Part 1.5 of Day 2 of Walla Walla Birthday Extravaganza: The Drinkening

As Josh mentioned in his previous article regarding our recent trip, March was a month of birthdays and wine tasting in Walla Walla. Because he already covered days 1 and 3 and I'm all about chronological order, gather 'round as I share what we experienced on day 2!


The first stop on our trip was to Zerba Cellars where we were greeted by Marilyn Zerba herself. Unbeknownst to us, Zerba had just been announced as the Wine Press Northwest Winery of the Year. Josh and I have been huge fans of pretty much everything they make, so this wasn't a surprise and a very deserving accolade. The rest of our party had very little exposure to Zerba beforehand, so in the name of investigative journalism, we had to do some tasting to prove the point.

What makes Zerba Cellars such a great wine tasting spot is that they make a little bit of everything. We tried whites, French reds, Italian reds, and even a port. After tasting through about ten wines, it was unanimous that Zerba was a big hit. Some of the bottles we left with included their Wild Z Red, 2008 Barbera, 2008 Dolcetto, 2007 Merlot, and (my personal favorite) their 2008 Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre Walla Walla Valley Blend. Josh and I had the pleasure of opening this about a week ago and it is easily one of my favorite red blends of the year. Zerba's tasting notes is 100% spot on:

This medium-bodied Rhone blend has a rich bouquet of cherry, vanilla, and cedar backed by a peppery spiciness. The smooth coating flavors again display pepper, and dark cherry that fade into blackberry and a light toasted oak finish.

Up next was Dusted Valley, where Gordon found this doggy! While the dog was both entertaining and adorable, the real winner at Dusted Valley was the wine. Like our previous destination, Josh and I have had the opportunity to try many of Dusted Valley's offerings and knew we were going to enjoy what came next.

Of the eight or so wines we tasted, the first winner with the group was their Viognier. Kathryn and Alyssa especially loved its light fruit hues and easy drinkability. Definitely a perfect white for a hot summer day. Dusted Valley has made somewhat of a name for itself with their Stained Tooth Syrah and it became evident why. For a mid-tier priced syrah, you don't get a whole lot more bang for your buck than this big, spicy Syrah that just screams Walla Walla. What I left with, however, was their Grenache. It's plum-like jamminess (although they would disagree with that statement) laced with a bit of spice completely won me over.


We had some time to kill before our final appointment for the day, so we decided to randomly stop by a nearby winery. Unfortunately, this experience was a reminder that not all wineries in Walla Walla produce world-class wine. That's ok, though, as what came next was incredible.


Behold: Stella Fino Winery! Ok, so that's not entirely fair. Stella Fino is much more than a Toyota fork lift with some wine on it. In fact, it's the best Walla Walla winery you've probably never heard of. Matt and Marlene Steiner are the husband and wife couple responsible for 100% of Stella Fino's mission to create excellent Italian-varietal wines that pair well with savory food. The production may be small and they're only using about 1/3 of the space you see in these pictures, but their wines wouldn't convince you of that.

Our experience with Stella Fino started with Marlene meeting us during an absolute downpour at a small building owned by another nearby winery. Matt arrived soon after and we were then led into the facility you see above. At the time the forklift above was supplied with an array of wine glasses and we were immediately greeted with a glass of their Pinot Grigio. I'll be the first to admit that Pinot Grigio doesn't usually do it for me, but this one really won me over. It's crisp with a bit of tang and honey-like hue that screams to be paired with some seafood.


Up next was their Barbera. Alyssa and I were especially excited to try this as Stella Fino's 2006 Barbera is the wine that essentially got Alyssa into enjoying red wine. Their 2008 varietal certainly didn't disappoint with its light hues of black fruit and medium drinkability. While great on its own, it too would open up even more with food.

Also from the bottle we had the opportunity to try their 2007 Rosso Sangiovese/Barbera blend. While leagues away from what you would call a table wine, this seems to be Stella Fino's utility wine that will pair with almost anything. It delivers exactly what you expect from the blend and does it at an absolute bargain price of $19.

