Dussek Family Cellars 2007 Syrah

The Winery: Dussek Family Cellars
The Wine: 2007 Syrah
The Price: $15.99 at Costco

 Dussek is one of the wines produced by Woodhouse Family Cellars, a winery located in Woodinville, Washington.  Woodhouse has been making wine since 2004, so they are a relative newcomer to the industry.

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted 45 minutes before tasting.

This is a very dark purple wine with aromas of cherry, blackberry, plum and vanilla.

It is a very tasty wine, with a blackberry base, accented with cherry, plum and black pepper.  This is a very good Syrah.  It's definitely one worth checking out!

Erath 2008 Pinot Noir

The Winery: Erath
The Wine:  2008 Pinot Noir
The Price:  $14.69 at Safeway

I last reviewed Erath's wine just over two years ago, it was their 2006 Pinot Noir, and at the time I was not overly impressed.  2008 is supposed to be a very good year for Oregon Pinot Noirs, so I thought I should revisit Erath.

Erath is still sealing their bottles with screw caps.  The wine was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is is fairly light red in color.  It has aromas of cherry, plum and cassis. 

Like the 2006, the 2008 Pinot Noir is light and thin.  It has flavors of cherry, blackberry and cranberry.  It also has a bit more alcohol flavor to it than I would expect. It has more robust flavor than I recall from the 2006, but it is still lacking the rich, velvety flavors of a great Oregon Pinot Noir.  If you are looking for a great Pinot Noir, this isn't it.  But it is a drinkable wine at a decent price.  At the price, I half-heartedly recommend this wine.  But I'd rather spend more money and get a great Oregon Pinot Noir.      

Michael-David 2008 7 Deadly Zins

The Winery:  Michael-David
The Wine:  2008 7 Deadly Zins
The Price:  $11.99 at Safeway

I've been wanting to review this wine for quite some time, partly because I can sometimes be a sucker for a clever name, but more because I really enjoy Michael-David's Petite Petit.  7 Deadly Zins is so named because the wine is a blend of grapes from seven different Lodi (California) vineyards.

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted slightly more than an hour before tasting.

The wine very dark purple.  It has aromas of plum, blackberry and blueberry.  It has a bit of a bite to it, owing to it's 15% alcohol content.  Once you get past that, it's a very delicious wine.  It has very robust flavors of cherry, cinnamon, blueberry and raspberry, wrapped in a blanket of black pepper.  Despite the peppery bite, the wine has a very velvety smoothness to it.

This is another great wine from Michael-David!

Arbios Cellars 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery:  Arbios Cellars
The Wine:  2004 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price:  $30 at Jack Cellars

This wine review is a bit bittersweet for me.  It is the last wine I will review that came from Jack Cellars.  Sadly, Jack closed his doors last weekend.

Arbios has a second label, Praxis, whose 2008 Pinot Noir I recently reviewed and found to be quite good.  So I'm quite pleased to have an opportunity to taste the Arbios. 

The grapes for this wine come from the Alexander Valley, in northern Sonoma County. The wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

The Arbios was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.  The wine is dark purple in color with a bit of a cocoa hue to it.

The wine has aromas of black cherry, vanilla, chocolate and prune.

This is a superb wine!  It has cherry base blended with flavors of blackberry, vanilla, cocoa and caramel.  The flavors are well balanced and the wine is absolutely velvety smooth.  I highly recommend the Arbios.  It is a truly great wine!

Firesteed 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

The Winery: Firesteed
The Wine: 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The Price: $22.99 at Safeway

Firesteed is an Oregon winery that has been producing wine since 1992. It appears that 2006 was the last year they made the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, but they are currently producing their Oregon Pinot Noir. If it's not abundantly obvious, the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is made from grapes from Oregon's Willamette Valley. The Oregon Pinot Noir is made from grapes from throughout Oregon, including the Willamette, Umpqua, Rogue and Walla Walla valleys.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted 45 minutes before sampling.

The wine is dark purple in color with a brown cast to it.  It has aromas of blackberries, blueberries, cassis and vanilla.

This is a pretty disappointing Pinot Noir.  The flavor is harsh, with a strong alcohol flavor.  Buried underneath the alcohol flavor lingers flavors of blackberry and cherry.  But you really have to search long and hard to find those flavors.  I'd really expect a 4 year old wine to have been far less harsh than this.

Skip this one. Blech.

Ferrari-Carano 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery:  Ferrari-Carano
The Wine:  2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price:  $18.99 at QFC (marked down from $34.99)

Ferrari-Carano is a California winery.  The Cabernet Sauvignon is from grapes grown in the Alexander Valley.  The wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah and 11% Petit Verdot.

