My Dinner With Catie

Dear Catie,

Thank you so much for a wonderful dinner at Bistro Four. It was so good to see you. As usual, the conversation was great, the food was delish, and the wine interesting. Better to be at a simple bistro, than a pretentious wannabe like 26 Brix. You seemed to love your Croque Madame and although I craved the Duck pizza, it was not to be. The salad Nicoise was excellent although with my carb fears, there were too many potatoes. The Spanish Barbadillo was such an excellent dry white, and so inexpensive. At first I thought I was hallucinating, back at the old Nick's in McMinnville where wines were marked up only $8. Imagine - an $8 corkage fee. Well, Bistro Four actually seems to have reasonable prices and if you purchase to take home, you get ten per cent off, so , in effect, a ten percent corkage or markup in the restaurant - very reasonable! The service by Nathaniel was great, and while the menu is somewhat limited, this is a great place to eat at reasonable prices, don't you think? Christophe tells me that the owner is a single mom. She bought the place from the owner of Grapefields which was the previous incarnation of this venue where she had been chef. Great to see such entrepreneurship and guts, yes?

So, despite the good wine and food, the most interesting thing was our discussion of the next venue for the third annual Wine Bloggers Conference. This year is a repeat of Sonoma. Much as I would like to see my wine blogger friends, a return to the same old venue seems boring and why would I want to leave Seattle at the end of July which is the perfect time to be here. So you told me that there seems to be some sort of contest between Walla Walla and Woodinville for next years conference. I have to say, that, while there are excellent wineries in Woodinville , this would be a very limited sampling of Washington State wines and I don't actually know of a venue that can support a conference of 200 some odd participants in Woodinville, other than the Willows Lodge, but I don't believe they have the accommodations for 200 participants. Limiting the tastings to Woodinville would be a shame since that would exclude Quilceda, the South Seattle Artisan group, Yakima, Red Mountain and Walla Walla to say nothing of Snipes, Horse Heaven Hills, the Gorge, and Lake Chelan.

My first intro to Walla Walla was a Society of Wine Educators conference held at the Hilton in Bellevue, but there was a pre-conference trip to Tri-Cities and Walla Walla that was great. I think the best plan would be similar. A Bellevue or Seattle conference venue, but with extensive pre-conference side trips to SSAW, Yakima, Red Mountain, and Walla Walla. The Marcus Whitman in Walla Walla would be a great venue for a conference and there are more than enough motels for overflow. Maybe Christophe would volunteer to knock their socks off! There are so many great Walla Walla wineries, and besides, no one would get to see our fabulous Eastern Washington vineyards. After all, while there are close to a hundred excellent wineries in the Puget Sound area, all the the grapes come from eastern Washington. Holding the event in Woodinville would be like holding an event in Paris or a Bordeaux suburb without visiting the Medoc, St. Emilion, or Pomerol, for example. I look forward to a Wine Bloggers conference in Washington, but I do hope it won't be limited to one narrow corner of the state. Have fun at the second annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma and say hi to Joel for me.

Cheers,

Gene

The King Of The Stones

The king of pop may be dead, but the king of the stones lives. In fact, Christophe Baron rules both in his domain at Cayuse and in the surrounding cailloux ( French for stones). I must admit to a certain amount of skepticism about all the apparent hype and spin around Cayuse. Commenters on the Seattle Wine Blog argued that Les Cailloux and other Cayuse vineyards should be included in The Top Ten Washington State Vineyards at the same time complaining that Seven Hills is in Oregon. As Bob Tovey would say, common folks, which is it? All the Cayuse vineyards and the studio/atelier/winery are in Oregon even though Cayuse maintains a downtown Walla Walla presence and Christophe lives in Walla Walla, Washington.

Christophe very graciously received us at the studio, and finished regaling us with the official story already started by his able assistant, Trevor. Christophe comes from an old winemaking family in Champagne. Unfortunately, this Champagne is not available in the States. Christophe earned his stripes in Burgundy and came to the U.S. planning to make Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley. He visited a friend in Walla Walla and "on his way" to the Willamette Valley, " just happened upon" the stony soil in the southwest quadrant of the Walla Walla AVA.

"Cailloux!", he exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the stony soil of the apple orchids along Sunneyside Road (Actually there were already plantings of grapes in the stones when Christophe arrived. The old Seven Hills vineyard, now called Wildrow was there along with some others). That was the beginning of the end for Christophe - no more Willamette Pinot for him. Roughly thirteen years ago he set down roots among the stones of Walla Walla AVA and has never looked back. I asked him if regretted not going on to the Willamette. His answer - not at all. I would have been just one of many Frenchmen making Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley and here I am unique." Kathy Tovey remembered Christophe as a somewhat scrawny young man peddling his wine at a country fair in Oregon in the mid-90s. Christophe has come a long way since then.

Now, Christophe has a domain consisting of many vineyards, and has recently discovered "biodynamique." This suits him perfectly, since in its purest form, biodynamique is about an ecological microcosm, a self-sufficient domain. Christophe took us on a tour of his home base,
Armida Vineyard. He told us that he has 25 full-time permanent employees to maintain the vineyards and in the winery. Most of them probably work in the vineyards and in keeping with the sustainability ethos of Oregon they have health insurance. My guess is that, as usual, they are Hispanic , and to produce my own stereotype, hard-working. conscientious and productive. Walking on "cobblestones" trodden by others, one still has a wondrous sense of something "sauvage" and yet "pastorale." As we walked among the stones, Christophe regaled us with tales of his conquests in Walla Walla. Christophe told us that others had said he would break his machinery on such rocks, but the "Bionic Frog" persevered. Finally, we arrived at a plot of Grenache planted 3ft.X3ft. Rows with spaces not wide enough for most overweight Americans, let alone a motorized cultivator. Horses! Christophe will cultivate this plot with the help of several Belgian horses. Beyond this plot, piles of manure, excuse me, organic fertilizer.
And then, the producers of this fertile pile - les vaches (the cows). To the south, an organic cherry orchid rejected by commercial buyers because the cherries didn't conform to grade. Perhaps this is the best description of Christophe. He doesn't conform to grade. This non-conformist thinks and lives outside the box.

Back to the studio/atelier/winery. As we entered the "studio" we had a lively discussion of order and disorder. This was triggered by the incredible flying pig hanging from the ceiling of the winery. Starting with a pinata purchased by Christophe, his artist friend painted it over, adding two jet engines and other paraphernalia. Christophe insists they are Boeing engines and not Airbus. My guess is that Airbus represents the uptight, buttoned up, stultifying cadre of France with their inhibiting rule-bound society as opposed to the fresh air of America for a French person. Disorder is "necessaire" for creativity, originality and limnality. On the other hand, order is a necessary foil for disorder and it is necessary to define "a thing." So we enter the inner sanctum - a frigid place of order! Rows of barrels, "eggs," cement fermenters, neatly laid out. But many of the barrels are turned with their provenance and stats unavailable to the naked eye. Christophe is both ebullient and charismatic, on the one hand, and private and secretive, on the other.

As he explained early on, "terroir" is everything. He described himself as primarily a "vigneron," a grapegrower, but the implication was of an artist united with the soil (see my D.H. Lawrence quote on the masthead). Christophe, the artist, reminded me of Picasso and Gauguin. I asked him if he was a guardian of the vineyards. "Not at all! Maybe in a hundred years, in a thousand years." Now he is a pioneer, a discoverer, an explorer, an experimenter, an adventurer. Christophe has the personality of Lewis Hyde's "Trickster." Hermes, he is! Egoist, narcissist, yes, but his charisma is real, not some put-on persona. I once heard a French teacher describe her job as "seduire." To seduce, is to teach. Christophe is very seductive, very charismatic. A seller of Gentiane at a market in southwest France, once told us that his product would make anyone "drop his pants" or was it "her pants." That's Christophe!


You were wondering about the wine? Exceptional! These wines are giants. Bigger than most California wines, yet not jammy. Bigger than most Australian wines, yet not linear. Bigger than most French wine, yet not classic. Bigger than most Washington wines, yet not soft. These are big wines in big bottles, but really they are amazingly over the top, really nothing like them in intensity. Huge expansive wines, just like Christophe! How does Christophe do it? Apparently he has many secrets, but the most obvious trick is in the vineyard - keeping the yields low, dropping clusters down to five or six per vine, or in the case of the 3x3 Grenache maybe three per vine resulting in yields of significantly less than two tons per acre, like 1.2 or 1.5 tons per acre. This is amazing when you consider that three tons per acre is considered low by the mere mortals growing grapes in other vineyards.

