Château Calon-Ségur Saint-Estèphe Grand Cru Classé 2000
A Classic Saint-Estèphe, the Calon-Ségur 2000 offers up sumptuous aromas of steeped blackberries, forest floor, wet wood, game, char, asphalt, saddle leather, violets, and brown sugar. The influence of the estate vineyard’s deep gravelly soils is evident in the nose and in a delicate vein of minerality, that sits like filagree atop velvety, caressing tannins. […]
Crêpes with an Oregon Marionberry Reduction Sauce
In another lifetime, I made dozens of crêpes on Friday nights, when throngs of customers would flood my Eastern Washington tasting room to catch live music on the weekends. Since then, I’ve refined the recipe a bit—not the crêpes themselves, rather the toppings. Back then, I used our wineries’ Columbia Valley Cabernet, now I’m more […]
Familiar Eladio Piñeiro Envidia Cochina 2013
Aside from the curious albeit intriguing story about the “Poisonous Worm of Envy” that graces the front label (is a reference to poison on a beverage label ever a good thing?), the 2013 Eladio Piñeiro Envidia Cochina is a plunge into a world of grassy olive oil, fresh herbs, saline and brine, interlaced with lemon […]
Barons de Rothschild Bordeaux Réserve Spéciale Blanc 2013
2013 was a tough vintage in Bordeaux, Château Lafite Rothschild describes it as the worst vintage in over 30 years, though it is important to note that the whites generally fared better than the reds. Nevertheless, the estate has the pedigree to pull off a good wine in a challenging year, I was favorably impressed […]
Gruet Brut Rosé
You have to admire what the proprietors of Gruet have accomplished—a husband and wife team from France, both had dreamed of producing a high-quality sparkling wine using méthode champenoise. Planting vines at high-altitude in New Mexico was, admittedly a gamble, and they’ve succeeded. Perhaps even more remarkable, they produce a lovely bubbles for under $20.00. […]
Angel Food Cake with Summer Berries
I love a good backyard cookout, with endless variations on burgers piled sky-high with hickory smoked bacon, sautéed Walla Walla sweet onions, sharp cheddar, all of it artfully smashed between a warm brioche bun. And let’s not forget the hot dogs slathered in pickle relish and mustard, the all-important potato salad, and grilled sweet corn. […]