I have to admit that it was tough picking a wine for July, not because there were a ton of great wines passed my way. A lot of the wines I have been trying lately have been mediocre. This is a rare thing so do not get discouraged. So I was happily surprised when I purchased the 2006 Stephen Vincent Crimson, a blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a delicious bottle of wine and I knew that this was going to be my pick for July. When I called the sales rep. to see if anymore was available, she told me that they were now into the 2007 vintage. Deflated, I asked for a sample of the '07 thinking more then likely it would not show as well as the '06. As you can see, I was wrong... I actually like the '07 a little better since it has a flavor profile that makes it a perfect match for grilled foods or as we would say; a perfect BBQ wine. Bold yet balanced it is dark in color with wonderful smoky blackberry notes muddled in cherry juice and black licorice. The flavors are balanced with good acidity and the right amount of oak. The tannins are silky smooth and you get a good hit of black pepper in the mid-palate through the finish followed by hints of vanilla and toast. The finish is long and pleasing and begs you to drink some more. There are no notes on the blend, since their website has not been updated to include the '07 vintage. However, I will venture a guess that there is at least 75% syrah in the blend and no doubt some cab also. I can't wait to fire up the grill, make some blue cheese burgers and wash them down with a glass of 2007 Stephen Vincent Crimson... life does not get any better then this. Stan
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Friday, July 3
STAN'S PICK FOR JULY 2009... 2007 STEPHEN VINCENT CRIMSON... 11.99
by
Brazenly Lucid
on Fri 03 Jul 2009 09:56 AM PDT
Monday, June 29
SAN JUAN VINEYARDS 2006 MERLOT EARNS A DOUBLE GOLD!
by
Brazenly Lucid
on Mon 29 Jun 2009 08:50 PM PDT
One of the most prestigious events for Washington Wines was held the second weekend of June 2009 in Yakima. The Washington Wine Competition has around 300 entrants and gives a nice over-all view of some of the best wines out of Washington. At this years event our own local winery pulled out a double-gold medal for their 2006 Merlot. I was told that they went up against over sixty other Merlots tasted blind and came out at the top of the heap...Very impressive indeed! I had the opportunity to go to the Sunshine and Wine Festival held the following weekend at the Yakima Fairgrounds where they showcase all the medal winning wines. I of course tasted the San Juan Vineyards 2006 Merlot and was quite impressed. Made from fruit purchased from Kestrel Vineyards in the Yakima Valley appellation this merlot is well structured with solid yet silky tannins. An excellent nose of berries and lavender with a full mouth of fruit including blackberries, dark cherries and vanilla notes. The finish is smooth and lingers. This is a wine to drink now and over the next couple of years. The price is ridiculous considering the quality, at only $22.99 a bottle. I also had a chance to taste many of the other gold medal winners and like the merlot, they were all fantastic. For all you doubters out there it is time to realize that we have a serious winery and a seriously good winemaker here on our little island known as San Juan.
Tuesday, June 16
LOCALS, LOCALS AND MORE LOCALS!!
by
Brazenly Lucid
on Tue 16 Jun 2009 12:22 PM PDT
A beautiful summer day welcomed our second annual local winery tasting. Randy Finley of Mount Baker Vineyards was quite surprised out how large the tasting group has become. Close to ninety showed up to taste the local wares of our wineries in Northern Washington. San Juan Vineyards, Lopez Island Vineyards, Mount Baker Vineyards and Whidbey Island Vineyards were all there showing off their best stuff to a large appreciative crowd. This was the first time for Whidbey Island Vineyard and hopefully will not be their last. Leah, assistant winemaker for Whidbey Island Vineyards did an excellent job as the Dolcetto and Whidbey Table White non-vintage turned out to be the hits of the night. Let’s take a few moments and review the wines that were presented....