From the cask - '06 Grenache - Armida, '06 Syrah -Armida, '06 Syrah -Cailloux, '08 Bionic Frog. The 2006 Armida Grenache is big, dark and inky, smelling of spices and tar, tasting of rhubarb and strawberry. A huge, smooth, seamless wine -plus d' agreable. 2008 Armida Syrah - incredibly dark, perfection in a bottle, deepest, darkest Walla Walla. The flagship Cailloux vineyard was founded in 1997 - super-intense, liquid tar, somewhat like the tar and roses of a traditional Barolo, but so much more intense. This is not your average aperatif, maybe an acquired taste. For me, incredible! The 2008 Bionic Frog blend is from the Coccinelle vineyard and has a pretty nose - complex, spicy and herbal, in the mouth - round, soft, seductive and approachable - closest to the gout Americain, thus very popular. BTW, Coccinelle means ladybug in French, but also is the name of a pioneering transsexual and a line of handbags.

From the bottle - 2007 Widowmaker, 2007 Bionic Frog, 2007 Impulsivo. The 2007 Widowmaker is a killer Cabernet Sauvignon from the En Chambertin vineyard. Once your man drinks this liquid cassis and blueberry pie that tastes like a spice rack, it won't be long 'til you get to finih the bottle in peace and quiet by yourself. The 2007 Bionic Frog is big, spicy and complex. The 2007 Impulsivo is 100% Tempranillo from the En Chambertin vineyard. Deep, black, incredibly intense, without being jammy. The beautiful image on the label says it all - the last tango, to die for, or from! Truly a tour de force.

Are the wines representative of the terroir. Without a doubt! They are so different from each other.. This was especially illustrated by four different Syrahs from four different vineyards. Are they only terroir? I don't think so. As usual, the winemaker has left his stamp, his signature, on the wine. Christophe is both a terroiriste and an artiste - a "vigneron!" Christophe's wines are gigantic like Christophe who is un geant de la terre. I was forced to read Giants In The Earth in high school and hated it. Now the name has served me well in describing this amazing French winemaker who has spread his seed in the fertile soil of Walla Walla. The "Rock" Star exceeded my expectations and his reputation. Stones R Us, or rather, Stones R Him.

Christophe tells me he has 4500 people on the waiting list, but I have a feeling people are dropping off the mailing list like flies due to the horrendous economy. Sign up, you never know, you might get to the head of the list faster than you think, and by that time maybe your finances may have recovered enough to be able to pay the price for a bottle paradise (or is it hell?) in a bottle. Trust me, it's worth it. Spend your last red cent on an impulse and die happy. Despite my reticence I was totally seduced by Christophe and his incredible wines. Cayuse rocks!

Go West - II

Okay, so this isn't so real-time, but it's still the latest poop on Walla Walla West. Graduates from the Walla Walla Airport incubator, tend to end up on Highway 12. Reininger and Cougar Crest are classic examples. In fact, it has seemed to me that Reininger went downhill when they moved, but recent evidence suggests a recovery. Cougar Crest seems to have made the move without ill effects. Waterbrook was never in the incubator and came up with some wonderful surprises - great values.

In the recent past, Reininger seemed to me to have lost its way. Apparently, highway 12 is disorienting. You can get wound up and twisted into a double helix. The Helix wines used to be great values, but at $30 a throw, that is no longer an accurate description. Nevertheless, many of Chuck's regular bottlings are quite interesting and delicious. The 2003 Cima, tasting a little old (or had it been open too long), was quite beautiful. The 2005 Merlot, despite the grapes from Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills vineyards, was light - enough to confirm "Miles" opinion of Merlot. The 2005 Cab Sauv had great fruit and tasted a little like what a Merlot should taste like. The 2008 Ash Hollow Syrah had nice tobacco and pepper notes. The 2006 Carmenere was probably the most interesting wine. As I read over this paragraph, it appears that I had a negative impression of Reininger wines. This is not true. Most of these wines had character and interest. Reininger survived the jinx of route 12 and Codi ably poured all these wines with a great running commentary on each. It was obvious that she is really into wine. She is a student at the enology program at the community college and I predict she will become a great winemaker in her own right in just a few years.

Deborah and Dave Hansen survived for the longest time in a "Quonset Hut" at the airport. So far, their move to route 12 seems to be liberating. Sooo much more space! Both have deep roots in Walla Walla and, in fact own several vineyards. They tore up apple orchids and own vineyards in the stones just over the border in Oregon to the west of highway 125. They sold a vineyard to finance their beautiful new winery on highway 12. Dave is a farmer, a vineyardist who is happiest on a tractor or a forklift. Deborah is an outstanding winemaker. Cougar Crest is one of the most consistent labels around. This is a great help in a restaurant when you are unsure what to order from the wine list. The 2006 Walla Walla Viognier is an outrageously good wine. Viognier at its best - dry, stony, with good subdued fruit - to my gout. The Grenache Rose is pleasant, a cut above most American Roses. Dedication is a delicious wine dedicated to the hospital that saved the life of Dave and Deborah's daughter after near fatal injuries. The 2006 Walla Walla Valley Anniversary Cuvee is fairly light , but totally great for chocoloholics. The 2006 Walla Walla Valley Cab Sauv is a delicious blend and the 2005 Walla Walla Syrah is an outstanding wine. Virtually all Cougar Crest wines are made from estate grown grapes. Since moving into their new digs on highway 12, Dave and Deborah couldn't quite let go of their original hut at the airport, so they've started producing a new line to sell there - Walla Walla River Winery. This is their opportunity to explore various varietals from grapes sourced from all around the Columbia Valley. I didn't get to taste these wines, but I'll bet they are good.

Waterbrook just opened a new winery on highway 12. This high tech building is spectacular and is home to Precept Brands in all of its manifestations. I must admit to not expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Melange Noir and White, to say nothing of the Sangiovese Rose and a perfectly typical, classic Riesling all at very reasonable prices. I found the higher priced wines to be somewhat disappointing for the price, but Waterbrook is producing some fabulous value with great price points.

So the western entrance to Walla Walla is a good introduction to Walla Walla wines, but the best is yet to come south of town and at the airport.

Go West Young Man!

Amazing! This is almost real time blogging from Walla Walla. Today we checked out wineries West of Walla Walla on Highway 12 as you come into town from Seattle. One could imagine a game of hopscotch among wineries trying to be the first to greet wine tourists on the road into Walla Walla. Such a game of musical chairs would be so 1990s, so California, but I can hardly imagine the down-to-earth folks of Walla Walla playing such a game. As it turns out Woodward Canyon is first and they have been there for quite a while, founded in 1981 by Rick Small.

Next up is L'Ecole #41, founded in 1983 by Marty Clubb. I got to talk with Marty about his newest interest - Ferguson vineyard, 18 acres above Pepper Bridge or was it Seven Hills. Like so many other winemakers he has been bitten by the "sustainability" bug.
As I tasted through L'Ecole wines, they all seemed lighter and friendlier(too friendly?) than they used to be, but it seems to me they used to have more character. The Semillons are less intense, the reds less deep. The Fries Vineyard Semillon goes with tuna. The 2008 "Walla Voila" Chenin Blanc shows lots of interest with a floral spicy nose, round and fruity body, and a hint of spice and citrus in the finish. Much more enjoyable than 99% of Chenin Blanc based Vouvray from the Loire Valley. The 2006 Walla Walla Cab has great fruit in the nose an is an altogether satisfying wine. The 2006 "Apogee" is the apogee of the the L'Ecole line up. Fortunately, the Perigee is not the perigee but not as wonderful as the Apogee. The 2006 Columbia Valley Syrah was pretty good, too.

Moving right along, we come to the new kid on the block - Glencorrie, owned by Ronn Coldiron and ably managed by Heidi Harrison. Wow! Awesome! Ronn is a geologist who runs a consulting firn in California. With the help of Charlie Hoppes, Glencorrie has fashioned it's first wines from Stillwater and Gamache grapes. The 2006 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a medium bodied wine with very appealing fruit and lots of character. It gets your attention. It stands out from so many ever so pleasant wines. As usual the Walla Walla version of Cab ( Widrow & Dwelley) is more upright, more serious - a good food wine. The 2006 Cuvee Marquis is the gem in the show - round, soft, but exciting! Sourced from multiple vineyards around the Columbia Valley. This is an up-and-comer. A winery to watch! The next new thing! Get on their mailing list. BTW, they are having an Open house June 29th in the evening. Call 509-525-2585.

Retailers Wake Up!

Retailers of the world, more specifically, of Washington and Arizona, wake up, you have nothing to lose but your sales. We have heard many reports of wineries increasing sales out of their tasting rooms, consumers ordering direct from the winery, because you are not carrying Washington state "boutique" wines that consumers want. It is time to think outside the box instead of hunkering down and folding up the tent. Follow in the footsteps of Kent Jeppesen at "the wine station." You are the bottleneck between eager consumers and eager wineries. Where are those Washington wine end displays? Right out in front of Australia? If you don't lower your prices and offer the wines that consumers want, you may be cut out of the loop. Cheers!

