It was an awesome night at the Mullis Center Thursday, November 12. Holiday Tasting #1 focused on wines that would compliment the traditional and non-traditional Thanksgiving meal as well as giving everyone a chance to come and taste wines from all over the globe. Yes, wines from Chile, Argentina, South Africa and France. I wasn’t sure how the turn-out would be since we had such good success with the Ten Under Ten in October. I have a great crowd of savvy wine folks so there was nothing to worry about. It was a huge crowd and everyone said they had a great time and loved the wines that we chose to highlight. It was definitely a wine tasting in which we focused on mostly "Old World" style wines with just a couple from Argentina that showed a "New World" edge. As is typical with most of these events, the wine that was most popular was a surprise to me! That is what I love about wine and it is something that I preach from the rooftops... wine is an individual sport. If you like it, it is good wine and it doesn’t matter what I say, what Robert Parker Jr. says or what the Wine Spectator says.

I would like to thank Pete Stephenson from Noble Wines for all his help picking out the wines and setting up for the event. I would also like to thank Michael Brown from Vineyard Brands which is the importer that handles all these great wines, for coming up and helping out. Also, a shout out to David Osler, Pete’s boss for taking the time to come up and help out to the bitter end. One more thing, my condolences to Dick Grout. He missed the ferry by 3 minutes trying to get back to the island to be a part of the tasting. This tasting was perfect for him and he knew it! Sorry Dick! I gave him a bottle from the tasting but I know that he would have rather been there.

Here are the wines that were tasted and my thoughts on them.

2008 Dona Paula Los Cardos Sauvignon Blanc...

There was great acid on this baby which is what I am looking for in a good sauv. blanc. This is what makes New Zealand whites so popular. This wine was bright in the mouth with notes of pine and grapefruit that were quite vibrant. The finish was quite pleasing with notes of lemon and hints of pine. This is a perfect wine for shellfish for around nine bucks, it is a steal! 89 points

2008 Perrin & Fils Cotes-Du-Rhone blanc..

It had been awhile since I had tried this wine. I love CDR blanc and this one did not let me down. Very nice bouquet of honey and lemon with hints of apricot and peach. It had excellent weight in the mouth with hints of toast, melon, roasted nuts and lemon. It had a nice dryness to it making it an excellent match with food. The finish was not spectacular but adequate. Not bad for nine bucks. 87 points

2007 Kesseler "R" Riesling Qba...

When it comes to riesling, Germany has the corner on some of the best in the world. This is the lower tier level of riesling for them, but that certainly does not mean that they are lower tier in quality. It would take pages and pages to explain the riesling hierarchy of Germany. Suffice to say, most riesling from Germany is worth giving a try. This juice had that nose that is so typical of riesling... it reminded me of new rubber boots with a splash of papaya. Sweet on the palate, but well balanced with a nice dry edge in the middle. Papaya and mango came through nicely on this riesling with just slight hints of new rubber. I liked this baby and believe it would be a perfect wine for Thanksgiving. (If you want to take a nice step up, go with their Estate Qba)

89 points.

2007 Perrin & Fils Reserve Cotes-Du-Rhone...

Robert Parker Jr. called the 2007 vintage in souther Rhone, the vintage of his lifetime. That is a big statement coming from someone of such stature in the wine world. With just a couple of exceptions, all of the wines I have tasted from this vintage have been above average. This simple Cotes-Du-Rhone showed just how good even the lower priced wines from this area can be. Toasty blackberry cobbler on the nose with some nice warm spices. Just smelling it brought me back to my grandmothers kitchen. Fresh on the palate with nice cherry, blackberry and cassis notes with just a slight tannic grip and a fairly long finish. This wine could even improve with just a couple of years in the cellar. Not bad for a wine that is around ten bucks. 89 points

