World Wine Weblog

Woodinville Warehouse Wineries 3rd Thursday Wine Walk

I've been hoping to attend one of the monthly Woodinville Warehouse Wineries District 3rd Thursday Wine Walk events since they started several months (years?) ago. The stars appear to be aligning, and I'm planning to go tomorrow. [update: I went today ... details below]

Although the event runs from 4-8pm, and there are only about 20 wineries, I probably won't get to all the participating wineries. Also, the $20 admission ticket includes only [1-ounce] 15 pours, further promoting a more focused exploration. So I assembled a list, searched for their web sites, and found most of their addresses and a list of the wines they produce. In case this information is useful to others, I figured I'd post the info here, along with specific wines I'm hoping to taste (in italics). If I do make it to the event, I'll update this post with some of the highlights. [Update - highlights now added.]

Having attended the event, I'll update the items below with specific impressions of some of the wines and wineries, but first I'll share a few general observations.

• I estimate the ratio of women to men to have been approximately 3:1.
• There were lots of dogs there (this month's theme was "Bottles and Dogs").
• Unlike some of the large-scale wine tasting events I've written about previously (e.g., the 2009 Zinfandel Festival and 2008 Zinfandel Festival at Fort Mason in San Francisco), I didn't find any new outstanding wines for low prices, i.e., having a high quality-price ratio (QPR). There were a few very good wines, but they were not inexpensive. Note that subtlety is often lost on me - in all dimensions of life - and so "good" to me, in the context of wine, typically means big, bold, viscous ("chewy") reds.
• Most of the participating wineries offer only a small selection of their wines - for a ticket - during the event, similar to Passport to Woodinville (a much larger-scale, and frankly, overwhelming, event I haven't attended in many years).
• My favorite winery / tasting room - in fact, the only one I'll probably go back to - was Bunnell Family Cellar. I include a more thorough review below.
• Unfortunately, although I'd listed it as a "definitely go here", I did not make it to Vortex Cellars, so will plan to visit that during a separate visit (perhaps before/after my anticipated return visit to Bunnell Family Cellar in the near future).
• The most exciting discovery of the evening was not a winery, but a distillery: Project V Distillery and Sausage Company. I didn't find their regular Single Silo Vodka (80 proof, $38), served at the front bar, anything to write home - or in this blog - about, but heading into the backroom, I found their Distiller's Cut (100 proof, $51) to be outstanding, and the Double Silo (160 proof, $83) was an amazing full-body experience: powerful aroma, fully coating my tongue with a strong alcoholic taste, and yet not burning by the time it reached my throat. I have to admit to being a bit self-conscious about my preference for higher alcohol wines, beers and spirits; it's not that I'm looking for quicker or higher levels of intoxication, but given my unawareness and unresponsiveness to subtlety [in flavors], I find the stronger flavor of higher alcohol drinks generally much preferable. In any case, I bought a bottle of the 100 proof and 160 proof vodkas (these were my only purchases of the night). They also have a Chai Infusion, which is interesting, but I'm not much of a Chai aficionado ... I imagine this might be appealing to anyone who is.

Now I'll update a few of my earlier entries for individual Woodinville Warehouse District Wineries below.

Red Sky Winery
19495 144th Ave NE, Suite B210
Bordeaux & Rhone red & white blends & varietals
Serendipity (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc blend)
Impressions: 2 tickets are required for Serendipity of the Cabernet Franc; I did not try either of these. I tried the Syrah, which was pretty good, but at $30/bottle, didn't seem to have a high QPR.

Alta Cellars
19501 144th Ave NE, Suite A-500
Bordeaux red blends
Escape (51% Cabernet Sauvignon,  43% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot)
Good, relatively inexpensive ($20), but only medium-bodied.

Davenport Cellars
19501 144th Ave NE, Suite B600
Bordeaux red & white blends & varietals
RHD (53% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot)
Continuity (54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 9% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot)
Good, but both are medium-bodied.

Eye of the Needle Winery (Seattle PI review)
no web site, no address found
Bordeaux & Italian blends
Little Itally (Sangiovese/Barbera-dominated blend)
Eye (Bordeaux blend)
Eye of the Needle acts as a négociant: they produce wines by blending wines leftover from other wineries' bottlings. I was told they shipped 5000 cases of wine last month, they've been in business for over 4 years, the tasting room has only been open for 4 months, and their web site will be coming online soon. All their wines are $11/bottle, and have a pretty good QPR ... but are medium-bodied.

