A Serious Wine Cellar: Coeur d'Alene's Beverly's Restaurant

I was in Coeur d'Alene on business, a town that is quite difficult to spell. I knew there were a few wineries out that way and had spoken with Kimber Gates of Coeur d'Alene Cellars about arranging a visit before I left town. Unsure of what kind of wine options existed in town for dinner or drinks I hadn't planned on much - then I got word from the man known as Wild Bill.

A phone call came through and on the other end was a man whose voice was as gravelly as my own; the one and only Wild Bill. "Clive, the restaurant in the Coeur d'Alene resort is deadly serious about their wine, get up here. Get to Beverly's." As Bill hung up there was a crackle at the end of the line, giving me a moment to think about just how serious it might be. This was Coeur d'Alene after all, a resort mecca for the outdoors inclined. The Northwest's well-heeled needed a scenic place to play in the summer and this place fit the bill. But how serious might this wine list be? I hit the elevator like a man on a mission.

When I arrived at Beverly's, Wild Bill had already cased the joint and he was seated in the lounge with two colleagues. The blog's own Josh Gana and a cat named Jeff whose family has been making wine for decades. Bill knows a classy joint when he sees one and this was no exception. As I greeted the fellas, Bill nodded at the waiter, "Sir, we'll have two of those buffalo carpaccios and this guys gonna order us some wine."

I asked everyone at the table what they were in the mood for and Bill said "Show us what Washington can do." I turned straight to the Washington Syrah section of Beverly's 89 page wine list and settled on a Bunnel Family Boushey-McPherson Syrah from 2006. Having had the Bunnel family wines before and seeing Dick Boushey's name on the label was all I needed to know.

The sommelier Eric came out to take our order and since we had missed the 4:30 tour time of the cellars, we asked if it might be possible to get a tour of Beverly's cellars. Admitting that he needed to go down there anyways to pick out our wine, we were invited to come along.


Along the way Eric shared that Beverly's has an inventory of around 10,000 bottles and if they sold it all at dinner we'd be talking about 2 million dollars worth of wine. We descended a tight spiral staircase and entered a dark room surrounded by bins of wine. Burgundy, Oregon, Washington Syrah, Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape were all around us. There may have even been some wines from California. Eric rummaged around and pulled out our Bunnel Syrah and popped the cork. If you've not had this wine it's a beautiful example of Washington Syrah; you can spend a night just on the nose thanks to the toasty Hungarian oak program. The wine itself is very savory, with dark fruit and earthen elements.

Eric gave us the rundown of their operation and talked about the wines he loves to carry and introduce customers to. When Josh and I asked if he had a hard time getting resort guests to give Washington and Oregon wines a try his response was, "Not at all." The folks staying in Coeur d'Alene are well aware of the wine the Northwest is capable of, and they're enjoying some serious bottles at Beverlys. When I asked about the best wine in the Beverly’s collection, Eric pulled out a 1978 Chateau Rayas CdP, priced at $1930.00, telling us this was the best wine in the cellar, though not their most expensive.

We headed up stairs to the second cellar, this one loaded down with Bourdeaux, and Washington and California Cabernets, including Leonetti, Pursued by Bear, Doubleback and plenty from Dunham Cellars and Andrew Will.

When we retired back to the lounge for our appetizer, Bill asked Eric about a pairing for the buffalo carpaccio. Eric said I was on the right track with the Syrah, but during our tour we had taken care of that Bunnell pretty quickly. Eric recommended the Delille Cellars Doyenne Aix, from 2005. This is a wine I really enjoy and it was a hit with the fellas as well. The carpaccio was accompanied by crostini and horseradish and it disappeared pretty quickly.

Should you find yourself in Coeur d'Alene and on the lookout for some serious wine, check out Beverly's. The wine list is impressive, and what really stood out for me, besides Eric's knowledge and willingness to indulge us, was the mark up. The wine mark ups at Beverly’s are often well less than 100%, which is highly uncommon in restaurants. The Bunnell Syrah retails for $42 and was priced at $65; similarly, the Aix which comes in at $35-45, and was priced at $65 as well. So give Beverly’s a try: the selection of Northwest wine options is impressive, the food is delicious, and the staff knows the wine from here in the Northwest and beyond.

