From all reports, it is going to be worth every effort to get your hands on as much 2008 pinot out of Oregon that you can. The vintage is outstanding and many of the wines although young are showing nicely. I have to say that this is the first pinot I have tried under fifteen bucks from the Willamette Valley. You do not find many in this price range so I was a little cautious in my approach. No need for caution, this wine is exceptional for this price or more. That being said, this pinot is not for everyone. It has that nice burgundian flavor profile that I love so much in pinot noir. Raspberry and tart cherries on the nose with just tiny hints of stink and earth. The palate shows bright cherry and raspberry tones with pleasant hits of Asian spice and cinnamon notes. There is a brightness to the acidity with some hits of earth and forest floor on the back end. The finish is tart and bright begging for some fatty salmon or some smoked ham. This is a food pinot for sure but I thoroughly enjoyed it solo. That fact that a twelve dollar pinot can show so well is testament to the 2008 vintage. Montinore is a great producer and I have been happy with the past three vintages. Drink over the next 2-4 years.  88 points

The line-up was awesome and the crowd huge for the second annual "Fifteen Under Fifteen in February" wine tasting held at the Mullis Community Center February 11, 2010. Three wine reps had the challenge of bringing five of their best wines from their portfolio under fifteen dollars. Karen Nelson from Columbia Distributing took table #1, Pete Stephenson, Noble Wines table #2 and Jonathan Sindleman from Cascade Trade, table #3. Each brought one white and four reds. There were wines from France, Argentina, California, Washington, Spain and Italy. They all did an excellent job picking out the wines and the crowd was impressed. I will now go around the room from table 1 to table 3 with my thoughts on the wines along with the consensus of the tasters.

Table #1... Karen Nelson, Columbia Distributing

2007 Sartarelli Classico Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi

Grown in The Marches located in East-Central Italy this white gave notes of honey and minerality on the nose. Crisp and refreshing with wonderful acidity this white had excellent minerality with notes of crushed rocks, vanilla bean and lemon-lime. It had a nice little grip on the finish which begged for shellfish. Good balance I can see this being a regular for me this summer as a sit on the deck enjoying oysters or clams. 89 points

The crowd loved this wine and I had to caution Karen not to pour too much of it too soon so she wouldn’t run out before 7. I believe I will have to bring this one into the store for the Spring and Summer.

2008 Bodega Norton Malbec, Argentina

Malbec is still all the rage in the wine world right now. It seems as if people can’t get enough of it. There is a good reason for this. The malbecs out of Argentina are some of the best values in the world. There are a ton of awesome wines for around ten bucks, and let me tell you that in this economy that is a very good thing. The Norton malbec is a hot ticket at our store. It is probably up there in the top three selling malbecs in the Argentinian category. Cherries and blackberries come through nicely on round yet structured tannins. This malbec is fresh and young but very approachable now. For the price, this is one of the best values in any store. 87 points

I think that everyone was familiar with this wine so orders were not an indicator of theappreciation for the juice. From my experience this wine is a crowd pleaser, and everyone expressed how much they liked it.

2007 Duck Pond Red Blend, Wahluke Slope Columbia Valley Washington

40% merlot, 30% syrah and 22% cabernet sauvignon, this is what we call a Washington Bordeaux blend. We say this because of the syrah. In Bordeaux syrah is not allowed but in Washington they have found that it works very well with merlot and cab. This wine really shows off how well this combination works. I think that I’ve found my pick for March since not only is it a stellar effort, it is made in Washington and it is "Washington Wine Month". I was amazed at how good this wine is for only eight bucks. Spicy bouquet of blackberries and cherry on the nose with slight hits of cedar. Nice chalky tannins on the palate which was a pleasant surprise. Black currants, vanilla and cherry notes came through nicely on a very balance wine. Good mix of fruit and acidity being slightly thin but still excellent. This wine packed a lot in the bottle for such a low price. 88 points

The crowd went nuts over this wine and I have to say that it was hands down the favorite of the evening. Verne even got into the fray and poured some for his friends.