We had one more bottle to try, but Matt and Marlene insisted we take a break to do some barrel tasting. I've said it before, but barrel tasting never gets old as it's never the same experience twice. We had the opportunity to try a little bit of everything from their barrels, but the highlight was when he created a Sangiovese blend for us in our glass! I've never had a winemaker take multiple pulls from barrels and create a blend in my glass for me, so that was a first. We were also lucky enough to be drinking wines almost ready for bottling,


Our final pour was their 2009 Columbia Valley Dry Orange Muscat. It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. If you're a big fan of orange muscats and are ok with it being on the dry side, you should love this wine. Kathryn did!

I know I must sound like a broken record with my multiple endorsements of great Italian varietals, but Stella Fino is a sure thing if you're looking for great Italian varietals from the Pacific Northwest. A HUGE thank you goes out to Matt and Marlene for not only providing us an incredibly fun afternoon, but for being so kind and willing to take the time to share their story, insights on wine making, and their wine.

All in all, day 2 of our Walla Walla Birthday Extravaganza weekend was a huge success. We left with a bunch of incredible wine, some great experiences, and new friends.

Walla Walla, Washington's Woodward Canyon Winery; It's a mouthful!

A mouthful of deliciousness, that is.  A few weeks ago, in celebration of not one, not two, but three birthdays in the month of March, a group of bloggers and friends converged on Walla Walla, Washington for a long weekend of wine, food, and friends.  If your first thoughts upon hearing Walla Walla are, “isn’t there a prison and some onions there?” then perhaps you are reading the wrong blog.  If, on the other hand, the sweet sweet city so nice they named it twice connotes an instant drool effect, makes you giggle like a school girl, or creates the unexplicable need to hold your bookbag in front of you like in junior high boy standing at the chalkboard, read on friends.

The trip to Walla Walla comprised 2.5 days and 6 people:  blog notables Me and Rick, friends Alyssa, Kathryn, and Gordon, and special guest from Minnesota Dominique.  Four years ago I never would have imagined Walla Walla would be the locale of choice to celebrate my 30th birthday, but that's exactly what happened.  You see, I grew up just 40 miles from this magical town, but my only memories were of a small town that was the destination for field trips and basketball tournaments.  Red wine came into the picture, and the rest, they say, is history.  Since then, I've made a point of hitting the "WW" every year or two and have a blast every time.

The first day of our trip was winery free due to travel, however, that didn't keep us from enjoying the local bounty.  Sweet Basil Pizzeria was the perfect setting for a low-key dinner, a few pitchers of beer, and a bottle of wine as we all caught up with each other and noshed on some mad grub.  Pizza, that is.  Awesome pizza.  And breadsticks.  We followed dinner with a bottle or two at The Vineyard Lounge at the Marcus Whitman Hotel and retired to the house for the evening for a rousing game of Uno with some more wine.  We dove into winery land the next day, an awesome day that Rick is going to chronicle in a coming attraction on the blog.  If you bat your eyelashes seductively, you might even convince him to talk about our awesome dinner at Brasserie Four.  What I'm going to focus on is what I lovingly refer to as "day 3", also known as Sunday or Woodward Canyon day.

I'll be honest, Sunday started a little slow for me.  Well, not really.  I woke up with a spring in my step and a gleam in my eye, made coffee, cooked pancakes for everyone, ate said pancakes, and promptly started to feel like crap.  You see, as legend holds, Rick and I were matching everyone else on the wine 2 to 1 the night before.  Given that Rick has a solid 10 pounds on me, I took the brunt of the damage.  It was the dreaded delayed hangover.  Ugh.  Well, virtually nothing was going to make me miss the day so while the ladies were buying us pie and Gatorade, I took care of business and was ready to rally and hit the wine trail.  We started the tasting at Cougar Crest Winery, ALWAYS a winner (pssst, I hear they're looking at a Woodinville tasting room), and progressed to L'Ecole 41.  Both were awesome, but the highlight of the day was a tasting we had scheduled at a local favorite, Woodward Canyon Winery.