They Make Wine There? Idaho Edition.

Last week, Clive and I took a jaunt to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on non-wine related business; well, mostly non-wine related if you want to be technical about it.  Clive will be posting soon on our awesome experience at Coeur d'Alene Cellars, an Idaho winery that uses exclusively Washington fruit.   After that visit, I had the opportunity to visit another Idaho winery that uses both Washington and Idaho fruit and as such, is the focus of this Idaho edition of our "They Make Wine There?" series:  Pend d'Orielle Winery in Sandpoint, Idaho.  You may have read about it...right here on this blog, in fact.  Rick and I have written about Pend d'Orielle here, here, here, and here.  If you hadn't noticed, we're quite fond of their wine and I was excited to visit the place where the magic happens.

I rolled into Sandpoint, Idaho in the early afternoon and was immediately struck by a cute, quaint, yet somewhat hip downtown area in the town of approximately 6800 residents.  Despite spending 4 years in the Spokane area, the only time I had seen Sandpoint was from the backseat of a car when I was 15 on a 24 hour run to Canada while working at a Northern Idaho summer camp.  That's a story for a different day.  Like many small communities in the Pacific Northwest, Sandpoint is steeped in Native tradition, with Lake Pend d'Oreille serving as a summer encampment site for the Salish Tribes.  In the early 1900's, railroads and timber drove the economy and in 1963, Schweitzer Mountain Resort opened nearby turning Sandpoint into a tourist mecca.  Presently with the lake and the resort, Sandpoint is an interesting collision between hip, urban, outdoor tourism and old-fashioned timber culture.  Sandpoint is quickly becoming an arts and culture capital of Northern Idaho, and yes, they make wine there!

Pend d'Oreille Winery, founded in 1995 by Steve and Julie Meyer, is the only Idaho winery north of Coeur d'Alene.  By the way, if you're going to visit Northern Idaho, better practice up on the use and pronunciation of apostrophes.  I walked into the PO tasting room at the appointed time and was immediately struck by an environment that was reminiscent of a urban environment; a hip tasting bar area surrounded by a small restaurant and lifestyle store with hints of country charm.  It could have easily been Portland or California. I was met by the Pend d'Oreille's cellarmaster and jack-of-all-trades, Jim, who poured two different 2007 Malbecs from the Terrior Series, one from Washington and one from Idaho.  We'll get to that in a minute.  After the Malbec, Jim asked if I wanted to head back to the cellar for some barrel samples.  After rearranging my extremely packed (nonexistent) schedule for the rest of the day, I was in.  Jim started pulling the 2010 vintage out of the barrels and by time we had made it through some very promising Viognier and a few strains of Chardonnay, the man himself, Steve Meyer, joined us.

As Steve and I thieved into the 2009 vintage of PO red wine, I had the opportunity to ask him some of the questions that you are probably thinking right now - why Idaho being at the top of the list.  Steve started sharing his background and I quickly got a glimpse inside the workings of a visionary winemaker and winery.  Steve started making wine in Burgundy 25 years ago during an errant ski trip.  After cutting his teeth in France and California, a wife from the area and proximity to some of the best fruit in the world brought Steve and Julie back to Sandpoint.  With a dual-mission of creating the greatest wine in the Northwest and invigorating a wine culture in the Sandpoint area, Steve takes his role in the industry very seriously as he creates wines of smaller varietals to both educate consumers in the area and promote business during the shoulder seasons of a tourist town.  Pend d'Oreille surprises many as Sandpoint isn't exactly wine country, but a quick drive to both Eastern Washington and Southern Idaho growing regions makes it the perfect locale.  Always pushing boundaries, Steve has placed a heavy emphasis on sustainability in operations with a "Think Green, Drink Red" motto.  To that end, the winery has implemented a refillable bottle program out of their tasting room.  Think of a growler in the beer world.  For an initial $25 bottle purchase, customers can have a refill of either Bistro Rouge or Bistro Blanc for just $16 at any time.  In the first year of the program, Pend d'Oreille kept over 10,000 pounds of glass out of the landfill and averages 350 fills per month.  How cool is that?

