Seattle Wine Blog

This blog is dedicated to commentary on all aspects of wine, especially short entries to help you find the best wines without the usual hype and spin. These are my frank, independent opinions, usually based on tasting wine at a public event, off the shelf or at the winery. "All creative acts must arise out of a specific soil and flicker with a spirit of place" -D.H. Lawrence

Thursday, September 07, 2006

New Wineries - 14 Hands Wines, Stina's Cellars, Lost River Winery

Fourteen Hands is supposedly named after some wild horses. I don't get it. Do you? They are offering Merlot, Cabernet and Chardonnay at the very reasonable price of $12. I haven't had the chance to taste any, yet, have you? Stina's Cellars is located near Tacoma and will be offering Cab Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier. Lost River Winery is located in Winthrop, in the Northern Cascades, far from any vineyards, but they source grapes to make Cabernet Suavignon, Merlot, Syrah, Semillon, and Pinot Gris. Lost River wines are available at select wine shops, supermarkets and restaurants in the Seattle area.

posted by Gene Stein, Ph.D. @ 10:21 PM  

27 Comments:

  • At 12:11 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I've had the 14 hands Cabernet Sauvignon. It is quite tasty IMO. It's a very fruit forward wine with a decent finish. An excellent value for the money.

    Hands is a reference to how tall the horse is. 14 hands would be a pretty small horse.

     

  • At 1:26 PM, Blogger Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…

    Darin, thanks for your comment. Sounds like the wine is worth checking out. Where did you find it?

    Wow! Thanks for making the connection for me. Fourteen hands does sound like a pretty small horse, doesn't it?

     

  • At 2:08 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    It's generally available only to restaurants, but there is a distributor on Mercer Island that sells it to the public as well. The name escapes me at the moment, but I will look it up tonight and post it.

    -Darin

     

  • At 11:21 PM, Blogger Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…

    Thanks, Darin! Gene

     

  • At 10:13 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I couldn't find the distributors site, but you can order directly from the winery :)

    http://www.14hands.com/

    -Darin

     

  • At 3:36 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    14 Hands Merlot is very good. I had it at McCormick & Schmick's Seafood.

    What I understand, you measure a horse by hands. So 14 hands, may refer to the size of the horses that were owned by the owner??

    Buck

     

  • At 10:48 AM, Blogger Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…

    Buck, Thanks for your comment. Gene

     

  • At 7:22 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I adore 14 hands merlot. best ever. I was actually looking for where I could buy it and I found your blog.

     

  • At 8:23 AM, Blogger Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…

    Thanks for your comment. Why don't you call the winery. Maybe they can tell you where you can find it or you could order it directly from them. Gene

     

  • At 2:30 PM, Blogger Jeanne said…

    One hand is 4 inches, so a 14 hand horse is 56 inches tall at the withers (the highest point of the back at the base of the neck). Technically a 14 hand horse is actually a pony. But most wild horses in North America are small, and aren't likely to be more than 15 hands.

    I have had the Cabernet Sauvignon from 14 hands, by the way, and I loved it.

     

  • At 10:09 AM, Blogger Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…

    Jeanne, thanks for your comment. You seem to really know your horses and your wine. Gene

     

  • At 6:33 AM, Blogger coastdweller said…

    14 Hands Chardonnay is one of the best I've ever had. It is a little difficult to find but well worth the effort. The price @ $12.00 a bottle is a great bargin for this wine. I live on the WA coast and have found it in a small wine shop in Ocean Shores. Recently I ordered directly from the winery's online store. It's on my Christmas or Birthday list!!

     

  • At 9:13 PM, Blogger Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…

    Dear coastdweller, Thanks for your comment. Hope you have a fireplace, but if not, 14 Hands should provide some central heating. You are right. Fourteen hands is a great buy and delicious, too. Glad you could find it in Ocean Shores. Interestingly, it has evoked more comment than almost any other wine at the Seattle Wine Blog. Gene

     

  • At 7:40 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    1/7/08 - I had 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 for the first time on New Years at a friend's new restaurant in Plano, TX (just N of Dallas). He plans to make it his house wine. He served it to his parents and their friends who were visiting from France and everyone at the table who tasted it was very impressed.

