Holiday Gifts - Washington State Syrah

If you really want to wow your wine loving friends and family give them Syrah from Washington State. Eastern Washington has the perfect climate for growing Syrah that is big and lush, full of pepper, spice, and delicious fruit flavors. Big as these wines can get, they are rarely the jammy, in-your-face, fruitbombs, we sometimes see from other parts of the world.

I'm giving my friends and associates 2003 Rulo "Silo" Syrah. Other wines to look for are: K-Vintner, Terra Blanca, and Basel Cellars. These wines can age for a few years, but I would be careful about keeping Washington State Syrah too long, perhaps no longer than four years. After all, the great fruit flavors are usually at their best early on. If you want to drink prune juice, buy prune juice. It's a lot cheaper.

Other Syrahs to check out: Dunham, McCrea, Canon de Sol, Amavi, Berensen, Isenhauer, L'Ecole, Apex and Dusted Valley. If there are any terroiristes in your crowd, a spectacular gift would be a bottle each of the three vineyard-designated Syrahs produced by Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla.This way the lucky person will be able to taste the differences among different "terroirs" or microclimates since the vintage and winemaker will be the same. Many of the best Syrahs come from Walla Walla wineries, even though some of the best grapes come from the Yakima Valley. Many Walla Walla wineries buy grapes from Yakmia Valley grape growers.

Look for these wines at your local wine shop and better supermarkets( Larry's, Central Market, Metropolitan Market). Or better yet, order online direct from the winery. Just be sure someone over 21 years old will be able to sign for the delivery.

An Accidental Champagne

Now, I know why those annoying wire contraptions on Champagne bottles are so important. I got halfway through opening a bottle of Champagne when everybody decided thay wanted still wine instead, so, without thinking, I put the unwired bottle back in the fridge only to find a popped cork and a half-empty bottle the next morning. I guess they are not just there for decoration or to torture the poor soul who is opening the bottle.

By the way, a few tricks for opening Champagne bottles: 1) run the neck under hot water before opening, 2) when you sense that the cork is about to pop, put some counterpressure on the cork so it it doesn't come flying out in someone's face and half the Champagne doesn't go all over the place, 3) hold the cork stationary and twist the bottom of the bottle - you get more leverage that way.

1998 Andrew Will Ciel Du Cheval

Chris Camarda does it again. Most of us would have been sure we were drinking a top-notch Bordeaux, if the bottle right there in front of us didn't say, 1998 Andrew Will Ciel Du Cheval. The classic profile of great Bordeaux - black fruit and good structure. This wine goes beautifully with red meat and game.

I Bought The Whole Foods Thing

I went to Whole Foods to get some cheese and coffee. Instead I burnt a hole in my pocket buying wine. I told myself their wine department has become more sophisticated about marketing, but maybe it was just my compulsion to buy wine. Maybe it was the attraction of Tanya, the wine person ,or maybe the attractiveness of the wine itself. Maybe they have become more sophisticated since Melanie has been sent off to New York and other glamorous venues to set up more appealing wine departments.

Anyway, I came away with some nice French whites - 2004 Drouhin Saint Veran and 2003 Rully from Burgundy, 2004 Chateau Ducasse from Bordeaux (a Kermit Lynch Selection). I was also seduced by 2003 A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir and 2004 Syncline Subduction Red. I sure hope they're good.

Poncho Wine Auction

Running into Tom Captain at WACAP, reminded me of the Poncho Wine Auction this past October 15th. Tom and Dan McCarthy did a terrific job as Co-Chairs of the auction which raised a huge sum for the arts. It was held at the Olympic Four Seasons where the food was very fine, indeed, and you could bring wine from your own cellar with no corkage fee. I brought a 2002 Canon de Sol Syrah, a wonderful wine made by Charlie Hoppes for winery owner Victor Cruz.This wine has developed lots of character since we first tasted it two years ago. That's why it can be so interesting to buy a case of wine or at least several bottles. Then you can follow the wine's evolution over time.

