#WA Merlot Tasting at Full Pull Wines

The twitter machine was all a buzz last week with the talk of #WAMerlot, particularly those of Northwest winos. For the uninitiated, that doesn't mean a pound of WAMerlot or the number of WAMerlot you're able to drink. In the twittersphere, "#" is a hashtag; a way of listing a particular subject or event to make it easily searchable. What #WAMerlot did was allow people from all over the country to participate in what its organizer, Josh Wade of the Drink Nectar called "the largest simultaneous tasting of Washington wine anywhere."



People participated in #WAMerlot from their homes and from wineries in Walla Walla, Tri-Cities and Woodinville that hosted #WAMerlot tweetups. In many cases a few wineries threw in together to host events and provide Washington Merlot for tasting. There were wine bars and restaurants hosting Merlot flights for a fee, and private #WAMerlot events where a short guest list was established and admission was free.

All these events were organized to promote Washington Merlot. In many cases the rallying cry was to undo some of the damage that Merlot suffered at the hands of Paul Giamatti's character Miles in Sideways. The #WAMerlot event fell on Thursday March 25th from 5pm to 7pm, just one day prior to Taste Washington, an enormous wine undertaking. It was a good way to get your liver warmed up, as one winemaker said.

While Merlot has seen it's cache change since that fateful movie, it is still the number one purchased wine in the United States. It's seen as an approachable wine that pairs well with a variety of foods and has a nose and palate that are broadly appealing. Though those statistics make it clear that Merlot is still a wine of the people; it's wine aficionados and wanna be wine snobs who have turned up their noses, pun intended, at this great grape.

Gwynne and I went to the #WAMerlot event at Full Pull Wines in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Full Pull Wines' Paul Zitarelli offers Washington wines from small producers as well as hard to find boutique gems. When he finds a great deal, he emails his list. If you opt to purchase that wine, you can decide to have it shipped to you or you can become part of the Thursday Pick Up crowd. This gets you a bigger discount and an opportunity to come by the place and taste some of the wines.

Full Pull is hard to find. It's got a door sign smaller than 1 foot square, so you have to be on the look out. The party was already in full swing when we got there. We were greeted by Paul and Emily and sent over to the bar where we found Doug Haugen of Wino Magazine already into the variety of Merlots assembled before us.


We began with a Hestia Cellars limited release and Emily told me she'd introduce me to the winemaker Shannon who was "around here somewhere" but he snuck out with Paul to catch the Sounders game before I could say hello. From there we moved into a Ward Johnson 2007 Red Mountain Merlot that I learned Kurt Johnson had brought by just on my account. (Pretty cool, Kurt.) The WJW Merlot was deep and dark and displaying cherries on the palate.

When it was all said and done, we tasted probably two thirds of the 12 to 15 Merlots they had assembled at Full Pull. Our two favorites were the Alexandria Nicole Gravity 07 Merlot and the Kyra Merlot, both of which we had decided to purchase. Doug from Wino and I both were having a hard time believing the price point on the Kyra: One of the best wines in the house was only $13.

This was our first Twitter related event, I had a good time; Gwynne was a bit let down by the lack of actual social interaction. To her point; she was right, much of the time was spent sipping and then texting away to update the rest of the world what we were tasting in these brilliant Washington Merlots. The conversation was sparse but it was great meeting some others from the wine blog community.

Urban Wine Tour from 106 Pine

One of Seattle's newest wine bars is 106 Pine, where their motto is "Fresh Finds, Local Wines," and much of what they feature comes out of the nearby Pike Place Market. While that is reason enough to check them out, as of January 2, 2010, they're also offering a Urban Wine Tour on Saturdays at 2pm. Shannon Borg, the beverage manager, invited me to come join them on their inaugural trip. Given that it was advertised as a three hour tour, I was a little nervous!

Shannon is the wine writer for Seattle Magazine and has really come to develop a relationship with the wines and wine industry of Washington. She sees her role at 106 Pine as a way to give back to Washington wine and showcase the work of those she's known and worked with for so long. Though this first tour was a dress rehearsal with the owners and staff of The Chocolate Box and 106 Pine, it quickly became evident that Shannon was going to make an excellent guide. It was immediately apparent that she knows a lot about wine; I mean a lot.

The tour kicked off at the facilities at 106 Pine with a sparkling wine made by Masquerade, the Effervescing Elephant. It was a very well made Washington sparkling wine that Shannon paired with a chevre from Idaho's Rollingstone Creamery. As we tasted, Shannon explained the difference between sparkling wine and Champagne, along with the traditional "methode champenoise."

We piled into a bus-like van and made our way to Ward Johnson Winery. On the way Shannon explained the state of the Washington Wine industry and the role that Prohibition played in the industry's rebirth in the '70s. Kurt Johnson was there to greet us and to pour their Counterbalance Chardonnay, which will be featured at 106 Pine. Kurt told the tour-goers how he and Charlie, his brother got started in the basement of their mother's house in Richland, Washington.



