William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

A Definitive Walla Walla Red Wine with Presence. L’Ecole has been producing wines from Seven Hills Vineyard since 1993. They hand-select from the oldest and best blocks to produce this flagship wine. Perigee : When the moon is at Perigee , closest distance to the Earth, there is more gravitational pull which contributes to higher tides or greater variation in the high and low tide. An aptly named wine, I could feel the "pull" of the 2011 Perigee. Worthy of " Wine of the Week " recognition. Well done. Tasting Notes 2011 L'Ecole No. 41 Perigee Color : Dark burgundy. Nose : Spicy, dried cherry, chocolate, tea. Palate : Cherry-chocolate, spicy oak, black tea tannin, light chocolate, dry on the gums. Interesting at open and rather tasty. After 15 minutes : Richer, fuller, more intense on the palate. Delivered a lot of pleasure. Would be an excellent choice for entertaining or eating out at a nice restaurant. After 30 minutes : Chocolate spice, blac...

Today I will be writing to catch up on all the delicious wine I experienced this weekend. Briefly, this is what went down. Checking the glasses before I begin pouring. Friday – AntoLin Cellars Sensory Tasting I conducted a private wine tasting and sensory class lunch, featuring AntoLin Cellars Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. Review soon. Ed Luebben at the Wine Incubators. Saturday – Walla Walla Spring Barrel Tasting Went Walla Walla wine tasting with my friend, winery Architect Edward Luebben. We visited Leonetti Cellars, Corvus Cellars, Cavu Cellars, aMaurice Cellars and Garrison Creek Cellars. Review soon. Virtual tasting at L'Ecole Winery - it was an actual tasting for us. Sunday- L'Ecole 41 Perigee Vertical Tasting My friend Ben Simons, wine blogger at Vinotology.com , joined me for a vertical tasting at L'Ecole No 41 . This was a virtual and an actual tasting at the winery. They poured from their library the 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 20...

This morning Dave Mathews song “So Much to Say” is on my mind. Feeling the need to press on and share this weeks wine chats. Time to finish some reviews too. #winechat: Santa Rita, Medalla Real, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008, from the Maipo Valley. Last nights #winechat featured two wines from Chile. For me, it was an eye opening experience. Chile is producing some spectacular wines. In particular, the featured Santa Rita, Medalla Real, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008, from the Maipo Valley, blew me away. The #winechat crowd was exuberant in their response too. It is an impressive Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, especially once you consider the retail price of US $18. Santa Rita, Medalla Real Gran Reserva, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 D.O. Maipo Valley, Chile. Ripe and round, dark color, dark fruit, the concentrated palate grows into and expansive finish at the 2 hour mark. Gorgeous wine. You could drink this wine with food, but why bother? Decant this wine for an hour or two, then kick ba...

Tonight: March Virtual Tasting #lecole41. Tomorrow: #winechat Chile’s Cool Coastal Wines. Tonight: Washington Wine Report March Virtual Tasting 7-8 pm PST, Tuesday, March 20, 2012. March Virtual Tasting - Featuring L'Ecole 2009 Red Wine. Sean Sullivan of Washington Wine Report has arranged another virtual tasting, tonight it is a tasting of the 2009 L'Ecole No 41 Red Wine. This wine retails for $18 and is fairly widely available. What you need to do to participate is: 1. Have a *twitter account - a great excuse to use twitter. 2. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery. I found a bottle for $18. 3. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7 and 8 pm Pacific using the hashtag #lecole41 and follow Washington Wine Report @wawinereport on twitter. My first time participating was last months virtual tasting, a lot of fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tomorrow: Twitter #...

L'Ecole 2006 Syrah a Lovely Treat. A lovely, lovely Washington Syrah. Last week I was camping in the mountains with my son and his Boy Scout troop. It may be summer in the Columbia Valley, but in the Cascades it's still spring - as in cold and wet. After a week of sleeping in a small tent, in the same warm, but increasingly aromatic sleeping bag, lacking the pleasure of wine, it was a joy to return home. My dear wife had a bottle of L'Ecole No. 41 Syrah waiting for me. She knows me so well. This is an elegant Syrah with blueberry and black cherry, it has an inviting dark purple color, medium body and a lucious finish with pleasant spice. Well balanced tannin and acid.This wine is drinking extremely well now. I enjoyed this wine so much, I did not want to share it with food. Perfect for a special occasion or just because you love Syrah. Recommended. Alcohol: 14.8% Blend: Syrah 95% and Grenache 5% Since I did not buy this wine, I do not know what my wife paid for ...

Wines not Reviewed now Reviewed Say goodbye to summer friends, it’s gone and now it’s time to welcome fall and cooler weather. Fall in the Columbia Valley is one of my favorite seasons. Crisp mornings, clear skies, warm comfortable clothing and the essential fruit hanging from the vines. While a cool season has delayed harvest by a couple of weeks, I'm told the fruit of the year is of excellent quality. Growers and wineries will be very busy for the next several months. Although I look forward to enjoying the 2010 vintage next year and in the years to come, today I’d like to reminisce about some of the wines I enjoyed this summer. I have not figured out a practical method for documenting all the wines I enjoy. In some instances, I am able to photograph the wine, but lack the time to properly review them. Facebook and twitter assist to partially “document” some of these wines. But, I’m often left with just the memory of the wine. Friends and sp...

As part of the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference, Caleb Foster and his lovely wife Nina Buty Foster of Buty Winery, hosted an enchanting and educational Semillon tasting at their winery; along with, Marty Club of L'ecole No 41 winery and Jay Soloff of DeLille Cellars. There are 4 parts to this video, enjoy. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4   What an amazing panel discussion. Great deal of information exchanged. Loved, loved the wines too. Cheers!