WACAP -World Association For Children & Parents

Went to the WACAP Auction last Saturday night. What a nice event! What a great organization! Children and grownups of all colors and persuasions coming together to support WACAP's efforts to help orphans from countries all over the world - China, Russia, Thailand, India, the U.S. and others. WACAP provides adoption services, but also supports orphans in about a dozen countries. Check out their website: www.wacap.org Auctions such as this don't happen without a lot of hard work on the part of many volunteers. For the third or fourth year Pam and Sandi made it happen, taking time from their busy schedules as homemakers and moms to help kids other than their own.

The auction was held at the Sheraton where the food was amazingly good for banquet food, and the wine was quite good, too. Diane had a glass of Red Diamond Merlot before dinner. Chateau St Michelle Chardonnay was poured liberally throughout the evening, as was Clayhouse Cabernet Sauvugnon.

The usual auction suspects were in evidence - Leonetti, Quilceda Creek, Andrew Will, Chateau St. Michelle Meritage, an assortment from Freemark Abbey, and a small selection of world wines. I managed to cop some Quilceda Creek.

The evening was capped for us by a brief visit with Tom Captain who Co-Chaired the Poncho Wine Auction this year, which is a great segue into our next post.

Buying Holiday Wine in Seattle - Cost Plus

This one ends November 27, so you better hurry up. Here are my recommendations:

Whites

• Barnard Griffin Fume Blanc
• Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay
• Hess Selection Chardonnay
• Kendall Jackson VR Chardonnay
• Merryvale Starmont Chardonnay

Reds

• Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir
• Sagelands Merlot
• Waterbrook Melange
• Dunham Three Legged Red

Buying Holiday Wine in Seattle - Pete's

Pete's is having one of their Champagne Sales, so this is a great time to stock up for all the coming Holidays. Champagne is the perfect way to celebrate. Here are my recommendations:

Best Buys (Under $20)

• Chandon Napa Blanc de Noirs
• Roederer Estate Brut

Special (About $30)

• Bollinger Speciale Cuvee
• Louis Roederer Brut Premier
• Pol Roger Brut
• Taittinger Brut La Francaise

Reserve ( $40 and above)

• Krug Grande Cuvee

Vegans Declare Turkey Holocaust Day

If you are a vegan, you could spend Thanksgiving at the entrance to a market pamphleting shoppers not to collude in the annual slaughter of millions of living sentient beings. Of course, it is hard enough, to try to stop the slaughter and rape of human beings, let alone other creatures. On the other hand, you might want to spend the day in peace and loving harmony with your friends and family giving thanks for the earth's bounty, in which case, the question arises what wine goes with Tofurkey, tofu and yam. I would go with rose or try Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, or a light red such as Pinot Noir or Beaujolais Nouveau. Save intense, in-your-face, wines such as Syrah and Mourvedre for another day.

Northwest Garagistes

What a wonderful place to live. Here in Seattle, people have started wineries in their backyards, so to speak. Even Quilceda Creek can be thought of as having started out as a garagiste. Chatter Creek was, until recently, made in the Ravenna neighborhood. Andrew Will and Owen-Sullivan(aka OS) were made on Vashon Island. Cadence and Fall Line in the industrial zone south of downtown.

When our good friends Bob & Kathy drove up from Bend to rendezvous with us in Walla Walla, Bob was amazed that you good start a winery with a few barrel's worth of purchased grapes and set up shop in a quonset hut at the airport for just a few thousand dollars. What a fabulous collection of wineries got their start there - Buty, Reininger, Syzygy, Cougar Crest, Sapoleil, to name just a few. Dusted Valley is still quite literally in a garage.

In Oregon, Andrew Rich was incubated at the Carlson Studio and Ron Lachini started out making just a few cases of his fabulous Pinot Noir. While not exactly starting out in a garage, Tom & Kathy Schafer are launching Amaurice in Walla Walla and Chandler Reach is moving up the food chain, building their new winery near Benton City.

Speaking of Chandler Reach, real estate agent, Shawn Springer has been making wine from Chandler Reach grapes in his home here in Seattle. He recently moved up to stainless steel, leaving amateur status behind. At a Seattle Wine Society ( www.seattlewinesociety.org) meeting to plan next year's Wine Festival, we had a chance to taste Shawn's 2003 Sangiovese next to 2003 Columbia Winery Sangiovese made by Master of Wine, David Lake. The wines were completely different in style. The Columbia Winery Sangiovese, was more like a Merlot - fruit forward, elegant and refined. Shawn's wine had a more rustic character and reminded me the real thing - old style Chianti Classico Reserva. I preferred the "Springer Cellars."