Piccola Winery
19501 144th Ave. NE, Suite D-700
kegs only; Bordeaux & Rhone red & white blends & varietals
Bordeaux Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon 36%, Merlot 24%, Petite Verdot 16%, Malbec 12%, Cabernet Franc 12%)
Syrah/Mourvedre (Syrah 56%, Mourvedre 44%)
There was too large a crowd of people and dogs around when I stopped by, so I didn't sample their wares.

Amelia Bleu Winery
no address found
Red blend, Barbera & Riesling
Riverenza (no description found)
The Riverenza is a Barbera-based blend, but rather medium-bodied.

Vortex Cellars
19501 144th Avenue NE, D500-A
Rhone red & white blends *** definitely going here
CM² (Cinsault 75% and Mourvedra 25%)
Tempranillo
Syrah (with 5% Viognier)
How did I miss this place?! They were on my "definite" list, and I didn't see their sign. Next time ... or perhaps a separate trip (they are open Saturdays 12-5).

Dirty Bucket Brewery
19151 144th Ave NE, Suite 101
Beers
They only serve pints, no growlers, on Thursdays ... and never serve their Imperial beers (the only ones I like) in growlers :(

Project V Distillery
19495 144th Ave. NE, #A-130
Vodkas
Highly recommended; see notes above.

Pondera Cellars
19501 144th Ave NE, B400
Bordeaux blends & varietals
Pasion (48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Syrah, 4% Merlot) was my favorite wine of the night. However, at $38 / bottle, it's a bit above my comfort threshold.

Patterson Cellars
19501 144th Avenue NE, D-600
Bordeaux & Rhone red & white blends
The Syrah Sirah blend was pretty good, but at $25, didn't quite pass my threshold.

Michael Fiorentino Cellars
19501 144th Ave NE, Suite C1200
Bordeaux, Rhone, Italian & Spanish red & white blends & varietals *** definitely going here
Monastrell a.k.a. Mourvedre
Counoise
Fusione (Merlot and Sangiovese "super-Tuscan")
Tempranillo
Port
They didn't offer any of the wines I was intereste in tasting; however, the Miscoloto (Granache, Tempranillo & Syrah), at $21/bottle, offers a pretty good QPR.

Bunnell Family Cellar
19501 144th Avenue NE, Building C
Rhone red & white blends & varietals *** definitely going here
Primitivo
Syrah
Petit Sirah
Petit Verdot
Mourvedre
Grenache
As I anticipated, given my love of Rhone reds, this was my favorite tasting room in the complex. Their Lia - a Mourvedre-dominant southern Rhone blend - was my second favorite wine of the night, and is on sale this month for $24 (regularly $34), making it [currently] the best bang for the buck among the wines I tried. Rochelle (the pourer on duty when I arrived) also offered me a taste of the SoRhoMoJo (another southern Rhone, only available on tap), which was, although a bit softer, was my third favorite wine of the evening. The tasting room offers most of their wines in 3 oz, 6 oz and [of course] by the bottle, making this [probably] the most appealing to Amy (who prefers larger glasses of fewer wines rather than many small sips). They have a few wines that are currently only available in kegs (like the SoRhoMoJo), but they anticipate offering [wine] growlers in the near future. The Woodinville tasting room is not listed on the web site, but I'll update this when I find out what hours they are open. We will surely visit this again ... probably this month.

Page Cellars
19495 144th Ave NE, B205
Bordeaux & Rhone red blends & varietals

Kaella Winery
18800 142nd Ave NE, 5B
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sangiovese

Convergence Zone Cellars
18800 142nd Ave NE, 5B
Bordeaux red & white blends

Tenor Wines
19495 144th Ave NE A-120
Bordeaux red & white varietals

Gard Vintners
19495 144th Ave. NE, Suite B240
Bordeaux, Rhone, German & Italian red & white blends & varietals

Smasne Cellars
19495 144th Avenue NE, Suite B240
Bordeaux & Rhone red & white blends & varietals
The Smasne Zinfandel was my fourth favorite wine of the night. It was encouraging to find another Washington Zinfandel I like (the Thurston Wolfe "Howling Wolfe" is the only other one I can think of), but at $34/bottle, it doesn't pass my QPR threshold.

Barrage Cellars
19501 144th Avenue NE
[web site seems to be parked]
Barrage Cellars impressed me with the most creative wine labels I saw all night. Their Rose has a wine label with an ampersand in the middle of the label, enabling the buyer to fill in something on both sides prior to giving the wine to someone (or, perhaps a couple) as a gift. An ingenious wedding / anniversary gift. Their Riesling has a blank label with an exclamation point in the lower right, also offering intriguing opportunities for personalizing a bottle of wine as a gift.

