Long Shadows Feather Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
From acclaimed Napa Valley winemaker, Randy Dunn, the 2014 Long Shadows Feather shows its pedigree with a range breathtaking of aromas—cassis, black currant, pencil lead, incense, lanolin, and lavender. In the mouth, it’s sumptuous without being showy, acid is focused on the tip of the tongue, leading into a sculpted framework of fine yet abundant […]
Experience Oregon & Washington Wine Country Aboard a Replica Coastal Steamer
Join Me for a 7-Night Wine-Themed Cruise on the Columbia, Snake & Willamette Rivers Evidence of the ice age floods is easy to spot — 15,000 years later, the results are as profound as they are delicious. Lifting a glass of glinting ruby-hued wine, it’s impossible not to appreciate the lasting effects ancient geology had […]
Cayuse Vineyards Armada Vineyard Syrah 2007
From last night’s Vivino meetup, this bottle, the 2007 Cayuse Armada Vineyard Syrah is a dead ringer for a Northern Rhône. Waves of bacon fat, black tea and savory tones dominate the profile of this full-bodied, intense cult wine. At this stage in its development, fruit is no longer the central player, rather it plays […]
Chateau Ste. Michelle Artist Series Red 2013
Chateau Ste. Michelle’s 2013 Artist Series Red is an elegant composition of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 3% Malbec, and 3% Cab Franc, with 85% of the fruit sourced from Cold Creek Vineyard. This is also winemaker Bob Bertheau’s favorite wine to blend, one where he’s given free reign. Freshly turned earth, black currants, cassis, […]
W.T. Vintners Stoney Vine Vineyard Syrah 2014
The 2014 W.T. Stony Vine Vineyards Syrah reverberates with abundant blackberry and black cherry notes couched in a complex melange of green hay, black licorice, Chinese 5-Spice, sassafras, roasted meat, and green peppercorn. Medium weight, very Rhône-like in its countenance. Fresh and vivid, nicely balanced, and graced with a minerally vein that suspends itself over […]
Terra Blanca ONYX Red Mountain 2009
Another lovely showing from a lineup of wines sampled at Terra Blanca. The 2009 Onyx is drinking beautifully—an elegant Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, all from the winery’s Red Mountain estate. Generous, layered aromas of blackberries, cassis, ripe plum, bay leaf, and cedar lead into a wine that […]
Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 50th Anniversary Special Bottling 2015
Plush with ripe, juicy blueberries, blackberries, black currants, vanilla, and cedar. The 2015 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet was selected as one of the wines to bear a limited edition 50th Anniversary label, a nod to the winery’s past and former name of Ste. Michelle Vineyards. Plump and juicy in the mouth, this is classic Washington […]
Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Riesling Eroica 2015
Tasted following an interview with Ted Baseler (for an article on Chateau Ste. Michelle’s 50th Anniversary forthcoming in next month’s Somm Journal), the 2015 Eroica is the result of a long and fruitful partnership with Dr. Ernst Loosen. As such, it sports an endearing touch of petrol on the nose, something I readily attribute to […]
Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Lavishly perfumed with sumptuous blackberry, black currant, lavender pastille, camphor and, interestingly a dusting of talcum powder. On the palate, this Cab-dominant blend is classic Washington State in expression, medium weight, with a juicy black fruit core. That chalky note reemerges towards the finish, giving the impression that the tannins are slightly powdery and fine. […]
Columbia Winery Chardonnay 2014
Columbia Winery’s 2014 Chardonnay is actually a blend—91% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Gris, 2% Viognier, 2% “select white varieties”. Lemon-hued, the aromatic profile is predominantly orchard fruit—yellow apple and Bosc pear with a suggestion of tropical fruit and lemon budino pudding layered in. Medium-bodied and straightforward on the palate, this is a wine that few will […]