William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Photo: 2010 Poet's Leap Riesling. Wow! The Poet’s Leap Riesling is made by German winemaker Armin Diel, proprietor of the renowned Schlossgut Diel. Mr. Diel makes the Poet's Leap Riesling at the Long Shadows Winery in Walla Walla, Washington. I first tasted this wine in February at the Long Shadows winery, then again in July during a virtual tasting (I had my bottle at home and tweeted about it). I believe this wine has improved in bottle. This time at opening, the wine was steely, it reminded me of polished steel. It was crisp, bright with wonderful minerality. It was not austere, it was tantalizing. Wow! After 2 days in the refrigerator, it was even better. Tonight, it was beautifully integrated, sublime, full of introspection. Pale gold in color, with a lively aroma of soft petrol, nectarine, toast and river rock. Bright, round and spiky flavors front palate, crisp, with lovely apple-pear and honey flavors mid-palate, exiting with a refreshing tart finish of granny...

Ooh, Aah, Sock It 2 Me. Last week I was in Walla Walla, Washington with fellow wine blogger, Ben Simons of vinotology.com . Our first stop was at Forgeron Cellars, where we enjoyed meeting winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla . Marie-Eve is married to Gilles Nicault, Director of Winemaking and Viticulture for Long Shadows Wineries. Marie-Eve was a gracious host, and surprised us in arranging an unscheduled visit with her husband at Long Shadows. The contrast between the two wineries was striking. Forgeron Cellars tasting room is located in downtown Walla Walla. It's cozy, intimate, informal, the wines diverse and the feeling...feminine.   Long Shadows, however, is located outside of Walla Walla, on a rural road in the countryside. It is  surrounded by fields and distant farm houses. An impressive, modern looking facility, made of tilt-up concrete slabs painted brick red, the building is incongruous with the rustic countryside, yet fitting in its setting. Chihuly glass suitable fo...

My Favorite Walla Walla Wines at Taste Washington Seattle. Why am I surprised that I liked so many Walla Walla wines? I suppose I should not be, because last spring I reveled in Walla Walla wines during the 2010 Spring Release Weekend . FYI: the 2011 Walla Walla Spring Release Weekend will be here soon, so put these wineries on your must visit list. Alphabetical list of recommended Walla Walla wineries. 1. Basel Cellars Estate Winery This was my first time enjoying Basel Cellars wines. Basel Cellars is part winery, part resort. While I’ve heard about them for several years, this is the first time I’ve enjoyed their wines. My favorite Basel Cellars wines: 2007 Merriment. 2007 Syrah Pheasant Run. Tasting room hours: Monday – Sunday 10am – 4pm. Website: http://www.baselcellars.com/ 2. Buty Winery I had the pleasure of meeting Caleb Foster and his wife Nina Buty Foster, last year during the 2010 Wine Blogger Conference . They hosted an amazing Semillon panel tast...