2006 Elio Grasso Dolcetto d’Alba, Piedmont Italy

Dolcetto is an everyday red for the Italian tables in Northern Italy. Known for being softer and more approachable at an earlier age than it’s cousin the nebbiolo grape which is used in Barbarescos and Barolos. I was impressed with this effort when I first tried it and chose it as my pick for this month. Red currant and spice on the nose with slight hits of earth. Restrained somewhat on the palate showing notes of blueberries, cranberries and white pepper notes on the sides of the mouth. Nice hits of black currants on the back end with a slight tannic grip that says, "This wine is serious". Even though at 14.5% alcohol, it did not come across as hot at all. This wine opens up nicely and becomes a powerful little wine. 90 points

Everyone seemed to enjoy this wine but did not go as crazy over it as I did. That is what I love about the wine world. Different strokes.

2006 Abadia Retuerta Rivola Tinto, Spain.

This tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon blend was exactly what you would expect from an "Old World" style Spanish red. A sweetness on the nose with hints of black currants, cherries, roses and violets... A really wonderful bouquet for sure. On the palate it showed it’s true colors with notes of leather, forest floor, spice, dark cherries, raisin and pleasant notes of brown sugar. Although "Old World" in many ways, some "New World" notes came through nicely. This wine should please a wide sector of people. 89 points.

I’m not entirely sure how everyone felt about this wine. Karen said that a lot of folks came back for more and expressed how much they liked it. The price was slightly higher then the other wines just barely squeaking in under the fifteen dollar amount.

　

Table #2... Pete Stephenson, Noble Wines

2008 Colome Torrontes, Argentina

Recently it has been discovered that torrontes is genetically linked to the white grape Malvasia used widely in Italy and Spain. Malvasia is known for it’s aromatics which makes sense since torrontes is definitely an aromatic wine. This wine was a prime example of that showing luscious notes of banana, peaches and fig on the nose. The palate was quite viscous showing peaches, mangos and a pleasant nuttiness on the middle and finish that lingers for some time reminding me of toasted almonds blended with white peaches. A very intense white that begs for roast chicken or a pasta in a cream sauce. 89 points

A lot of folks loved this wine and this was their first experience with the varietal. It was a big hit and opened up a new world for many tasters.

2007 Laurel Glen Terra Rosa Old Vines Malbec, Argentina

The nose reminded me of cherries blended with a mint sauce... very intriguing. The wine burst on the palate with wonderful round fruit that came close to being too much but held back. Notes of cassis, black currants and dark fruit notes. Very balanced with good acid, fresh tannins and a clean pleasing finish. This baby is an over-achiever and I was very pleasantly surprised. I have not tried this one in awhile and I have been missing out. 90 points

I was disappointed that more did not take advantage of the great price on this wine. Under ten bucks for a wine of this quality is unheard of. There were a lot of great wines however, and it was a tough choice. That being said, most everyone loved this wine.

2008 Hedges Winery CMS Red, Columbia Valley Washington

The moniker CMS stands for cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah. A bouquet of blackberries, burnt match and sweet tannins. There is a big hit of fruit up front, sweet tannins, currants and cherries. Bright acidity nice balance and a mouth watering finish. 88 points

Everyone said they were a big fan of this wine already. I know this is true because I sell out every week at the store.

2005 Sanguineti Super Tuscan, Italy

This baby smelled like roast beef marinated in cherry juice. Bright cherry notes on the palate blended with sweet tannins and hints of raisin mixed with brown sugar. This puppy could pass for a baby Amarone. The finish had a slight tannic grip wit hints of herbs and greens on the finish. 88 points

A few really loved this wine but most passed on it. This wine is for the eclectic crowd that loves Amarone.

