We are enjoying a 2007 Maryhill Columbia Valley Chardonnay while sitting on folding chairs and using a step stool as a table!

Open That Bottle Night 2010 came and went without much fanfare, last night, just as last year did.  This year, however, we were back at home in North Idaho instead of Ogden, Utah. 

As you may, or may not, know, Open That Bottle Night, or OTBN, is the night you force yourself to open that “once in a lifetime” bottle of wine because if you didn’t, it may never get opened.  We save that special bottle for that special time and for some reason that special time never seems to be quite special enough.  So the bottle sits.  And sits.  And sits. 

“How ’bout THIS anniversary, honey?” 

“Ummmm, no.  Not quite important enough.”

And sits.  And sits.

“How ’bout the birth of our 14th child, baby?”

“Ummmmmm, nope.  Close, but STILL not quite important enough to open THAT bottle!”

And sits.  Until, it has sat too long.  Way too long!

That is why John Brecher and Dorothy (Dottie) Gaitor coined this once a year event, in their Wall Street Journal’s ”Tastings” column, that falls on the last Saturday of each February so that we could at least open a very special bottle before it had a chance to get over the hill, so to speak.  And this was the eleventh year of the event and it has gone viral globally!  It was all a-twitter on Twitter last night with the question, “What are YOU opening for OTBN tonight?”

Two years ago we had a little soiree at our place with a small group of friends and opened some very special wines.  One of them was a 1981 Chateau St. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon.  It wasn’t very good.  It was either over the hill or just not kept correctly over the years as it was just bad.

But the experience was good.  That was the year we unvailed our cork catcher as I had just finished it a couple of days prior.  Last year we were on our own in Utah where we opened a Sancerre. 

So, what did WE open for that OTBN last night?  Good question.

This year we started out the evening with a 2007 Maryhill Chardonnay.  AND, it marked the first night of the year we enjoyed a glass of wine outside while throwing the ball to the dogs.  Last year we had snow in the back yard until April but this year it’s almost gone.  The sun was out so it made for a beautiful setting but once the sun set it got chilly really fast.  We even fed the fish in our pond for the first time this year on this eventful evening.  I drug out a couple of folding chairs because all of the patio chairs are inside for the winter, and we used a step stool as a table (see photo).

Maryhill has continually impressed me with their quality juice.  A couple of weeks ago we had a Maryhill  Sangiovese and it was very good.  We’re not really Sangiovese fans but this one was something we enjoyed.  We always enjoy their vitners blend.  But last night we opened a 2007 Columbia Valley Chardonnay, from Maryhill Winery.  It had a light toasty finish that continued to linger.  Very nice.  It wasn’t at all over oaked. 

Then, with dinner, we had a choice to make between a Cotes du Ventoux or a 2005 dArry’s Original Shiraz/Grenache from d’Arenberg in Australia and we chose the latter.

Shelley has a fondness for McLaren Vale Shiraz so we chose this one because of that.  We had T-Bone steaks (we usually have rib eye steaks) and they were scrumptious.  The only problem was that I THOUGHT it was a 100% Shiraz we were drinking (because I inadvertently FORGOT to look at the entire label!) but instead was a 50/50 Shirza/Grenache.  My bad.

Well, it started out rather tight but opened up in due time to a VERY berry nose and a chewy, jammy taste!  It paired very well with the steaks and by the end of the night my stomache was full and my heart was happy.

If you happened to enjoy your OWN Open That Bottle Night will you please comment here so that I know what YOU had to drink?  Thank you for reading and, as always, bottoms up!

Now, I understand that this post won’t be highly relevant but it’s important for me to document this event as it was even better than the previous years that we’ve volunteered.  One reason is that we have more knowledge about wine than we did a few years back.  With that comes confidence which cannot be overstated.

I HAVE been trying to write about this for about three months.  There are so many things to say I start getting overwhelmed and then just “put it off” for another day.  Well, as the song goes, “that day has come” (if it’s not a song, it should be).

Like last year, we worked the White Out Bar, which boasts about 20-25 white wines that go very well with seafood and shell fish.  The Taste Washington organizers placed the White Out Bar right next to an oyster bar ran by Anthony’s At Spokane Falls, a top of the line Seafood Restaurant, one of the finest in the state.  Making it to the oyster bar is high on the list of most of the people who go to Taste Washington so we are naturally the next stop for them, giving us many opportunities to meet people.

I can’t mention ALL of the wines we tasted, as it was well over 20 for me and about 10-15 for Shelley.  I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this but I don’t often spit when tasting wine.  Shelley will at times but not me.  I just can’t bring myself to do it. 

We noticed none of the Sauvignon Blancs that were poured at the White Out Bar had grassy notes like you find in the Australian and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.  That was interesting.  Ahead are some highlights of the wine that ambled past my lips and down my throat at Taste Washington Spokane.

I found a 2007 Chardonnay from Saint Laurent Estate Winery that was very good.  It had subtle oak notes on the nose and a caramel finish on the back of the tongue.  Very tasty.  My Taste Washington program states you can get this Chardonnay for about $15 which is a great value, in my opinion.

Our old friend from San Juan Vineyards made our acquaintance once again, Madeleine Angevine.  As we try to be objective while pouring at the White Out Bar unless asked of our opinion, I still found myself pushing this somewhat unknown white wine.  Virutually everyone that tried it enjoyed it.  After doing some research on that varietal I found that it is from the Loire Valley in France and is found in Germany, the United Kingdom and (how ironic) Washington State, where it is developing a cult following. 

I also tasted a Merlot from San Juan Vineyards that was delicious with chocolate cake on the nose and a boatload of personality.  (I’m writing this in the afternoon but I find that I really would like a glass of that San Juan Vineyards Merlot right now!)  The Madeleine Angevine runs about 17 bucks a bottle and you can expect to pay around $23 for the Merlot.

Another one that stood out was a 2005 Matthews Estate Red Wine from the Columbia Valley, which was a Bordeaux Blend.  It went perfect with the chocolate fondue I was pairing with it.  Another red that caught my attention, also from the Columbia Valley, was from William Church Winery, their 2006 Bishops Blend.  At $19, a true bargain!  Barrister Winery poured a 2007 Cabernet Franc, ALSO from the Columbia Valley, that was delicious.  It had a wonderuful nose, quite peppery, and their were certainly some tannins as well.

I could go on about wines that I tasted from Dunham Cellars, Coyote Canyon, Barnard Griffin, DiSteffano Winery, Basel Cellars Estate Winery, Vin Du Lac, Whitman Cellars and so on but it would be much of the same thing:  Great, great, great! 

Suffice it to say, this is something we hope to do every year in June as it is absolutely one of the highlights to our year.  We don’t pay the $75.00 admission fee, work for 2-3 hours pouring wines that pair well with seafood and then get to talk to aLOT of people who make wine, love wine and are wine.  It’s so much fun.  Oh yeah, we help break down for an hour or so afterwards.

So, if you are around the Spokane area June 6th or the Seattle area March 27th and 28th of this year, make a point of dropping the cash and see for yourself the quality of wine being made in Washington State. 

Until next time, bottoms up and thanks for reading!