Wines of the Week - Eternal Wines, Eternal Patience and Eternal Sunshine from Walla Walla, Washington

Planning a trip to Walla Walla? Eternal Wines must be on your itinerary.

Over the last year, I have come to know winemaker Brad Binko of Eternal Wines and Drink Washington State. He is talented, friendly and supremely dedicated to Washington wine. You can taste the passion in every bottle of wine Brad makes.

Last month I visited with Brad in his downtown Walla Walla tasting room. Located on 1st Avenue, half a block from Main Street, and two doors down from a tasty cupcake bakery. Easy to find, and full of delicious wines and light. You can't miss visiting this cool space.

Brad Binko, Eternal Wines, pouring rose' for guests.

Mr. Binko has a full set of wines available to taste and purchase at his tasting room. I'll get into more detail about Brad and some of his other wines in a future post. When you drop by his tasting room, tell him Wild 4 Washington Wine sent you. Check out their website as they host special tastings and sometimes have live music.

Today, I'm Strongly Recommending two limited production, varietal specific white wines. The 2014 Eternal Patience Roussanne and 2015 Eternal Sunshine Viognier. Both stunners. These wines were fantastic alone and wonderful paired with food. I had to remind myself to take notes, I was so enamored of both wines.

Eternal Wines
9 S. 1st Ave
Walla Walla, WA 99362

Open for tastings 7 days a week Sun- Weds 12-7pm Thurs-Sat 12-8pm
May be different hours during winter months (Dec-Feb)

phone: 509-240-6258

Eternal Patience 2014 Roussanne 2014 Walla Walla Valley AVA

Color: Straw, golden highlights.
Nose: Toasty, honeydew melon, light orange blossom, creme brule'.
Palate: Orange zest, melon, almond, medium-light on the palate, fresh, textured on the cheeks, tingle on the lips, quite pretty medium-short finish with melon ball, almond and tart orange. Put me in the mind for Sunday brunch with eggs Benedict. Like.

Day two: Toasted sesame seed with honey, ripe peach skin, lemon custard, river rock, hazelnut on the nose. Yum! Creamy delicious, delicate hazelnut, filled with lemon buttercream, fresh spike mid-palate, stone fruit with river rock into the tingly finish. Well done. Screamed for lobster and king crab or fried trout. Pretty darn good alone too. Big like.

Thoughts: I don't consider myself an expert on Roussanne. Most of the Roussanne I drink is in blends with Marsanne and or Viognier. This is a standout expression of the variety and a must try for anyone curious about 100% Roussanne. Well done Mr. Binko. This bad boy is ready to drink now and over the next 5 years.
Strongly Recommended.

Eternal Patience Roussanne with fried pork chop.

Blend: 100% Roussanne
AVA: Walla Walla Valley
Aged 2 years in French oak on original lees
Production 80 cases
SRP: $40
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Natural Cork
Sample provided by winery

Eternal Sunshine 2015 Viognier Walla Walla Valley

Nose: Fresh, river rock, toast, washed peach, honey on the nose.
Palate: Stone fruit, ripe peach to orange marmalade, enjoyable weight, tartness under tongue, orange emphasis on the fresh finish. Lovely. Delicious paired with broiled halibut. So. My. Speed.

Day two: Comparable to day one. Acid more present, melon-orange, fresh tingle on finish. Delicious drinking wine.

Day three: Stone fruit, melon, orange, touch of nuttiness. Drank.

Thoughts: This was my style of Viognier. If you don't know Washington Viognier, you must seek out this wine. Drink alone or serve with seafood, pork, baked chicken, Asian cuisine, or a plate of cheese and crackers. Well done Brad. Almost forgot to take tasting notes I was so engrossed in this wine and the food pairing.
Strongly Recommended.

Eternal Sunshine Viognier with broiled halibut and peas.

Blend: 100% Viognier
AVA: Walla Walla Valley
Aged in French oak for 12 months.
Production 30 cases
SRP: $35
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Natural Cork
Sample provided by winery

Stay tuned. I hope to have more time and energy to start catching up on wine reviews. More to share about Eternal Wines and Brad Binko soon.

Eternal Wines and Drink Washington State.

*Related post: June 14, 2016 Eternal Wines First Releases.

Cheers!

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

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

Spirit Review: Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine White Lightnin' @OleSmoky

Today I have crossed the line from wine to spirits. At 100 proof the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine is definitely turning up the volume (ABV 50%). "Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, and Tennessee white whiskey are terms used to describe high-proof distilled spirits, generally produced illicitly...The word "moonshine" is believed to derive from the term "moonrakers" used for early English smugglers and the clandestine (i.e., by the light of the moon) nature of the operations of illegal Appalachian distillers who produced and distributed whiskey." Source Wikipedia My family is no stranger to Moonshine. That is, my great-grandfather and grandfather were not strangers. Evidently the family occasionally produced their own spirits on their Oregon ranch. My grandfather told me about his younger brother getting into his dads stash with predictable results. Grandmother also told me stories about midnight runs and secretive deliveries d

William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

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