Shannon and Kurt talked about the Counterbalance Chardonnay's high acidity and fruit characteristics, which make it stand out in the Chardonnay land of butter and oak. Shannon paired the Ward Johnson Chardonnay with the Cirrus, an amazing and highly recommended Camembert style cheese from Mt. Townshend Creamery.

From there we went a few short blocks down Elliot to The Wine Outlet. The Wine Outlet is owned by the guru of Washington Wine in Seattle, Richard Kinssies. Richard has been here from the beginning of the rebirth of Washington Wine. Richard gave us a run down of the history of his role in Washington Wine, and then shared with a JW Bridgman Viognier based blend ($7) that he blended himself. He explained the philosophy behind the Outlet: he won't sell a wine he can't get his customers a deal on. From the Voignier we transitioned to a '06 Northwest Totem Cellars Longhouse Syrah (a steal at $15). Shannon paired this wine with the Barolo and Tartufo salamis, cured meat from Creminelli.

Our final destination was in Sodo, the neighborhood that surrounds Seattle's sports stadiums. Our van pulled up at 85 Atlantic Artisan Vintners, where we were greeted by Jim of Sodo Vino and Judy of Falling Rain. Jim talked to us about the cooperative wine operation that they had running out of 85 Atlantic, and explained that as an urban winemaker, he works in Seattle because they want to be where the wine buyers are. He touched on the role the barrel plays in imparting flavor to the wine. To wrap up our visit to 85 Atlantic, Judy treated us to the highlight of the tour, a barrel tasting of two of her Merlots; one from Clifton Hills vineyards and one from Stone Ridge. Judy will eventually blend these in her Falling Rain releases.

Once the tours get underway, they'll conclude the tour with a chocolate and dessert wine pairing back at 106 Pine and wrap up in time for you to enjoy happy hour at 106 Pine. Tours are planned for every Saturday, and tickets will be $50. I'd call it a deal, particularly for those new to wine. The barrel tasting alone will be worth the price of admission, and you'll leave knowing much more about wine than when you arrived.

Seattle's Urban Wineries Part1: ...Where Everyone Knows Your Name

Kurt Johnson invited me to Ward Johnson Winery for their release party on November 21st, where they released their 2007 Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet and 2008 Counterbalance Chardonnay. The winery, run by brothers Kurt and Charlie Johnson is in an atypical location, between Magnolia and Queen Anne nearly under the Magnolia Bridge. They’ve been there about a year and a half now, and the location works quite well to back up their description of themselves as an urban family winery. The site is very welcoming and everyone goes out of their way to make you feel that you're part of the family.

Kurt invited me to belly up to the bar and as he poured he introduced me to members of the wine club who came and went throughout the evening. Kurt and Charlie knew everyone by name and they talked about little league coaches and where people were going for the holidays. Sitting there, the tasting room had such a homey, small-town feel that it was easy to forget that I was in Seattle and not Yakima or Sunnyside. The wine club members and regulars I spoke to talked about the personal relationship they felt to the winery and the Johnson brothers, the lack of pretension, and the fact that – when it came right down to it – we were drinking very good wine.

The Counterbalance Chardonnay ($20) that Kurt started me with is from the Sun River Vineyard (Columbia Valley). The Chardonnay is named after the old Queen Anne counterbalance, which was decommissioned in 1940. This wine is fermented in stainless steel and spends 8 months in neutral oak. It's a very crisp chardonnay, with a light color, and a fruity nose with bright minerality on the palate and a clean, crisp mouthfeel. Many of the guests I spoke with talked about how much they liked it; even those who didn't consider themselves "Chardonnay people."

The next wine was the 2007 Merlot ($30), from the North Block of the Hedges vineyard. My first impression was surprise: was a bit lighter and brighter in the glass than I expected. On the nose, there were cherries and a bit of tobacco, which was intoxicating. It tasted of dark and red berries with very well balanced tannins.

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) was a departure from their ‘06 (I was told) which was 100% Cab Sauv. The ‘07 incarnation was sourced from the Red Mountain AVA and blended with 10% Cabernet Franc for a very promising wine. As Charlie poured my Cabernet he told me that it had just recently gone into the bottle. The Cabernet was a dark ruby color with an excellent tannic structure, a peppery nose, and dark herbal and spicy notes on the palate.

The last wine I drank was the Ward Johnson Syrah ($30). Sourced from the Ranch at the End of the Road Vineyard, this wine is a visual masterpiece in the glass with a beautiful dark ruby color that promises good things to come. The nose on this wine is incredible, and the taste was classically well made Washington Syrah; peppery, intensely smooth, and well-balanced. Charlie poured the ‘06 for me so I could compare and I was surprised to find that I preferred the balance found in the ‘07.


I had a great time talking with Kurt and Charlie and meeting Dierdre, their sister. They're a friendly bunch with a great space and well made wines, and I will definitely be going back. If you're in Seattle I recommend you swing by Ward Johnson for some quality wine and first rate conversation.



Ward Johnson Winery

1445 Elliot Avenue West

Seattle, WA 98119