In an age of rapacious capitalism and corporate marketing, it is a breath of fresh air to see the pioneering spirit of the Northwest carried on by individuals who love wine and winemaking.

Brief Encounters of the Best Kind

For some reason, I am always striking up conversations with strangers in the wine department. The other day, at the Silverdale Safeway of all places a young woman told me that she and her husband like to have wine with dinner everyday, and that, at that rate, they couldn't afford the expensive stuff so they drink Searidge 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. I was a litle hesitant, since Searidge is definitely bottom shelf, but she was so charming that I decided to give it a try. Well, let me tell you , Searidge gives two buck chuck a run for the money. Yellowtail, too! The Merlot is balanced with delicious red fruit flavors and even a hint of tannin in the finish. Searidge and Safeway should get off their bottoms and put the wine in a prominant position in an end display. At four or five dollars a bottle, unless you are one of those very few who drink thirty buck chuck as an everyday wine, this is a great value.

The Southwest

The Southwest is the last frontier, if such a thing can be said of any region of France. Certainly, gastronomiquely and enologically speaking, the southwest of France is still a throwback to the days when sausage, pate, ham, and cheese plus other delights were made on the farm and sold at the Charcuterie or Fromagerie. Or you could buy them at the farm or market. You could go to the co-op with your jug or plastic container and fill'er up with vin rouge, blanc or rose for a buck or two. A lot cheaper than gas and more interesting than Two Buck Chuck.

The other day friends cooked up the quintessessential southwest meal, Duck d'Olive in a typically braised style with lots of delicious "gravy." Everyone wiped their plates clean with the bread - outrageously good French country cooking. A wine from the Languedoc was the perfect accompaniment. Complex, big and briary with lots of pepper, spice, and fruit. This ten year old was a real treat, real wine from a real place (terroir). Filled your mouth with pleasure and nuance.

Lots of wonderful wines from the southwest- Corbieres, Roussillion, Bandol, Gaillac, Cahors, Fitou, Faugeres, Minervois, Madiran, to name a few. Some of these are still hard to find. Look for Kermit Lynch, Robert Kacher and North Berkeley Wines imports. Charles Neal, too! The best wines have gotten somewhat expensive, sometimes twenty dollars and up, but they are worth it! You can find good examples for much less.

Seattle Beaujolais Nouveau from Duboeuf

Well, the 2005 Beaujolais Nouveau from Duboeuf is the best in many years. Balanced with good fruit, it is all you could hope for in Beaujolais Nouveau. Try it! It goes great with Doreen's Mushroom Pate(recipe to follow). Available all over Seattle, I saw it at about $10 at the Seattle Fish Museum and at Trader Joe's.

Beaujolais Nouveau

The 2005 arrived in Seattle with all the usual hype and fanfare. Personally, I prefer the juice of freshly crushed grapes. Seriously, if you ever have the chance to taste the free run juice when it has just begun to ferment, check it out - tastes kind of like slightly sweet refreshing grape cider. Beaujolais Nouveau is the first taste of the vintage and does give some indication of what's to come. Nouveau is fun, but if you want something a little more interesting wait a few months for Beaujolais Villages, and wine from the various villages of the Beaujolais region such as Fleurie.

Supermarket Wine

A Napa Valley wine shop guru once told me he didn't carry any "supermarket" wine with an ever-so-slight air of superiority. The fact is most people buy their wine at the supermarket, if they are lucky enough to have wine available in supermarkets in their state. Ninety percent of wine purchased is drunk the same day it was purchased.

All that wine on the supermarket shelf can be be overwhelming and confusing. How to choose? A fun label? A tip from a friend? A newspaper column? A wine newsletter recommendation? Here are some of our tips and recommendations. Of course, not all supermarkets are created equal, some are created more equal than others.