San Juan Vineyards: I continue to be impressed at the quality of wines that are coming from our own winery here on San Juan Island. Chris Primus along with owner Yvonne Swanberg have worked very hard to develop this winery into a serious wine making facility. Chris has shown that he has a knack for making sturdy age-worthy reds that are approachable now, and whites that are bright and fresh with balanced acidity and fruit. 2008 San Juan Vineyards Siegerrebe Estate Grown... This wine has been a huge success over the past years and always sells out early. This ‘08 version is quite delicious with fresh tangerine and lemon on the nose. Great acidity on the entry with apricot , peach and essence of orange on the mid-palate and finish. This is a well balance white that is dry enough for seafood but is a definite solo choice for those warm summer nights. 89 points 2007 San Juan Vineyards Madeleine Angevine Estate Grown... This wine is a little restrained on the nose with only light hints of lemon and red delicious apple, which is a surprise because when the wine hits the palate you get a blast of fruit up front with green apple, grassy notes and hints of green bell pepper. The finish is dry with some tart green apple tones. This wine has great freshness and acidity that begs for oysters or any shellfish for that matter. 88 points 2007 San Juan Vineyards Reserve Chardonnay Yakima Valley... This was my pick for May so you already know how I feel about this one. Aged in French Oak, this chard shows intense tropical fruit notes bedded on toasty oak flavors that are not over-bearing. This is a big Chardonnay and needs some crab dipped in butter or a roasted chicken. Not for the person looking for a quaffer, this wine demands contemplation. 91 points 2006 San Juan Vineyards Merlot... This wine has already received some serious press and recently was awarded a double-gold at a wine competition. It displayed a subdued nose of cherry and vanilla tones. On the palate there were sweet tannins with mixed berries nestled in creamy vanilla on silky smooth tannins. I felt the wine was just a little thin on the front side but had a full mid-palate and nice finish with just slight hints of green bell pepper. 88 points 2006 San Juan Vineyards Syrah ... This was the surprise of the show for me. A very well made wine that is sure to get some attention wherever it goes. Smokey plum, vanilla and boysenberry on the nose. Nice traces of black pepper kept hitting the palate with currant, olive, maple, vanilla and dark cherry flavors that were driven by balanced acidity that carried the flavors through a long pleasing finish. 91 points. Lopez Island Vineyards: Lopez Island Vineyards Wave Crest White Estate Grown... Brent had some trouble with his Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine crop so he wasn’t able to produce these varietals individually. Instead, he threw the whole batch of both grapes into this Wave Crest White. It is a nice effort... A wonderful floral nose with tangerine and lemon notes. Sweet fruit notes strike you on the front of the palate with some mandarin orange and froot loop action on the palate into a pleasing off-dry finish. This is a nice light summer quaffer that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. The price is slightly higher then last year and I wish he would have kept it down around ten bucks but it is what it is. 88 points Lopez Island Vineyards Apple-Pear Wine.. I will be the first to admit that I am not much of a fruit wine guy, but this is a good effort and I enjoyed this year’s version better then last year. There is not much on the nose with surprised me quite a bit. The palate displayed a mincemeat/pear flavor with just a slight fizz on the tongue. The finish reminded me of my mothers homemade applesauce which is not a bad thing. 86 points 2006 Lopez Island Vineyards Cabernet-Merlot... I am not sure what was going on with this red but it had a brown hue to it and it seemed slightly oxidized. I am going to purchase another bottle to make sure that this is not the way the wine is. It had some serious ripe raisin qualities on the palate and reminded my of that brown raisin bread that comes in a can. This wine was thin and disjointed. Hopefully the next bottle shows better and I will give you a report. 79 points 2007 Lopez Island Vineyards Malbec... The nose on this one reminded me of mashed cherries mixed with a little wet hay. There was a slight fizz on the palate with blueberry and cherry tones on light tannins that melted into a cherry liqueur finish. 82 points 2006 Lopez Island Vineyards Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon... I was excited to try this new effort from Brent. Red Mountain is some of the most sought after fruit in Washington State resulting in some massively huge Cabs, Merlot and Syrah. I did not get what I expected. I believe the approach to this wine was more of a Bordeaux style rather then the New World approach. There is nothing wrong with this if you do it right. Unfortunately they missed the mark. This wine had a raisin and cherry nose with tart red cherry on the front of the palate and a nice little raspberry hit on the finish. The wine was thin and lacked the depth you would expect from a wine made with Red Mt. fruit. Very awkward and slightly over-priced. 79 points. In all fairness, Brent is a great winemaker and I love his 2006 Merlot which unfortunately he did not bring. I am sure that in the future we will get some outstanding wines from this local winery. Mount Baker Vineyards: 2007 Mount Baker Vineyards Siegerrebe Estate Grown... Tangerine and lavender on the nose and hints of rose pedal... very nice. Good weight on the mouth feel but not much in the mid-palate and finish. Notes of banana, and figs were predominate and just a little flabby. Not bad but unfortunately for Randy he was up against some stiff competition in the Seig department. 84 points. 2007 Mount Baker Vineyards Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc .. Nice earthy nose with just a hint of burnt match and light grapefruit notes. This wine is very well balanced with excellent acidity and round fruit notes of banana, fig, and honeydew melon. Excellent mid-palate and finish. 89 points 2006 Mount Baker Vineyards Tempranillo... The 2005 Tempranillo was one of my favorites in the past year. This 2006 effort is not quite up to that standard but still nice. Whiffs of cherry and rubber on the nose with a little bit of funky rubber boot quality on the palate on sweet cherry tannins, wood and some nice anise characters hitting on the backside. Smooth finish with just a little grit near the end. This is another “Old World Style” wine that done blind might make you think of a Rioja. 