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is very deep red in color and has aromas of cassis, black cherry and vanilla.   The aromas are very deep and rich; very pronounced an velvety.

The wine has extremely smooth flavors of black cherry and cassis, with a subtle hint of licorice.  This is an absolutely fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon.  I highly recommend this one!  It is nothing short of fantastic!

Sokol Blosser 2009 Willamette Valley Müller-Thurgau

The Winery:  Sokol Blosser
The Wine:  2009 Willamette Valley Müller-Thurgau
The Price:  $22 on their website

I would venture to guess that many of you have never heard of, let alone sampled, Müller-Thurgau (pronounced MYOO-ler TOOR-gow).  Having lived most of my life in Oregon, I am quite familiar with it.  Müller-Thurgau grapes are generally used in low-end German wines, such as Liebfraumilch.  But there are a handful of vineyards in Oregon that grow the grapes, and make a pretty good wine.  In the dozen years that I've lived in Seattle, I've never seen a bottle of Müller-Thurgau in a store, so it is apparently not widely exported. 

I was surprised when I saw Sokol Blosser was offering Müller-Thurgau, so I asked them about it.  They told me that they only make it in years that the grapes are extraordinarily good, which was the case in 2009.  They produced 300 cases of the Müller-Thurgau in 2009.

The wine bottle was sealed with a natural cork.  One thing that I appreciate about Sokol Blosser is that they don't put wrapper over the cork.  They just put a circular label on top of the cork itself.  It makes for easy opening and less waste.

The wine is a very pale straw color.  It has aromas of peach, pineapple and melon.

This is far and away the best Müller-Thurgau I have ever tasted!  It has flavors of peach, pear and a honey.  It is deliciously bright and refreshing.  It's sweet without being too sweet.  I highly recommend trying this one!  



 

Concannon 2007 Petite Syrah

The Winery:  Concannon
The Wine:  Conservancy 2007 Petite Sirah
The Price:  $9.99 at Safeway

Concannon is a California winery, located on the central coast in Livermore.  The winery was built in 1883, so they've been at this a long time.  They claim that they were the first California winery to bottle Petite Sirah, more than 40 years ago.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is deep purple in color.  The aroma is fairly subdued.  The predominant aroma is cherry, with hints of vanilla and leather.

The wine has flavors of cherry, blackberry and vanilla.  It's smooth and well balanced, but a bit lacking in flavor.  This wine reminds me a lot of the Chariot Gypsy that I previously reviewed, and is twice the cost.  My recommendation is to skip the Concannon and go for the Chariot.  

Sagelands 2007 Malbec

The Winery:  Sagelands Vineyard
The Wine:  2007 Malbec
The Price:  $16.99 at Safeway

Sagelands is a Washington winery, located near Walla Walla, in southeastern Washington.  The grapes from this wine are 100% Malbec, all sourced from the Wahluke Slope AVA. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is dark purple in color, and has aromas of blackberries and blueberries.  It is a bold, smooth wine with jammy boysenberry flavor and a pepper finish.  This is great representation of a Washington Malbec, and definitely worth .  

Snoqualmie 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery:  Snoqualmie Vineyards
The Wine:  2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price:  $18.00 at Safeway

Snoqualmie is one of those wineries that is local to me, yet I've never gotten around to reviewing their wine.  I am surrounded by so many great vineyards that I could just focus on Washington wines and never run out of wines to review. 

The wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.  The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted 45 minutes prior to tasting.

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of black cherry, cassis and chocolate.  It is a big, fruity wine anchored by a black cherry flavor, accented by undertones of strawberry, cocoa and vanilla.  It's a very smooth and balanced wine, with tons of flavor.

All in all, it's a very good wine.  It's absolutely a wine worth checking out. 

2008 Evodia

The Winery:  Altovinum
The Wine:  2008 Evodia
The Price:  $9.99 at QFC

This is another wine from the Eric Solomon selection.  Eric Solomon specializes in importing Grenaches.  The last Solomon import I reviewed was 85% Grenache, 15% Syrah.  The Evodia is 100% Grenache from vineyards planted as long as 100 years ago.  The wine is from Calatayud appellation of Spain.

The wine bottle was sealed with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of blackberries, cherries and cassis.  It is a very flavorful wine, bursting with blackberry and cherry flavors, with a bit of a vanilla undertone and a mildly peppery finish.

This is the second Eric Solomon wine I've tasted, and I must say that he really seems to know how to pick winners!  I highly recommend this one!

