William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

A rewarding collaboration creates an uplifting Malbec dominant wine. Amancaya is produced in Argentina’s Mendoza region, by Nicolas Catena of Bodega Catena, in partnership with Barons de Rothchild (Lafite). Catena is one of South America’s largest wineries. The Amancaya is a flower of the Andes, worn by native Indian women of Mendoza. Tasting Notes 2011 Amancaya Gran Reserva: Color : Dark garnet. Nose : Earthy, leather jacket, cherry, candied, Palate : Medium body, dry, spicy cherry, light mid-palate, medium finish with heat. 30 Minutes : Nose candied cherry, dusty leather jacket, tar, cedar liner from a cigar tube. Fuller, tobacco, spice, dried cherry, sip of espresso, dry medium finish. More my speed. 45 minutes : Delivering at this point. Cherry, currant, hint of sage, integrated and enjoyable across the palate. One hour : Creamy with apple tannin, dry cherry, dry on the cheeks, swirled across the tongue, tobacco, cherry-coffee finish with nice kiss of acid. Not hea...

Los Vascos Wines of Chile by Lafite. What? Lamb with white wine? Yes, yes, yes! Discover the wonderful aspect of pairing lamb with a crisp white wine. Savor how the wine slices through the flavors of the lamb - enjoy lamb, enjoy wine, repeat. You do need a suitable wine, recipe and cut of lamb to pull this off. The Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc does, plus I've included the recipe below.

Los Vascos Grande Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009. Real Value Chilean Wine. The weather in the Columbia Valley is starting to improve. Our days are intermittently blessed with sunshine and spring showers - the mornings and evenings are still chilly. The other night, I decided to relax on the back porch and take in the last rays of the sun. Orange, pink, and purple lined the horizon, like splashes of wine. It was not warm. Bundled up in a sweater, cap and wool slippers, I kicked back and enjoyed a bottle of Los Vascos 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve. Los Vascos is one of Chiles oldest wine estates. It is managed by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) which began modernizing the estate in 1988. This was a brawny wine, very firm and deserved a grilled steak. On opening it had a classic Cabernet nose of cherry and vanilla, followed by tobacco and some chalk. It was dry with medium grip, and plenty of  chocolate on the finish. After an hour, this wine exploded with fl...

100% Argentine Malbec. It's interesting, the more I drink wines from South America, the more I appreciate them (yes, I'm smiling). While I have read about how good the Malbec from Argentina is, the proof is in the tasting and the pairing. Aruma is produced in Argentina’s Mendoza region, by Nicolas Catena of Bodega Catena, in partnership with Barons de Rothchild (Lafite). Catena is one of South America’s largest wineries. "ARUMA" means the "night" in the language of the Quechua, the native Indians of the Mendoza region. I like the sound of "Aruma" and how it rolls off the tongue- Aruma . This wine had a dark, inky color, it was smooth, creamy, with a sharp core, a bit tight. After 2 hours it began to open  up with a richer mouth feel, earthy aromas expressed with tobacco, dark fruit, and coffee, a light mid-palate, the finish was slightly dry with moderate tannins. Yes, I'm talking steak, which is what I paired the Aruma with. T...