William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Versatile Rieslings, perfect for drinking and pairing. I've become excited about Washington Riesling wine all over again. Riesling wine is truly one of the most versatile white wines out there. Specifically, the dry and semi-sweet styles of Riesling have an almost unlimited potential for drinking and food pairing enjoyment. And are so, my speed. Today it is one of the fastest growing white varieties in the industry. Case in point, not only are the Pacific Rim Rieslings fresh and delicious, but they have complexity, variation of style and a vibrant character which makes them eminently drinkable and friendly food wines. And one of the biggest secrets about Columbia Valley Rieslings, is that they can be aged for years and will continue to develop wonderful aromatic and flavor characteristics. Young, or aged, Pacific Rim Wines Columbia Valley Riesling is to be sought out. Eminently drinkable wines and wonderful with food. Pacific Rim Wines  is well known for making Wash...

The February Virtual Tasting Featured this month was the Saviah Cellars 2012 The Jack Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley. This wine retails for $18 and is widely available. The tasting took place on twitter, Thursday, February 26th, from 7-8 pm Pacific. What you needed to participate in this virtual tasting: 1. Buy this month’s wine from the winery or a local retailer 2. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7 and 8 pm Pacific on the specified date using the hashtag #saviah. For those on Twitter, follow @wawinereport. Check Washington Wine Report for future virtual tastings. We discussed aromas, flavors, label design, price, availability and general thoughts. Most participants rated this wine a "BUY" after an hour of tasting and tweeting, especially at the price. Tasting Notes 2012 Saviah Cellars THE JACK Color : Ruby purple. Nose : Cherry, sharpened pencil. Palate : Fruit, dark plum, cherry, brambly, coffee, smooooth, only a little tin...

Barnard Griffin has a new look. One of my favorite jobs was working for the family owned Barnard Griffin Winery. Hand-selling wine, meeting and greeting visitors from around the world and sharing stories of Washington wine were some of my best experiences. Period. It also pushed me to learn more about wine. I'm still learning. You are encouraged to stop by their expanded tasting room when you visit SE Washington. New Griffin label and original Tulip label at the grocer. It is always with pleasure when I see a bottle from one of my favorite local wineries. As with all things familiar, there is eventually change. Barnard Griffin Winery dropped their familiar, friendly tulip label design last year. They have decided to embrace the Griffin logo on their label. My thoughts? It does look classier and it presents well. The new label seems to make the bottle look bigger too. I miss the friendly tulip label, but I am adapting to the change. I can only hope that in future they do...

I often see Milbrandt vineyards listed as a fruit source on many Washington wine labels. The Milbrandt family planted their first vines in 1997 and today they farm 12 distinct estate vineyard sites totaling more than 2,500 acres. Their grapes are purchased by some of the best wineries in Washington. Milbrandt Vineyards sign at Vintner's Village. They only began making wine from their grapes in 2005 and in June of 2007 they launched the Milbrandt Vineyards label. Today it is my pleasure to review one of their wines. While I have visited their tasting room in Prosser, Washington, first in 2010 during Spring Barrel Weekend and as recently as October 2014, this is my first Milbrandt wine review. I was quite happy with this everyday red table wine. *Note: I've included a bonus Milbrandt cooking video below. Tasting Notes Milbrandt Vineyards 2012 Brothers' Blend: Color : Smoky garnet to clear rim. Nose : Fresh cherry, smoky, ripe plum, orange pith, RC Cola, shar...

"Each purchase helps send low income, capable young women to college through the O Wines Opportunity for Success Scholarship program." Two months ago on the #WineMuse podcast show , I enjoyed speaking with winemaker Katie Nelson of O Wines . Following up, I am happy to review her red and white wines. They were very good. Our October winemaker conversation  included speaking with Katie Nelson, Winemaker for 'O' Wines in Washington State. Each purchase of 'O' Wines helps fund scholarship to send young women to college through the 'O' Wines Opportunity for Success Scholarship program. Yes, drinking wine can support Scholarship. O Wines was established in 2006 in Woodinville, Washington by Stacy Lill and Kathy Johanson with a mission to fund college scholarships for low income, capable young women so they can achieve their greatest potential through education. Since the introduction of the wines to the Pacific Northwest in 2008 followed by a...

An adorable, heady Viognier by one of my favorite winemakers. Bravo! Alexandria Nicole Cellars is a local Washington winery dedicated to producing small lots of hand-crafted wine at their Destiny Ridge Estate vineyard and winery. Destiny Ridge vineyard is located on the bluffs above the Columbia River near the town of Paterson, Washington. Many different varietals thrive in soils and micro-climate conditions of the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. Lovely place. Tasting Notes: Color : Straw, shiny, clear. Nose : Fresh pear, honey, sweet minerality, hazelnut, lychee, nectarine skin, peach blossom with light vanilla and fig. Generous layered nose, added depth over 30 minutes. Nose stuck in glass. Reminded me of a spring rain in the orchard, sitting outside on the porch, smelling the fresh baked bread cooling in my Great Aunt Marjorie's kitchen. Palate : Fresh, creamy, honeyed-pear, brioche, medium-light body, silky dryness on the tongue, orange cream wi...