Mark West 2008 Pinot Noir

The Winery:  Mark West
The Wine:  2008 Pinot Noir
The Price:  $8.99 at Safeway

When I saw this ridiculously inexpensive California Pinot Noir at the store, I just knew I had to review it!  I just couldn't resist. 

Mark West is located in Sonoma County.  The only wine they make is Pinot Noir, which I think is a kind of cool approach - specializing in just one wine.  They age their wine for 8 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels before bottling.

Their website kind of sucks.  It uses unconventional navigation and most of the content is all on the home page.  It looks like it was designed by a graphic artist with no thought given to usability.  But enough about their website.  This is, after all, a wine review, not a website review.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork, a nice touch on such a low-priced wine.  It was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is medium-dark red in color with a splash of brown.  It has aromas of strawberry, vanilla and cherry.

It has berry and cherry flavors, with a touch of pepper.  It's really a decent Pinot Noir, especially at this price point.  It isn't a velvety smooth Pinot, but it also isn't a watery, thin wine like I expect from a lower end Pinot.  I'm actually pleasantly surprised at how good this wine is.  I think I'll be stocking up on this one.   

Praxis 2008 Pinot Noir

The Winery:  Praxis
The Wine:  2008 Pinot Noir
The Price:  $20 at Jack Cellars

Praxis is a California winery, founded by Bill Arbios in 2000.  He started Praxis as to produce wines that are more affordable than those produced by his Arbios Cellars.

I am constantly on the lookout for a really good lower cost Pinot Noir, so when I saw this one I knew I had to try it.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted 30 minutes prior to tasting.

The wine is dark ruby in color and has aromas of cherry, plums and cassis.  It has flavors of cherry and blackberry.  It's a very fruity and bright wine.  It is absolutely the best $20 Pinot Noir I've ever tasted.  This one is definitely worth checking out.  It's very much a shining star in the field of $20 Pinot Noirs.   

Maryhill 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery:  Maryhill
The Wine:  2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price:  $14.99 at QFC

Maryhill is a Washington winery, located in the Columbia River Gorge, approximately 100 miles east of Portland.  The winery was established in 1999 on land adjacent to what was once planned to be a farming community.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is dark red with a bit of a brown cast to it, and has aromas of plum, blackberry and cherry.  It has flavors of black cherry and dark chocolate.  The wine is very smooth and has a very balanced and thoroughly enjoyable blend of flavors.

JAQK Cellars 2006 22 Black Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery: JAQK Cellars
The Wine: 2006 22 Black Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $28 at Jack Cellars

I picked up this wine because I thought it was funny that my local wine shop, Jack Cellars, was selling wine made by JAQK Cellars.  Yes, I am easily amused.

According to their website, Jaqk Cellars is a new winery.  I'm not seeing when they were founded, but it appears that 2006 is their first vintage.  The founders enjoy gaming, and their wines have a gambling theme to them (hence the spelling of JAQK - Jack, Ace, Queen, King). 

The 2006 22 Black Cabernet Sauvignon is comprised of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 3% Malbec.  The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted an hour before sampling. 

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of cherry, blackberry, cassis and blueberry. 

It's a very fruity and smooth wine.  It has flavors of cherry, blackberry and blueberry with a mild pepper finish.  The wine has a very deep and well balanced flavor.  It's remarkably good!  I highly recommend getting your hands on a bottle of this one! 

Cline 2009 Mourvèdre Rosé

The Winery:  Cline
The Wine:  2009 Mourvèdre Rosé
The Price:  $11 at PCC. 

Since warmer summer weather is here, I thought it would be a good time to review a rosé.  This wine jumped out at me because I don't recall ever seeing a rosé made from mourvèdre before.  Being a fan of mourvèdre, I was compelled to give this a try.

Cline is a California winery, with the grapes being grown in Contra Costa county.  The winery was founded in 1982 by Fred Cline.  They specialize in crafting Rhône-style wines, and have made several 90+ point wines.


Although it doesn't appear so in the photo of the bottle, this wine is a bit darker than other rosés I've sampled.  It has almost a brownish cast to the color.

The wine has aromas of strawberry, plum and aged Scotch.

It's a very smooth and fruity wine with flavors of strawberry, cherry, plum and cranberry.  I was concerned that the Scotch aroma meant that the wine would have strong alcohol flavor, but it doesn't.  This is a very good rosé, one of the best I've ever tasted!  It's a very refreshing wine; perfect for enjoying on a warm summer evening.