Elevation Cellars
19495 144th Ave. NE, A-115
Bordeaux red blend & varietals, Riesling

A Zinfanatical time at the 2009 ZAP Zinfandel Festival

The tag line for this year's ZAP Zinfandel Festival was "unmask your passion"; I don't think my passion for zin has ever been masked, but it is rarely engaged as fully - one might even say, zinfanatically - as it is during this annual event at Fort Mason in San Francisco. I revealed my particular passions for specific wines and wineries I'd enjoyed in an earlier post about the 2008 ZAP Zinfandel Festival. This year, I discovered some new wineries and wines that I really like, but was disappointed that some of the wines I'd enjoyed last year were not as good this year ... and even more disappointed that some of those wines were gone by the time I got to their booths.

One of the surprising discoveries this year was a number of really good wines around the $20 price point (+/- $5). Generally, it has seemed to me that most Zinfandels have either been around $15 or around $30 (or more). The Cline Sonoma Zinfandel was the first wine I encountered in this price range a few years ago - I thought it was well worth the extra $5 or so it cost compared with the Ancient Vines, and probably a better value, overall, then some of their more expensive offerings. I'm glad to see more high quality wines emerge in this category.

Last year, I came away with a pretty good sense of my top 5 favorites - in rank order - as well as a list of honorable mentions. This year, I wasn't able to come up with a linear ordering, and so will instead offer an unordered set of my favorite wines, but will at least subcategorize them according to price ranges. As with last year, I won't include any specific notes about particular flavor or aroma characteristics of any wine, this is just intended as a personal list of favorites (which may or may not be useful to anyone else). As with all the wines I write about - and I'm chagrined to suddenly discover that I have only posted one entry in my wine blog since the entry for the 2008 ZAP Zinfandel Festival (!) - most, if not all, of the wines listed below can be characterized as big, bold, fruit-forward, full-bodied and chewy.

Great Zinfandels in the $15-25 price range

Macchia was one of my favorite wineries last year, and they impressed me again this year. I liked all five of the wines they were pouring, but the standouts for me were the 2007 Mischievous, Lodi Old Vine ($18), the 2007 Victorious ($30) - aka "Boobylicious" (mantra: "save the tata's"), and which I'll include in this price category because $5 of each bottle purchased is donated to support cancer research - and the 2006 Dangerous, a port of sorts ($25). As with post-festival period last year, I plan to order [at least] a mixed case that includes some of the other wines they make (but were not pouring).

Jessie's Grove 2006 Vintner's Choice ($22): Jessie's Grove is the winery that produces the wonderfully named and widely distributed Earth, Zin and Fire ($16) which I also like (as I did the more expensive Westwind at $32), but the Vintner's Choice - which, unfortunately, does not appear on the winery web site - seemed like the best overall quality price ratio (QPR) offering in their lineup.

St. Amant was one of my exciting new discoveries this year. Both of their wines were outstanding ... and within the magical $15-25 price range: the 2007 Mohr-Fry Ranch, Old Vine, Lodi ($18) and the Marian's Vineyard, Old Vine, Lodi ($24). David Sanchez, a ZAP volunteer from Eno Wines that I met last year when he kindly gave me a glass to use after witnessing a woman steal mine at 4:30 (with only 30 minutes to spare), was the one who recommended this winery when I saw him outside the pavilion.

Another new find - in this category - was J. Rickards 2006 Ancestors ($22).

Opolo was one of my favorites last year. This year, I was not quite as impressed across the board, but did find a great value that I don't remember from last year:the 2006 Summit Creek ($18).

I was also less impressed this year than I was last year with Pezzi King; the 2005 Old Vine that I'd liked so well last year seemed too soft to me this year. I did, however, like their bargain zinfandel, the 2007 Riley's Red ($16) ... though perhaps not as much as the guy in front of me, who bought 10 cases of the wine on the spot.

Great Zinfandels in the $25+ price range

As was the case last year, all of Robert Biale's wines were very good; this year, I particularly liked the 2007 Old Crane Ranch ($42) and the 2007 Varozza Vineyard ($42), both from St. Helena.

There were three exciting new discoveries in this price category. One was Mantra 2006 Old Vines Reserve ($30). A side-by-side comparison between the 2005 and 2006 vintages confirmed my impression from last year that 2006 was a stronger vintage ... although I was not able to make a similar judgment between the 2006 and 2007 vintages this year.