2007 Perrin & Fils Cotes-Du-Rhone Villages Reserve..

I have featured this at the store for some time now and I have felt it was a steal for what you get for only twelve bucks. Robert Parker gave it 89 points and described it as a dense structured wine. It has changed a bit since he tasted it. It is certainly elegant and well made showing ripe blackberry, strawberry and rose pedal notes. This baby leans towards the weight of a heavier pinot noir. It does have that characteristic spicy black pepper on the back of the palate that you expect from a southern Rhone wine. This my friends would be a super good match with turkey dinner. 89 points

2007 Perrin & Fils Vinsobres Cotes-Du-Rhone Villages ...

This was my personal favorite at the wine tasting and nobody ordered any of it. I love it! The wine world is all about individual taste and this proves it. That is not to say that I would recommend this wine to all of my customers. The price is a little higher then the rest, and it is a French wine. Not all of my fellow wine Geeks like to spend a load on a French wine... what can I say. This wine showed incredible depth. Loads of dark berry notes integrated with some nice wood tones that held on into a warm pleasing finish. I felt that the qpr on this was excellent , and if any of you change your mind, come look me up. I just received an e-mail today (Tuesday) that this wine made it into the "Top 100" wines for 2009 in the Wine Spectator. By the way, next to the Burgundy this was the most expensive on the list. 94 points

2006 Girardin Bourgogne Rouge cuvee St. Vincnet...

The top dollar wine on the list. This wine like a lot of Burgundies, had a load of barnyard on the nose. Very poopy. The palate of course was quite different with dark raspberry and ripe strawberry tones mixed with some crushed rock notes. This pinot had a lot of minerality to it and a little frizzante on the palate which was a surprise to me, Not my favorite Burgundy but it had a reasonable price tag, and a few of the folks were drawn to the earthy quality of this wine. I believe this wine would match up well with a stuffing that had wild mushrooms and oysters in it. This combination may be like going to heaven and back. ( I could use another analogy but it would not be appropriate to this blog). 86 points

2007 Los Cardos Syrah, Argentina...

This was an amazing little syrah for the price. It had everything you would expect, smokey nose with dark berries. Good balance on the palate showing plum, and boysenberry notes backed by hints of smoke and a credible finish. This wine is only about nine bucks a bottle and is an over-achiever for sure. This made it in the top three of most popular wines at the tasting. 88 points

2007 Los Cardos Malbec, Argentina...

Another very popular wine at the tasting, this wine was true to the Malbec varietal. I got a really fresh nose with some candied swizzler elements. The palate was very pleasing with some concord grape notes along with brambleberry and currant tones. The wine was simple yet very pleasing. For only nine bucks everyday it is a real crowd pleaser and one that I am sure you could serve to your company and they would be quite happy. As far as turkey goes, I am not sure if this would be the wine. This would be a nice "Hey, welcome to our house and enjoy a glass of wine." wine. 86 points

2008 Los Cardos Cabernet Carmenere, Argentina...

This wine did not stand out in the crowd, although there was nothing fundamentally wrong with it. It had a nice herbaceous quality to it with fresh tones of blackberry and anise. This would be a great everyday table red and although I at first thought it might be a good turkey wine, I found it to be just a little to tight to be qualified. This is a great beef wine, certainly a great match for stew or lamb. 87 points

2007 Dona Paula Malbec, Argentina...

This was the #1 favorite out of all the wines served according to the comments and orders. I’ll have to say that this came as quite a surprise to me. I was not as enthralled with this wine as the rest. One of you came up to me and mentioned that this could be a wine that would improve with age. I believe that he was right. If you choose to drink this wine now, I would suggest that you decant it for about an hour before consuming. In a couple of years, this wine will juice out and become very nice... Good suggestion Jack! This malbec was somewhat restrained with notes of blackberry and plum on the palate. The tannins were somewhat chalky and soft leading into a fairly short but pleasing finish. 86 points

Goats-Du-Roam Villages, South Africa...