Red Rock 2008 Reserve Malbec

The Winery: Red Rock
The Wine:  2008 Reserve Malbec
The Price: $10.99 at QFC

Red Rock is a California winery.  The grapes are sourced from multiple appellations.  Their website implies that this wine is a blend of varietals, but it doesn't state what blend is used in the wine.

The bottle was stopped with a composite cork and was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of cassis, cherry, blackberry and black tea.

The wine has bland flavors of cherry and blackberry and a very mild spice finish.  It is smooth, but lacking flavor.  All in all, it is very disappointing.  There are many good Malbecs out there, but this isn't one of them.  It would be a poor value at $5, but at $11 it's a plain rip-off.

Perrin & Fils 2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages

The Winery: Perrin & Fils
The Wine: 2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages
The Price: $9.69 at Costco

It has been awhile since I reviewed a French wine, so when I saw this one at Costco I knew I had to review it.  I've never heard of Villages being appended to Côtes du Rhône before, so I had to investigate a bit.  It turns out that Villages indicates two things - first that the wine is a bit more special than regular Côtes du Rhône (only 20% of the Côtes du Rhône vineyards are permitted to use the Villages label).  And second, that the wine is from a southern Rhône appellation. 

This wine is a blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah.  The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted 1 1/2 hours before tasting.

The wine is a very deep ruby color.  It has aromas of blackberries, cassis, and eucalyptus.

This is a pretty fruity and sweet wine with a predominant cherry flavor and underlying flavors of blackberry and black currant.  The wine is fairly heavy in tannins.

This wine is different than wines I would normally seek out, but I do like it.  It's very fruit-forward and very drinkable.  It's sweeter than I am used to encountering in a red wine, but it is intriguingly good and interesting.  

Kris 2008 Pinot Noir

The Winery:  Kris
The Wine:  2008 Pinot Noir
The Price:  $9.99 at Costco

Kris is an Italian winemaker.  This wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.  The grapes were grown in Oltrepò Pavese in Pavia Province, Lombardy.

The wine bottle was stopped with a screw cap and decanted 1 1/2 hours before tasting.  The wine is a fairly deep ruby in color, with just a hint of a prune-brownish tone. 

The wine has aromas of blackberries and cherries, and really nothing else is coming through. 

This is a pretty harsh Pinot Noir.  It has a forceful cherry flavor, backed by blackberry with a pronounced metalic note.  It's fairly sour and has, really, no redeeming qualities.  Well, that's not quite true - the label is kind of interesting.  But even for a $10 bottle of Pinot Noir, this is pretty awful.  The just may be the worst Pinot Noir I've ever tasted.  The folks at Cloudline may be pleased to learn that they've been unseated as the worst Pinot Noir I've ever encountered.  

High Note 2008 Malbec

The Winery:  High Note
The Wine:  2008 Malbec
The Price:  $11.99 at QFC

High Note is an Argentinian winery, with the grapes originating from the foothills of the Andes near Mendoza.  As far as I've been able to find out, the Malbec is the only wine that High Note produces.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted 1 1/4 hours before tasting.  This wine is a blend of 85% Malbec, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Viognier and 2% Petit Verdot.  The wine is very deep purple in color and has aromas of prunes, blackberries, cherries, vanilla and cassis.

This is a very smooth and well-balanced Malbec.  It's flavor is anchored by berry and cherry, with a very mild vanilla undertone and just a splash of pepper.  It's a very nice Malbec, and is a great bargain for the price.

These guys are focusing on just one wine, and they are doing a great job of it. 

Domaine Serene 2007 Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir

The Winery:  Domaine Serene
The Wine:  2007 Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir
The Price:  $36 at Jack Cellars

Domaine Serene is an Oregon winery, located Yamhill County, prime Pinot Noir territory.  The winery was founded in 1989, with the vineyards being planted on (then) recently logged forest land in the Dundee Hills.

The wine is dark ruby in color.  The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted 45 minutes prior to tasting. 

The wine has aromas of cherries, roses, vanilla and chocolate. 

This is a fruit-forward wine with a bit of a spicy kick.  It has flavors of cherry, blackberry, pepper, vanilla and cranberry.  It is a very complex and rich wine, with a lot of wonderful flavors bursting through. 

This is a very good example of an Oregon Pinot Noir, but one crafted in the Burgundy style.  It is a medium bodied, fruity, delicious wine.  It is definitely a wine worth trying! 

Rex Hill 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

The Winery: Rex Hill
The Wine: 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The Price:  $25 at Jack Cellars

This past weekend I went to Pinot Palooza at Jack Cellars.  They were pouring a great selection of Pinot Noir from Oregon, California and even a nice wine from Burgundy.  This review is a result of the event.