I've been a fan of Rockpile wines for a few years now, and was delighted to discover that the Mauritson booth (also recommended by David Sanchez) was pouring two Rockpile wines (and their web site lists nine (!)). Although they had not been on my radar last year, they certainly will be in future years. I enjoyed all three of their wines: the 2006 Dry Creek Valley ($27), 2006 Rockpile Cemetary Vineyard ($39) and 2007 Rockpile Ridge Vineyard ($35).

The search for the perfect Rockpile also took me to another new discovery: Valdez Family Winery. All three of their wines were also fantastic: 2006 Rockpile Road ($38), 2006 Lancel Creek, Russian River Valley ($36) and 2006 Simoncini, Dry Creek Valley ($35). Looks like I'll have to join their mailing list if I want to order any.

Howell Mountain was a pleasant re-discovery. I'd tried a Howell Mountain Zinfandel at a restaurant in San Jose back in 2003, and I don't remember the details, but remember thinking it was a highly unusual, and not altogether enjoyable, variation on the Zinfandel theme. This year, I tried them again, and still think they have a rather unique flavor, but I found "the hallmark exotic character, with white pepper and Asian spices" in the 2006 Black Sears ($38) to be much more enjoyable than my first encounter with their wines 6 years ago.

I was a bit disappointed when I got to the booths of two of my favorite wineries from last year. Edmeades had run out of everything but their Perli Zinfandel ($30), which was good but not nearly as good as their outstanding Chase Vineyard wine last year, and Hartford was out of everything at 4:00 ... and they've increased their prices 10% from last year :-(.

At the 2008 Zinfandel Festival, I shared my passion for Zinfandel with my wife, Amy, and our good friend, Carol, both of whom enjoy Zinfandel, but not quite at the same level of fanaticism as I tend to exhibit. This year, I was delighted to share my passion for Zinfandel with another good friend, Dan Oestreich, who was better able to keep up with my zinful "lust" for most of the day ... though we did get separated for a while during the last hour, when I kicked into high gear, frantically trying to taste as many of the remaining wines as I could (especially after the disappointments I'd experienced with my aforementioned earlier favorites).

In addition to being a fellow Zinfandel appreciator, Dan is also a fellow blogger, sharing inspiring insights and experiences on the theme of unfolding leadership. [He is also the photographer who snapped the photo shown to the right.] Dan noticed my irritation toward the end of the festival - the shadow side of my zinfanaticism, perhaps. It started with booths running out of wine early, but was greatly exacerbated by people breaking glasses inside and outside the two Fort Mason pavilions (!). He invited me to write an entire blog post on the topic, sensing that maybe there was something deeper in this shadow that I may want (or at least be willing) to delve into - and few people I know delve as deeply into their lights and shadows as Dan does regularly on his blog. I agree this could be an interesting and enlightening topic, but I will leave it for another post - and perhaps another blog (my main blog, Gumption). For now, I'll simply note that I consider this late-breaking pandemic of breaking glasses toward the end of these Zinfandel festivals to be childish, irresponsible and dangerous, and I hope that the festival isn't required to find a new site due to the inconsideration of a relatively few of its attendees.

However, while I'm on the topic of zinfanatical peeves, I'll note one more. The Zinfandel Festival program lists a number of wine tasting tips on page 48. One of these appears to be aligned with - and about as widely followed - as "keep right except to pass" guidelines on multi-lane highways, or instructions by flight attendants to step out of the aisle as early as possible to allow others to pass when settling into an airplane seat. At the Zin fest, this expression of what should be simple, common courtesy and conscientiousness was expressed as follows:

Please step back from the tasting table to do your personal evaluation. Others can then step forward to receive a sample of wine. Step to the side to talk with the winemaker or winery representative.

Alert winemakers and winery representatives sometimes did identify bottlenecks and gently guide the tasters who were creating them - i.e., who were not following these procedures - so that others could make more efficient use of the relatively short time allocated for tasting. However, it was often frustrating to try to reach the tables of some of the more popular wineries. I've fantasized, at times, about having a full-sized "keep right except to pass" sign I could flash up to cars as I passed them on the right ... maybe I can make up a "keep right except to fill your glass" sign to bring with me to future festivals.

I'll end off with two more "tips" of my own. If you're in a group, and several people in the group are interested in sampling wines at a crowded booth, send in a small number of wine tasting representatives - scouts - with multiple glasses to fill and then taste from a distance when they return with their bounty. Dan and I adopted this practice toward the end of the festival, when I would bring his glass and mine in to the tables for wine pours as I was increasingly focusing on efficiency as the clock was running out.