86 points 2006 Mount Baker Vineyards Zinfandel Proprietor’s Limited Release ... I am a Zin lover! There is nothing better, in my opinion then a rich jammy Zinfandel with barbeque fare. That being said, I realize that more then likely you are not going to find this style in a Zinfandel from Washington State. In fact, it is very uncommon to even find this varietal in a Washington Winery’s portfolio, maybe ten or less... it is hard to keep up since there are so many new wineries coming out of the wood-work. Washington Zinfandel tends to be a little more subdued then let’s say a Zin from Lodi or Amador County. This Zin from Mount Baker Vineyards was exactly what you might expect. Currants and dark cherries on the nose with subdued flavors of bramble berries and red cherry with hints of black olive and some wood notes. The tannins were smooth and approachable leading into a pleasant fairly lengthy finish. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the wine was not as hot as you might expect with a alcohol content of 15.7%! This is a very nice effort from this vineyard that is not afraid to add a new variety to their catalog of wines. 88 points. 2004 Mount Baker Vineyards Late Harvest Viognier... It is very hard to dislike a dessert wine. Unless you are one of the fortunate ones who was not born with a sweet tooth, dessert wine is exactly what it implies... dessert! One of the qualities I look for in a wine of this kind is balance, acidity, and a clean feel on the palate. Some wines get too cloying and if you get any on your hand you feel an immediate need to wash the sticky off. This effort from Mount Baker Vineyards is absolutely on the mark! A wonderful nose of tangerines and apricot with a little lemon peel at the end. On the palate you get good acidity and balance with notes of fig and peaches ( or the pit of peaches). This wine had nice strength on the back of the palate with just a touch of heat from the alcohol. This was one of the more popular choices at the tasting and I agreed. 92 points. Whidbey Island Winery: N/V Whidbey Island Winery Table White... This little white was a pleasant surprise. A blend of Madeleine Sylvaner, (?) Madeleine Angevine and Siegerrebe this wine was very refreshing. Smells of grapefruit and pine dominated the bouquet with just a touch of lemon peel on the back end. On the palate there was a nice balance of acidity giving it a zesty freshness with a creamy almost honey texture on the mid-palate and notes of banana and peach followed by a creamy grapefruit feel on the back end. Only 10.5% alcohol you can enjoy this wine in copious yet responsible amounts. Maybe because of the warm weather outside, this was the hit of the show and I agree. Not the most complex, but at ten bucks a bottle it is a great value and the perfect fare weather quaffer. 88 points. 2007 Whidbey Island Winery Siegerrebe Estate Grown... This little gem showed the best nose out of all three with loads of honey mulled in lemon pie with a touch of almond. Honey, mandarin orange on the palate with a nice dry finish and just a hint of sugar cane on the back end. The most fruit forward of the three but definitely a tasty little wine. 87 points. 2007 Whidbey Island Winery Roussanne... I have a special affection for white Rhone Valley varietals. I love the richness and freshness that they display. This effort from Whidbey was very well done. I got red delicious apple, Fig Newton and almond on the nose. This wine had good viscosity and acid balance with the richness that you would expect from this grape. Toasty peach, rose pedal, and orange sorbet action. A little hot on the back end giving it a dysfunctional mouth feel but not too bad. 86 points 2006 Whidbey Island Winery Lemberger... Yes, it sounds like a stinky cheese; also known as Blaufrankish originated in Austria and introduced to Washington in the ‘60's by Walter Clore who planted vines in Eastern Washington and found out that they flourished in this region. This wine should not be over-looked because of the name. I have tasted many that are quite enjoyable and Whidbey’s is one of them. The nose shows a little terrior with that little bit of stink on the nose that is not unpleasant but there along with some nice wood tones. On the palate, dark cherry, some sweet tannins and a nice chocolate covered cherry action on the end of the palate into the finish. Some grippy (Is that a word?) On the finish which tells me that this would be a very nice match with grilled meats. 86 points 2007 Whidbey Island Winery Dolcetto... You do not see a Dolcetto very often outside of Italy where it is quite famous. The last one I can remember tasting from this state is from Mount Baker Vineyards. (Go figure!). This wine had a lovely spicy black cherry, blackberry bouquet with spice, oak, cola and cherry on the palate that really had a grip on the mid-palate and finished with nice light blueberry tones on a long warm finish. A great effort! 89 points. All in all this was a very successful tasting and I would like to thank all of you for your outstanding support. I am working up a very interesting and exciting line-up for the new tasting season that will begin in September 2009. I will e-mail the schedule and post it on the site as soon as I can. Happy tasting! Stan “The Wine Man”. Wednesday, June 10
STAN'S PICK FOR JUNE, 2009 .....2005 VOLVER TEMPRANILLO ... 15.99
by
Brazenly Lucid
on Wed 10 Jun 2009 09:46 PM PDT
I must apologize for being absent from my blog in recent weeks. As we all know, it is easy to allow oneself to be consumed by other projects to the point of neglecting our first love. That being said I would like to introduce you to my pick for June. Volver made from the tempranillo grape is imported by one of my favorites, Jorge Ordonez. From the region of La Mancha in South central Spain this wine shows the concentration that you would expect from grapes grown in arid rocky terrain. Very deep color with intense cherry, cassis aromas and traces of vanilla and mocha. This is a "blow your mind out of the water" wine with seductive, hedonistic flavors of dark fruit, plum, dark cherries and nice spice box flavors on the back of the palate. The tannins are silky yet solid and smooth. The intensity of the flavors builds and builds into an incredibly long finish. This wine is one that you can uncork and enjoy solo just for the pure enjoyment of it. It would also be a nice match with lamb, duck or wild game. If you are going go BBQ this summer try this wine with your ribs or blue cheese burgers. Do not miss out on this gem and possibly store some away to age for a few years... it can only get better! 94 points
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