On to the wine!  While at the winery, I probably tasted 15 different wines from bottles or barrels so can't possibly speak to all of them.  I can say they were all good, and if you've read our previous coverage we love pretty much everything PO puts out.  One of the cool things that Steve does is called the Terrior Series, a side by side varietal comparison from two different winegrowing regions.  For 2007, Malbec was the varietal of choice with representation of vineyard designated Washington and Idaho fruit, presented with identical winemaking styles. Here's the rundown:

2007 Malbec, Freepons Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Washington: With a lot of dark fruit on the nose, this wine has a mellow tannin structure and a smooth mouthfeel. A relatively classic Malbec, it would pair well with some bolder food such as chili. Very nice. Case production of 74 with a very reasonable price point of $28.00.

2007 Malbec, Wood River Vineyard, Snake River Valley, Idaho: Tasted second, I found the Idaho Malbec to be a bit more tannic with some rose petal on the nose. Hints of plum and vanilla on the palate meld into a very delicious wine and a quite pleasant surprise coming out of Idaho. This is a gorgeous representation of the Snake River Valley. With a case production of 73 and the $28.00 price tag, it won't stick around long.

My preference leaned slightly towards the Idaho Malbec for this vintage.  The 2010 and 2009 vintages are showing a lot of promise, keep your eyes open for the Primitivo and Zinfandel to hit the streets.

So...Idaho, huh?  An often-forgotten area of the Pacific Northwest, wine grapes were introduced to Idaho in the late 1800's and were grown until Prohibition.  For those familiar with the area, the old Potlatch Lumber mill site near Lewiston was a vineyard in forgotten days.  In the 70's, Idaho saw a resurgence of vineyard development and the area is now home to 38 wineries.  Many believe that the Southern Idaho area is ideal for growth, with high heat summers and cold winters.  With over 1500 acres of grapes, and AVA designation for the Snake River Valley, Idaho is staking it's claim in the marketplace with primary production of Chardonnay, Riesling, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

After 2.5 hours in the tasting room and cellar with one of the most visionary winemakers in the region, it was time for me to leave and experience the rest of Sandpoint.  When you visit, other highlights of the area include Eichardt's Pub for a great beer selection and elk burger and the Coldwater Creek Wine Bar for a nice by-the-glass selection.  Yes, it's the same Coldwater Creek that sells women's clothing.  The Best Western Edgewater Resort offered comfortable, reasonably priced accommodations with a fantastic hot tub.  If you're looking for a scenic and fun place to visit with some awesome wine, put Sandpoint on your list.  If you want to avoid the tourist mobs, November is a great time to do it.  Be careful, though, as you may wake up to snow on the ground as I did the next morning.

Pinot Noir is for the Children

You’ve heard me say it a million times, there’s nothing like Oregon Pinot Noir. Nothing. It’s a thing of beauty, complexity, elegance and strength all wrapped into one, granting you magical access to the soil, wind and spirit of the Willamette Valley. When it’s done well it can be a religious experience and when done poorly it’s still hard to screw up. If there’s a downside to Oregon Pinot Noir, it’s that there’s a drinking age.

Thankfully though, IPNC (the best tasting event on this mortal coil) has teamed up with Hot Lips Soda to make Pinot Noir Soda, which means that now you can supply Pinot to the younger generation. In what is probably the most earth shattering invention for the children since the Weebles, which wobble, but don’t won’t fall down, IPNC and Hot Lips Soda have struck gold. There is a rumor afoot that this soda will make children smarter, taller and more eloquent.


Fruit for this first release of Pinot soda comes from Archery Summit and Rex Hill wineries and comes from 2010’s tempestuous growing season. This lovely beverage was brewed in McMinnville, home to the annual mecca that is IPNC. What this earth shattering development means is that the wild-eyed youth clamoring for terroir-driven Oregon Pinot can now have their way, because Pinot Noir soda has finally arrived. Punk ass Willy Wonka has nothing on Hot Lips Soda. Booyeah.