The other tip has to do with extending the time on the clock: I joined ZAP (Zinfandel Appreciators & Producers) this year for $40, which enabled me to purchase two tickets for a discounted price ($49 rather than $59) and earlier admission (1:00pm rather than 2:00pm). This was a very worthwhile investment - $20 (net) for 25% more time - and one I will make again for next year's festival ... assuming I can find any friends who are [still] willing to share my Zinfanaticism.

A Zinfantastic Time at the ZAP Zinfandel Festival

Amy, Carol and I had a zinfantastic (or perhaps "zinfandelic") time at the 17th Annual ZAP Zinfandel Festival in San Francisco. I'd wanted to go to this festival for as long as I can remember (well, at least, as long as I've loved Zinfandel ... which is almost as long as I can remember). The Friday before the festival was my last day at my old job (in Palo Alto), so Amy flew down from Seattle for the weekend, and Carol drove out from Sacramento.

I'm not sure how many wineries were there - probably 200-300 - certainly far more than I could get to during the all-too-brief 3-hour tasting. I probably tasted over 50 wines - and seemed to be one of the relatively few people who were carrying red plastic cups (as spittoons). It was pretty crowded, but we were able to navigate pretty well (though during the last hour, I left Amy and Carol behind as I fully engaged in what my friend, Les, called "wine lust" (when we were together during the Rhone Rangers festival a few years ago) - darting among the tables, using my mouth solely for tasting wines, vs. communicating with other humans). Note for next year: join ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) ... the extra cost would be well worth the extra hour (with a smaller crowd) for tasting.

As usual, I am not very good at recalling nuances of smells or taste components, all I remember is what I really liked - and didn't like, so I'm going to list my top choices among the wines I tasted (and the tasting notes provided by the wineries).

1. Edmeades: 2005 2006 Chase Vineyard ($29): Think cherries … loads of ’em. Chocolate-covered cherries, dried Bing cherries, candied cherries, perfumed cherries. Mendocino Zin may be known for cherry and berry flavors, but this bottling is over the top, with cherry bursting out in all directions, topped with a rich toasty oak bouquet with a touch of butterscotch. Bold … and big, with excellent cellaring potential for five to ten years.
   [Interestingly, Robert Parker only rated this wine at 89 points: "The 2005 Zinfandel Chase Vineyard has an intense black cherry and raspberry nose, a dark ruby/purple-tinged color, surprisingly full body and depth, and is quite a complete wine, even in such a difficult vintage." The photo to the right is of the Edmeades tasting booth. (Update: I initially mislabeled the vintage we tasted of the Edmeades and the Hartford at the event; in both cases, it was the 2006. This may explain the highly unusual discrepancy between RP's rating and my subjective impression of a wine. I believe all the other vintages are correctly labeled.)]
2. Hartford: 2005 2006 Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard, Russian River Valley ($50): The 2005 Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard Zinfandel displays ripe blackberry and black raspberry aromas and flavors along with silky chocolate notes on the finish. Carrying on the tradition of this venerable vineyard, the 2005 Fanucchi-Wood Road Zinfandel has a tremendously dense texture complemented by big fruit and great power.
3. Opolo: 2005 Reserve, Paso Robles ($38)
4. Pezzi King: 2005 Old Vine, Dry Creek Valley ($22)
5. Roshambo: 2005 The Reverend, Dry Creek Valley ($25): Picture-perfect Dry Creek Valley Zin. So lush, so delicious, you just can't get enough. Power-packed with cherry, raspberry, cassis, chocolate, licorice, tobacco, oak and spice flavors, this wine's structure is beautiful, with elegant tannins and brisk acids (Wine Enthusiast, 92 points, Editors' Choice).

Other honorable mentions include:

• Robert Biale: 2006 Old Crane Ranch (N/A), 2006 Old Kraft Vineyard (N/A
• Bogle: 2006 Old Vine ($11); I didn't try this myself, but Amy and Carol said it was very good (especially for the price) ... I did not like the 2005, but for $11, I'll give it a try.
• J. Dusi: 2004 Haute Haute Haute Zin Port, Dante Dusi Vineyard, Paso Robles (listed as a "Late Harvest Zinfandel" on their web site)
• Edmeades: 2005 Perli Vineyard, Mendocino Ridge ($29), 2006 Shamrock Vineyard (N/A), 2006 Mendocino ($18)
• Hartford: 2005 Russian River Valley ($30), 2006 Highwire Vineyard, Russian River Valley ($50)
• Opolo: 2006 Mountain, Paso Robles ($26)
• Paradise Ridge: 2005 The Convict, Rocky Ridge Vineyard, Rockpile ($34)
  