The Wine Station

Move over Trader Joe's, Costco, Total and Bevmo. Here comes the Wedgewood Shell Station! The what? Yeah, it's a gas station in northeast Seattle. What's a gas station got to do with wine? I told you you could find one of the best buys in the world, Columbia Crest "Two Vines" Chardonnay and Merlot, at gas stations all over Washington state, but Kent Jeppesen, owner of the Wedgewood Shell station (9501 NE 75th Street, phone 206-384-48440), has taken gas station wine sales to the next level. He had the business acumen to realize that wine has an excellent markup and that people want wine for under $10. When it comes to wine, you can get get anything you want, almost, at the Shell Station. Washington, Australia, France, Chile, you name it and chances are they have it. You may not be able to find the pepperoni or the chips, but you can find a decent quaff for the night at less than ten bucks. Kent keeps his prices right. He buys closeouts from distributors and sometime has a lower than normal markup to give you a good value. Soon, or maybe already, wine may contribute more to gross revenue and profit than that other necessity, gasoline, at the "Wine Station."

Best Strawberries

Living in Washington state, you can't help but become a strawberry lover. Of course, the best strawberries are local ones from places like Spooner Farm and Sakama farm. The season for these is a few scant weeks in June, but good strawberries can be had at other times of the year. When I am desperate for a strawberry, the overly firm, last forever, simulacrum from Watsonville will do, but if you want something with real flavor look to Mexico and other California venues. IMO, Santa Maria produces the most flavorful commercially grown fruit, followed by Santa Ynez, Oxnard and Salinas.

Strawberries are great by themselves and, of course, dipped in chocolate. Try strawberries with prosciutto or cold smoked salmon. Strawberries and semi-soft cheese are the perfect accompaniment to wine. Semisweet wines such as Riesling and Gewurztraminer work well, as do almost any dessert wines. I've never had a bad match with red or white wine, but a real Northwest eyeopener is Washington Strawberries and Oregon Pinot Noir, though I wouldn't object to a California Pinot or a Red Burgundy.

Best Airplane Wine?

Thunderbird or MD20/20? Well, not quite that bad. How many times have you ordered wine on a flight only to be disappointed? Even in First Class? The last wine I had in First Class was a not so first class Viognier from California. I vaguely recall having some good wine in Business Class many years ago. At least in steerage you can buy those little six ounce bottles. Water is probably a better choice and sometimes offered free on some airlines. Anyway, I decided to see which of those 187ml bottles offered the best chance of a decent quaff on a plane, not that you really have a choice on a given flight. We only tasted Chardonnay. Sutter Home was sweet and flabby. Gallo was acceptable. Delicato anything but delicate, but workable, Stone Cellar from Beringer was not bad at all, well balanced with a (oh, no!) slightly stony quality, and good fruit. BTW, This is available at Trader Joe's for only $3.99 ( four buck chuck ?) and it is a lot better than Charles Shaw Chardonnay. Too bad you can't BYOB. I am so far behind on my posts that I thought I would send this little post along just to remind you that I'm still in the game:)

FWC To Bailout Wine Industry

BULLETIN: FWC (Federal Wine Commission) to bailout wine industry. The FWC is a little known division of the Federal Reserve. Fiat will take control of Deageo and the Federal Government will own 60% of Constellation Brands. Deageo and Constellation will let go of over 50% of retailers and restaurants. Constellation will sell a significant portion of it's portfolio of wineries to buyers in China and Japan. Congressmen have complained of a lack of oversight, arbitrariness, unregulated rule by fiat, lack of clear and sound guidelines and criteria, and the impact on local communities. Some may have to drive more than 100 miles to get some wine. This will be beneficial to state budgets as the number of DWIs will increase. Goldman Sacks has indicated an interest in securitizing these debts (DWIs & DUIs), even under the regulation of the Federal Reserve (too bad Hank ain't around no more). A certain amount of wine in large formats with be held in Reserve for the Feds' own use. Already there has been a populist outcry over these outrageously oversized last minute bonuses.

On Wall Street there has been a huge rally in the stocks of American bucket manufacturers. In pre-market trading American Bucket(ABC), Kick The Bucket(KICK), and Bucket List(LIST), have risen 24%, 39%, and 103%, respectively. A little known earmark in fine print specifies that only American buckets from Arkansas and Kansas are to be used to drain the lake of wine in the U.S. resulting from excess inventories of cult wines and and wines priced at $14 and up. Like housing, there has recently been noted a slight increase in consumption by entry level buyers and those who have had to scale down during the "worst Recession since the Depression of the 1930s". Wines priced at the high end have suffered the greatest drop in sales and anyone who has a few bucks left can get on virtually any "list". "Allocated" wines can now be allocated to YOU, if you want them. Overseas, Asian and European bucket makers fell on the news. Several Asian CEOs and one French CEO kicked the bucket on the news. Interestingly, very few top level bucket makers had the decency to kick the bucket. Instead they seem to have taken out their bucket lists and are flying around the world checking off items at a rapid rate.

President Obama made it perfectly clear that he had no intention of nationalizing the wine industry or the bucket industry. He stated that it was necessary to bailout the wine industry because the country is drowning in a lake of high-priced wine. At his speech in Napa, he noted that roughly half of the countries in the world, including many Muslim countries, produce wine. He stated, unequivocally, that countries must abide by the Non-Proliferation Treaty and that, while no country could or should dictate the wine-growing behavior of another country, non-producing countries must sign the treaty and abide by its provisions. He also pointed out the absurd maze of state regulation and the intra-state attempts to coerce the behavior of individuals living in particular regions. He called for an end to the checkerboard of dry and wet counties found in some regions. Conservative Senators accused Obama of being unduly influenced by what they called a special interest group - Free The Grapes. Former Vice President Cheney virtually accused Free The Grapes of socialism and terrorism

Returning to the international arena, he said that the peaceful use of wine for domestic consumption enhances the GHP (Gross Happiness Product) of individuals and countries, but that threats of overproduction from rogue terroiristes are unacceptable and will be met with firm opposition by the international community. Terroiristes who turn in their plows will be welcomed into the community of nations. He expressed optimism that in the long run, the American wine industry could recapture it's lead by cutting prices and increasing innovation. He said that he understood the long suffering of the followers of Bacchus and Dionysus and history of hostility between them. He acknowledged how difficult it will be to overcome decades of cultism, but said that we must, and will, be guided by our moral obligations to do the right thing. While acknowledging the rights of teetotalers, he asked the world to unite in celebrating diversity, and asked us all, within the bounds of our various values and religious beliefs, to eat, drink, and be merry which is a universal human desire and a human right!

Conserve Water, Drink Wine

We were back to the old stompin' ground in Santa Barbara County, Los Olivos. We wanted to leave some time for the Foxen Santa Maria area, so we skipped Santa Ynez, Lompac/Buellton, and Solvang. We couldn't resist Los Olivos, but we really wanted to get to Foxen Road. No toilets, no water, just wine - that's Los Olivos. We skipped some old friends such as Consilience and Andrew Murray(rude reception). We always have fond memories of Andrew Murray Esperence, but wonder what it is like these days.

We started at Arthur Earl where the 2006 Viognier tasted like a peach tree with a little bark thrown in. Altogether a fruity, friendly wine, but, like most of its Olivos cousins, too fruity for my taste. I need some minerality and stoniness. The Rhone blend of Grenache, Counoise, Cinsaut and Syrah had a great nose with nice hints of vanilla in the flavor, but ultimately the lean mean taste of Counoise came through. The 2006 Tempranillo was a winner with a nose of cherry and Havana cigar.

Next a stop at Stolpman to pick up a wine club allocation for a friend. How agreeable the little red house just off the main street of Los Olivos . What a relief from the claustrophobic feel of the tasting room in Solvang surrounded by Scandinavian bric-a-brac stores - a Danish mortuary for great wine. The 2006 L'Avion has a deep golden color, almost russet, reminiscent of a big white Burgundy in style, structure and color, although, of course, the flavor profile is different since this is no Chardonnay, but a Rousanne with a touch of Viognier. The 2006 Grenache is beautiful, light and elegant - a good example of this style. We tasted two Syrahs, but the most interesting wine was the 2006 "La Croce" a cross between Syrah and Sangiovese. This seems to be a new trend in Los Olivos, the first of three such crosses.

Across the street at Carina Cellars we tasted wines created by winemaker Joe Tensley who also has his own line of wines. The 2007 Viognier had a subtle nose, followed by a round fruity peachy wine. Another fruity Viognier from Los Olivos. It's a style! We tasted several Syrahs - our favorites were the 2006 Terra Alta and the co-fermented 2006 "7 Percent" Syrah, that is, 7% Viognier, 93% Syrah.

At Coquelicot (kok - li -ko) Kerry very ably served up the offerings. The 2006 Estate Chardonnay was very light and perfumed - a good patio wine. The 2006 Estate Chardonnay was more classic, but still very fruity - flowers in a glass. The 2006 Estate Syrah tasted of roasted coffee. The very good 2006 Black Oak Vineyard Syrah was round balanced and flavorful. The 2006 "Mon Amour" Estate Bordeaux Blend was very lovable, round, fruity and perfumed - a come hither wine. The 2006 Estate Cabernet Franc was an odd C. F. with spice that might lead one to think of Syrah. The winemaker's notes say it tastes of roasted pasilla pepper, still an unusual , if not unpleasant, taste profile for a Cab Franc.