The Hot Lips/IPNC Pinot Noir Soda will make its debut at IPNC 2011. If you didn’t have a reason to go before, now you do. And you don’t need a babysitter.

No Cork, No Worries: Folin Cellars

As previously noted on the Blog, I've been doing a bit of traveling lately - both wine related and not. A few weeks ago I was at a student leadership conference in Ashland, Oregon for my day job as a higher education "professional". While happy to be in the heart of the Rogue Vally, my oenophilia was tempered by a relatively tight schedule and an alcoholic-free conference. Yep, no glass of wine at the end of the day for me. In true blogger style, I promptly emailed Christine from The Southern Oregon Wine Blog and asked, "If there is one winery I have time to visit on my way home, where should I go?" Christine responded, "Don't be stupid, I've been telling you to hit up Folin Cellars for months." Folin Cellars it was.

Folin Cellars is a family owned and operated winery producing estate-only rhone style wines from the estate winery in Gold Hills. Don't worry Portlandites, they also have a tasting room in Carlton if you're too lazy to roll down I-5. Folin is currently a small production winery, putting out around 500 cases per year and emphasizing a self-sustaining operation on their 25-acres of vines and new tasting room and winery facility. The estate just happens to be at the same latitude as the Rioja region of Spain, predispositioning Folin's signature tempranillo to a status of awesomeness right off the bat.

It was approximately Noon on a Sunday when I rolled through Medford on my way back to Corvallis, knowing that Folin was open weekends from Noon - 5:00 PM weekends through November, I rolled off of the freeway and headed east for the 10-ish mile jaunt to the winery. After some twisting and turning in the beautiful Oregon foliage, I pulled up to the gate of Folin Cellars and could see the 15-month old tasting room down the road. The gate was closed. Were they open? Please? After some jockeying of my cell phone to find good enough service to call the tasting room, Steve from Folin promptly came and opened the gate and returned to the tasting room to give me a warm greeting as I walked through the doors. Whew, there was wine in my future.

While we're on the tasting room...it's gorgeous. Lot's of natural light, amazing views, a classy bar, and a window where you can look down into the production facility. While a bit off the beaten path, this is one of those stops you can't miss and with the proximity to Del Rio and Cliff Creek, you can hit a few in an afternoon. Steve poured me a taste of the first wine, a 2009 Tempranillo Rose, and I immediately noticed that he hadn't pulled a natural cork out of the bottle. In fact, there was nary a cork to be seen in the tasting room. No screwcaps either. Turns out, Folin uses all glass corks, the winemaker being one who wants the wine to taste just as he intended whether you pop the bottle the next day or 5 years down the road. This philosophy results in the moniker of "No Cork, No Worries" which you'll find on every bottle they put out. Steve took me through the tasting series of 7 wines; 2 whites and 5 reds. I can honestly say I enjoyed every one of the seven, however there were two that particularly stuck out:

2008 Miseo: Miseo, a latin word meaning blend, is Folin's signature red blend consisting of 50% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 20% Mourvedre. I immediately got a bright and deep nose off the wine with some delicious dark fruit and a tad of earthiness on the palate. I took a second sip, and damn, it was good. Real good. The finish was even better and I wanted to pour a full glass and go to town, but that will have to wait until another day. With an inaugural vintage production of 150 cases, this was my favorite wine of the day and you better pick some up while you can.

2007 Tempranillo:A pleasant black cherry nose complements a comfortable mouthfeel, nice acidity, and notes of plum and chocolate on the palate of this very classic tempranillo. Aged 100% in french oak, this wine is what put Folin on the map and shows that Oregon can do more rhone than just syrah. Do I sound like a wine snob yet? This is solid at $30/bottle and a case production of 150 or so.

As I finished my tasting experience, Steve took me down to the production facility to show me around a bit and I was pleased to see that Folin has the production capacity to grow in coming years. As I walked back to my car, I looked out upon the gorgeous territorial view and took a moment to reflect about the experience I just had. 7 great wines, an awesome facility, and friendly staff. That's what the Oregon wine industry is all about and it's beautifully demonstrated by Folin. Salud!