Located in an 1870's farmhouse in Lowden, Washington, Woodward Canyon Winery was founded in 1981 by pillars of the Walla Walla wine industry Rick Small and Darcey Fugman-Small.  When I say pillars, I mean that Rick is currently the Chairman of the Washington Wine Commission and Darcey was one of the authors of the original petition for the Walla Walla AVA. That kind of pillar.  Our group was quickly greeted by Tasting Room Associate Taylor Oswald, who led us into the reserve house for what was to be a transformative tasting for our group.  As we entered the reserve house, we were greeted with a table set with customized tasting menus for us.  That's right, our own pour list.

An aside on the reserve house...talk about a gorgeous facility!  A literal conference room of wine, this building in the backyard of the winery also holds the owners offices, a full catering production kitchen, and the Woodward private wine cellar.  Taylor had pre-poured a selection of four reds for us and poured 2 whites on demand.  This particular day we tasted through a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, NV Red Wine, Barbera, Red Reserve. and Artist Series Cabernet.  Throughout the tasting, we playfully bantered with Taylor and basked in both his knowledge of wine and the winery, and the quality of the juice in our glasses.  At the end of the day, there were two unanimous favorites that emerged:

• 2009 Washington State Chardonnay:  I'm pretty sure this is the best darn Chardonnay on the market right now in the state of Washington.  Based on what I heard at Taste Washington, I'm not alone in this opinion.  I'm not a white guy and I'm still salivating thinking about this one.  Crisp and clean with a nice balance of acidity, this wine integrates the oak in a very refreshing way.  Simply put, it's a must have even at the $44 price point.
• 2008 "Artist Series" Cabernet Sauvignon:  The clear winner for the big red fans of the group, the Artist Series Cab is balanced with 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Syrah.  Primarily sourced from Champoux Vineyard, this cab has some nice earthy notes and has a fine portfolio of tannins.  Fruit forward with a finish of cocoa and chocolate, it's worth every penny of the $49 and I'm still trying to figure out how to convince Rick to open the bottle he purchased next time I visit.

So...great wine, great company, great staff...what more could we ask for?  Well, a trip the cellar hit the spot.  Described as the owner's private collection, the Woodward cellar reminded us of the Airfield "batcave" experience we had last February.  I was speechless in awe as we were lead down into the room with a small, intimate table, large chandelier, and thousands of bottles of wine dating back to the early '80's.  In fact, it appeared there was representation from every vintage Woodward has produced in this room. I tried to talk them out of a 1981, the year of my birth, but none of that was to be had.  We were incredibly lucky to see this special place.

Next time you're headed to Walla Walla, stop in Lowden and say hi to the nice folks at Woodward Canyon. Taylor and Marlene will take great care of you...and the wine speaks for itself.  If you run across the Chardonnay, you'd be silly to not pick it up.

Washington Syrah; A Tasting of Terroir (Part 1 of a 2 Part series)

Washington grows wine that can stand up to wine from anywhere else, and our Syrah is no exception. We all have particular expectations of what we'll get from a glass of Syrah. Though Syrah grown in France will be quite different from a Syrah grown in Washington, the Syrahs grown in Washington have elements in common. Within those commonalities, however, are subtle differences that come from the growing regions spread across the state.

I wanted to invite some friends over to explore the subtleties that exist in four different Washington Syrahs, all from 2006. The Syrahs came from of Walla Walla valley, the Wahluke Slope, and two examples of Yakima Valley: Red Mountain and the Boushey Vineyard. A friend, Craig Nickel, happens to be Cellarmaster for DeLille Cellars, and agreed to lead us through the tastings and give us the dirt on Washington's terroir. (Oh, that's a good one.)

We were lucky enough to have the cooperation of four wineries for this event; the wines were provided by Delille Cellars, K Vintners, Laurelhurst Cellars and Fielding Hills. Today's post will cover the Walla Walla Valley and Wahluke slope Syrahs; tomorrow we'll talk about the Yakima Valley Syrahs.