Here in Seattle, some of the alpha markets are Whole Foods, Larry's Markets, and QFC University Village. Metropolitan Market on 55th & 40th has a nice NW wine section. You might think of these as epsilons,but, in fact, good wine can be had at Fred Meyer, Long's Drug and Rite Aid as well. Costco and Trader Joe's are good places to look, also, but today I'm going to focus on standard supermarkets such as Safeway, QFC, and Albertsons.

In most regular supermarkets there is no one knowledgeable to ask for help, so you are on your own. Usually the most expensive wines are top shelf, least expensive, bottom shelf. Even though distributors sometimes pay for shelf space in one way or another, end displays frequently feature good values on sale. Generally speaking, with most wine on a supermarket shelf, the younger the better. White wines should be no more than two years old ,and red wines no more than four.

Older wines usually have been sitting around at the distributor or retailer and they haven't been getting any better, quite the opposite. If a wine is stored in a hot place, it can spoil. Be careful of those "treasures" locked away in a special wood cabinet with hot lights showing off the labels and slowly destroying the wine. If you are looking for a special wine, go to a special supermarket or wine shop. If you are looking for fine European wine such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Barolo, do the same or look around on the web.

Your best bets are wines from California, Australia, Chile, Argentina, and the Pacific Northwest. Look for wines on sale. Most of the wines mentioned below are frequently on sale at substantial savings.

Some wines to look for: Chardonnay from Clos du Bois, Kendall-Jackson, Heron, Edna Valley, Barnard-Griffin; Semillon from L'Ecole; Pinot Gris from Willamette Valley and Montinore; Pinot Noir from Willamette and Erath; Merlot from Clos du Bois and Searidge; Claret from Coppola; Shiraz from Rosemount: Syrah from Banard-Griffin and Edna Valley: American "Champagne" from Roederer Estate, Mumm's - Cuvee Brut Prestige, Chandon -Brut or Blanc de Noir. Yellowtail from Australia, like Searidge(Safeway) and Charles Shaw(Trader Joe's - reds only), is a decent quaff at a very good price.

By the way, many of these wines also appear on standard restaurant wine lists and are a simple and relatively inexpensive way around the hassle of ordering wine in a restaurant. Of course, fancier restaurants have more interesting (and expensive) winelists and wine stwards or sommeliers to help, but that is a topic for another day.

If you must buy European wine at the supermarket, look for Marquis de Caceres from Spain, San Querico Vernaccia di San Gimignano from Italy, Macon Villages or Beaujolais Villages by Jadot or Drouhin from France. Now consider going to a better supermarket or wine shop where you can get much better and more interesting wine for the same price. Wine shop owners are almost all wine lovers and can be really helpful. The same is true for wine stewards and manager's at better supermarkets. Don't be intimidated and mystified by wine. Remember wine is about fun and pleasure.

Olympic Music Festival

Here is a bottle of wine I donated to the Olympic Music Festival

2003 Dunham Three Legged Red - Magnum

Have fun and do good at the same time. This magnum is named after Winemaker Eric Dunham’s dog rescued by Eric in a heroic act of kindness, so you can feel good about bidding on this wine, to say nothing of supporting the Olympic Music Festival. And you can have fun guessing what blend of grapes went into it. Eric makes excellent wines. This is a wine to drink now or in the next year or two. It will go with virtually anything. Why not serve it to your friends in the last days of summer

Bon Vivant Wine Tasting

Bordeaux Style Blends

1. Five varietals of Bordeaux – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petite Verdot. Bordeaux was traditionally made from a blend of these five varietals usually in this order, but these days it is more often made from a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with the possible addition of Cabernet Franc. Malbec has become the dominant grape in Argentina as a stand alone varietal. Petite Verdot is not used very often and then only in small percentages.

