William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Oh mama...fantastic wine. My Pinot Noir drinkers often ask for recommendations of Oregon wines. Well, now added to my Strongly Recommended list is this Knudsen Vineyards 2015 Pinot Noir Estate Reserve, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon. It rocked! This wine came from their estate vineyard. Specifically, Block 1, Block 5 and Block 6, all French Dijon clone 777. Block 1 is the youngest part of the vineyard, planted in 2006 at a higher elevation of 755-840 feet, it provided added brightness, freshness and aromatic expression. 2015 was an extraordinary vintage. Growing conditions produced a stunning Pinot Noir from Knudsen Vineyards . Bud break was a month earlier than normal, with early warm weather. The growing season tapered off to normal by September, providing a break from the heat and the development of balanced, concentrated fruit for harvest. And it shows in this beautiful wine. Tasting Notes Color : Clear rim, pale ruby. Nose : Soft, strawberry skin, low ...

You seldom encounter an Oregon Pinot Noir of this quality at this price.  "I’ve missed you Oregon Pinot Noir." I am strongly recommending the Real Nice Winemakers 2015 Black Magnolia Pinot Noir. My Pinot Noir drinkers will instantly appreciate this wine. And speaking to you non-Pinot Noir drinkers, this wine is the perfect excuse to try again. It is well crafted and priced reasonably. You can afford to give it a taste. I think you will be as pleased as I was. "Wow. Very good. Ready to drink. Big like." Tasting Notes Black Magnolia 2015 Pinot Noir Color : Pale ruby, clear rim. Nose : Medium intensity, earthy raspberry, savory spice, blackcurrant, strawberry jam. Pretty. Palate :  Medium body, fruity, bright red cherry, ripe strawberry, creamy, medium plus acidity, dry, pretty medium finish. Well done. 30 minutes : Medium ruby color. Tobacco leaf, candied fruit, ripe raspberry, perfume on the nose. Fluid, medium minus body, cranberry, cherry, str...

"Patio thinker into a sunset sharing wine." Today I am pleased to share my sentiments on the second vintage of Shallow Seas Rosé, by winemaker Anthony Van Nice, of Real Nice Winemakers . "The name and the antique diver helmet refer to our marine sedimentary soils here. The whole area was an inland seas millions of years ago and plate tectonic forces pushed this ancient seabed up to the surface. You can walk the vineyards and break apart rocks with your hands and find fossilized seas shells and other marine life." Tasting Notes Shallow Seas 2017  Rosé Color: Rose gold. Nose : Medium-minus intensity, minerality, dried strawberry, perfume, hint of pink grapefruit and pomegranate. Pretty. Palate : Medium minus intensity, medium body, dry, textured, tingle on tongue, Delicate flavor, savory, raspberry, cherry, juicy quince, medium finish. Lovely, nuanced flavors, focused and spot on. My speed. I like this wine, a lot. Day two : Juicy, dry, savor...

A wonderful wine for elevating your holiday celebrations and meals. I distinctly remember my Pinot Noir "ah ha!" moment in April 2012. That particular wine epiphany led to a new appreciation and understanding of the Pinot Noir variety. Washington grape growers cultivate many, many premium grape varieties - Pinot Noir is not one of them. “There's a reason people drink Oregon Pinot Noir.” By embracing a world of wine outside of Washington, I finally gained an appreciation for one of the most sought after wines - Pinot Noir, especially Oregon Pinot Noir. Oregon produces truly stunning Pinot Noir. The Archery Summit 2013 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir is one of those wonderful wines from Oregon for elevating your holiday celebrations and meals. Strongly Recommended . Tasting Notes Color : Pale, clear ruby. Nose : Earthy strawberry and raspberry skin, orange peel, floral. Palate : Juicy strawberry/raspberry, orange pith, focused to middle, tingly edged, tasty me...

Taste Washington Appellation Seminar Columbia Gorge AVA There are always opportunities to educate yourself. This year I have expanded my knowledge about the Columbia Gorge AVA. During the weekend of Taste Washington I attended a seminar featuring wines made from grapes grown in the Columbia Gorge. While I was familiar with some of the wines and wineries in this AVA, at this seminar I was introduced to new winemakers, wineries and vineyards. The focus was on wines made from higher elevation vineyard sources in the Columbia Gorge AVA. "A world of wine in 40 miles." The Columbia Gorge was carved out by the epic Missoula glacial floods  around 15,000 years ago. The area where I live in eastern Washington was once covered by the flood waters of the short lived Lake Lewis, before breaking free and creating the Columbia Gorge. Glacial erratics , large boulders carried by glacial ice, were deposited hundreds of miles from their origins as far as the Willamette Valley in Or...

Open That Bottle Night - A great excuse for a Wine Pairing Weekend.  February 28th was Open That Bottle Night - I selected a bottle of wine I helped blend using barrel samples of Pinot Noir from R. Stuart winery in McMinville, Oregon. I was saving this bottle for a special occasion and knew it was likely time to open and drink. I hoped it had improved. "Blending wine is no task for mere mortals."   - William Pollard Jr.  Our Wine Pairing Weekend group decided Open That Bottle Night would be an appropriate occasion to pair our selected bottle of wine with something special as well. After some consideration, I decided North Carolina ribs would likely pair well with my special bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir. For this post I'll review the wine first, then provide the recipe, and wrap up with the results of this wine + food pairing. *Note: What is Open That Bottle Night? Wife and Husband columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher invented Open That Bo...