We started out in the Wahluke Slope. Wahluke is the Native term for "watering place," and it is Washington's 8th AVA. Originally dominated by Riesling and Chardonnay, the Wahluke Slope trademark sandy and gravelly soil now boast 80% red wine varietals, including some of the best Merlot in the state. The 2006 Fielding Hills Syrah ($40) from the Riverbend Vineyard represented the Wahluke Slope. Fielding Hills is a family owned winery that has been in operation since 2000, making small lot premium wines that are given lots of care and attention. They have developed an excellent reputation as one of Washington's fine winemakers.

The Fielding Hills Syrah was a very nice example of the trademark Wahluke Slope characteristics. The wine had a beautiful ruby color, slightly lighter than the other three Syrahs we'd taste, with smoky berry notes to match. It was as the most peppery of the Syrahs we tasted, which Craig pointed out is a trademark of Syrah that is even more present when the weather is quite hot. (Wahluke Slope is the warmest grape growing region in Washington.) Some guests noticed notes of chocolate and ripe red berries. This wine was well balanced and had an excellent finish that kept us coming back.

We moved from Wahluke Slope to Walla Walla Valley and the K Vintners Morrison Lane Syrah ($45). Walla Walla is known as the "Napa of Washington" and in many ways is the re-birthplace of the Washington Wine industry. The Walla Walla Valley AVA is in the southeastern-most corner of Washington and is marked by a wind blow silt deposited loess soil. K Vintners is one of the original winemakers in Walla Walla and their Syrah is an example of classic Walla Walla, where the fruit typically hangs longer to produce a "shrivel". That level of ripeness produces a concentration of flavor in the fruit. The wine it produces is well-balanced with excellent acidity and well structured tannins.

The first noticeable difference between our first two wines was color. The K Syrah was very dark in glass, nearly black, and had a more fragrant nose with floral notes. On the palate, it was much darker fruit with prunes and dark cherries. While the spice and pepper mingled with the fruit, they weren't as overt. The K Syrah exhibited dark earthen tones on both the nose and the palate. This is a big shouldered rich wine.

Tomorrow we'll talk about the Yakima Valley Syrahs; the Laurelhurst Cellars Boushey Vineyard Syrah, and the Delille Cellars Grand Ciel Syrah.

Only 3 cases? 1000 miles and some great wine.

As previously mentioned, The Oregon Wine Blog dispatched a crew in Eastern Washington last weekend to check out the Red Mountain and Walla Walla Valley AVA's. I suppose to call ourselves a "crew" would imply a higher level of sophistication than the reality of Chris, Rick, myself with a camera, laptop, and an appetite for great wine and food. Nonetheless, we covered 1000 miles on the road and returned with some fantastic memories and a carload of great wine. Below is a brief overview and some highlights, with more detailed reviews to come in the weeks to follow.

The weekend started at a brisk pace Friday morning with some jet-skiing on the Columbia River in Richland, WA -- the heart of Eastern Washington wine country. After working up an appetite and taking a quick lunch at Atomic Ale Brewpub, we were on the road to Benton City for the first highlight of the weekend: a private tour with formal pairing at Col Solare. The estate was gorgeous, wine phenomenal, pairings spot on, and the hospitality of Wendi (the tasting room manager) among the best I've seen in the wine industry. No detail is left to chance at Col Solare and contrary to popular belief, they are not open "by invitation only". You just need to call and make an appointment. We'll definitely be doing an entire post on Col Solare.

The second highlight hands down was Terra Blanca. You may remember that Micheal blogged about Terra Blanca a year ago and to my very pleasant surprise, we walked in to see the same smiling face from the last visit behind the tasting room bar -- Rachel's. After a mediocre experience at Fidelitas, Terra Blanca left the perfect taste in our mouths and we spent over an hour chatting with Rachel, Keith the winemaker, and Drew from the tasting room. Oh yea, they have some great new wine out as well. We'll also be dedicating an entire post to TB.