Qupe recently opened a new tasting room at the entrance to Los Olivos from the north. Stealthily manned by Ethan, one of owner Bob Lindquist's able winemaker sons, Ethan, quietly poured wines from Qupe, his father's wines, from Verdad, his step-mother's wines, and "Ethan" his own wines. He quietly recommended his brother Luke's wines at Tres Hermanas. The 2006 Verdad Rose was, good, but truly, the 2007 Verdad Albarino was even better. Fruitier than a Spanish Albarino, but still recognizable. The Qupe Roussanne was round and fruity, the Qupe Los Olivos Cuvee, a Syrah/Mourvedre blend, was light to medium-bodied, round, with good fruit. I have spent years searching for this wine in San Francisco ever since my son-in- law had a bottle and loved it. Ethan's 2006 Sangiovese was round, medium-bodied, and spicy - no lean mean Chianti, this one. Ethan's Cuvee Los Alamos Syrah was excellent, too. His father's Qupe 2006 Syrah from the Stolpman vineyard was really good, too, with a nose of black fruit and toast. In truth, this is a family of very talented winemakers. Es verdad! Truth telling even extends to the tasting notes offered. Just the facts, ma'am! Vineyards, grapes and ageing. That's it. No hype about "lead pencil and cassis." Just the data. They're not going to tell you what you "should" taste or try to influence you. You decide how it tastes to you and whether you like it or not. This is truly rare.

Since Longoria was just next door, I couldn't resist the opportunity to revisit an old friend. The 2007 Pinot Grigio was pleasantly balanced, the 2007 Cuvee June Rose was pleasingly dry. The nose of the 2006 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido, put me off, the nose of of the 2006 Clover Creek Syrah was toasty and appealing. The "06 Blues Cuvee was complex and jazzy. The 2006 Clover Creek Tempranillo was round, balanced and delish, but all of this was just a prelude to a mind-blowing wine - the 2006 Fe Ciega Vineyard Pinot Noir. This is from Rick Longoria' only estate vineyard. I had only one thing to say about this wine - "Fantasic!" Like Miles in "Sideways," I have spent years searching for truly great Pinot and have only found a few bottles in Burgundy and a few more in Oregon that satisfy me. This one is spectacular and worth every penny of its $54 price point. Well, it looks like we only left a few hours for the Foxen Santa Maria area but that's better than last time.

Best of Taste Washingon

• It's really unfair to name "Bests" of Taste Washington without tasting all of the wines, but who can taste through 800 some odd wines in four hours. Wines from many of the following outstanding wineries surely would have made the list: Amavi, Andrew Will, Baer, Barrage, Betz, Brian Carter, Buty, Cadence, Camaraderie, Darby, DeLille, Fall Line, Gorman, Hightower, Isenhower, L'Ecole, Nicolas Cole, Note Bene, O-S, Pepper Bridge, Reininger, Sheridan, Soos Creek, Spring Valley Vineyards, Syzygy, Willis Hall among others. So as usual these are really my faves among wines tasted:

• Best Of Show - Saviah "Une Vallee"
• Best Winemaker - James and Poppie Mantone
• Best Winery - Quilceda Creek
• Best New Winery - Barrage, Martinez & Martinez,
• Best Winery Name - Falling Rain
• Best Winery Architecture - Tertulia
• Best Wine Name - Recession Red
• Best Overall Quality - Januik, Novelty Hill
• Best Value - Gordon Bros.
• Best Puget Sound Winery - Palouse
• Best Woodinville Winery - Hestia
• Best Yakima Winery - Airfield
• Best Walla Walla Winery - aMaurice
• Best Cascade Winery - Vin Du Lac
• Best Riesling - Palouse
• Best Gewurztraminer - Sleight of Hand
• Best Chardonnay - Amaurice, Sparkman
• Best Viognier - Cougar Crest, Amaurice
• Best Red Blend - Adam's Bench, Balboa, Quilceda Creek
• Best Rhone Blend - Rotie Cellars
• Best Malbec - Amaurice, Beresan, Gifford Hirlinger
• Best Syrah - Hestia, Palouse, Saviah, Syncline, Walter Dacon
• Best Mourvedre - Syncline, Trio
• Best Cabernet Sauvignon - Dusted Valley, Hestia

Taste Washington Seattle

Back to Taste Washington. Let's try doing this in alphabetical order. Airfield Estates has been growing grapes for a while. Recently Marcus Miller has started making wines that are appealing and reasonably priced. Anna Schafer, continues to make outstanding wine at aMaurice Cellars. Both the 2006 Viognier and Chardonnay have a stony European quality. The Malbec is fabulous. Balboa wines have been friendly "value" wines, but now they are going upscale with "Mith" the outstanding Sayulta from Walla Walla grapes, but is this the time to start offering $40 bottles. I guess we will see. It seems to me that Beresen wines fell off a little this year, but not the 2006 Malbec. Everyone seems to be hitting home runs with Malbec. Caderetta had a nice Merlot. Chad at Dusted Valley ventured into the high end with an outstanding '06 Reserve Cab for $45. The 2007 Stained Tooth Syrah is always good at $24. Gifford Hirlinger came up with another really good Malbec. All of the wines from newcomer Gilstrap were excellent.

The 2007 Riesling from Palouse was light and balanced. The 2006 "Ahh" Syrah brought "oohs and aahs" as did the Cab Franc and the Cab Sauv. All of the Ponum and Ponder wines were excellent. Quilceda Creek 2006 Red Wine - "That's really good!" The Saviah 2006 Reserve Syrah was excellent, but the 2006 "Une Vallee" Red Wine was outstanding - velvety and smooth! Once again, Trey Busch worked his magic with the 2007 "The Magician" Gewurz and the "Spellbinder" Red Blend. Chris Sparkman's 2007 "Lumiere" Chardonnay will light up your life and lighten your burdens. The 2007 Syncline Mourvedre from Horse Heaven Hills is heavenly and since Syncline is biodynamique should help you get centered in your life. The trio of winemakers at Trio Vintners made an outstanding Rhone Style Mourvedre that is delightfully rustique and reminiscent of southern French wine. It appears that virtually all of Larry Lehmbecker's wines have won awards for their friendly unoaked style. Newcomer Ward Johnson's Cab Blend was worthy and of course, Lloyd Andersen's Walter Dacon Syrahs were all big fruity, jammy and delish as always. I alway seem to prefer to prefer the C'est Syrah Belle.

Four hours is just not enough time to do justice to so many outstanding winemakers, wineries, and vineyards, but Taste Washington is a great way to discover new wineries and find out which wines you really like. I've often said that the only way to buy wine is to taste it yourself at the winery. At Taste Washington the wineries bring the wine to you all in the same place making it easy to choose your faves for the year.

Woodinville Passport

This year we did Passport in a day. To do this, we had to skip some good ol'boys, some old new wineries and lots of good friends. Brian Carter was mobbed as were Red Sky and Edmonds. DeLille, Betz and Gorman were closed. We tasted Sparkman and Efeste at Taste Washington Phoenix. We tasted Ponum and Pondera at Taste Washington Seattle. So we sandwiched everything else between two truly outstanding new wineries. We started early at Adam's Bench and finished late at Hestia. In between we checked out wineries with great wines, great wine names, and great marketing.

We also got greater clarity about some complicated relationships among winery names and product lines. Smasne, for example, also produces Alma Terra, Gard and Farmer Boy wines. Alexandria Nicole has a second line called Altered States Of Wine. Their unoaked Girl Next Door Chardonnay was quite good. The John Pattersons, father and son, seem to be shifting their winery name from Washington Wine Company to Patterson Cellars. They had cool music ( lots of people dancing), cool names like Big F'n Syrah and Recession Red. The Syrah was F'n Amazing and so is the price. In addition to Recession Red they are offering a "stimulus package". They have yet to offer "Crash", "Crisis", "Flaw", "Bailout", "Bonus", "Made-Off", "Greenspan Grenache", "Geithner's Unpaid Tax ", or "Bernacke Bordeaux Blend", but they are off to a good start.

Guardian Cellars offered their 2006 Syrah with pleasing soft cherry flavors. Darby English offered Chaos and Purple Haze. I was particularly fond of the Purple Haze. I sorely missed the Deuce Viognier/ Chard which will be released in a couple of months. Steve Snyder is having trouble with his plantings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but made fine light, tart, Roussanne from Horse Heaven Hills grapes. XSV wines were better this year. The 2003 Chardonnay seemed overoaked, but very French. the '03 Syrah from Horse Heaven Hills was unusually spicy and interesting. the '03 Cab was balanced, soft with good fruit.

