William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

"A true Washington original." Gordon Estate is located in the heart of the Columbia Valley in Washington State. They are the oldest estate winery in Washington state and use only estate-grown grapes in making their hand-crafted Washington wines. In 1985, Jeff Gordon released his first small lot of Chardonnay wine produced from their estate vines. View of the Snake River from Gordon Estate winery. Gordon Estate, previously known as "Gordon Brothers," has been served at my table for over 25 years. I encourage you to discover the wines of Gordon Estate. A true Washington original. This is a well executed wine which satisfied my Chardonnay craving. Fresh, new world style with minimal oak. My speed. Grab an extra bottle if you have to share. $14.99 Gordon Estate 2014 Chardonnay – Gordon Estate, Pasco, WA. Strongly Recommended. Tasting Notes Color : Gold. Nose : Oh yeah. Terrific hit of Chardonnay, yeasty, nutty, with ginger, pear, fresh....

Displays of gold, orange and red leaves in the vineyards foretell cooler weather. Blankets of clouds, emergent, protectively hug the Horse Heaven Hills. As the progressively shorter days and longer nights nestle into fall, I crave Chardonnay. For me, Chardonnay is the wine of choice for this season. Clouds forming on the Horse Heaven Hills. Today, I have six recommended Washington Chardonnays which are suitable for your fall repasts and celebratory occasions. Chardonnay remains the most popular white wine variety for a reason. Because it can be so darn good and affordable too. It is a variety which can be expressed in numerous ways, nutty, fruity, dry, oaked, unoaked, crisp and pale to heavy and dark. A supremely expressible and food compatible wine. For the ABC partisans, think of these recommended wines as conversion therapy. Don't behave like the elusive White Zinfandel drinker. Give Chardonnay another try, Washington Chardonnay that is. You can thank me later. Chee...

Kiona Lemberger on the Vine 2015. A Bountiful Harvest The mornings in SE Washington have cooled, and the evenings are spectacular this time of year. Think glorious sunsets and star filled sky. The word from the Washington grape growers I have spoken with is an early and bountiful harvest. De-stemming Syrah at Gordon Estate. This month I had had the opportunity to meet Tyler Tennyson of Gordon Estate Winery . Tyler has been with Gordon Estate 13 months and is energizing their winemaking program. We sampled from barrel the 2015 Chardonnay, Wild Yeast Chardonnay, Malbec Rose' and Syrah. Yum and yum. I believe 2015 will be a vintage to remember. I'll have a review of his 2014 Chardonnay soon.  Podcast Goodbye On the home front, I'm sad to announce that the Wine Muse Podcast I have co-hosted for two years is ending. It's been a fun time. Linda who hosts Blog Talk Radio is changing directions and decided to stop podcasting for the fore...

Can you fall in love with a wine? A wine worth pondering. Gordon Estate is located in the heart of the Columbia Valley in Washington State. They are the oldest estate winery in Washington State and use only estate-grown grapes in making their hand-crafted Washington wines. In 1980, Jeff Gordon, along with his wife, Vicki and brother Bill decided to plant wine grapes on a sagebrush-covered slope overlooking the Snake River in southeastern Washington’s Columbia Valley. In 1985, he released his first small lot of Chardonnay wine produced from their estate vines. Gordon Estate, previously known as "Gordon Brothers," has been served at my table for over 25 years. I encourage you to discover the wines of Gordon Estate. A true Washington original. Tasting Notes : Color : Dark garnet to plum. Nose : Spicy with cumin, black currant, licorice, gingerbread, cherry cordial, complex with a lot going on, background with hints of savory vegetal and dark chocolate. Layered...

Syrah Harvest 4 October 2012 Photo: Syrah clusters, ripe and ready for picking. Yesterday morning, I visited Gordon Estate to photograph harvest in the vineyard. They were picking Syrah. Winemaker Tim Henley was not sure when they would start harvest, so he told me to wait for his text. At 10:30 am he texted that they had begun. Photo: Mechanical harvester. When I arrived at the vineyard, I saw the mechanical harvester 3/4 of the way down the row. I parked my car and hoofed it to grab some photos of the harvester in action. The Syrah clusters looked good to me. Photo: Vineyard manager Ramon riding the harvester. The tractor pulling the harvester was not moving too fast, so I was able to reach the harvester, grab some shots and then walk back to where I started. Looking at the clouds of dust, I noticed that the soil in the vineyard is fine and powdery. After walking down the rows, my boots looked like they were covered in talcum powder. Photo: End of the ...