Can you fall in love with a wine? A wine worth pondering. Gordon Estate is located in the heart of the Columbia Valley in Washington State. They are the oldest estate winery in Washington State and use only estate-grown grapes in making their hand-crafted Washington wines. In 1980, Jeff Gordon, along with his wife, Vicki and brother Bill decided to plant wine grapes on a sagebrush-covered slope overlooking the Snake River in southeastern Washington’s Columbia Valley. In 1985, he released his first small lot of Chardonnay wine produced from their estate vines. Gordon Estate, previously known as "Gordon Brothers," has been served at my table for over 25 years. I encourage you to discover the wines of Gordon Estate. A true Washington original. Tasting Notes : Color : Dark garnet to plum. Nose : Spicy with cumin, black currant, licorice, gingerbread, cherry cordial, complex with a lot going on, background with hints of savory vegetal and dark chocolate. Layered...

2011 Estate Bottled Red Wine Blend Columbia Valley Goose Ridge Vineyards was founded by the Monson Family in 1999. Goose Ridge is an estate winery dedicated to handcrafting wines from grapes grown on their 1,400 acre vineyard. Veteran Columbia Valley winemaker Kendall Mix joined Goose Ridge Vineyard & Estate Winery as head winemaker in April of 2010. While I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Mix at tasting events, this is my first review of one of his Goose Ridge red wines. Visiting with him at the winery is on my list. Call me.

Do not believe me if I tell you I'm not a fan of Washington Riesling.  Many long time wine drinkers may tell you that over time a change in palate occurs. Mine has. A progression from light to sweet white wines, to robust red wines. Then the dabbling in diverse white varieties and on to the realization that many different red varieties exist, which need to be explored. In my case there was a casualty. A wine I had mostly given up on in preference to tastier realms. Riesling. Washington Riesling. Occasionally, a Washington Riesling comes my way which forces me to recognize the fallacy of my prejudice. The Gård Vintners 2011 Riesling Grand Klasse Columbia Valley is such a wine. Provided by the winery, this is the third Gård Vintners I had the pleasure to taste and review. You can now consider me a fan.

The second Gård Vintners wine I had the pleasure to taste and review. Gård Vintners is a family owned and operated winery. "Gård" means "farm" in many Scandinavian languages and is a tribute to the owners Scandinavian heritage and farming tradition. The Lawrence family, founders of Gård Vintners, have farmed the Royal Slope in Washington's Columbia Valley for over 45 years. Brothers Hervey "Sandy" Lawrence and John Lawrence, along with John's son Josh Lawrence, launched Gård Vintners, a product of Lawrence Cellars, in 2006. The 2011 Don Isidro Red Wine was named after vineyard manager, Isidro Mondragon.

Spotlight on Gård. I've mentioned many times on this blog how much I enjoy the quality, diversity, complexity and overall satisfaction delivered by Washington Syrah. Add the Gård 2010 Syrah to the list. This is my first time tasting a wine by Gård Vintners. Gård Vintners is a family owned and operated winery. "Gård" means "farm" in many Scandinavian languages and is a tribute to the owners Scandinavian heritage and farming tradition. The Lawrence family, founders of Gård Vintners, have farmed the Royal Slope in Washington's Columbia Valley for over 45 years. Brothers Hervey "Sandy" Lawrence and John Lawrence, along with John's son Josh Lawrence, launched Gård Vintners, a product of Lawrence Cellars, in 2006.

Columbia Valley, Washington We are enjoying perfect end of summer weather in the Columbia Valley. Freaking gorgeous days and cool nights, perfect for ripening grapes. This kind of weather is also perfect grilling weather. Tonight I made grilled avocado, bacon, cheese-burgers and paired those tasty burgers with Subplot No 26.  Photo: 2010 Subplot No 26 red wine with burger. Subplot No 26 is made by a local winery, Bookwalter Winery. Bookwalter is just minutes from my home. I've been drinking their wine since 1986. And their 2010 Bookwalter Subplot No 26 Red Wine delivered the goods. Ah, grilled burgers, I gently brushed the buns with olive oil and toasted them until they were just golden, added a bit of mayo, a squirt of ketchup, sliced onion, cheddar cheese, a slice of tomato, two pieces of bacon, lettuce and some avocado to complete my burger. Yeah baby. Wine tasting notes: Color: garnet red Nose: coffee, herbal, dark fruit, blueberry, earthiness, pencil shaving...

àMaurice Cellars 2009 Malbec - decanted. Washington's Best Malbec. Two weeks a go I visited family on Bainbridge Island. Bainbridge Island is a 30 minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle. I had not visited with my cousin José in three years. To celebrate the occasion I brought a special bottle of wine...àMaurice Cellars 2009 Malbec. This May I was in Walla Walla for Spring Release weekend. It's the weekend when Walla Walla Wineries celebrate the season and showcase new releases by opening their tasting rooms. While I stopped at several wineries, one of the wineries I visited was àMaurice Cellars - whose winemaker is Anna Schafer. This was my first time at the Walla Walla winery, but not the first time I had met the winemaker. My first meeting with Anna Schafer was at the 2007 Washington Wine Country Grand Gala in Yakima, Washington. Winemaker Anna Schafer in the tasting room. In 2007 I wrote, "These are not lazy, rural wines - but big, expressive urban wi...

Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 - Selected for the April Virtual Tasting. Sean Sullivan of Washington Wine Report has arranged another virtual tasting . This month it is on Tuesday 24 April, 2012. The wine will be the 2009 Charles Smith Wines Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon . This wine retails for $20, I found it on sale locally and paid $14. What you need to do to participate: 1. Have a twitter account - a great reason for using twitter. 2. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery. ( If you cannot find this specific vintage/varietal, try to find another Charles Smith red wine ). 3. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7pm - 8pm PST/10pm - 11pm EST, using the hashtag #charlessmith and follow Washington Wine Report @wawinereport on twitter, you can follow me too @wild4wawine on twitter. You don’t have to be a total wine geek to join – just have a thirst to learn and chat about wine! This will be my third Virtual Tasting. ...

Really Good Stuff. This week I enjoyed a bottle of Blacksmith Syrah, and the smile is still on my face. Blacksmith is made by winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla of Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington. Blacksmith is a second label by Forgeron and priced at half the price of their 2008 Forgeron Syrah. Go find this wine. Now. I've seen a lot of discussion on wine blogs questioning which varietals become the best examples of Washington wine. Washington winemakers work with many different varietals and they make fantastic wine from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Riesling, Chardonnay, Semillon, etc. But, if you were to ask me this week I'd answer, “Syrah” yes, yes, yes. Syrah is the varietal of Washington. 2009 Blacksmith Syrah - I'm accepting gifts of this wine. Everything good about Washington Syrah can be found in a bottle of 2009 Blacksmith Syrah.  Quote me on that. This wine was immediately enjoyable when I removed the cork. It had a captivating deep col...

Tim Henley of Gordon Brothers Winery Delivers the Goods. Cooler weather and clouds have settled into the Columbia Valley. While Fall is shifting my preference in wine to red, this week I reveled in a bottle of white wine from Gordon Brothers. Loved this wine and it was perfect with my slow cooked chicken.

L'Ecole 2006 Syrah a Lovely Treat. A lovely, lovely Washington Syrah. Last week I was camping in the mountains with my son and his Boy Scout troop. It may be summer in the Columbia Valley, but in the Cascades it's still spring - as in cold and wet. After a week of sleeping in a small tent, in the same warm, but increasingly aromatic sleeping bag, lacking the pleasure of wine, it was a joy to return home. My dear wife had a bottle of L'Ecole No. 41 Syrah waiting for me. She knows me so well. This is an elegant Syrah with blueberry and black cherry, it has an inviting dark purple color, medium body and a lucious finish with pleasant spice. Well balanced tannin and acid.This wine is drinking extremely well now. I enjoyed this wine so much, I did not want to share it with food. Perfect for a special occasion or just because you love Syrah. Recommended. Alcohol: 14.8% Blend: Syrah 95% and Grenache 5% Since I did not buy this wine, I do not know what my wife paid for ...

Some of you prefer organic food, but have you tried organic wine? I had a great experience at a red wine tasting at Badger Mountain Organic Vineyard and Powers Winery. Mickey Dunne, winery Owner and Sales Director, was my host. I was delighted by the Badger Mountain Organic NSA wines. It all made perfect sense. Rejoice because these are top-notch wines, big on flavor and modest on price.

A lovely unoaked, NSA, Organic Chardonnay in a pretty blue bottle. I have enjoyed visiting Badger Mountain and Powers Winery for nearly 20 years. Located in a residential neighborhood, Badger Mountain Winery is the arm of Powers Winery which grows organic grapes and bottles Organic wines. Bill Powers and his family have been crafting fantastic wines for many years. He and his son Greg planted Badger Mountain vineyard in 1982. In 1990 Badger Mountain Vineyard became the first Certified Organic wine grape vineyard in Washington State. In 2010, Bill Powers was inducted into the Legend of Washington Wine at the Walter Clore Center . A visit to this winery can be very rewarding. The solar powered tasting room has a fantastic selection of Badger Mountain and Powers white and red wines; and some of the best hospitality. Outside you’ll find a lovely green area with picnic tables for, well…picnics. The next time you visit the Tri-Cities, do not miss visiting this winery. ...

List of Red Mountain Wineries. I've updated the Local Wineries page . Made time this morning to add Red Mountain AVA information and a list of Red Mountain Wineries to the  Local Wineries page . This list does not include Benton City wineries, yet. There are some recent additions to Red Mountain which may not be reflected by my list. I'll do more research to confirm. I will be adding a legend to the list of wineries: V= Visited Facility, R=Reviewed Wine. If you notice any errors or omissions, please post a comment. Thanks for the tweets, #ff, #wawine, #ww, @wild4wawine Cheers!