The only new winery for me was Barrage a cross between barn and garage. Kevin Correll started making wine in a garage, thus earning his "Diplome Garagiste." He also has a certificate from U.C. Davis. In keeping with the style set by the gang in the hood, Kevin has a barrage of quirky, explosive names such as Nuclear Blonde, Trifecta, Secret Weapon and Alias. The wines are excellent with lots of character. Kevin figures with so many excellent winemakers around, he needs to do something a little bit different.

Adam's Bench, last year's next new thing, is still going strong thanks to the winemaking skills of owners Tim and Erica Blue. You had better get on their list before they are discovered. It is no myth that the 2007 Myth is an excellent wine. The barrel sample of this 50/50 Cab Franc & Merlot that we tasted was loaded with fruit, but had a slightly hot finish that should go away with bottling and a little age. I preferred the 2007 Reckoning, a blend of 48% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, in other words, a Bordeaux style blend. Beautiful black berry fruit. The 2006, being a year older is rounder and softer. Love them both! The 2006 Reserve Cab, aka, "The V", is another beautifully balanced Bordeaux style blend predominantly Cab Sauv(75%) with 23% Merlot and 2% Cab Franc blended in, more in the style of a left bank Paulliac. There also are a 2007 100% Red Willow Cab and an '07 "V" still in barrel. The '07 "V" has an incredible pedigree with fruit from Stillwater Vineyard and Discovery Vineyard. Discovery provides fruit to some of the best wineries in the state - Quilceda Creek and Andrew Will. Did you miss the Leonetti and Quilceda mailing lists? Here's an opportunity to get great wine at reasonable prices. You would pay twice as much for comparable Napa wine and moreyhan three times as much for Bordeaux.

We closed our session with an after hours visit to Hestia Cellars. Hestia is the Greek Goddess of home and hearth, but, trust me, there is nothing homely about winemaker Shannon Jones's wines. Shannon has acheived that magical trick of creating a wine both smooth and seemless, but big and full. Most of his wines are marked by deep purple colors followed by big rich fruit. Perhaps the winery should have been named after Hermes, the trickster, rather than placid Hestia. In any event this is definitely a "go to" winery, My faves are the Cab and the Syrah which would have getten scores of 91 and 93, if I were into scores

The boys and girls in the hood are doing a fine job. The whole hood is just F'n amazing. And so close to Seattle. Just think, you can save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars by just driving a few miles to Woodinville, instead of the Napa Valley. Then you can use your savings to buy wine instead :)

Woodinville Passport: Novelty Hill and Mike Januik

Ladies and Gentleman, we interrupt this broadcast to bring you a Bulletin: We interrupt our posts about Taste Washington to bring you almost real-time reports from Woodinville Passport.

On my return to Columbia Winery to get a replacement copy of my "Woodinville Passport"which apparently fell out of my pocket early on, I thought I would taste some Columbia Winery wines. You may have noticed that for the most part I have never been particularly fond of Columbia wines, but I thought I would at least try the Red Willow Sangiovese. No Passport, no wine! Such rigidity! As recompense, I immediately headed to Novelty Hill where I hoped for a better reception and where I knew there would be so many good wines. I once said that I've never had a bad wine from Novelty Hill. This time I tasted through so many good wines made by Mike Januik. The tasting room staff led by Diane were extremely helpful and accommodating. Destiny poured so many excellent wines, that I quickly developed palate fatigue as they all started to blend together in my mind. One reason for this is that winemaker Mike Januik has a very distinct winemaker signature. Virtually all of his wines are made in a smooth seemless style, well balanced, medium bodied with lots of fruit. Almost all of Mike wines are delicious. There are very few winemakers who are so consistent, just as there very few wine regions that are consistent. Chinon, Dolcetto, Champagne, Port and Sherry are the consistent regions. Mike and Tim Narby at Note Bene winery are among the few truly consistent winemakers. In Mike's case perhaps this comes from his years of experience at Chateau Ste. Michelle. This consistency makes it easy to choose wine from a wine list or a retail shelf. The truly amazing thing is consistency at such a high level. Tasting Mike's wines is like tasting flight of Bordeaux First Growths and then trying to pick the best one. Each wine would be outstanding on it's own and tasting them together tends to diminish them all. They become average , except that the average is extremely high. So forgive me if these notes seem somewhat similar. Rather than give numeric ratings I will give you the asterisk system that I actually use when tasting wines. Only really good wines, wines that I really like, get stars - three stars = outstanding, two stars = extraordinary, one star = excellent. These notes are pretty much in the order presented from light and white to big and red.


1) *2005 Novelty Hill Semillon - GRASS, a pleasing grassy nose leads to a smooth, balanced wine with good minerality - great! Gives L'Ecole Semillon a run for the money.


2) 2006 - Novelty Hill Sauvignon Blanc - As most of you know I'm not too fond of S.B., This one was like a cool fresh stream without that annoyingly tart grapefruit flavor. The anti-New Zealand Sauv.


3) **2005 Viognier - Minerality, hint of citrus, lively, not big and heavy like so many Viogniers, definitely a food wine. If I were using numbers I would have given in a 90.
4) ** 2006 Januik Cold Creek Chardonnay - Minerality, citrus, food wine. The Cold Creek was the first Januik wine we tasted and we fell in love with it's cool French style reminding us of a French Meursault. This vintage is lighter and less full bodied than our first Cold Creek Chard from Mike.


5) ** 2007 Januik Elerding Chardonnay - Bigger, fuller oakier than the Cold Creek. Reminiscent of a French Chassagne Montrachet white Burgundy.


6) * 2006 Novelty Hill Stillwater Creek Chardonnay - OAK, oak nose, big mineral apple, fruit, citrus. Somewhat like a French Puligny Montrachet.


7) 2005 Novelty Hill Stillwater Creek Sangiovese - light color, cherry nose, light cherry flavors, need a year or two to diminish the tannins.


8) ** 2005 Januik Columbia Valley Merlot - This blend of 91%, 7% Cab Sauv, 2% Cab Franc is soft and smooth with cherry vanilla flavors - the quintessential Januik wine. Blended from Klipsun, Ciel Du Cheval, Conner Lee and Weinbau grapes, it has a heck of a pedigree.


9) 2006 Januik Klipsun Merlot - Blended with 4% Cab Sauv, this one has a complex nose with notes of toast.


10) * 2004 Novelty Hill Stillwater Merlot - Amazing berry nose with hints of blueberry. Round & soft - friut, fruit, fruit.


11) ** 2006 Januik Ciel Du Cheval Petit Verdot - Strawberry/rhubarb nose, yum, so soft, like a Merlot - not as big and structured as the 2004.

12) *2004 Novelty Hill Columbia Valley Syrah - Soft, toasty nose, Light fruity, refreshing, delightful Syrah.

13) *** 2006 Januik Lewis Vineyard Syrah - WOW! Toast and fruit - speechless.

14) * 2006 Januik Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - round soft fruit.

15) * 2006 Januik Ciel Du Cheval Cabernet Sauvignon - Wow! great fruit.

16) 2006 Januik Champoux Cabernet Sauvignon - blueberry - palate fatigue.

17) 2006 Januik Reserve - 88% Cab. Sauv., 7% Cab Franc, 3% Malbec, 2% Merlot - Champoux and Weinbau

Well, that's more than a baker's dozen. Across all price ranges, delicious wines. One of the tasting room staff recommended the Januik Red Wine which was not available for tasting so I bought a bottle. It couldn't be bad. I also tasted the newly released 2006 Novelty Hill Stillwater Malbec which was excellent, same style but bigger and fuller. I finished with the Rose, a great palate cleanser. What a tour de force!

Taste Washington - Uncommon Ground

For the first time, this year, Taste Washington had a special section for Washington State Vineyards called Common Ground. IMO, it should have been called uncommon ground since these special vineyards produce uncommonly good grapes for dozens of talented Washington State winemakers who make uncommonly good wines from them. Not everybody was there, but the vineyards present all have fabulous and distinct terroirs.

• Boushay Vineyards - 1970s - Elegant Syrah
• Chandler Reach Vineyard
• Copeland Vineyard
• Dineen Vineyard
• DuBrul Vineyard
• Elephant Mountain - Amazing Sangiovese
• Grand Ciel Vineyard - DeLille's entry in the "Cult" wine competition - excellent
• Klipson Vineyard - Big Red Mountain
• Sagemore Vineyard - one of the oldest in the state
• Stillwater Creek - excellent source of perfectly friendly grapes
• Upland Vineyard

Lots of other fabulous vineyards missing in action, especially Ciel Du Cheval and Champoux. A great opportunity to check out terroir or micro-climate by tasting wines by different winemakers from the same vineyard. Also an opportunity to notice winemaker "signatures" or style. A great Idea! Hope it will continue in the future.

