William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

A View from the Tasting Room Floor Up. Last week I had quite the ex perience helping b ottle wine at Hightower Cellars on Red Mountain. As a Washington Wine Ambassador, www.washingtonwine.org/ , I receive occasional invites to help wineries, small and large, with events and other activities. The most recent invite was to help Hightower Cellars bottle their 2006 vintage s. Since I n ever bottled w ine before, I thought this would be a good opportunity to volunteer and see fo r myself what it is lik e. Red Mountain is only a 15 minute drive from my home, so I arrived at the w inery at approximately 9:30 AM ready to work.  Tim and Kelly emptying barrels. Kelly and Tim Hightower are the winemakers of Hightower Cellars. Hightower was originally located in Woodinvi lle, Washington. But, with the purchase of land on Red Mountain, along with water rights, they’ve been producing o utstanding wines on Red Mountai n sinc e they moved there in 2002. Mobile Bottling Hightower d...

This is my first time participating on Wine Blogging Wednesday, a big thank you to Catie our host at http://www.wildwallawallawinewoman.blogspot.com/ . Those of you who know me or have read my previous posts, know that I am partial to Barnard Griffin Wines located in Richland , Washington. I started enjoying Barnard Griffin wines in 1997 when they first opened their tasting room. It is also a coincidence that I recently moved closer to the winery, now just 3 minutes away - how convenient. The winemaker at Barnard Griffin is Rob Griffin. He started making wine in Washington 30 years ago for Preston Cellars. He was also the winemaker for the Hogue winery until about 1991. Rob has made his own Barnard Griffin label since 1983. Every year he receives numerous accolades for his wines. His 2004 Merlot with the tulip label has received a total of 11 tasting event awards! But this posting is not about Merlot . The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is a delicious Cabernet, especially easy to enjoy at...

Before I forget. I've mentioned the Barnard Griffin 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon in previous posts. This wine sold out two months ago at the winery. Wine Spectator magazine just reviewed and rated this wine at 92 points! Also, Wine Enthusiast magazine just reviewed and rated this wine at 93 points!! My confidants at the Barnard Griffin winery tell me that they just received 10 cases of this outstanding vintage... This is your last opportunity to grab some of this spectacular wine direct from the winery. This wine is priced at $40 a bottle. Enjoy!

Growers conference in February introduced many to the Columbia Valley. I finally have some time to post to this blog, so lets catch up. Last month the annual Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers Meeting was held in Kennewick, Washington. Growers and winemakers from the U.S. and Canada attended. And local growers and winemakers presented. I personally had some time to visit with four growers from the NAPA Valley. They appeard a bit dazed and overwhelmed when I met with them after the conference. They had questions about the Columbia Valley, climate, soil and appellations. They did not believe everything I told them and they seemed doubtful about the whole Washington state wine phenomena. But, as they say, the truth is in the tasting. They were politely interested in white wines, but unimpressed. They were very interested in red wines and were blown away by a 2004 Barnard Griffin Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. I swear their eyes popped open at the same time - looks were exchange...

Last weekend I attended the 7th Perfect Harmony, fine wine auction & dinner benefitting the Mid-Columbia Symphony . This annual event is presented by the Tri-Cities Wine Society. Master of Ceremonies again was Pete Hedges of Hedges Winery - great job Pete. This was my 5th or 6th time attending this event - and it did not disappoint. A fantastic combination of great wines and food, live music by members of the symphony and an opportunity to take home some rare library wines. Once again, the event was held at Meadow Springs Country Club in South Richland. This is a beautiful facility, and a perfect venue for the event.  Service is always excellent. The wait staff was very polished and attentive. Empty glass? They bring another. With a glass of sparkling wine in hand, I perused the silent auction. The silent auction consisted of many donated items: hand-crafted ceramic art, metal sculpture, oil paintings, glass art, wood art, wine baskets, wine tastings and more, every year...

Saturday, January 20th, 2007, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm This is your chance to meet Rob Griffin, winemaker and owner of Barnard Griffin Winery. Rob will be speaking at the Ivory Jazz in old downtown Kennewick, Washington, upstairs in the Roxy building. Rob has been making wine in Washington state for 30 years, don't miss this chance to listen to him share his thoughts on our favorite subject - wine. While Rob speaks, you will be able to enjoy five pours of Barnard Griffin wines, and then enjoy live jazz music after 8:00 pm ($10 lets you sample all five wines and includes the cover for the live music, a nice bonus). Yours truly will be pouring at this event so say "cheers" when you stop by. We'll be pouring, 2004 Tulip Merlot, 2004 Reserve Merlot, 2005 Tulip Cabernet Sauvignon (new release), 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Semillon - excellent choices! Ivory Jazz, 101 West Kennewick Ave, Kennewick, WA 99336 Phone: 509.585.8877 www.ivoryjazz.com Cheers! update: The eve...

T ime to score some Barnard Griffin 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - tulip lable. My sources tell me that this wine is getting scarce. A delicious Cabernet, the 2004 Cab Sav is dry, smooth and supple - wonderful cherry and vanilla flavors - not "sweet" as some Cabs in this price range, about $17. Wine Spectator magazine rated this wine at 89 points and the Wall Street Journal recommended it earlier this year - I think it has improved since those reviews. It is not as highly awarded as the 2004 Reserve Cabernet, about $30 - but then it does not cost as much either. Good tannins, so I think this has some potential to hold for a few years. This is another wine on my "drink me now!" list. Cheers! Update: This wine won Gold Medal January 2007 at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The tasting room still has some 10 February 2007.