• Pezzi King: 2005 Estate, Dry Creek Valley ($40), 2005 Estate Reserve, Dry Creek Valley ($50)
• Macchia: 2006 Adventurous, Linsteadt Vineyard, Amador County ($26), 2006 Mischievous, Lodi ($18), 2005 Dangerous, Port ($25)
• Portalupi: 2006 Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley ($28)
• Rancho Zabaco: 2004 Stefani Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley ($25)
• Carol Shelton: 2005 Karma Zin, Rue Vineyard, Russian River Valley ($33), 2005 Maple Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley ($33), 2005 Manga Zin, Lopez Vineyard, Cucamonga Valley ($21), 2005 Rocky Reserve, Rockpile Ridge Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley (N/A)
• Sobon Estate: 2006 ReZerve, Amador County ($24); 2006 Old Vines, Amador County ($12)
• Steele: 2004 DuPratt, Mendocino Ridge ($24)
• Trentadue: 2004 La Storia, Geyserville Ranch, Alexander Valley Estate ($28)

Due to time constraints, I explicitly avoided some wineries - Ravenswood, Renwood and Rosenblum, because I've been to their tasting rooms within the past few years, and Turley - because I'm on their mailing list.

The only downsides to the tasting, other than it was too short, and several wineries packed it in before the end of the event, was that someone stole my tasting glass. I set it down on a table for a minute to make some notes as I was tasting my way through the Edmeades' booth, and someone stole it. It wasn't near any other glasses, so I don't think it was an "honest" mistake. Fortunately, it was close to where they were selling replacement glasses for $5, and although they had no more to sell, one of the volunteers there - David Sanchez, shown in the photo to the left - witnessed the theft (a woman with red hair - not my wife), and gave me one of the used glasses, which I washed thoroughly in the men's room, and then used to continue my final stretch of tasting. I also developed a case of severely stained thumb (shown in the photo to the right, taken at Capurro's Restaurant after the festival, in front of a bottle of Four Vines 2005 Old Vine Cuvee, one of the wines I did not taste during the festival), presumably due to wine dribbling down the stem of my glass over the course of the afternoon; fortunately, no wine dribbled onto my clothing.

All in all, I would have to say that this was the best wine tasting event I've ever attended - even better than the Rhone Rangers tasting at Fort Mason I went to three years ago (with Amy, Carol, Elizabeth, Les and Kathy). We had a nice dinner afterward (with Chris joining us) at nearby Capurro's, and spent the night at the nearby Coventry Motor Inn. Since returning home to the Seattle area, I've been able to find some of these wines in local wine shops, but I just may have to join a few more wine clubs.

A Hard Core Wine Tasting Experience at Lavanda

I met my friend Jane for an after-work drink at Lavanda Restaurant and Wine Bar in downtown Palo Alto last week. Jane is one of my favorite people -- even though she still hasn't responded to my invitation to join the self-disclosure movement on her blog -- and it's always fun to get together with her. Both of us love wine, and neither of us had visited Lavanda yet, so it seemed like a natural choice.

We were delighted to discover that there was a special wine tasting / release party that evening, with winemaker Dave Corey (shown below left) of Core Wine Company offering a lineup of his most recently released wines:

• 2004 Red 163 (14% Mourvedre, 56% Grenache, 30% Syrah),
  
• 2004 Elevation Sensation (another GSM blend, but with grapes more predominantly from his own vineyard)
  
• 2004 Hard Core (Grenache, Syrah and Cabernet)
  
• 2004 Soft Core (Grenache Blanc, Rousanne and Marsanne) -- actually, I can't remember now if that really is the name of the wine, or the name he wanted to use.
  

All of these wines were great -- representing the deeper and fuller end of the Grenache [Blanc] spectrum (and thus, more appealing to me than the lighter variations of the varietal). The Hard Core was the standout for me, where the little bit of cab really added a significant amount of power to the blend. Jane liked the Elevation Sensation best (that was my second favorite). Dave also has a predominantly Mourvedre blend and a Tempranillo. I want to track down some of these at a wine shop (and soon, as I think they are selling out).