Taste Washingon 2009

For some reason it seemed like there was more food and less wine. No problem, though. The food was all excellent. Once again, Elliott Bay Oyster House served fabulous, Totten Inlet Oysters ( very similar to Quilcenes) and Kumomotos - pleasure on the half shell. In addition there were copious amounts of Moules and Seafood Ceviche The crowd seemed smaller which made it easier to get around and taste wine. This time let's start with the new wineries. These, of course, were new to me, even if they may have been around for a while:



360s Cellars Estate Winery

Baron V

Barrage Cellars

Caderetta

Canyon's Edge

Chateau Walla Walla

Christopher Cellars

Coyote Canyon

Esther Bricques Winery

Foundry Vineyards

Gard Cellars

Gilbert Cellars

Gilstrap Bros.

Griffins Crossing

Guardian Cellars

Heaven's Cave

Holmes Harbor Cellars

Knipprath Cellars

Marshal's Winery

Martinez & Martinez

Memaloose/ McCormick Vineyards

Merry Cellars

Olsen Estates

Patterson Cellars

Revelry Vintners

Rock Meadow Cellars

Rotie Cellars

Shady Grove Winery

Tasawick Vineyards

The Buried Cane

Ward Johnson Winery

Whisper Ridge Winery

White Cellars Winery



Perhaps the most interesting new winery is Rotie Cellars. Sean Boyd, who worked at Waters Winery in Walla Walla, is obviously a fanatic winemaker. He exudes integrity and passion for Rhone style wine. He produced two 2007 Rhone style blends - one Northern: a Syrah/Viognier blend in the Cotes Rotie(get it) style, the other a Southern: Syrah, Mourved, Grenache(?). Both are exquisitely seemless, smooth beauties, sort of more elegant versions of Cotes du Rhone Villages wines from Sablet or Seguret. Though the wines are a little pricey ($35) in this environment, this is definitely a winery to watch. At the other end of the price spectrum we have Revelry Vintners. Joe made his wines to price out at $15 or less. They are delicious, fun wines. Kontos winery is so new that they didn't even make it into the event program. Sergio and Monica Martinez, Martinez & Martinez, are producing interesting wines in Horse Heaven Hills. Warren Gilstrap of Gilstrap Brothers snuck across the border from Cove, Oregon to bring us some fine wines. Speaking of Oregon, my friend Isabelle Dutartre, winemaker at Del Ponte winery has started her own winery - 1789. Vive La Revolution! Ward Johnson, an urban winery on Elliott Ave in Seattle produced some nice Syrah and Merlot from Red Mountain grapes. Good to see so many new names. Alas, so many wines, so little time.

It's My Birthday!

Yes, today is my birthday. Sigmund Freud's, too. And Karl Marx and Darwin, too. Isn't it amazing that so many great people , including Albert Einstein, were born on April first! Must be a spring thing or something. Checking the history books, I see that Darius, Alexander and Tutmose II were also born on April 1.

The Best Of Taste Washington Phoenix

Well, this is a slightly different approach to "Bests." These are the wines that I really liked at Taste Washington Phoenix:

Outstanding

• Gordon Bros. - 2006 Kamiak Cellar Select Red
• Saviah - 2006 Une Vallee
• Syncline - 2006 Syrah

Excellent

• Abeja - 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Abeja - 2007 Chardonnay
• Badger Mtn- 2007 Organic Riesling
• Cougar Crest - 2006 Viognier
• Gilbert Cellars -2007 Unoaked Chardonnay
• Guardian - 2006 Chalk Line
• Hestia - 2006 Syrah
• Isenhower -Paintbrush
• Nicolas Cole - 2006 Graeagle
• Note Bene - 2005 Abbinare
• Seven Hills - 2006 Merlot, Walla Walla
• Sparkman - 2007 Lumiere Chardonnay
• Sparkman - 2006 Wilderness
• Syncline - Subduction Red
• Zefina - 2006 Serience White
• Zefina - 2004 Serience Red

Very Good

• Airfield Estates - 2007 Bombshell Red
  Airfield Estates - 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Airfield Estates - 2007 Lightning
• Airfield Estates - 2007 Mustang
• Airfield Estates - 2007 Riesling
• Alder Ridge - 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon/ Syrah
• Balboa - 2007 Merlot
• Balboa - 2007 Syrah
• Balboa 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Barnard Griffin - All
• Basel Cellars - 2006 Claret
• Bergevin Lane - 2007 Fruitbomb
• Bergevin Lane - All
• Boudreaux - 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Boudreaux - 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
• Brian Carter -2005 L'Etalon
• DeLille - 2006 "D2"
• Domaine Pouillon - 2007 Deux
• Dunham - 2006 Trutina
• Dusted Valley - 2006 Boomtown Cabernet Sauvignon
• Dusted Valley - 2007 Boomtown Pinot Gris
• Elegante - 2006 Merlot
• Five Star - Sangiovese
• Gifford Hirlinger - 2005 Merlot
  Gordon Bros. - 2007 Kamiak Cellar Select White
• Gordon Bros. - 2007 Tradition
• Hyatt - 2006 Riesling
• Hyatt - 2004 Merlot
• Powers - 2007 Merlot
• Powers -2006 Syrah
• Six Prong - 2005 Red Wine

Answer IV: Who Was Hafiz And Why Did He Write About Wine?

Hafiz might not have been able to cross the road because he may have been drunk much of the time. Writing about a hundred years after the better known Persian poet, Rumi, Hafiz ( 1320-1389), also known as Shams, born in the Persian city of Shiraz, is said to have produced over 5000 poems in his lifetime of which only about 500 survive. Many of his poems, appear to be about wine, though historically, these references are taken to be metaphors for God and god's love. In the introduction to his book, "Drunk On The Wine of The Beloved," Thomas Rain Crowe describes allusions to the Winebringer, Winemaker, and Wineseller as metaphors for God. So did all you distributors, grapegrowers, winemakers, and retailers know that you have been compared to God by a great poet? In this metaphorical view, wine is love, the wineglass, the heart, and the Beloved, God. The Beloved can be represented by the rose, the sun, the falcon, the friend, the painter, the architect, the gardener. Much of the action in these poems takes place in the Winehouse or Wine Seller's Street. Raines says this is not a simple tavern or bar, a wine bar perhaps, or more likely something like a cafe in Latin America where poetry is recited along with music and other performance art to the accompaniment of good conversation, coffee, wine and who knows what other substances. According to my friend Walter Andrews, in his book, "The Beloved," around the reign of the great Ottoman Sultan Suleiman, poets reached the pinnacle of influence at the Ottoman court. Even though the Sultan had absolute power of life and death, it appears there was a culture of cafe life in which poets were for the most part allowed the latitude of a King's fool. Andrews also says that more often than not, The Beloved was not only metaphorically God, but also another man with "rosebud" lips.

Sufis, especially poets, seem to have been striving to achieve the highest high, spiritually and otherwise. To this order, they apparently whirled and spun like dervishes, smoked hash, had sex, and drank lots of wine. So is wine a metaphor? Of course, it is. After all, isn't metaphor the essence of poetry? Doesn't poetry pack so many meanings into a few words? So is wine only a metaphor? I don't think so. These poets were wild men and mystics. Ralph Waldo Emerson said of Hafiz, "He fears nothing. He sees too far..." Goethe said, " In his poetry Hafiz has inscribed undeniable truth indelibly...." As with everything, nothing is what it appears to be, so it is my guess that Hafiz drank like a fish, made love to both sexes, did drugs and thought and lived outside the box. A veritable genius who could see and speak the truth. So wine is love and truth.
In vino veritas!

Taste Washington In Phoenix- V

Well this will almost wrap it up for Taste Washington in Phoenix since I seem to have skipped more wineries than I thought. "So many wines, so little time." Look for one last post - Best of Taste Washington Phoenix.

O-S Winery - Part of the original gang of four in the SSAW, Bill Owen makes outstanding wine.
Usually not a bad one in the bunch.

Precept Brands - A marketing group. Pine & Post Chardonnay and Merlot are outstanding values in the same category with Columbia Crest Two Vines and Red Diamond.

Reininger - Since Reininger moved into their new digs right on the way into Walla Walla from the west, the wines have not been quite as exciting as Chuck's earlier efforts. Nevertheless, the Helix wines represent good value, and many of regular bottling are still delicious.

Ryan Patrick - The Rock Island Red is always a good value as is the Naked Chardonnay.

Saint Laurent - Well made wines at reasonable prices. I have a special affinity for Saint Laurent as that is my son-in-law's name.

Seven Hills - I now have enough data to include Seven Hills in the Unofficial Classification of Washington State Wineries - it will be a third growth. The Pinot Gris was pure, fresh and fruity. The Riesling at 1.5% residual sugar "dry" enough in mouthfeel. My fave was the 2006 Walla Walla Merlot.

Sheridan Vineyard - Recently, Scott Greer somehow managed to create one of best vineyards in Washington. The L'Orage (french for "perfect storm") and Syrah are excellent, if a little on the jammy side.

