William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Don't wait too long to purchase this wine for your holiday celebrations. My wife and I recently visited Hamilton Cellars tasting room in Richland, Washington. The first wine we sampled was the 2009 Rosé of Malbec. I originally tasted their Malbec in February.   My wife had never sampled their Rosé, so I was interested in her reaction. This Rosé is a bit darker and bigger than most, it is a lovely, clear, candy red. The color reminds me of the cherry suckers we used to get at the dentist office as kids - a perfect color for the holiday season. On the first taste of this crisp, dry, wine I had some instant free associations – I thought of cranberries, visualizing the cranberry dressing my wife made last year and I saw turkey at the dinner table with stuffing and sweet potatoes then I heard laughter, followed by the image of our fireplace, friends with glasses of wine, falling snow, and cranberries again. Whoa, a holiday wine indeed. This Rosé has some depth and is far more inter...

Found it on sale @ $5.59 buy it while you can. This week I found the 2009 Covey Run Merlot on sale at the local Richland Safeway for the low, low price of $5.59. The price is low, the quality of the wine is not. There’s a lot of 2005, 2006 and 2007 Covey Run Merlot in town, this was the first 2009 Covey Run red wine I have found locally. On the neck of the screw cap are the words, “Best Value”, which it is. At $5.59 I’d call it a terrific value. My advice is to pass on the older vintages of Covey Run Merlot, but don’t pass on the 2009 Covey Run Merlot . Covey Run was a Zillah, Washington winery, founded in 1982. I recall visiting the Covey Run Winery when it was called Quail Ridge. But that was over 20 years ago and times have changed. On the back of the bottle, it says the wine was cellared and bottled in Richland, Washington. But, according to their web site, their contact address is in Woodinville, Washington (that's across the lake from Seattle). The winery has changed h...

My second video wine review. Enjoyed this wine so much, I decided to record opening and tasting a bottle. Hamilton Cellars is a Richland, Washington winery. Their renowned winemaker is Charlie Hoppes. Their 2008 White Wine is mostly Semillon with a little Viognier - and very lovely. If you are unfamiliar with Washington Semillon, I encourage you to view my four videos from the  Semillon Panel at the Walla Walla Wine Bloggers Conference 2010 . Hamilton Cellars Located in Queensgate Village, 1950 Keene Rd, Bldg I, Richland, WA 99352 Phone: 509-628-8227 Tasting Room is open: Wednesday- Thursday- Sunday 12:00 - 5:00 pm, Friday - Sat 12:00 - 8:00 pm , or by appointment* http://www.hamiltoncellars.com/ Cheers!

Wine Wednesday, a Perfect Afternoon for Wine Tasting Barnard Griffin Winery off of Tulip Lane. Winter has returned to the Columbia Valley, today was sunny, but a very cold day. Since today is Wine Wednesday, #WW, I thought it was time to stop in and visit my friends at Barnard Griffin winery. It's been more than a year since I last visited the Barnard Griffin winery, far too long. Rob Griffin and his wife Deborah were in the tasting room when I arrived and warmly greeted me. I then visited with tasting room manager Kim Gravenslund, who showed me the current lineup. You may already be familiar with the Barnard Griffin “tulip” label wines. These delicious wines are widely available around the country - I purchase them on a regular basis myself. So those wines I did not taste today. Today I sampled the Reserve Barnard Griffin wines – all 10 of them!  Elise checks the wine before pouring. I was happy to have Rob and Deborah’s daughter, Elise, pour for me. Elise now works a...

The Tasting Room is Open  Hamilton Cellars Richland Tasting Room Located in Eastern Washington, Hamilton Cellars is the first official winery in Richland Washington! Hamilton Cellars opened to the public on January 5, 2011. This week I had the pleasure of meeting Stacie Hamilton of Hamilton Cellars. Stacie and her husband Russ Hamilton have partnered with renowned winemaker Charlie Hoppes, to craft some truly noteworthy wines. Together they have already collaborated on three vintages. The Tasting Room  Curvy bar has room for many visitors Hamilton Cellars tasting room is located in South Richland’s Queensgate Village, on Keene Road. The 2000 SF tasting room is equipped with a long curved wine bar, roomy enough to engage a large group of visitors. The curve of the bar continues into “Milton’s Lair” – a wine club member’s only section of the tasting room.  Cozy fireplace of Milton's Lair While it was chilly and gloomy outside, inside the tasting room, Sta...

Winemaker Erik Dahle of Tasawik Vineyards , hosted a wine tasting at wonderful Monterosso's Italian Restaurant in Richland yesterday. During dinner, Erik poured 2005 Merlot, 2007 Sangiovese and 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Erik and I have been Facebook friends for over a year and this was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to sample his wines. I loved his ’05 Cabernet Sauvignon and my wife really liked the Tasawik Sangiovese. Typically, she let's me drink from her glass too, last night, she would not let me touch her glass to steal a sip. Tasawik Vineyards is located in Prosser, Washington in the Vintners Village. At dinner, I enjoyed the Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, while my wife raved about the Shrimp Fettuccini. She said it was the best she’s had in many years. And she thanked me for a wonderful dinner. Wines of Italy Tasting If you missed yesterdays dinner, then don’t miss the “Wines of Italy Tasting with Appetizers” at Monterosso's on Sunday, July 11th with a 3...

Stonecap Monson Family Estates Syrah 2005 Columbia Valley This was supposed to be another white wine post. By now, you may realize my penchant for Washington Syrah . SO you may understand my eagerness to sample the Stonecap 2005 Syrah . This wine was cellared and bottled by Goose Ridge Vineyards, Richland , Washington. I have a lot of respect for Goose Ridge wines. Naturally I was curious about this new label. I opened the wine, had a short glass, and closed it again for three days before drinking it again. Screw caps do come in handy sometimes. What was it like on day one? When I first opened the wine, it had a distinct tomato soup nose - extremely vegetal , with a touch of celery. Not my speed, which explains why I ignored it for three days. Day three, or is it day four? Today I was immediately impressed by the glorious deep purple color, inky purple, the color of the Syrah of my dreams. Thankfully, the strong vegetal aroma has gracefully retired, replaced by the subtle arom...