I am originally from Oregon, so Oregon Pinots have a special place in my heart.  The roots of my love for wine are firmly planted in Oregon.  I spent many weekends driving through wine country sampling wines.  Some wineries have consistently produced great wines.  Other wineries have folded or just stopped producing great wine.  When I was new to drinking wine, Rex Hill was always a favorite stop on my tours through Oregon's wine country.  My last few trips to Rex Hill had been enough of a disappointment that I'd given up on them.

It turns out that Rex Hill had changed hands a couple of times over the years.  The new owners didn't have the passion and skill to make the great wines that Oregon is known for.  The good news is that back in 2007, A to Z Wineworks purchased Rex Hill and is working on bringing them back to their former glory.

The 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is medium dark red in color.  The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine has aromas of cherries and plums.  It has a strong cherry base with an undertone of berries and plums.  This is a lighter Pinot Noir, but is very good.  At $25 it is an absolute steal!

I'm happy to see Rex Hill again in good hands and making good wine!  I look forward to seeing where they go from here!

Ghost Pines 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery: Ghost Pines
The Wine:  2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price:   $16.99 at QFC (marked down from $24.99)

Ghost Pines is a California winery that was founded in 1964 by Louis P. Martini (son of Louis M. Martini, who started making wine in Napa Valley in the early 1900s). 

This wine is made from 59% Napa County grapes, and 41% Sonoma County grapes.  The wine is very deep red in color.  The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine has aromas of blackberry, cherry and vanilla.  It's a very big, fruity wine with flavors of cherry and berry and sweet vanilla, with a very mildly spicy finish.  It's a very drinkable wine, with a lot of fruit flavor without being overly sweet.  

Three Thieves 2007 The Show Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery: Three Thieves
The Wine:  2007 The Show Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price:  $11.99 at QFC (marked down from $16.99)

The Show is made from grapes from three separate California AVAs:  Central Coast, North Coast and Napa Valley.  The wine is made from 89% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, and 11% Petite Syrah.  It is aged in French and American oak barrels.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted a bit beyond an hour before tasting.

The wine is deep ruby in color; and has aromas of black cherry, vanilla and pepper. 

The wine has big, fruity cherry and vanilla flavors with a pepper finish.  It's a very delicious wine.  I absolutely love it!  This is a must-buy wine!

Vini Menhir 2007 Negroamaro Cinque Passi

The Winery:  Vini Menhir
The Wine:  2007 Negroamaro Cinque Passi
The Price:  $14.00

Vini Menhir is an Italian winery located in the Puglia region.  Think of Puglia as being the heel of the boot.

The bottle was stopped with the shortest natural cork that I've ever seen.  It's nearly 1/2" shorter than regular corks.  The wine was decanted 45 minutes before tasting.

The wine is moderately dark purple in color.  It has aromas of plum, cassis and spice.  It has an odd mix of sweet and sour.  Kind of like a sweet blackberry flavor wrapped with a puckeringly sour cherry flavor.  The combination is surprisingly awful!  And this isn't a wine that gets better with more tastes.  It gets worse.  Earlier I commented on this winery being located in the heel of the boot of Italy.  This wine makes it pretty clear what the heel has stepped in.  Because it tastes just like THAT.  Yuck!   

If you see this wine - run far, far away!  At $5 this would be a bad wine.  At $14 it is absolutely horrifying!

Durigutti 2006 Reserva Malbec

The Winery: Durigutti
The Wine: 2006 Reserva Malbec
The Price: $27.00

Durigutti is an Argentinian winery, with the grapes being grown in the Mendoza province.  It is made from 100% Malbec grapes and aged in oak barrels for 18 months.

This wine is not filtered, and they recommend decanting it before drinking.  At the bottom of my bottle was a handful of twigs and sludge, so I would definitely follow their recommendation and decant it.  Unless you like chewing on grape stems.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.

 The wine is very dark violet in color.  It has aromas of blackberry, cherry, tobacco and chocolate.

This is an amazing wine!  The flavors are well balanced, smooth and velvety.  It has wonderful fruit flavors with a counterpoint of tobacco and a mild pepper finish.  It is nothing short of phenomenal.

 

Primaterra 2008 Sangiovese

The Winery: Primaterra
The Wine: 2008 Sangiovese
The Price: $7.99 at Cost Plus World Market

I selected this wine because I've been planning a trip to Italy, so I'm trying to become more familiar with wines from Italy.  This winery seems to be pretty much a big mystery. I haven't been able to find any history on the winery.