I have not tried this in awhile so it was nice to get reacquainted with it. Very earthy on the nose with just a hint of barnyard but certainly not unpleasant. The palate had hints of dark plum and spice notes with a somewhat thin finish. This is a wine for someone who likes old world style without paying a lot of money for it. A very nice attempt at approaching a Rhone style blend. 86 points

Wares Warrior Port...

I’ll say this again and again, it is hard to go wrong with a port or any other dessert wine for that matter. It is true, that some are better then others, and this fell in the better category. Very intense sweetness with that characteristic ripe currant quality from beginning to end. There were not any flaws in this port that I could detect and a lot of the tasters agreed. For less then twenty bucks, I believe this is a good investment for entertaining holiday guests or simply to have around for an aperitif. 89 points

There you go, and I wish to apologize for missing some of the vintages, I seemed to have left them off of my tasting notes. They are the current vantages that are available on the market at this time.

I look forward to next month, December 10 for Holiday Tasting #2 which will focus on wines for the holidays in December. Thanks again to all of you who came to the November tasting and I hope to see you at the next one. Also, keep an eye out for my picks for Thanksgiving. Stan

　

　

　

　

　

Please click on the attached file for an interesting interview with Mike Andrews, owner of Coyote Canyon.

There is a host of great wines coming out of Southern Rhone from the 2007 vintage. Robert Parker Jr. said in the Wine Advocate that the 2007 vintage out of this region is the best he has seen in his thirty + year career. This Cotes Du Rhone Villages is a testament to this assessment. This wine shows a load of fruit yet it is restrained enough not to be a fruit bomb. Intense blackberry and plum notes come through on the front of the palate and expand nicely through the mid with nice hits of black pepper and some old world notes that remind you that you are drinking a wine from France. The tannins are rich and smooth and extend into a long and pleasing finish. At fifteen bucks this wine is a steal and will age nicely over the next five to seven years. However, I believe that you will enjoy this wine immensely as it is now. 

     We all had a good time and learned a lot during the Pinot Noir class held at the Community Theater. This two night course was educational and quite entertaining as everyone had a chance to get involved in the discussion.
   Pinot Noir is a very intriguing wine that is delicate, seductive and reflects  terroir more then any other varietal. By the end of the second night I believe  that everyone in attendance had a greater appreciation for this varietal.
   The first evening was spent discussing the basics of wine tasting, and especially the need to take the time to stop and smell the roses.... excuse me, I mean the wine. Four different Pinot Noir were tasted, a pinot from Burgundy, New Zealand, Oregon and California. The areas in which these wines came from was discussed with more time spent on the complex region of Burgundy, the home of Pinot Noir. Everyone had a chance to taste and take notes on the bouquet and flavors unique to each of these wines. As is the case in most of the tasting’s I conduct, almost everyone wants to taste the wine in front of them immediately, not taking the time to look at it in the glass, swirling it around and imbibing the aromas through their olfactory senses. I admonished them to avoid this direction, and I am happy to report that I saw just a few hurry to take a taste.
   As we examined the wines together, I encouraged as many as possible to express what they were getting out of the wine. This is always the hard part since many are timid about their knowledge of wine tasting and how to express what they are getting out of a wine. Some were bold and plowed through it unintimidated. We came up with the “Ary ditch factor”. This was how Ary described the bouquet of the pinot from New Zealand. “ It smelled like his sister, when he pulled her out of a wet ditch,” he said. This was creative and on the mark, if you can conjure up that smell. I emphasized to all that no matter how you describe what you smell and tasted, it is correct. No one person has the corner on wine descriptions. One of my favorite wine guys, Gary Vaynerchuk comes up with some wild descriptors for wine. I know that some of it is Hollywood, but it is still entertaining and at times paints a vivid picture of the wine. I also like to read the descriptors from Harvey Steinman of  the Wine Spectator. He has a certain flair that I can relate to and there is nothing boring about his prose. Both guys describe the same wine differently with the same effect; you have an idea what you are in for when you go to drink that bottle of wine. Some of the folks got a kick out of how some were describing the wine.
   “White pepper? How do you get white pepper out of a wine?,” was one of the comments I heard after the tasting. This illustrates a very important point about our approach to wine. Some approach it with a simplicity that fits their lifestyle. If I like it, it’s good wine! Nothing wrong with that! No frills approach.... I like it. However, I have found that I prefer the analytical approach to wine. Breaking down the elements and understanding the facets of wine that not only make it delicious, but also help us to discern the varietal that made the wine. Boring to some, of keen interest to me, and my profession.
   The following week we again tasted the same Pinot Noir’s except this time in a blind format. The job of the tasters was to see if, with the use of their notes and memory, they could identify which pinot was in their glass. We also poured a fifth pinot as a kind of tie breaker. They had the task of figuring out if it was a pinot noir from New Zealand, Burgundy, California or Oregon.    The class got quiet as everyone smelled and tasted, putting down their best guess. I have to say that this is not an easy task. One famous wine critic was asked if he ever mistook a Bordeaux for a Burgundy? He responded, “Not since Lunch.”. In the end we had one taster that guessed all four correctly and even got the fifth one right, a California pinot noir. A few guessed two correctly and a lot got at least one right while it seemed like the whole class got the fifth one right.
   AND THE WINNER IS..... Fred Bowen. I have known Fred for some time and have had the privilege of working the premium wine table with him at the annual Festival of Trees in the past. Fred has an extensive wine collection and a good palate. He will get to add a nice bottle of Atteca Pinot Noir to his collection as the  prize for the Top Taster.
    I would like to thank everyone who attended. It was a studious group and everyone was quite helpful. There will be another class at the Community Theater in January and the Theme will be “Wines of the Southern Hemisphere”. More details will be given later.      Stan

