Skip to main content

Wine Review: Thomas O’Neil Cellars 2009 Fusion

A successful union of elements.

Tom O’Neil has been making wine for about 25 years in Washington. He interned with Chateau Ste. Michelle and was assistant winemaker at Milbrandt Vineyards. He opened his Richland, Washington winery, Thomas O'Neil Cellars, on April 15, 2011. I sampled the original bottling of 2009 Fusion in April, which quickly sold out. May 15th, Tom bottled a new blend of 2009 Fusion (Fusion 2.0).

Thomas O'Neil Cellars 2009 Fusion 2.0.

Fusion 2.0 Tasting
The Thomas O’Neil Cellars 2009 Fusion was bright on opening, with dark, cherry-chocolate, concentrated fruit, candied, cola, root-beer; and something familiar from childhood which reminded me of a cone shaped candy that had three layers (I don’t remember what they were called), definitely a bright wine with medium tannins, medium body, and a cherry-cola and coffee finish. This wine is very tasty and easy to drink now, but it should continue to develop for several more years.

Second Day
I enjoyed this wine over two days at home. Day two, the Syrah components were more apparent - spicy violets, black pepper, tobacco, and leather, the wine seems more integrated, smoother, less sharp, which allows the tannins to make a better appearance on the finish- not over the top, but a long and tasty finish. On day two I paired the 2009 Fusion 2.0 with fried pork chops and potato pancakes, resting on a mixed green salad, I made a little sauce and lightly drizzled it over the greens, yum, yum. Can you sense the satisfied grin on my face? Sorry, no photo, I was too busy eating and drinking.

I suggest you buy a case of the 2009 Fusion and open a bottle every three months, for the next three years, to see how well this wine continues to develop; it will be a rewarding endeavor. I give this wine a "Big Like".

2009 Fusion 2.0 Bled: Syrah, Petite Sirah and Grenache, $30 at the winery.

Thomas O'Neil Cellars
2323 Henderson Lp. Richland, WA 99354
(509) 378-9783

This bottle of wine was gifted by the winery.

Related posts:
Thomas O'Neil Cellars Brand Spanking New
,
Final Destination Thomas O'Neil Cellars

Cheers!

fu•sion (fyo͞oˈzhən)
noun
1.    The act or procedure of liquefying or melting by the application of heat.
2.    The liquid or melted state induced by heat.
3.    a. The merging of different elements into a union: the fusion of copper and zinc to form brass; the difficult fusion of conflicting political factions.
b. A union resulting from fusing: A fusion of religion and politics emerged.
4.    Physics A nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy.
5.    Music that blends jazz elements and the heavy repetitive rhythms of rock. Also called jazz-fusion, jazz-rock.
6.    A style of cooking that combines ingredients and techniques from very different cultures or countries.
Origin: Latin fūsiō, fūsiōn-, from fūsus, past participle of fundere, to melt; see gheu- in Indo-European roots.

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Sho Chiku Bai, Unfiltered Sake

Last month in Seattle, I purchased a bottle of Nigori sake at Uwajimaya. Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been visiting Uwajimaya for almost 40 years. When I was much younger, I’d buy model ship and plane kits, Japanese comic books (manga) and I never left without at least one steaming Humbow in hand. Today I buy the manga for my son; while I still enjoy the tasty steamed Humbows, now I never leave without at least one bottle of Sake in hand. Uwajimaya has a terrific selection of imported sake. This most recent visit, I left with a bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake. Nigori sake is generally the sweetest of all sakes, with a fruity nose and a mild flavor, making a great drink to complement spicy foods or as a dessert wine. Typical sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process; however Nigori sake remains unfiltered, resulting in a cloudier beverage. Before serving, the bottle must

My Current State of Wine

"Do I still work in the wine industry?" Like many of you, the Covid pandemic altered my life trajectory. Today, I am going to re-cap where I am in the wine industry. My story will bounce back and forth for context. Remember, I like to connect the dots. The Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington. First, everyone asks me, what happened to the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center (Clore Center)? Good question. The Clore Center, located in Prosser, Washington, birthplace of Washington wine, opened in 2014 as a not for profit. The primary mission of the Clore Center was to promote " Washington state wine ." I began working at the Clore Center in October 2015. My last title was, Wine Education Coordinator . We finally, sadly, closed our doors in November 2020.  It was my sincerest pleasure to work at the Clore Center for five years. I made many friends in the industry and in the community. I met many people from around the country and from around th

A Special Oregon Pinot Noir with Eastern North Carolina Inspired Ribs #OTBN #winePW 10

Open That Bottle Night - A great excuse for a Wine Pairing Weekend.  February 28th was Open That Bottle Night - I selected a bottle of wine I helped blend using barrel samples of Pinot Noir from R. Stuart winery in McMinville, Oregon. I was saving this bottle for a special occasion and knew it was likely time to open and drink. I hoped it had improved. "Blending wine is no task for mere mortals."   - William Pollard Jr.  Our Wine Pairing Weekend group decided Open That Bottle Night would be an appropriate occasion to pair our selected bottle of wine with something special as well. After some consideration, I decided North Carolina ribs would likely pair well with my special bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir. For this post I'll review the wine first, then provide the recipe, and wrap up with the results of this wine + food pairing. *Note: What is Open That Bottle Night? Wife and Husband columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher invented Open That Bottle