William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Serious New Look - Same Great Value. I'm a fan of McKinley Springs wines. As I've expressed before, this small, family-owned and operated estate winery, produces wines true to the varietal. They taste like you expect, compliment your meals and are reasonably priced. The Bombing Range Red is a red wine blend which I first enjoyed a couple of years ago . Checking my blog I've reviewed or mentioned McKinley Springs nine times. Look for their wines. The Bombing Range Red label was introduced in 2005. The original label had a colorful graphic novel look which was easy to spot on the shelf. A casual wine with a playful look. However, I've learned from other wineries and their recent label changes, that our fond and friendly, playful looking designs, are not taken seriously outside of Washington state. If you want to sell more wine, sometimes you have to reconsider the look of the label. New label features 1943 photo of U.S. P-40 fighter plane at U.S. base in China....

An honest expression of Washington terroir. It's a pleasure to enjoy a bottle of red wine that tastes like you expect it to taste and compliments your meal. Is it odd to tell you that the McKinley Springs Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like and drinks like a Washington Cabernet Sauvignon? It does and I enjoyed it.

An almost elegant and very affordable Washington Viognier. McKinley Springs makes wine from their 2000 acre estate vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. They make wine in a style I appreciate and price their wines competitively. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I continue to be impressed by McKinley Springs wines. My first exposure to McKinley Springs was February 2012  after a  recommendation  by a gentleman I met at a local winery; it pays to visit with your fellow wine tasters. Thank you friend.

photo: 2009 Horsepower and roasted leg of lamb pairing. Horsepower Proprietary Red Blend - A great match to roasted leg of lamb. My previous post I shared my recipe for Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb . The wine I paired with the lamb was the newly released McKinley Springs 2009 Horsepower Proprietary Red Blend. It was a very good pairing. Wine and food pairing can be tricky - I don't always succeed. The meal and wine should compliment each other - neither should overpower the other. There are many variables that come into play in the dance of wine with food at home; in this context I wanted a food friendly, Syrah dominant red wine. At 43% Syrah, the 2009 McKinley Springs Horsepower was a good match.

photo: 2008 McKinley Springs Syrah - Horse Heaven Hills. McKinley Springs is a family owned and operated winery in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of Washington State. Doug Rowell is the winemaker and Rob Andrews is the grower. This was a dark wine, deep color almost inky; as expected from a Washington Syrah. On the nose: violets, blueberry, tar, pepper, whiff of earth, medium mouth feel, aromas flowed into the finish. There's a lot to like about this wine at opening, although, after some air, this wine became more concentrated on nose and palate. Aromas deepened, flavors became richer, root-beer, chocolate and espresso components emerged after 25 minutes, which was lovely on the nose. Balanced acidity and fine tannin kept this wine fresh and interesting. Really a treat to drink after 30 minutes. This wine is going to stain your tongue and lips purple; I checked in the mirror and it's true. Isn't that great? Man, the nose on this wine was captivating. I derived as much...

Taste Washington! Recommended Wines. The children and spouses of Louise and Bob Andrews, established McKinley Springs Winery in 2002 with a goal of producing balanced, flavorful wines offering excellent value. Rob Andrews, Grower, tends to the vineyards and Doug Rowell, Winemaker, oversees production at McKinley Springs. Together they make 10 wines, focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chenin Blanc. McKinley Springs Winemaker Doug Rowell. All of the McKinley Springs wines I tasted were very good. These wines are at very affordable price points too. What are you waiting for? Go buy some McKinley Springs, they ship too. The Wines: McKinley Springs 2009 Chenin Blanc, Horse Heaven Hills. Chenin Blanc, 2009 – Planted in 1981, crisp, lovely. Once widely planted, today, little Chenin Blanc is produced in Washington – this Chenin is at an affordable price too. Case production 546, retail price $12. Recommended. McKinley Springs 2008 Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills. * Favorit...

A tribute wine. Bombing Range Red is made by McKinley Springs , a family owned and operated winery in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of Washington State. Doug Rowell is the winemaker and Rob Andrews is the grower. I like the label on this bottle, the graphic novel look is fun, bright and easy to spot on the shelf. It also tells a story. Bombing Range Red is a tribute to the history of the Horse Heaven Hills and our troops. During WWII, families in the Horse Heaven Hills were asked to leave their farms so the area could be used to train fighter pilots. Their farms became a bombing range. 2008 Bombing Range Red and BBQ ribs. This is the third bottle of Bombing Range Red I have had at home. The first bottle disappeared quickly at a party, I had only a taste. The second bottle I drank with friends, outside by a fire pit, while smoking a cigar. This bottle I intentionally purchased for review. I had no distractions, no company, no smoke, no cigar, just me and the wine...well, and some BB...

Reaching for the desired aha moment. Still grooving on Syrah this month, this wine was recommended to me by a chap from Prosser. Taking advantage of one of the better sunny days in late January, I combined an afternoon walk with wine tasting.  Happily, two tasting rooms are within easy walking distance of my home. Three more wineries are reachable on foot, if I'm willing to brave traffic and a lack of a walking path. I opted for the nearest tasting room. Nose deep in my glass, I was soon joined at the wine bar by a fellow lover of wine. Naturally, our conversation was of wine, varietals and wineries. We both commented on the Syrah (which was opened especially for us). My new friend made some comparisons about the Syrah we were tasting and a wine I had not tried, McKinley Springs Syrah. He was surprised when I replied that I had never sampled wines from McKinley Springs, a Prosser winery. I promised I'd look for the wine and try some. My last tasting trip to Prosser was d...