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.  

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”.
   
 
  

It had been awhile since I had focused on Spanish wines and I was looking forward to not only the wines but the new venue for the tasting group. Due to complications with the Grange, I decided to move the tasting event to the Mullis Community Senior Center on Nash St. I have to say that I was quite impressed with the facility, especially the abundance of parking and the easy access.
The new arrangements did not slow down the group as close to sixty showed up to give the Spanish wines a try. Pete Stephenson, wine salesman for Noble Wines and Western United States Sales Rep. for WineBow, David Bronleewe were on hand to educate folks about Spanish wines and show off their choices for the tasting. This is David’s fifth time being a part of my tasting events and he always does an outstanding job. A couple of more times and he will be considered an islander
We tried to pull wines from the many different regions of Spain so everyone could taste the grand diversity of wines from this outstanding wine producing country. Wines from Rias Biaxas, Campo de Borja, La Mancha, Navarra, Rioja, Penedes, Jumilla, Navarra, Ribera del Duero and the Island of Mallorca were all there. How did they show?

2007 Licia Albarino (Rias Biaxas) ...... 16.99

This has to be one of the most vibrant Albarino’s I’ve tried in recent memory. David informed me that many of this varietal from Spain are blended whereas this is 100% Albarino. The nose showed soft lemon and banana flavors which did not prepare you for the blast of fruit that you got on the palate. Intense green apple (Granny Smith) and lemon grass tones with excellent minerality and perfect acidity that made the fruit dance a wild tango in the mouth and lead to a long vibrant finish. I cannot remember a better Spanish wine for oysters.   92 points


2007 Can Feixes Blanc (Penedes) .... 16.99

Very full on the nose with nice Lemon Meringue pie tones backed by good minerality. I guess it is hard to explain minerality on the nose but it is like smelling the sea air without the seaweed?  This is a balanced dry style white, mineral qualities with green pear and lemon grass tones followed by a clean and lasting finish.  A blend of panellada, macabeo, chardonnay and a splash of malvasia de sitges.     88 points