Jane had to leave, but I didn't have dinner yet, and a pasta dish with Sardines looked very appetizing (and the kind of thing I would never cook at home), so I stayed on, and enjoyed a glass of the Turchi Syrah -- which was not included in the initial 3-glass tasting flight -- to accompany that. The meal was also accompanied by very interesting and engaging discussion with Matt Kahn (shown above right), a Professor of Design in the Art School at Stanford, who offered his views on art and design, and described some of his wine-related travels. He also highly recommended the Klinker Brick Zinfandel, so I'll have to go back there sometime ... perhaps when Jane and Matt can both be there, so the three of us can enjoy some fine wine and conversation together.

Brown Bag Flight Night at Purple Cafe: 0 for 4

I had a fun, but humbling, experience at Purple Cafe and Wine Bar last night.  I tried the Brown Bag Flight, where four bottles are wrapped in paper bags, and 2.5-ounce tastes are poured from each.  The goal is to guess the varietal of each wine.  I guessed wrong on all four.

Your Answers                     Brown Bag Flight Answers

Pinot Noir                         Heron Merlot

Syrah                                Zenato Merlot

Cabernet                           Bulletin Place Shiraz

Merlot                               Tre Donne Barbera D’Alba (Italian)

Actually, I think I mistakenly reversed my answers for 2 and 3 (the score sheet had two rows and two columns), but even that would mean I was only 1 for 4.  I missed all 4 the previous time I tried this experiment, so I'm making a little progress ... taste and learn!

Wine Tastings: Fee vs. Free

Wine Press Northwest recently published an article on tasting fees charged at some Washington wine tasting rooms (following up with some comments by readers in subsequent issues).  Many people, understandably, expressed, er, "dissatisfaction" with paying tasting fees.  I don't mind paying them, especially when they apply to a purchase.  In fact, in a way, I actually like them, as I sometimes feel compelled to buy some wine from a winery that offers free tastings.  Now, I won't buy any wine if I don't like any wine, but I do tend to buy at least one wine that may only be good -- but not great -- as a way of compensating the winery for offering the tastes of their wines (I don't know if this is part of the calculations that wineries make).  At wineries that do charge a fee, I never feel such a compulsion. 

I may be in a rather small minority here -- I also have never downloaded any copyrighted music or software without paying for it (which may put me in a very small minority) -- but I'd rather pay the fee up front and not feel compelled to buy something.  Ideally, I'd like to not feel compelled to do anything, making all my choices on the basis of factors other than guilt, but until then, fees for tastings help me make the right choices for the right reasons.

New Vintages of McCrea Wines at Seattle Wine Company

I sampled several of the latest releases from McCrea Cellars at the Seatte Wine Company yesterday.  As I noted earlier, McCrea is one of my favorite Washington wineries, consistently producing outstanding Rhone varietals.  There was a great selection being offered for tasting, incluging two 2004 whites -- Viognier ($19) and Rousanne ($19) -- five 2003 reds -- Grenache ($25), Counoise ($25), Mourvedre ($25), the Washington State Syrah ($25) and the Sirocco blend ($28) -- and the 2002 Late Harvest Viognier.  This was my first time trying the Rousanne and Grenache, and I found them and the others to be up to the same high level of quality I remember from the last vintage.  All of them are fruit-forward, full-throttled wines ... the kind I like best.  The Mourvedre was my favorite, followed closely by the Sirocco and Grenache.  This was my first visit to the Seattle Wine Company (which does not yet have a web site), but I am now on their mailing list and look forward to future tastings there.

Zinfest: A Horizontal and Vertical Tasting

We sampled six Zinfandels at a party last weekend:

• Cline 1999 California Zinfandel
• Cline 1999 Contra Costa Zinfandel, Live Oak Vineyard
• Rosenblum 1999 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, Rockpile Road Vineyard
• Rancho Zabaco 1999 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, Chiotti Vineyard
• Chateau Souverain 1991 Alexander Valley Zinfandel, Old Vine Reserve
• Chateau Souverain 2001 Alexander Valley Zinfandel, Winemaker's Reserve

We wrapped each bottle in a brown bag and sampled them blind (I knew the identities of the first four; Dave knew the identities of the last two).  Dave brought along some tasting note and ratings sheet from UC Davis.  He took careful notes (I'm hoping he will add them here).  The rest of us were a little less careful in [noting] our tasting experience.

I believe the Rosenblum Rockpile Road was the favorite among at least half of the tasters.  My personal favorite was the Rancho Zabaco Chiotti Vineyard (my second favorite was a tossup between the Rosemblum and the 2001 Chateau Souverain), followed by the Cline Live Oak.  The California Zin was holding up surprisingly well, and showed the most color change ("browning" out).  The 1991 Chateau Souverain was well past prime (and had surprisingly low alcohol level for a Zinfandel, based on today's "standards").  I'll include notes from the bottle labels below.