Taste the following:
1) 2000 Terra Blanca Merlot – Merlot is usually soft and fruity, however, this Washington State wine is from Red Mountain where wine usually have more punch. What do you think?
2) 1999 Three Rivers Cabernet Sauvignon – Cab. Sauv. provides the backbone or structure of the wine. It is usually bigger and harder than Merlot. Is this true of the Washington wine?
3) 2000 Edgewood Cabernet Franc – This California winery is one of the few to make 100% pure examples of many of the Bordeaux blending grapes. This way you can taste several of the Bordeaux-style varietals where the only difference is the grape, since the year the wine was made and the winemaker are the same. Cabernet Franc is the main grape in Loire Valley wines from France which are typically soft, velvety and delicious. They are not well known in the U.S. and thus a good value. Look for Chinon and Bourgueil in wine shops, online and in Supermarkets with top notch wine departments. Check out Kermit Lynch. They will ship from their California.
4) 2000 Edgewood Malbec – Does this taste like an Argentinian wine?
5) 1999 Edgewood Tradition – Here is the Bordeaux blend from Edgewood . Can you taste the Merlot? The Malbec? Cab Franc? Cab Sauv?

1. Interestingly, it is easier to find blends of four or five of these varietals in the U.S. than in Bordeaux. In California, the wines are frequently called Meritage which is a made up term combining the words Merit and Heritage. This is not a French word and is not pronounced with a French sounding ending. It is Merit + (Herit)age! Wineries have to pay a hefty fee to use this term and many in California just call their blends Red Table Wine or Proprietary Wine. Proprietary wines have names like Phelps Insignia, Flora Springs Trilogy and Opus One.

Taste: Beringer Alluvium. Does this taste more like a big California Wine or lighter Claret?

1. In the Northwest, these blends are called Red Table Wine or Bordeaux-Style wine. Examples are Cuneo Two Rivers made in Oregon and Cadence Coda made in Seattle from Red Mountain grapes from Eastern Washington

Taste: Cadence Coda – Is this a harmonious, delicious blend or what?

1. In Bordeaux, wines are named by the village and chateaux (winery) they come from. Most good Bordeaux comes from grapes grown by the winery that made the wine. In the States, as often as not (especially in Washington) the winery purchases grapes from a vineyard where the grapes are grown.

Taste: 1989 Chateau Grand Mayne (winery), St Emilion (village) – Wines from St. Emilion and Pomerol are predominately Merlot. Can you taste the Merlot?
1990 Cos Labory, St Estephe – Wines from this village, Pauillac, St. Julien, and Margaux are mostly Cabernet Sauvignon. Is this wine harder or softer that the St.Emilion? Or do they both seem hard? French wines are not as fruit forward and user-friendly as California wines. Northwest wines are usually somewhere in between. French wines are made to go with food, since the French don’t drink wine as a cocktail as we do.

Have Fun!

Gene

Prohibition!

Just read an article in the Seattle Times about the "Interstate Wine Bottleneck." It's been about six months since the Supreme Court decided that states could not discriminate between in-state wineries and out-of-state wineries. Most of us naively interpreted this to mean that finally in the United States of America, home of free enterprise, consumers would be able to order a case of wine from whatever winery they chose and wineries would be able to ship to consumers in any state. Apparently, it ain't so.

How I wished I could have ordered a case from Pindar on Long Island, New York or Stratus on the Niagara escarpment in Ontario. When I visited tasting rooms in Walla Walla's or the Napa Valley, for example, it pains me to see the disappointment on the faces of folks from states such as Pennsylvania or Massechusetts. Wine lovers need to do something about this.


Jeremy Benson, executive director of Free the Grapes, says that the current patchwork of arcane rules, are "the complete opposite of direct-from-grower, farmer's-market-like that consumers - especially, fine wine consumers- want"( www.freethegrapes.org ). E-mail the Washington State Liquor Control Board in Olympia at: wslcb@wa.gov. Tell them to expedite rule making to allow Washington wineries to ship directly to consumers in New York, so that we can have reciprocity and get some of that Pindar! Better yet, write to your Congressperson advocating WAFTA! (Wines of America Free Trade Agreement), so we can quaff whatever wine we want.

For Pete's Sake

We don't know if there is a Pete, or if there ever was a Pete, but Pete's supermarkets are great places to buy Champagne, from Roederer Estate to Crystal. No, they did not pay us for this plug. Look for their sales, especially before New Year's and in June.