2007 Almira Los Dos ( Campo de Borja) ...8.99

A blend of syrah and grenache this wine is bright red cherry in color. The nose exhibits dark cherry and wood tones. Black cherry on the palate wood tones and a touch of green bell pepper. Nice clean finish with nice little hints of cassis . 100% stainless steel fermentation. For the price, this wine is a steal. (No pun intended)    87 points


2007 Fontana Mesta ( La Mancha ) ...  8.99

Another red that is fermented in stainless steel, this wine undergoes no ageing before release. 100% tempranillo this wine exhibits the freshness for which it is intended. Currant and anise on the nose with bright cherry and cassis tones on the palate. Firm tannins and good acidity make this an excellent food wine. This is a red wine drinkers red.   88 points


2007 Monjardin Tintico ( Navarra ) ... 9.99

Yet another tempranillo that has seen no wood. This was the first red that showed a little stink on the nose. This is not a bad thing, and many times I have tasted wines with a little barnyard on the nose that were quite excellent! This wine did not live up to excellent but was not bad. Soft cherry and cassis tones that finished with bright cherry skin and some rubber band tones. This wine needs a little stinky cheese...    84 points


2004 Rioja Vega Rioja Crianza ( Rioja ) .... 14.99

Predominately tempranillo with some graciano and mazuelo. Aged for 24 months in a combination of french and American oak this wine shows all the signs you expect in a Rioja. This is the only winery that can use Rioja in the name since it was established before regulations were set in place restricting this. Very french in style with musky tones of cherry, oak, wet leather and tobacco on the nose. A little thinner then I prefer on the palate with predominate flavors of cherry and toasty charcoal tones. Not my favorite Rioja, but many of the tasters liked this wine. I would match this wine up with some spaghetti or pizza.   85 points




2006 Anima Negra AN/2 ( Island of Mallorca ) ...  24.99

From the largest island of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea this wine is produced from some obscure grape varietals. Callet, mantonegre-fogoneu and syrah. I do not know about you, but I have never heard of the first two varietals until this tasting. Three guys started this venture feeling like they could make some good wine from the grapes indigenous to this area. Boy were they right. This wine had a nice old world feel to it. The nose had a little maple cherry syrup with a hint of oak. The palate showed cassis, dark cherry and some black currant with interesting spice tones that blended into a very nice dry long finish. A very classy wine that would be the perfect match with grilled meats or a nice stew.   89 points


2007 Carchello Monastrell (Jumilla) ...  11.99

This little red has always been a standby of mine. This vintage showed cherry cola on the nose. On the palate there was sweet cherry, green bell pepper and asparagus notes that finished with good acidity and a touch of anise. Excellent pizza and burger wine.    86 points


2005 Guelbenzu Azul (Navarra) ...  18.99

A blend of tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot this wine was aged in two year old French oak. This wine displayed a wonderful smokey cherry nose reminiscent of syrah. On the palate there is a touch of anise with toasty cherry notes, some olive characters and a hint of fennel. A classic Spanish wine that is going for a price that is well below what I feel it is worth. This wine stood out in the crowd.      90 points

2006 Torres Celeste Red (Ribera del Duero) ...  15.99

This wine had a very interesting nose... A-1 steak sauce mixed with cherry. It offered lots of cherry, herbs and a hint of mint on the front of the palate developing into oregano, sage and cherry on the mid-palate into the finish giving it a little hay action that was not unpleasant.    88 points



2003 Dehesa La Granja (Ribera del Duero) ...  22.99

100% tempranillo this wine had a nice mint cherry nose. On the palate it had a little celery action with some dusty cherry notes followed by some bright cherry green anise and cassis with some nice blueberry notes on the finish. I felt the qpr was a little low for this wine.   87 points


2001 Marquis de Caceres Red ( Rioja) ...  16.99

I believe that this is the first Rioja I ever set my lips to and it has never let me down. Very classic french style wine with dusty grape kool-aid on the nose, and deep dark cherry and wood flavors on the front of the palate. The mid-palate shows some leather and mushroom notes with good tannins fruit and leather on the finish. This wine has always been and continues to be an excellent value from Spain.  89 points

There you go! And just for your information, the most popular wine at this tasting, was the Licia Albarino. This is the first time a white was the hit of the show. Thanks go to David Bronleewe and Pete Stephenson for doing an excellent job in picking out some outstanding wines from all over Spain. See you at the next event.  Stan

P.S.  I want to apologize for posting this article so late. I got married this last month and as you would expect, it was a busy time.