Cline 1999 California Zinfandel

14.0% alcohol

Cline 1999 Contra Costa Zinfandel, Live Oak Vineyard

The Live Oak Vineyard, named for Live Oak Road which runs adjacent to the block, has consistently produced one of our most complex, concentrated and unique lots of Zinfandel.  The 100 plus year old vines planted on their original roots make this one of California's most historic vineyards.  Cline Cellars has chosen to dry-farm the ancient, head-pruned vines in the Live Oak block, continuing a practice employed by the Italian immigrants that planted this vineyard well before the turn of the century [note: this is a 20th century wine]. The 1999 Live Oak Zinfandel exemplifies the distinctive regional characteristics present in the  vines from the ancient, dry-farmed vines and sandy soils of Contra Costa County.  Intense aromas of dusty wild blackberries and white pepper and seductive flavors of chocolate, coffee and sweet fresh herbs burst forth from the glass. This wine is perfect with roasted or grilled meats and hearty pasta dishes!  Enjoy our Live Oak Zinfandel now, or cellar seven to ten years.  14% alcohol

Rosenblum 1999 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, Rockpile Road Vineyard

This small hillside vineyard sits high above Lake Sonoma in the upper Dry Creek Valley.  The unique location and the fact that this vineyard is planted to [sic] a rare clone of old vine Zinfandel makes this wine a very special creation.  The bouquet shows ripe black cherry and rich currant with hints of vanilla and black pepper.  The flavors are rich blackberries, currant and creamy spice with hints of anise.  This rich Dry Creek Zin will likely accompany roasted game, barbeque, roast beef, rich stews and hearty pasta. 14.6% alcohol

Rancho Zabaco 1999 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, Chiotti Vineyard

Rancho Zabaco is named for one of the original Mexican land grants in Northern Sonoma., encompassing the area now known as the Dry Creek Valley.  Our Zinfandel is made with grapes from Chiotti Vineyard, 55 acres located in the Northern Dry Creek Valley.  The vineyard's favorable microclimate and gravelly clay loam soil contribute to a unique terroir expressed in the velvety layers of intense wild blueberry and black raspberry fruit flavors.  Try pairing the rich, ripe, fruit flavors of this wine with grilled or barbecued meats seasoned with a flavored salt rub.  15.6% alcohol

Chateau Souverain 1991 Alexander Valley Zinfandel, Old Vine Reserve

This 1991 Zinfandfel was hand-picked on October 9, 1991 from three acres of ninety-year-old, head-pruned vines at the Chateau Souverain Estate.  Aged in small oak barrels for fifteen months, a total of 300 cases was bottled in April 1993.  13.4% alcohol

Chateau Souverain 2001 Alexander Valley Zinfandel, Winemaker's Reserve

Dry Creek Valley is world-renowned for exceptional quality Zinfandel.  This is a deep, complex wine packed with intense varietal aromas and flavors of jammy berries and brown spice.  This special offering is available only at the Chateau Souverain Tasting Room.  15.3% alcohol

Upcoming McCrea Wine Events In and Around Seattle

McCrea Cellars produces the best -- or, at least, my favorite -- rhone-style varietals in Washington state.  The McCrea Syrahs (5 bottlings to choose from), Mourvedre, Counoise and Sirocco (a blend of the foregoing varietals plus Grenache ... which I have not yet seen bottled separately) are all big, thick, chewy, red wines, nearly constituting meals in themselves.  The only white I've had so far is the Viognier, which was so rich that it overpowered the grilled King Salmon that I paired it with (and so this probably would have been better off as a meal in itself).  They are offering a new rhone-style rose -- either based on Mourvedre or Grenache (I've heard/read conflicting reports) -- and I hope to try that soon at one of the local upcoming events.

Fine Wines, in Redmond, will be offering a selection of McCrea wines for tasting during their weekly Friday tasting event at the store on March 25 from 4:00-7:00pm.  There will be an Inn at Langley and McCrea Cellars Winemaker Dinner the following Thursday, March 31, at 6:00pm at the World Trade Center Seattle, for $80 per person, including the Rousanne, Rose, Ciel du Cheval Syrah, Mourvedre and Late Harvest Viognier from McCrea.  There is another McCrea wine tasting event at Daniel's Broiler (Lake Union) on April 14 at 6:30pm.  And, for anyone who will be in Tokyo next week, there is another McCrea winemaker dinner at Fujimamas, for 10,000 yen per person.  I'll probably focus more on the local events, myself.