William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

The theme? Decant this wine please. Vin du Lac Red Cafe Syrah 2009 Columbia Valley. My regular readers know that I am a Syrah fan. Washington Syrah is one of my favorite, go to, must try, varietals.  It can be oh, so good. There are many styles of Syrah produced in Washington and that is part of the fun. Discovering the style of a winemaker and gaining an appreciation for their talent in making wine, is also one of the wine blogging perks I enjoy. It has been my pleasure this month to sample and review several different wines made by Larry Lehmbecker and his team at Vin du Lac winery of Lake Chelan, Washington. My review today is of the Vin du Lac 2009 Red Café Syrah, Columbia Valley. Color: Inky dark, violet tinged rim. Nose: Plum, spice, pencil shavings, boysenberry syrup, bacon, dark chocolate with, yes, grape Bubble Yum, and plum. Palate:  Spice, smooth, more acid than tannins, a little heat on the gums. After some air, the heat dissipated, tannins became a bet...

Not to Miss Event If you're in the greater Seattle area, then you'll want to check out the Release Party at Gordon Brothers tasting room in Woodinville, Washington on August 28th. They will be featuring: 2006 Syrah – 91 Points, Wine Enthusiast and 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon – 90 Points, Wine Enthusiast. I've enjoyed the 2006 Syrah which I highly recommend. There will be one-day-only specials on both these wines! This event is open to the public on August 28, 2010, Noon-7:00 PM. Contact Info: Gordon Brothers Tasting Room 19501 144th Ave. NE #A-800 Woodinville, WA 98072 http://www.gordonwines.com/ Cheers!

Saturday I was at the local Costco, shopping for last minute 4 th of July goodies. Naturally, I gravitated towards the wine section in the back of the store. I was happy to discover a display for Vin du Lac winery . Vin du Lac is one of my favorite Lake Chelan wineries. Even better, Dreux Dillingham, Assistant Winemaker was there in person. I first discovered Lake Chelan had wineries in 2006 while on vacation. My first exposure to Vin du Lac wines was in 2008 at Taste Washington Seattle . Since this is Washington State, Dreux was not allowed to pour me a sample of wine at Costco (boo hoo). He had a Riesling, Red Cuvee and a Syrah. Not being familiar with the Vin du Lac Red wines, I asked Dreux to recommend a wine that would go with the steaks I was buying for dinner. Dreux recommended the 2007 Red Café Syrah. It was an unexpected pleasure to meet Mr. Dillingham and I enjoyed our conversation. Once I had the wine home, I pulled the cork almost immediately. Synthetic closure, no ...