Sleight of Hand - Trey Busch is an outstanding winemaker. He works his magic with virtually every wine he makes. Check out the "Magician" (Gewurz) and the "Spellbinder" (Red Blend).

Sparkman Cellars - Chris Sparkman has lots of experience in the hospitality industry. He got his start in winemaking with his buddy at Mark Ryan. I somehow think of these two plus Chris Gorman as a trio of pirates, aye! The 2007 "Lumiere" Chard and 2006 "Wilderness" were outstanding.

Spring Valley Vineyard - Who can resist Uriah and Frederick made by French winemaker Serge Laville.

Syncline - Winemaker, James Mantone may be the best educated winemaker in the world. Knowledgeable about microbiology, geology, and many other sciences, he bring a philosophical perspective to his biodynamique approach to grape growing and winemaking, but most importantly, his wines are outstandingly good. His Syrah is my favorite. Sommelier Christophe Huser, of Hacienda del Sol, also loved this wine. The Subduction Red, a Rhone-style blend is also an outstanding red at a reasonable price.

Somehow missed Tagaris, Tamarack, and Townshend.

Vin Du Lac Winery - Winemaker Larry Lehmbecker makes fresh wines that see no wood. Virtually all of his wines are quite good. The Ice wine is a special effort. Larry took away many awards from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition this year.

Missed Waters Winery, Woodhouse Cellars and Woodward Canyon. Woodward Canyon wines are always interesting and sometimes outstanding.

Wines of Substance - Waters winemaker, Jamie Brown, takes a negociant approach using overages from other wineries and vineyards. Thus, he produces a virtual Table of Wine Elements such as CS, SY, CF, ME, CH, RE etc. A very clever scheme allowing the opportunity to taste different varietals made by the same winemaker - a great chance to check out the varietal character of each grape. BTW, once open, these wines keep a long time (five days?) without even being gassed making then great glass pours for restaurants.

Qiuz IV:

Who was Hafiz and why did he write about wine?

Answer III: Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

The chicken crossed the road to avoid the farmer who wanted to make that totally ancient retro dish, "Coq Au Vin. " Coq au Vin is a great way to use almost a whole bottle of wine that's not quite right. If there is no such wine, Charles Shaw, aka Two Buck Chuck will do. Whatever happened to all those great "cooking with wine" dishes such as Sole au Chambertin, Civet de Lievre ( does the Hare have to cross the road, too?) - are they just gathering dust in old copies of Julia Child? Are there any new "cooking with wine" recipes? An infusion of chicken and red wine pate coiled around a vertical Vietnamese shrimp and sugar cane stick on a base of ginger and pickled cucumber jello, for example? Anyway, chickens are smarter than you might think!

Quiz III: Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

Why did the chicken cross the road? Why do you think? My answer next Tuesday.

Answer II: Why Did The Farmer Go To The Winery?

Answer: The farmer went to the winery to make wine! A visit to a typical winery in France makes this obvious. During a visit to Chateau Prieure Lichine in the 1980s, I was first greeted in the courtyard by hens and roosters running about. There was no obvious Chateau or tasting room, just a group of outbuildings clustered around the courtyard with all kinds of farm equipment scattered about. Talking with winemaker, Frank Roth, confirms this. Frank works for orchidist, Mike Tagaris, one of the biggest exporter of Fuji Apples to Korea. All grapegrowers are farmers, and any winery that has estate grown grapes is by definition a farm, unless it is a factory detached from the vineyards. Even the fanciest Chateau in France, while showing a great facade, behind it all, is a farm. It is unfortunate, that some wineries now resemble a retail boutique in a mall rather than a farm. It is even more unfortunate, that so many wines are homogenized in their flavors. The flavor has been removed from so many foods such as pork and eggs, and more and more so from wine. We should be thankful to the devoted farmers who bring us grapes with character and wines with character. Of course, especially in Washington, there are farmers who only grow grapes, and winemakers who only make wine.

Taste Washington In Phoenix- IV

Here's another dozen wineries to consider:

Isenhower - Winemaker Brett Isenhower is an artist. My favorite is the 2006 Red Paintbrush.*

J. Bookwalter - somehow missed this one.

K- Vintners - Charles Smith is a talented winemaker and marketeer. Great names like Eve Chardonnay, the Velvet Devil Merlot, and Boom Boom Syrah.

Kestrel - You don't have to be a bird to appreciate these. Usually excellent wines, though quality varies somewhat. Lady in Red is available all over the place, but isn't quite as good as the earlier editions.

Kiona - Venerable Red Mountain winery. Winemaker Scott Williams makes a huge variety of wines of good quality.

L'Ecole No. 41 - Marty Clubb usually makes excellent wines. Semillon is a specialty and a special treat.

Lone Canary - Good wines at good prices.*

Long Shadows - Alan Shoup casts a very long shadow around the globe. Outstanding wines for the most part. Pedestal, Pirouette and Sequel are my favorites.

I must have missed a whole section - Maryhill, Mercer Estates, Milbrandt, Morrison Lane.

Nicolas Cole - Amazing wines at amazing prices. My favorite, once again, is the least expensive, but absolutely delicious Graeagle.*

Northstar - Started out with a bang, but seems to have lost some of it's luster. Still, good stuff.

Northwest Cellars - The fun thing about Rebert Delf's wines? You can get your own customized label. My fave is the Merlot.*

Note Bene - Note well, Note Bene! Tim Narby, another Boeing Wine Club graduate, makes delicious, interesting wines with hard to pronounce names. My favorite right now is the 2005 Abbinare.*

Novelty Hill - As I wrote last year, I've never had a bad wine from Novelty Hill. Mike Januik is an outstanding winemaker, and Novelty Hill wines are priced right.

Taste Washington Phoenix III

Here are another dozen wineries to contemplate:

Efeste - Sounds Greek to me, like efcharisto! But thanks to Big Papa I found out that it is just an acronym for the owners names, nevertheless, Big Papa is Greek. The wines are well made all-Ameican wines, though the Riesling did have a wonderful smell of a pine forest reminding me of Retsina.

Elegante Cellars - Winemaker Doug Simmons is by far the happiest winemaker I've ever met. He loves his second career as a winemaker and is so grateful to be able to work with wine. What a refreshing attitude! He made a 2006 Walla Walla Cab and a 2006 Walla Walla Merlot. I preferred the Merlot.

Five Stars - Dave Huse is a big friendly man and his wine's are big friendly wines. I prefer the Cabernet Sauvignon. although Dave raved about his award winning Sangiovese.*

Gifford Hirlinger - Like so many family wineries, GH started out growing grapes. Happily, Winemaker Mike Berghan loves making wine. I prefer the 2005 Walla Walla Merlot.

Gilbert Cellars - Gilbert Cellars is a relatively new winery that has been getting accolades for it's wines lately. I preferred the Unoaked Chardonnay.

Gordon Bros. - It was a pleasure to meet Jeff's daughter, Katie Nelson who is the Marketing Director for the winery. Gordon Bros are always well-made wines with reasonable prices across the board. I aways like the Merlot and the Chardonanny. This year I also tasted the 2006 Kamiak Cellar Select Red Wine which is a outstanding Cab-based red at the very reasonable price of about $14. The Kamiak Cellar Select White is an interesting blend of Chard and SB with a 5% hint of Riesling to smooth things out. Not to my taste, but a very appealing wine nevertheless, especially at the very appealing price of about $11.

Grape Group - Grape Group is not a Winery, but, rather, a marketing group under the umbrella of Precept Brands. This is a three-fer: Rainier Ridge, Willow Crest, and Apex II. Willow Crest is the standout, as Dave Minick is an outstanding winemaker, another one to add to the "Best winemakers."

Guardian Cellars - A new winery from the Woodinville incubator, again under the aegis of Mark Ryan. The 2006 Chalk Line is an excellent blend of 50% CS, 22% Malbec, 17% Syrah, 11% Merlot. The 2006 Gun Metal is a more traditional blend of 46% CS, 43% CF, 1% M. A winery to watch!

Hestia Cellars - I like to think that I discovered Shannon Jones, but then, maybe Shannon discovered me. In any event, I was one of the first wine writers to recognize the quality of what he was doing. Big amazing wines from a small winery. The Syrah is my favorite.*

Hedges - A pioneer on Red Mtn. Very good wines, but not usually spectacular. The "CMS" is widely distributed and a good value,. The Three Vineyards is also widely available and quite good.

Hogue - Headline: Asparagus growers make wine. Mike and Gary Hogue pioneered Washington State wines. The winery has passed through several corporate hands, but the quality of the wine is consistently good. All three product lines, regular, Genesis, and Reserve are good, but, as is so often the case with me, I prefer the simplicity of the regular line which is widely available in supermarkets and a good value, especially on sale.