The crowd trickled in at a steady pace Thursday, January 15 to taste the wines from the portfolio of W.J. Deutsch & Sons. Suzie Streater, representative of these wines along with Karen Nelson, sales rep. for Columbia Dist. were ready to pour and talk about the wines. It was a nice line-up with only a couple of duds in the group of thirteen wines. We tried to select a nice variety of both value and eclectic wines. There were wines from Australia, France, Italy and Washington State. Close to seventy attended the event and many took part in the first “Blind Tasting” challenge. Four wines were chosen from the table of wines being presented. It was a blind format, so the challenge was to see if you knew which wines from the open table were in the brown bags. We had one individual get all four correct and many guessed three out of four. GOOD JOB! We had a lot of fun and learned about many new wines. Here is my review of the wines presented...

2008 Yellowtail Pinot Grigio...... $6.99                           86 points

Talk about fresh off the boat! We had some of the Yellow Tail wines since they are so popular and a great value. I had never tried the pinot grigio before so here was my chance. As you might expect this wine was fresh and lively. On the nose there was an excellent bouquet of orange peel, lemon and some granny smith apple. It was fairly tart on the palate and this was no doubt due to the freshness of the wine. It showed tart granny smith apple on the front of the palate with some apple skin qualities. It stayed quite astringent through the mid-palate through the finish. I believe this will settle down in a couple of months. The wine would be an excellent match with oysters or clams. I originally gave this 84 points but changed my mind. It is a really good value and should be excellent with food.


2007 Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc..... $10.99                    88 points

Geyser Peak has long been known for their excellent Sauvignon Blanc, and it had been some time since I tasted it. It did not disappoint. Many California Sauvignon Blancs can be insipid and boring. This showed some very interesting qualities. On the nose I got a little tar and sea salt or a little bit of the bay. On the palate there was a nice lemon drop flavor with hints of raspberry bubbleyum. It had a fairly good mid-palate and the fruit did not disappear. It finished with a nice sea salt and lemon the carried on and on. The finish was quite amazing for a sauv. blanc. This was another wine that screamed for oysters.  

2006 Kunde Chardonnay...... $14.99                                  72 points

This wine was quite disappointing. It showed good promise on the nose with a nice toasted marshmallow and caramel bouquet. However, the wine was very disjointed and off kilter. Way too much oak with no fruit whatsoever. I tried it a couple of times and could hardly have it in my mouth. It finished with a burnt wood bitter back end that left me feeling like a needed a shot of bourbon to clean my palate.

Non-Vintage Yellowtail Sparkling Rose...... $8.99                    88 points

You just have to love sparkling rose’. This inexpensive version of this style was a very pleasant surprise. There wasn’t a ton of bouquet but some slight strawberry tones came through. (It may have been a little to cold to get the bouquet). On the palate it showed some nice cherry flavors that reminded me a little of cherry 7-up mixed with cherry bubbleyum and some skittles. This is not a bad thing. It was very pleasant to drink with good weight and a pleasing finish. It wasn’t too sweet or too dry. This wine would be a crowd pleaser for sure. Do not shy away from this because it is YellowTail, it is a good sparkler.

2006 Castello De Monastero ....... $11.99                                  65 points

This wine was by far the worst of the bunch. The nose showed menthol, cherry and a little oak. When this wine hit your palate you knew you were in trouble. On the front of the palate all I could extract was burnt rubber bands. There was nothing on the mid-palate (Thank God!) and the finish was quite bitter with no fruit showing at all. I would not recommend this wine to anyone, although someone liked it and ordered some. Like I always say, wine is all about the individual.