The wine is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes.  The bottle was stopped with a composite cork, and decanted an hour before tasting.  

 The wine is a medium-dark purple in color.  It has predominantly a cherry aroma with a slight pepper finish. 

The wine has a somewhat subdued cherry flavor, with a mildly spicy finish.  The wine is very heavy in tannins, leading me to want to scrape the powdery feel off of my teeth. 

This is a decent wine for the money, but it certainly doesn't knock my socks off.  It's an every-day kind of wine.  Definitely not something you'd serve to impress anybody. 

Woodhouse Family Cellars 2006 Hudson Shah Malbec

The Winery: Woodhouse Family Cellars
The Wine:  2006 Hudson Shah Malbec
The Price:  $12.99 at QFC

This Malbec is made from 100% Malbec grapes from Washington's Rattlesnake Hills AVA.  The     

The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.  The wine is very dark purple in color and has aromas of blackberry, cherry and vanilla. 

This is a very fruity wine, with crisp and slightly tart blackberry and cherry flavors with a hint of peppermint.  It's very crisp and clean tasting.  The flavor is light without being thin. 

Castaño 2005 Solanera

The Winery:  Bodegas Castaño
The Wine:  2005 Solanera
The Price:  $14.99 at Central Market

Bodegas Castaño is located in the Yecla region of Southern Spain.  This wine is a blend of 65% Monastrell (Monastrell is also known as Mourvèdre, a term many of you may be more familiar with), 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Tintorera.  The wine was aged in oak for 10 months before bottling.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.  It is a very dark red wine with aromas of cherry, vanilla, chocolate and spice.

The wine has flavors of cherry, vanilla and black pepper.  It's a pretty tannic wine, owing to the Mourvèdre/Monastrell grapes.  The pepper flavor adds a bit of a bite to the wine, so if you don't like the pepper flavor this probably isn't a wine for you.  Personally, I enjoy the pepper flavor and find this to be a a nice, interesting wine.

Eos Estate Winery 2007 Zinfandel

The Winery:  Eos Estate Winery
The Wine:  2007 Zinfandel
The Price:  $13.99 at Safeway (marked down from $18.49).

Eos Winery is located in Paso Robles, which is in California's central Coast.  The winery has a couple of cool, environmentally friendly things going for it.  First, it has converted to 100% solar power.  Second, for every bottle of wine that is purchased, they donate $1 to plant a tree.     

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of raspberries, cherries and chocolate.

It has very crisp berry and cherry flavors with a chocolate undertone.  The wine is very smooth and velvety and quite delicious.  This is one wine that I highly recommend.  Between the great wine and the winery's commitment to the environment, this is a double winner.  Think of it as saving the planet one bottle at a time.

Columbia Crest 2007 Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery:  Columbia Crest
The Wine:  2007 Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price:  $8.99 (marked down from $12.99 at Safeway)

I think this is the first time I've reviewed two wines from the same winery in back-to-back reviews.  It wasn't my intent to do so, but the latest issue of Wine Spectator listed this wine as a Best Value selection, so I had to give it a try.  They rated it an 89 

This wine is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the remainder a combination of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah.  The bottle was sealed with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted 30 minutes before tasting.


The wine is very dark red in color.  It has aromas of cherry, currant, blackberry and chocolate.  It is a fruity wine, with a velvety blackberry flavor underscored by a chocolate finish.  This is an exceptionally good wine at this price point.  It would stand up well against many wines at twice (or more) the cost.  This is a wine that is very much worth stocking up on. 

Columbia Crest 2007 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery:  Columbia Crest
The Wine:  2007 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $11.69 at Safeway (marked down from $16.49)

This wine is the second that I've reviewed from Columbia Crest's Horse Heaven Hills (H3) line.  In addition to the Cabernet Sauvignon, they make Chardonnay, which I have reviewed, and a Merlot, which I have not.  Columbia Crest has been growing grapes in Horse Heaven Hills for over 20 years.  Horse Heaven Hills was officially recognized as an AVA in 2005.  

This wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.  The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted an hour prior to tasting.

The wine is a very deep purple in color.  It has aromas of blackberry and cherry.  The wine has a pronounced berry flavor with just a bit of a spicy bite.  It's a very velvety smooth wine.  I highly recommend giving this one a try.  It's well worth the price.    

The Other Guys 2008 Hey Mambo Sultry Red

The Winery:  The Other Guys
The Wine:  2008 Hey Mambo Sultry Red
The Price:  $10.99 at Safeway (marked down from $15.49).