　

Table #3... Jonathan Sindleman, Cascade Trade

2008 Domaine de Martinolles Chardonnay, Languedoc France

For those of you who have not tried a chardonnay in awhile because it is the IN thing to say, "I don’t like chardonnay anymore" this could turn you around. The nose reminded me of the home-made applesauce my grandmother used to make. You know the kind with the big chunks of apple in it and a slight cinnamon flavor. The palate displayed crushed rocks wet stone and a beautiful lemon-lime hit blended with notes of granny smith apple. This chard has excellent minerality and acidity with a clean, pleasingly long finish. I was blown away by this chardonnay that runs for a mere thirteen bucks. Hard to beat this one for qpr. 91 points

The crowd agreed with me about this wine and it was the biggest hit in the white wine category. We may have converted some tasters back over to the chardonnay side. We can only hope.

2008 Croix Belle Garingole, Languedoc France

A blend of grenache, carignan and syrah this wine had a nose that reminded me of roasted marshmallows that are blackened slightly, ( Do you remember toasting your marshmallows until they were just a little black? Yum!) and light hits of cherry. The palate was lush yet restrained, showing notes of dark cherries and garigue. Very soft yet well balanced with a wonderful finish that is longer then you might expect. 88 points

The tasters loved this wine a lot more than I did although I understood why it was so popular. At ten bucks it is a steal, and at the tasting it was offered at a substantial savings.

2008 Tenuta Curezza "Nerosso", Apulia Italy

I got a lot of mixed berries on the nose. The palate exploded with ripe fruit flavors of boysenberries, caramel and some herbal notes. Good balance, light tannins that had a little bit of a grip on the sides of the palate. This wine thins a little in the mid-palate, but came on strong in the finish that lingered for some time. It took me a couple of times to really appreciate what was in my glass. 90 points

Another crowd pleaser, and even though it was a little more expensive pushing the envelope on the fifteen dollar side that did not stop folks from putting it on their order sheet.

2005 McKinley Springs Syrah, Columbia Valley Washington

There was a huge price reduction on this wine, so we thought it would be a good idea to present it at the tasting. I am glad we did. This is a classic syrah with a nose of boysenberries, dark plums, anise and hints of mint. A very deep feel on the palate showing black olives, plum, spice and pepper on the back side. Excellent weight and mouthfeel with hints of toast and bacon fat on the finish. This baby is a monster and I brought a few extra cases in the store if you want a chance to get your hands on some. 92 points

What can I say, the crowd loved it.

2007 Sean Minor Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley California

To get your hands on a Napa cab of this quality for under fifteen bucks is hard to do. A very curious nose that reminded me of Lawry’s Seasoning salt and dashes of dill and mint. This wine is powerful on the palate letting you know that you are in for a serious dose of Napa cab. Cherries and plums come through with loads of herbs from start to finish. Lavender, dill, rosemary and thyme. The dark fruit lingers for some time on the finish with sweet tannins and a little grip on the back end. 90 points

Another favorite with the tasters. Good Job Jonathan!

　

I was very happy with the wines brought and we had a great time learning about and tasting new and interesting wines. The crowd keeps getting bigger and bigger. I love it!

March is Washington Wine Month and we have three different wineries lined up to show off their stuff. Make plans to be there so you don’t miss out. Stan "The Wine Man".

Australian wines have dropped off the map sales wise recently. It would be safe to say that sales have dropped at least 40% at the store. I have shrunk the section down quite a bit over the past year. This does not mean that I myself have changed my opinion about these wines. When you get a well made Aussie wine there is hardly a better experience. Extracted and rich they are hedonistic yet balanced. It is true that there are a lot of Coca Cola style shiraz out there that are good but very simple and I believe a lot of folks are just getting tired of them. I emplore those who have backed away from Australian reds to give this Cimicky a try. Well made with rich dark fruit flavors backed by vanilla and mocha tones that are not over-done. You can taste the oak influence but it is well structured and not over the top. This wine is like a comfortable blanket that gives you warmth but does not get you too hot. This wine is the perfect match for steak, stew or simply solo with blue cheese and popcorn while you are watching your favorite series on television. A great value at this price and should not be passed up.