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, August 02, 2007

Chandler Reach Winery

On our way back from Walla Walla we stopped at Chandler Reach Winery. Many Washington wineries source their grapes from Chandler Reach Vineyard, but Chandler Reach also makes their own wine in a new wine facility just off I-90 a little ways past Benton City. Doubling back to the winery from the highway, one is confronted with a spectacular view of Red Mountain in the background and the Chandler Reach Vineyard in the foreground. The winery is a hyperbolic American version of a Tuscan villa and the wines are mostly "tourist" wines to fit the winery decor. The tasting room person who served me was extraordinarily knowledgeable and a real pleasure to talk to. She really knew her stuff. I tasted my way through most of the list. Of the regular bottlings the two wines that stood out were the 2004 Monte Regalo and the 2003 Syrah. The Monte Regalo was round and full with beautiful black fruit flavors and a hint of chocolate. The Syrah had the barnyard bouquet of some French Syrah from the Rhone Valley which some French winemakers maintain is the characteristic aroma of Syrah, but which most new world winemakers manage to avoid. For me, the most interesting wine on the reserve list was the 2003 Sangiovese which actually tasted like a real Italian Chianti with that characteristic tangy twist of acidity at the end - good with Italian food. Would I stop there again? Probably not!

2 Comments:

  • At 7:26 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    chandler reach is on I-82 not 90, that is a hell of an error.

     
  • At 8:35 PM, Blogger Gene Stein, Ph.D. said…

    Dear Another Anon,thanks for the correction. That really is a COLOSSAL error! What's your problem? Gene

     

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