next time, bottoms up and thank you SO much for reading this!
Townshend Cellar Revisited
As I’m writing this it is, in my opinion, a national holiday–April Fools Day! This morning in the Coeur d’Alene Press, on the front page, there was an article that reported that President Obama had just passed another bill, to help in the ease of American’s stress. It reported that Obama, on April 15, 2010, from 6am-4pm will replace ALL of the water in ALL of the faucets of America with wine! Click here to read the article. I had quite a laugh! Especially when I saw that the reporter was named April Fuhl!
Sooooo, with that setting the table for another post about wine, here we go!
Nearly a year ago I wrote a post that described our visit to the Townshend Cellar tasting room. I recently was able to visit Townshend again to see what they were pouring and, once again, Jill Rider was at the ready.
I was able to taste a number of different wines this time. Among them:
2007 Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 Viognier, 2005 Syrah, 2002 Merlot, 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Lemberger, 2007 Malbec, Tempranillo and their non vintage T3 Rose, Red Table Wine, Pink Table Wine and their Vortex. The Tempranillo consisted of both the 2005 and 2006 vintages, which I purchased to taste more in depth at home.
I am seeing a trend in what I like the most from Townshend Cellar. Their Viognier is always good and this time was no exception. I purchased a bottle to have before dinner that particular night. Nectarine and floral notes in the nose gave way to a very fulfilling and refreshing taste. Delicious! This is a perfect wine to start the evening with, especially in the summer or on a warm day.
Another trend I’ve found is their Syrah. It was a favorite of mine in the past and this time didn’t disappoint as well, with dark cherries on the palate. I bought a bottle of this as well and we are still waiting to open it. It will likely be paired with a steak which, now that I’m writing this, am hoping will be this evening!
Lastly, I bought a bottle of their Pink Table Wine. This pretty little pink blush is delicately sweet with aromas of strawberry and cherry and flavors of strawberry, apricot and peach. Shelley enjoys a good rose from time to time and this one was very satisfying.
Townshend Cellar has just made their T3, which is their non vintage Bordeaux blend, available in stores, as it used to only be available for purchase at the winery or at a restaurant. It sells for under $20 which is a bargain for what you get.
If you’re ever around the Green Bluff area of Spokane, I would encourage you to take time to say hello to Jill in the Townshend Cellar tasting room. And tell her Phil says, “hi”.
Until next time, bottoms up!
