Debuts & Discoveries III

Trey Busch at Sleight of Hand continues to work his magic. Seia wines were quite good. Smasne Cellars has the confusing website - "Prosser Wine Company", but the Farm Boy 2006 Viognier and the Red blend are good buys, even with the totally retro labels. Alex Manoni at Stomani Cellars is the only one of the new Atlantic gang of four to offer wines at this point. The others, Barry Wine Co, Elsom Cellars and Falling Rain Cellars will offer wines this summer, when and if it ever comes. all three of the Stomani wines tasted were excellent. The 2007 Pinot Gris is balanced and very fruity. Both the 2006 Cab and the 2006 Sangio were well made and user friendly. Trust Cellars was poured at the same table. Trey and Steve are good friends. The 2006 Syrah was dark and inky with great fruit, a vast improvement over the curiously flat 2005. Two Mountain Winery has been turning out excellent values for several years . I still have a bottle of their 2004 Lemberger in my cellar. Washington Wine Company put on a great show at Woodinville Passport. William Church was mobbed at Passport. All of Michael Haig's wine from Whitestone were excellent. Michael does it all, and does it well. There was only one winery from Oregon, Hood River, in fact. Robert Morus is the only guy I know who wears a signature hat, besides me and Thierry Rautereau, chef and owner of the outstanding Rover's restaurant in Seattle. In appears that Robert is the King of Hood River, having started planting vineyards there in 1989. He was offering very good wines from his vineyards under two labels - Mount Defiance Wine Comany and Phelps Creek. None of the seven caterers seemed to be really new, but the food was really good. A Grand Affaire, Gaudi Restaurant, Herban Feast, Intrigue Chocolates, Joanie's Catering, Landau Catering, and Tuxedoes and Tennis Shoes Catering all did a great job. Landau and Tuxedoes stood out with their skewered meats with chimichurri sauce. I had a particularly interesting talk with Daivid Landau who was born in China and worked in restaurants all over the world until "retiring" to the catering business. Glad he is enjoying himself. That's it, folks. Next, back to the Willamette Valley.