2005   Beauna Vista Pinot Noir (Carneros) ... $20.99                   90 points    

So now we are past the two duds in the bunch and the rest of the wines were very respectable. One of the top Pinot Noir producing appellations in California aside from Russian River is Carneros. This wine represented this appellation very well. The wine had a classic burgundian nose with toasted strawberry and some nice earth tones. This was unexpected since most California Pinot Noirs can be quite fruit driven, some even putting Syrah in it to give it weight. This is not necessary for those of us who are in love with this varietal. That being said, this wine had good fruit but not overdone showing strawberry and provincial herbs on the front and mid-palate with a touch of oak on the back end. In a blind tasting one might mistake this for a wine Pinot from Burgundy... O.K. this might be a stretch, but it was that good.  

2005   J. Vidal Fluery Cotes du Ventoux ... $12.99                    88 points

This wine from souther Rhone is a classic “Old World” style red. The nose shows mushroom, cherry and some oak flavors. Flavors of toasty oak, cassis,, cherry show on the front of the palate. The mid-palate had an odd flavor that I couldn’t put my finger on. It wasn’t unpleasant, just odd. The finish had your classic Rhone spice with a little truffle and forest floor flavors. If you like old world style wines this one is for you.

2005 J. Vidal Fluery Vacueyras..... $22.99                                88 points

Another red from southern Rhone, this wine basically made of the same grapes as the Cotes du Ventoux was a bit more New World but just as enjoyable. The bouquet was that of mint, cherry and oak. On the front palate anise and dark cherry tones came through quite nicely which continued into a strong mid-palate finishing with toasty spice box and a nice chocolate hit on the back end.

2005   Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon... $10.99           89 points

I wanted to bring some of the Columbia wines to the tasting since I sell so much of it at the store and I haven’t tasted them in awhile. I was not disappointed. I thought they were popular because they were such a good price. I am sure that is part of it, but this was a very good qpr. ( Quality to Price Ratio). A little menthol on the nose with cherry, toast and a whiff of anise. Blueberry and spice box on the front palate with some vanilla coming through on the mid-palate. The finish had a very pleasing anise and chocolate hit. Overall a great cab at a great price.

2004 Columbia Winery Syrah..... $10.99                                   88 points

A touch of bacon fat and smoke on the nose. Anise, and boysenberry on the front that carried through on the mid-palate. The wine showed good structure with good firm tannins and acidity. The finish was pleasing with a nice cherry hit on the backside. This wine was a lot more complex then I expected it to be. A very good food Syrah.
                                            
2006 XYZIN 10 Yr. Zinfandel.... $13.99                                     89 points

I love zinfandel, so my hard ass critic hat came on for this one. What a nice zinfandel! Raspberry pie on the nose with a touch of celery and mocha. The palate had wonderful raspberry and black pepper on the front that intensified through the mid-palate finishing with cassis and black currant on a fairly long finish. This zin will definitely make on my shopping list in the future.  


2004   Geyser Peak Meritage.... $45.99                                       86 points

This was the most expensive wine of the bunch, so of course the expectations were just a little higher. I was a little disappointed, it fell a little short on the qpr scale. Smoke, dark berry, currant and plum on the nose. On the front of the palate you got anise and green pepper followed by cassis and a touch of oak on the finish. It was a very herbaceous red with a little more vegetal character then I enjoy in a red. If you like green pepper and grass this is the wine for you, and there is nothing wrong with that. I believe with some age it will mellow out and become a 90+ wine. Buy one, put it away, let’s say 4 to 5 years and you will see what I mean.

2006 Covey Run Semillon Ice Wine...... $22.99                          90+

What can I say, it is a sticky sweet wine. How can you not like it unless you do not like sweets. What I liked about this one was that it was not too heavy. A very clean sweet. Loved it.