I don't normally do this, but I purchased the wine for this review based on the label.  I know, I'm a sucker.  But I liked the simplicity of the label and the fun spirit that it embodies.

I like the attitude that the winery displays on both their website and their bottle.  They seem like a fun-loving and spirited group.  The kind of people I could see hanging out with.

The wine is a blend of Syrah, Barbera, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Malbec, and Alicante Bouchet grapes.  The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted 30 minutes before tasting.

The wine is a deep ruby color.  It has aromas of cherry, blackberry and tobacco.  It has flavors of cherry and cranberry with a pepper finish.  It's a very good, very fun wine.  I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try.

Alandra Red Wine

The Winery:  Alandra

The Wine:  Red Wine
The Price:  $6.99 at QFC (marked down from $7.99)

Alandra is located in Portugal.  Portugal is well known for Port and Madeira, and less so for it's red wines and Vinho Verde.    I have been unable to find any information regarding the grapes that are used in this wine.  The winery is located in Portual's Alentejo region, which mostly grows Syrah and Alicante Bouschet, so I would presume that one or both of those grapes are in this wine. Beyond that I have no idea. 

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine actually had a small grape leaf in the bottle.  I've never encountered that before.  It surprised me to see it because it seems like the leaf should have been filtered out at some point during the production or bottling process.

The wine is medium-dark red in color.  It has aromas of berry, black olive and bell pepper.  It has flavors of raspberry and cherry and mild spices.  For the price it's a pretty good wine.  The flavors are not bold or very pronounced, so I think most people will find it drinkable.  It's kind of an everyday wine at an everyday price.    

Brian Carter Cellars 2005 L'Etalon

The Winery:  Brian Carter Cellars
The Wine:  2005 L'Etalon
The Price:  $19.89 at Costco (a screaming deal - it sells for $17/half-bottle on their website!)

L'Etalon is French for The Stallion.  They've mysteriously renamed the wine L'Cousier, French for The Steed (I'm curious about the renaming - was it a prompted by a scandal ala Andersen Consulting becoming Accenture, was it a legal battle, or simply the whims of a winemaker?).  Back to the wine.  It's a Bordeaux style wine, blended from 55% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 7% Malbec. 

The wine was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted an hour before sampling.  The wine is a very deep burgundy in color.  It has aromas of blackberry, cherry and cedar.

The wine has a very velvety-smooth feeling to it.  It has a melt-in-your-mouth lusciousness.  It has flavors of berry, cherry and chocolate.  With Valentine's Day just around the corner, this would be a great choice for snuggling on the couch with that special someone, while enjoying some great dark chocolate.     

Wine Tasting/Tweetup at Northwest Totem Cellars

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending a tasting at Northwest Totem Cellars.  This was a tweetup arranged by Barbara, known on Twitter as @SeattleWineGal.  For those unfamiliar with "tweetups", a tweetup is a gathering of Twitter users.

I've been intending to get to Northwest Totem ever since I first learned of them, about two years ago.  But they're in my own backyard, so I just haven't gotten around to it.  Thanks to Barbara, that has been corrected.  I first learned of Northwest Totem Cellars when I was researching wineries that use glass stoppers (I know of two versions of the glass stoppers - Vino Lok and Vino-Seal).  I've been saving my glass stoppers (trying to find the perfect reuse for them). You can also, I've been told, toss them in your recycle bin. Or brink them back to Northwest Totem Cellars and they will sterilize them and reuse them. Regardless of how you choose to recycle them, rest assured that they are eco-friendly. 

We started the evening with a barrel tasting.  First we sampled a Grenache.  At this stage the wine was very fruity and quite delicious.  After the Grenache, we moved on to Tempranillo.  Both wines were very good and show great potential.  The winemaker, Mike Sharadin (who I briefly renamed John...oops), talked about the winemaking process.  In the photo, below, he was discussing methods that winemakers use to impart more oak flavor to wine.  As it turns out, wine barrels are quite expensive (around $1200) and the oak flavor quickly dissipates.  So extending the usability of the barrels is a very worthwhile endeavor.  Beyond the financial benefit to the winemaker, it is also an environmentally good thing to do.

 

After the barrel tasting, we moved into the kitchen to sample the offerings from the winery.  In addition to the wine, Mike's wife, Kate, put together an amazing spread of vegan food for us to enjoy with the wine.  