Larry's is running specials Nov. 9-29. A great way to stock up on wine for Thanksgiving. Roederer Estate Brut, on sale at $16, goes great with Turkey, actually, with just about anything, or all by itself. Old standby, Barnard Griffin Chardonnay at $8 is a great buy. L'Ecole 2003 Syrah is a delicious wine that will go surpisingly well with traditional Thanksgiving fare and it is one third off at $20.

What else goes with the infamous bird - Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling. Chardonnay works - look for Coppola or Edna Valley on sale at supermarkets or Costco.

Keep On Trucking!

Speaking of Seatttle wineries, over 50 of the 350 plus wineries in Washington State are in the Seattle area. How can that be, you say? Doesn't it rain in Seattle? Well, in Washington State, quality grapes from sunny Eastean Washington are shipped in small lugs to wineries in rainy Western Washington. If truth be told, there's a whole lot of trucking going on in France and California, too.

Tasting at Cadence and Fall Line the other day, reminded me of some of the other Puget Sound wineries we love. Over near Woodinville, DeLille makes it's wonderfully supple, Margaux-like "D-2", their so-called "second" wine named after the main road in Bordeaux. Their Semillon is outstanding, too, perfectly balanced with good fruit, acidity, and body. So what else do we like - Chatter Creek Cab Franc, Owens Sullivan (aka "OS") R-3, Mike Januik's Merlot and Chardonnay. Mike is also responsible for Novelty Hill Merlot and Chardonnay which are almost as good as the Januik label, but at a lower price.

Then there is Northstar which isn't really made in Seattle, but it is available for tasting and purchase at Chateau St. Michelle in Woodenville. They get to choose whatever grapes they want from any of St. Michelle's vineyards. Not a bad deal! No wonder they make such delicious Merlot at the Northstar winery in Walla Walla. With the exception of Northstar all of these are thirty dollars and under. Finally, at Andrew Will, Chris Carmada, has been making vineyard-specific wines such as Ciel du Cheval. A fascinating opportunity to check out "terroir."

The Master and the Apprentice

We're back after a long hiatus due to health problems. With a newly implanted pacemaker, we are as good as new. Went to Cadence and new Washington winery, Fall Line, for their annual open houses. Once again, Ben Smith produced a bevy of beauties. Tim Sorenson, winemaker at Fall Line, apprenticed with Ben and he really learned his stuff. His first release is a lovely 2003 Red with good fruit and hints of vanilla up front and enough tannin in the back to suggest at least six months of aging, if not a couple more years. Less than a hundred cases were produced, so you had better get yours soon. At least get on their mailing list now, so that five years from now when Fall Line is the next Quilceda Creek or Leonetti you will be able to get your allocation. Check out their website at: www. falllinewinery.com.


Back to Cadence - four 2003s were produced: three vineyard specific wines from Tapteil Vineyard, Klipsun Vineyard, and Ciel du Cheval and one beautiful blend, Bel Canto. The Tapteil has the power, is very structured and perhaps will age the best, but right now it seems the least interesting. The Ciel du Cheval is very appealing and well balanced with good fruit. The Klipsun is similar but perhaps not quite as complex. The Bel Canto is molto bella, indeed, a right bank (Bordeaux) blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petite Verlot that Ben says was modeled after Chateau Cheval Blanc, but tastes a little more like a Pomerol to us. Diane loved it! If you are not on the Cadence mailing list you should be.

There are so many good wines being made in Washington, especially in Seattle. With the exception of Quilceda Creek, Leonetti, and Cayuse which have acquired, perhaps, too much cachet from the Robert Parker imprimateur, they are very good values, especially at the $30 price point, which is not to say that wines such as Pepper Bridge, Northstar, or Cadence Bel Canto are overpriced. Nevertheless, do we detect a bit of price creep in some of our favorites. For most of us $30 for a bottle of wine is a splurge, and for a few it is a good price for an "everyday" wine. Let's stay there!

Oh, about the master and the apprentice. In an era of mean-spirited, high-speed, me-first-ism, it is so refreshing that a spirit of friendship and cameradie persist in the Northwest world of wine. Tim got his on-the -job training ( he already had a Ph.D. in Economics and classes in winemaking) from Ben and, someday, a lucky apprentice will learn winemaking from Tim. Artesianal wine and food sustain us and and can help us sustain the earth.