William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

  My friend Ben Simons was pouring for Alexandria Nicole Cellars today at the Kennewick Mid Columbia Wine and Spirits store (thank you social media). My thinking, "Why not stop by for a visit and a tasting?" He poured for me the just released 2012 Pinot Gris, 2010 Viognier, 2010 Jet Black Syrah and the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. The Pinot Gris is tasting a bit young and fresh, the Viognier was quite lovely, the Jet Black Syrah was showing off and begging for grilled lamb (a masculine wine with a cool label), while the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon was my favorite tonight with gobs of cherry goodness. A steady flow of wine enthusiasts at the tasting bar embraced the Alexandria Nicole wines tonight. Ben did a great job sharing the story of Alexandria Nicole Cellars . There were a lot of smiles. I learned today that Mid Columbia Wine and Spirits holds free wine tastings every Friday and sometimes Saturday, at both their Kennewick and Richland stores...

Photo: Alexandria Nicole 2009 "a squared" Cabernet Sauvignon. Jarrod and Ali Boyle are producing wonderful Washington wines at their Alexandria Nicole Cellars winery. A wise and loving husband, Jarrod named the winery after his wife Ali. This summer I had an insightful visit  at their Paterson winery and a grand tour of their Destiny Ridge vineyard during véraison . This weekend my wife and I had the pleasure of being guests at the Alexandria Nicole Cellars annual Harvest Party. Photo: Ali Boyle rolling a wine barrel while husband Jarrod cheers her on. Thankfully, we did not have to drive ourselves to the party at the winery. Two large bus coaches received our group of revelers in Richland and delivered us all to the winery. The hour long trip was ameliorated by glasses of Alexandria Nicole Cellars Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. The only way to travel. Photo: Chef Magaña in charge of Oysters and Dinner. The Harvest Party was, well, a party. Oysters on...

Photo: Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2008 Malbec. Fabulous Horse Heaven Hills Malbec. Last month I visited Alexandria Nicole Cellars , a local Washington winery dedicated to producing small lots of hand-crafted wine, at their Destiny Ridge Estate vineyard and winery. Destiny Ridge vineyard is located high above the bluffs on the Columbia River, near the town of Paterson, Washington, where many different varietals thrive in soils and micro-climate conditions of the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. I'm delighted to share with you my experience with the Alexandria Nicole 2008 Malbec.   Photo: View of Destiny Ridge Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills AVA. Washington wine can be such an exquisite personal experience. The Alexandria Nicole 2008 Malbec is no exception. Their Block 20 Estate grown Malbec was wrapped in gorgeous color. When I stuck my nose in the glass, lush aromas of dark fruit, licorice, spice, black pepper, and chocolate, vibrated into a floral flourish, merrily...

Destiny Ridge Vineyards, Horse Heaven Hills AVA. Photo: 2011 Shepherds Mark. We hit 103 degrees in the Columbia Valley today. That my friends is hot. If you are in the area visiting, wear a hat, sunscreen and drink plenty of water. This kind of weather puts me in the mood for crisp, refreshing white wine. Which is one of the reasons I wholly enjoyed the Alexandria Nicole 2011 Shepherds Mark. This wine is dedicated to the sheepherders and Horse Heaven Hills pioneers who left their mark on the world. A sentiment I can relate to, since my grandfather William and his brother Jeff, both herded sheep. Their grandparents, my great-great grandparents, homesteaded the NW in the 1800's. And the wine? This wine had beautiful minerality on the nose, with stone fruit and incense. Good mouth feel, nice weight. Crisp, peach, pear, and more minerality. I like how this wine tastes and feels. Bright, long mineral finish. With all the heat this summer, this wine is a wonderful summer sippe...

August has cranked up the heat in the Columbia Valley. Locally, we've been at or near triple digits. Wispy clouds this weekend, tempered the summer sun while grapes in the valley begin véraison. Véraison is a French term, but has been adopted into English. The official definition of véraison is "change of color of the grape berries." Véraison signifies the change from berry growth to berry ripening in grapevines. Photo: Standing in front of Tempranillo vines, Destiny Ridge Vineyard. Friday morning, I drove to Alexandria Nicole Cellars winery . The winery is located on their Destiny Ridge Vineyard, located above the Columbia River, near Patterson, Washington. For me, this was a drive of 110 miles round-trip from my home and back. My friend, Ben Simons , Social Media Director for Alexandria Nicole Cellars, invited me to visit the vineyard and winery. The following photos were acquired over a four hour vineyard tour and wine cellar visit. I was impressed by this f...

Wine Tasting From the Bus The Yakima Valley Spring Barrel weekend was a huge success this year. I’ve poured at past Spring Barrel weekends, so I truly enjoyed being on the other end this time. My past experience working this event, taught me to avoid the crowds on Saturday. So we went Sunday, avoided the crowds and craziness and just took our time tasting, talking and walking. Here’s the list of wineries we visited over six hours on Sunday, 25 April 2010. Red Mountain: Terra Blanca Winery Prosser Vintners Village: Airfield Estates, Willow Crest Wine Estates, Thurston Wolfe, Gamache Vintners, Milbrandt Vineyards On the other side of Interstate 82 : Alexandria Nicole Cellars, Cowan Vineyards My count indicates we visited eight wineries Saturday. Even so, we did not make it to all the wineries I wanted to see (sorry Hightower Cellars, Tasawik Vineyards, Olsen Estates, Mercer Estates and Kestrel Vintners, among others). As it was, eight wineries is ambitious for anyone – fortun...