Hyatt Vineyards - Well, you'll never get this at the Hilton, but so what. The wines are good values at about $10/bottle. The 06 Chard is light and easy. The Riesling is relatively sweet, but appealing.*

That's it! More than a baker's dozen if you unbundle the Grape Group. Tune in for three more dozen vignettes.

Quiz II: Why Did The Farmer Go To The Winery?

Why did the farmer go to the winery? What do you think? Tune in next Monday for my answer.

Answer To Quiz I: What do winemakers drink?

Yes, beer! After laboring all day around tanks and barrels smelling of wine, lifting lugs of grapes, punching down must, sloshing fermenting grape juice around, washing down the winery and equipment, does a winemaker, cellarmaster, cellar rat want to smell more wine? No, of course not, he or she wants something refreshing to relax with and cool off with - beer. Of course, winemakers do drink wine, usually at dinner or with a wine tasting group of winemakers and other wine types. Interestingly, though, it seems winemakers usually drink their own wine or the wine of their neighbors, friends and competitors. Very few are knowledgeable about the wines of the world, with two exceptions. I once asked Kent Callaghan why his wines were head and shoulders above the quality of his fellow Arizona winemakers. His answer - he drinks and tastes wine from all over the world. It was truly a pleasure to talk wine with Kent. Ditto, James Mantone! He brings a depth of knowledge to winemaking that is truly awesome. He knows world wines, chemistry, microbiology, biodynamic farming, but most importantly he has a philosophical bent and has really thought about life and how he wants live it. He makes wines that reflect this and are truly a gift in the sense described by Lewis Hyde in his books such as Trickster Makes This World. Beer is good, wine is better, except on a really hot day after work.

Taste Washington In Phoenix- II

Here's the second dozen wines from Taste Washington. Again, Wanderlust wines have an asterisk.

Caderetta - French winemaker, Virginie Bourgue opened her own winery, after working with Annette Bergevin and Amber Lane at Bergevin Lane. I was really curious to taste her wines, but somehow this never materialized.

Chateau Ste Michelle is the Godzilla of the Washington wine world, responsible for approximately half the cases produced in the state. Most wines are adequate with a few standouts.

Columbia Crest - Owned by Ste Michelle, the winemaking approach seem to be quite different. Even though they produce around a million cases in a factory-like building there is careful attention to boutique techniques such as punch downs. At all three levels they produce excellent wines. The "Two Vines" series seem to be basically unoaked. The Merlot and Chardonnay can be had at virtually any gas station in Washington. Frequently on sale at about $7, these are two of the world's all time bargains. The Grand Estates line has seen some oak and is about 50% higher. Supposedly, good food wines I have never been as fond of them as the Two Vines. My neighbor, Chao, was just getting into wine when he discovered the Syrah Reserve. This is a knockout wine for the $30 price. A wealthy acquaintance, drank the Merlot Reserve as her everyday wine. I would do the same if I could afford it. I wonder if she is still doing it or whether she has downshifted to the Grand Estates,

Columbia Winery - Even though I have known some of the founders, frankly, with the exception of some of David Lake's wines , I've rarely had a Columbia Winery wine that I really liked.

Cote Bonneville - Sorry, I missed this one.

Cougar Crest - Deborah Hansen is an outstanding winemaker. Of, the wines tasted, I was especially fond of the whistle clean, refreshing Viognier.*

DeLille - It is hard not to like DeLille wines, that includes the Grand Cru and the Doyenne line, too. "D2" is frequently my favorite as was the case once again withe 2006 vintage. I usualy like the Doyenne "Aix" and Syrah. My favorite white is the Doyenne Rousanne, though these vintages were not quite as wonderful as some in the past. The Grand Cru has the potential to become a Washington State "cult" wine. Kind of like a somewhat tannic Chateau Latour that needs to age.

DiStefano Winery - All quite good, no particular favorite.*

Domaine Poulin - My favorite from winemaker Alexis Poulin was the 2007 Deux, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Donedei - Winemaker, Carolyn Lakewold has an interesting story which we wil have to reserve for another time. Her wines are expensive but with production of only about 800 cases, there is barely enough supply to match the demand. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon tasted like a raspberry, coffee, chocolate truffle in a glass.*

Dunham - Winemaker, Dan Wampler has taken over most of the winemaking from Eric Dunham. The wines are beautiful and this year the 2006 Trutina was especially good.*

Dusted Valley - Ever since Chad started making wine in his garage several years ago, his wines have been big bold and charming. The Dusted Valley Stained Tooth Syrah is a little monster that stains your teeth. The Viognier is a cool refresher with good body. All I wrote for the Boomtown Cab was "WOW. The Boomtown Pinot Gris had a great nose and lots of character.

There's another dozen. Tune in next week...

Taste Washington Phoenix - I

Yes, Washington came to Arizona. It appeared that the event for buyers in the trade was dominated by Wanderlust Trading. Why? Because Wanderlust doubled the number of Washington State wineries available in Arizona. What a fabulous event for people in the "trade". An opportunity for retailers and restauranteurs to taste the fabulous wines of Washington State. With about 75 wineries presenting over three hundred wines, this was a royal opportunity for wineries to present to their wines to the retail trade. But here's the problem: so many small businesses are freaked out by the current financial melt down that they can't bring themselves to take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to present something new, to save themselves and offer wondrous wines to the consumer who is open to incredible wines at incredible prices from Washington State. So here's the deal! No one who drinks wine has cut back on their c0nsumption. Everybody from millionaires to us peasants has cut back on what they pay for a bottle of wine. If you were drinking $200 bottles, you've cut back to $100 or less. If you were drinking $60s, your down below 30. Fifteen's are drinking $5 to $10. If you were drinking two buck chuck, hopefully you can afford jug wine. Everybody has cut their pricepoint by 50% or more. Washington State wines are incredible on their own, but in this economy, they are even more attractive as alternatives to California and France. At about half the price of their overseas brethren and their neighbors to the south, they represent the perfect pricepoint in the most severe recession since the great depression. So here are my comments on Washington State wines at Taste Washington Phoenix in alphabetical order. Wineries marked by an asterisk are represented by Wanderlust Trading Company.

Abeja - Winemaker John Abbott ( should definitely be on the great winemaker list) presented his 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon which tasted like a light airy chocolate souffle in a bottle. His Chardonnay is outstanding with lots of minerality in an almost European style.*

Airfield Estates - An up and comer we first tasted at Debuts and Discoveries in Seattle. Winemaker Marcus Miller produces amazingly good wines at pretty reasonable prices.
The 2007 Bombshell Red is an amazing blend of Merlot, Cab Sauv, Syrah, Malbec, Sangiovese, Cinsault and Counoise.*?

Alder Ridge, Six Prong, & Zefina - The Six Prong Red from Horse Heaven Hills another blend of multiple grape varieties at a reasonable price Cab Sauv, Zin, Syrah, Malbec, Merlot and Cab Franc went into this one. The 2004 Zefina Serience Red from Horse Heaven Hills is a blend of of Rhone varietals, including Grenache, Syrah, Counoise, Mourvedre, and Cinsault.

Badger Mountain & Powers Winery - The 2007 Badger Mtn Organic Riesling is a classic, balanced Riesling at a very reasonable price (about $12). The 2007 Powers Merlot is big, but not jammy at a reasonable price of about $16.

Balboa Winery & Beresan Winery - Tom Glase wanted to bring reasonably priced wines to WalaWalla and he did. The Merlot of the softest wine followed by the Syrah. The Cab Sauv has a little more structure, just as it should. They are all wonderfully user-friendly, with soft round velvety flavors at reasonable prices*

Barnard Griffin - Rob Griffin is a Washington State wine Pioneer. Despite production of 70,000 cases all of his wines are well made and reasonably priced.

Basel Cellars - These wines are usually excellent. The 2006 Claret is way better than some previous vintages and priced right at about $22.*

Bergevin Lane - These are all excellent wines in a softer more elegant and refined style than many Walla Walla wines. The Calico Red and Fruitbomb are outstanding values, especially the Fruitbomb with a nose that literally explodes out of the glass. An amazing value at about $11.*

Boudreaux Cellars - Winemaker Rob Newsom makes outstanding wines (another one who should be added to best winemakers). His Chardonnay was not available for tasting, but you should look for it. It really is like a great White Burgundy. The 2005 Cab Sauv is only 80% Cab Sauv, with the rest of the space reserved for the likes of Merlot, Syrah, etc.,The 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills is excellent, but a little pricey at over $100.*

Brian Carter Cellars - Brian Carter is another outstanding winemaker. He works magic with all of his wines. I am especially fond of his Abracadabra and L'Etalon.

Bunnell Family Cellar - Regrettably, I somehow missed this one and I have to confess that I know nothing about Bunnell. It is on my list for next time.

Buried Cane - Another one I missed. Planned to come back and somehow didn't get there.

Well, that's a dozen. Tune in for six more parts of this series.

What Do Wnemakers Drink?

Quiz: What do winemakers drink? Tune in next Monday for my answer. What do you think?