We found the final surprising highlight in a Walla Walla culinary experience. We had planned on having dinner at Saffron as it had come highly recommended and had a great menu, so it was much to my chagrin to find a 2-hour waiting list with no reservation

made. The host was kind enough to direct us to Brasserie Four, a French-inspired restaurant with unique menu and an unassuming take on wine. All three of us ordered different main courses, and we shared an appetizer as well as a dessert. Everything we put in our mouths that evening was simply amazing, and the waitstaff very helpful. My favorite part of the entire experience is their wine list, or lack thereof. Patrons go to the wine rack on the wall, pick a bottle, and take it to the table where it is promptly opened and poured. How refreshing! More to come on this fine dining establishment as well.

We also had good experiences at Barnard Griffin, L'Ecole 41, and Cougar Crest wineries. All in all, a perfect vacation / research trip for The Oregon Wine Blog. It's a rough job, but somebody has to provide you with the latest and greatest from the Pacific Northwest. Fire up those RSS readers because we've got more great Eastern Washington coverage on the way -- in addition to our series on nontraditional wines of the Pacific Northwest and a review of the Oregon State Fair wine competition. Cheers!

Ending 2008 On A Good Note

Last night (New Year's Eve Eve) found me enjoying a glass of wine with my friend Adam. Adam knows that I am a member of this wine blog, and tonight I tried to do something a little different. While at Adam’s this evening, I pulled out a bottle of Dedication Two from Cougar Crest Winery. Cougar Crest is a winery in the Walla Walla region of southeastern Washington. This bottle was from the trip some of us from the Oregon Wine Blog took to the region over the summer.

This is a very special wine in many ways. The daughter of the winemakers was in an accident and was taken to Doernbecher’s Children Hospital in Portland, Oregon. The doctors were successful in healing the daughter of the winemakers and as a result, a portion of the proceeds from this wine goes to Dorenbecher’s at Oregon Health and Science University.

The reason this is called Dedication Two is because this the second release of this wine. The website describes this red table wine as a “complex blend of classic Bordeaux varietals, plus Lemberger, and Syrah.” It is also noted that the Dedication Two has a little bit of an “extra Syrah,” and is aged longer in the barrel.

Tonight while Adam and I drank the Dedication Two, I decided to ask him what some of his thoughts were of this wine and make note of them to see where they might be different from my perceptions, so the evaluation of this wine will be different from others I have done.

Adam’s thoughts:

- Distinctly fermented smell

- Hits strong initially

- More like a strong whiskey finish than a wine, almost “burning”

- Sharp going down, even after a bit

- Color is deep crimson

My thoughts:

- Can taste spices – not sure if it is really because of spices or because of the wood

- Wood taste

- Flavor stays on the front of the tongue

- Warming sensation on the throat

I helped Adam with notice the way the blend coats the glass. I paid attention to the legs are somewhat absent. It should be noted that despite how it might appear, we did both enjoy this wine - the full flavor of it and rich nose - tipping our hats to the winemakers.

Until next time…

Columbia and Walla Walla Valley!

Like salmon spawning up the Columbia River, staff of The Oregon Wine Blog headed northeast this past weekend into the heart of Washington Wine Country. A trip that had been in the planning stages since February and conceptualized months before that, I was pleased to take our group to my hometown and showcase the wine, food, and culture that most certainly didn’t exist there when I was growing up. I’m going to share some overall thoughts on the trip, culinary, and lodging experiences – look for upcoming posts about specific wineries and wines.

We started the weekend in Richland, WA gateway to a number of appellations within the Columbia Valley AVA. Known for arid soil, warm days, and cool nights, the 300-plus days of sunshine in this region make for some excellent big reds. While in Richland we stayed at the Red Lion Hanford House, a recently refurbished property sitting on the edge of Howard Amon Park, bordering the Columbia River. The view was nice (be sure to ask for a view room), the balcony was perfect for sipping a bottle of wine in the evening, and beds were quite comfortable. Free internet and parking, what more can you ask for? While in the Tri-Cities area, we primarily visited Red Mountain and patronized the following wineries:

• Barnard Griffin
• Kiona Winery
• Fidelitas
• Terra Blanca

In terms of dining, we explored Katya’s Bistro and Wine Bar in Richland one evening and had a wonderful experience. A mix of Italian and Greek cuisine with an expansive local wine list, be sure to ask for a seat out on the deck where you can get a sliver of a view of the river nearby. Service was a little awkward; however, we had some delicious food and great wine. I enjoyed one of the specials, fresh coho salmon in a nectarine sauce. The next evening, after a long day of wine tasting, we stopped by Atomic Ale Brewpub and Eatery before hitting the road. The wood-fired, gourmet pizza hit the spot and gave us fuel to finish the day right.