    I do not qualify as a wine connoisseur, but in my opinion it is the smoothest, with the best finish I've had and it's a bargain. I've tried much more expensive wines and not been as satisfied.

    If you're in town, try out Gregory's on 15th in Plano.

     

  • At 8:52 PM, Blogger Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…

    Brian, thanks for your comment. Fourteen Hands has evoked more comments than any other winery discussed on the blog. It is now up to 14 comments. It is a very successful winery - so new, yet, so right on and widely available for a non- Ste Michelle Washington State wine. Thanks for the tip about Gregory's. Gene

     

  • At 6:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I found the 14 hands wines at Larry's Market in Redmond.

     

  • At 9:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I just tried it for the first time at PF Changs in San Diego. I'm trying to find a local restaurant in North County San Diego that serves it and a place to buy that is not off a website.

    Blackstone was my favorite, now I have a new one. Smooth!

     

  • At 10:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I tasted 14 hands Cabernet/Sav a few weeks ago at my favorite wine/restaurant here in New Hampshire. It was delicious! I have spent much more for an ok bottle of Cab in the past, this one, is definetely my favorite. Very smooth finish; easy to drink and so affordable.

     

  • At 11:02 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hello all,

    This may be of interest.

    We went to Winslow's Tavern, in Wellfleet, Mass. (Cape Cod) last Thurday night, we had an excellent bottle of "14 hands red Cabernet Sauvignon". The food was simply out of this world (the pork and steak frites were succulent and spiced to perfection) and went exceptionally well their wine.

    I too would like to buy more of their wine but here in Montreal unfortunately you can not simply order their wine from their website(duties, forms etc.) , it has to go through proper procedures of the government wine commission.

    Our only option is smuggling!

    Henry and Carole Kaszel






    Henry Kaszel Montreal

     

  • At 4:37 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Recently enjoyed 14 Hands Cab at Ruth Chris steakhouse in San Francisco. Enjoyed it so much that I sent a couple of bottles (ordered it online) to family members that joined us for that dinner as a thank you.

    Very smooth and enjoyable wine - went well with our Filet Mignon.

     

  • At 5:37 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Just wanted to let all the 14 hand lovers know that even though it is technically a restaurant wine, a person can buy it by the case at any grocery store. I purchase it from either Haggen or Fred Meyer. It is considerably less expensive to buy it this way than even from the 14 hands website. The 2004 Merlot is my all time favorite and I can't get enough!

     

  • At 11:35 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I love there merlot , it is the best wine I have yet to taste, I wish I could buy it were I live Temecula,Ca Sandiego, riverside, any body know, it's just cost to much to buy direct.

     

  • At 3:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Love, love, love their Merlot. It's definitely worth ordering a case at your local grocer's. The Cab is pretty tasty, too. Haven't tried a 14 Hands white but I intend to.

     

  • At 8:13 PM, Anonymous Jay M. said…

    I have had the Cab Sav many, many times and am always hopeful I can find another that will surprise me like this one did...but I always come back to this being a favorite. The smooth, silky finish especially if given a chance to breathe is soft and perfect. I would recommend this to Cab Sav lovers...I challenge anyone to name another as good.

     

  • At 6:24 PM, Anonymous MiSha said…

    I have been a fan of both the Chardonnay and the Cab, going on 4 years now...lucked into it just as it was beginning to be distributed. I do what was suggested by Anonymous above, call your local grocery store, especially one that has a good wine selection and see if they can "special order" a case for you...best price and plenty to share!

     

  • At 12:11 AM, Blogger gregT said…

    anonymous is absolutely correct, the horses were 14 hands high

     

  • At 3:55 PM, Blogger TXsharon said…

    14 Hands merlot is one of my favorites. I like it better than some of the very pricy merlots. It is readily available in Texas.

    The 14 Hands cab is okay.

     

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