I won't do a full review of the wines we sampled.  When I review wine I am pretty regimented in my process (a side effect of my career, which relies heavily upon rigorous processes), so in fairness to all parties, I make every attempt to keep my reviews on an even playing field.  That said, I thoroughly enjoyed every wine he served.  They were all very good, and I would proudly serve them to guests in my home.  Now that I know how good these wines are, I will be stopping in and buying some of them to review (and some for my personal collection).  My personal favorite of the night was the 2006 Low Man Bordeaux blend, closely followed by the 2007 Cab Franc. Both of the dessert wines (2008 Salish and 2007 Late Harvest Viognier) were heavenly. 

Besides the great wine, it was very nice to meet @SeattleWineGal, @Shona425, @winebeerWA, @WriteforWine, @DivaTink, @WABrokers.  And of course, our gracious host Mike (@NWTotemCellars). 

Nashwauk 2006 Tempranillo

The Winery:  Nashwauk
The Wine:  2006 Tempranillo
The Price:  $20 at Jack Cellars

Nashwauk is an Australian winery, located near Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.  Nashwauk was founded by Kaesler wines, who makes a variety of other interesting looking wines.  

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted 45 minutes prior to tasting.

The wine is very deep purple in color.  It has aromas of cherries, blackberries and leather.  It has a big, fruity cherry flavor with a spicy undertone.  There is enough flavor that the wine would stand up well with a spicy meal, yet the spicy flavor is not so pronounced as to overwhelm the fruit flavor. 

This is a really great wine!  I'd say it's easily my favorite of the Australian wines I've sampled. 

Torii Mor 2007 Pinot Noir

The Winery:  Torii Mor
The Wine:  2007 Pinot Noir
The Price:  $19.99 at Metropolitan Market (marked down from $29.99).

There are a few reasons that I decided to review this wine.  First, it's the first time I've seen Torii Mor for sale in Washington.  Second, I visited the Torii Mor tasting room about two years ago, and was pretty disappointed.  I was pretty harsh on my review of their tasting room, and I thought they were due a wine review.  The third reason that I wanted to review this wine is that they recently started following me on Twitter, so they were at the fore of my mind. 

The wine was stopped with a natural cork, always a plus in my book.  It was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is deep red in color, and has aromas of cherry, tobacco, mint and moss.  The wine has flavors of cherry and oak, with a very subtle pepper finish.  It's a fairly good Pinot Noir.  But I am much more enthusiastic about it at $20 than I would be at $30.  I think it's a bit thin and missing a the depth of flavor to compete in the $30 price range.  That said, I think that this wine compares quite favorably against the $30 Pinot Noirs I've sampled from California. 

This wine is far better than I recall the last wine I sampled from Torii Mor, so I'm glad that I was able to review it.  As I said in my write up of their tasting room, I really liked their Port a lot.  It's good to see that they're making strides with their Pinot Noir.  Oregon is the quintessential Pinot Noir producing state, so the bar is fairly high.  By comparison, I find this wine to be far superior to Cloud Line, and a couple of notches below Sokol Blosser.  Not a bad position to be in.  Given their improvements over the last two years, I can see them becoming one of the premier Oregon Pinot Noir producers in the near future.

Argyle 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

The Winery:  Argyle
The Wine:  2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The Price: $21.99 at Safeway

Argyle is one of the many wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley.  Argyle was founded in 1987 by Rollin Soles.  Argyle specializes in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wine. 

The wine was stopped with a screw cap and was decanted an hour before tasting.

The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is red in color, and far less dark than I am accustomed to seeing in Pinot Noirs from Oregon. 

The wine has aromas of cherry, raspberry and pepper.  The wine has a bright, almost tart cherry flavor, blended with berry.  This is a good Pinot Noir.  It's not my personal favorite, but it's a good wine and priced appropriately in the mid-range of Pinot Noirs. 

Spellbound 2007 Petite Sirah

The Winery:  Spellbound
The Wine:  2007 Petite Sirah
The Price:  $10.99 at QFC (marked down from $15.99)

Spellbound is a partnership between Robert and Lydia Mondavi, Patti Romano and Geoff Whitman. The partners also own Medusa Wines.  Robert is the grandson of the Robert Mondavi who founded Robert Mondavi Wines, so he is no stranger to the industy.

The Spellbound Petite Sirah is made from 98% Petite Sirah and 2% "Other Red" grapes.  The bottle was stopped with a synthetic cork, and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of prune, blackberry, vanilla and pepper.  This is a big, bold, fruity wine with a mild pepper finish.  It has flavors of strawberry jam, raspberry and vanilla, with just that hint of pepper.  This is a pretty incredible Petite Sirah, espcially given the price.  I highly recommend this one!