The next stop in our journey was Walla Walla Valley, the aptly-named AVA currently home to over 85 wineries and 1,400 acres of vineyards. We had the fortune of finding a wonderful 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom rental home for a very reasonable price, courtesy of VRBO.com. It served as the home base for our journey to the following wineries:

• Cougar Crest Winery
• Tamarack Cellars
• Sapolil Cellars
• Three Rivers Winery

Much of our culinary experience in Walla Walla was centered around the farmer’s market that was downtown on Saturday morning. There, we were able to pick up farm-fresh Walla Walla sweet onions, elephant garlic, corn, blackberries, Serrano peppers, and garlic jalepeno focaccia bread. Add some sirloin steak, and we feasted all night with delicious food and wine. For breakfast we tried Merchants, Ltd. downtown and for the most part had a nice meal. When stopping by later in the day, though, to grab a baguette and some cheese to take out to Three Rivers, we were really turned off by the rude manner in which one of the employees told us the kitchen was closed (which apparently means they can’t sell cheese out of the deli case). Yes, we saw the sign – but it doesn’t necessarily require the kitchen to cut off a block of cheese and you didn’t have to be rude! That place is crossed off the list.

All in all, an amazing weekend that is indicative of the bounty of the Pacific Northwest. What more can you ask than good friends, food, wine, and great scenery? It was a fairly inexpensive weekend, at least in travel expenses. Wine purchases? That’s a whole different ballgame.

Meanderings in my little Wine World

Today I was greeted with my copy of Red, White, and Drunk All Over; A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass. The book, written by Natalie MacLean, was recently advertised in my Wine Blog Email, and I figured I’d give it a shot. The email almost qualified as Spam, but I figured I’d give it a chance, since someone was so kind as to send an email. If you’re sitting on a copy of the book, I’ll let you know my thoughts in the coming weeks.

NAPA VALLEY TRIP

Stretching beyond our Northwest viticulture, my wife and I have planned a trip to Napa Valley in late July, early August. Any suggestions on where to visit? Let us know.

A TOUCH OF WALLA WALLA

When recently invited over to some friends, Walla Walla wine made its way to our table. Our friends had recently made the trip, 5 plus hours mind you, and we couldn’t help but feel like the lucky ones, having spared the snowy drive across the pass, along with rising gasoline costs.

Our offerings that night consisted of a Northstar 2005 Petit Verdot, and a 2003 Canoe Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon. I’ve seen the Canoe Ridge label in my local market, but was unaware of the Northstar offering. The Petit Verdot was paired with a delicious cheese display, consisting of Coppa, Maytag, Gruyere, and some Caerphilly. Not wanting to make a scene with tasting notes, I walked away thinking the wine was good – not great. In fact, the Caerphilly left a greater impression on my wife and I, than the wine.

The Canoe Ridge offering, paired with fresh caught Salmon and Prawns, left a more positive reaction. The wine, consisting of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, only reassured my recent dis-appreciation with blends. That funk will burn over soon…..I’m sure. Any suggestions on a solid blend? Let me know.

A SHOUTOUT TO OREGON WINE

Recent articles in a handful of publications indicate Oregon produced and crushed a record amount of grapes in 2007. Most exciting to read was that Pinot Gris production increased by 15% and Cabernet Sauvignon production increased by 33%. I haven’t read anything on Washington’s production as of late.
In early February, Washington State made news when a study indicated the wine industry contributed a little more than $2 billion to the state economy in 2006. 19,000 people were said to be working in the Washington Wine industry, and future outlooks appeared strong.
A growing wine industry in Washington and Oregon can only bode well, considering the tough economic times we now find ourselves in.