William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Recommended Cellar Candidate! Some of my wine friends have impressive collections of wine. After accumulating a few hundred bottles of wine, you will reach the point where you are not going to have enough time to drink all that wine. You are creating a legacy, an inheritance. And I hope you are choosing wisely. If you are beginning a wine cellar, you have the luxury of knowing each bottle and hopefully remembering which ones to drink when. If you are adding on to a large cellar of wine, it is likely you will ignore or forget about some of your many bottles. So you want bottles which should age gracefully. Note : I know people who only share bottles of wine with others, after they've peaked and faded away! "Hey, here's a bottle of 1999 Merlot. It's no longer showing well. And I've got a case of it. Enjoy." Don't be that kind of wine collector. Share your good wines with others. Like my good wine friends do. The Mullan Road Cellars 2014 Red Wine,...

Brace yourself, pretty freaking tasty.  My first exposure to the 2012 Fidelitas 4040 was August last year. I stopped by the tasting room on Red Mountain for a special tasting of Cabernet based Fidelitas wines . Chelsea opened and poured for me and did a wonderful job. The wine showed well even though it was opened when I arrived. I've come to realize that my palate, of late, prefers the depth and complexity of red blends. My curiosity about how this vintage would continue to develop the longer it was open was piqued. Fidelitas Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain August 28, 2014. Red Mountain AVA and Charlie Hoppes are both well known for producing stunning red wines of depth. Don't miss any opportunity to sample wines made by Mr. Hoppes. And put his Red Mountain Fidelitas tasting room on your must visit list. You owe it to yourself. Wine of the Week Fidelitas 2012 4040. Tasting Notes Fidelitas 2012 4040 Red Wine Color : Dark, black cherry skin. Nose : ...

  "The Good Life" - As of this post the winery still had six cases of the 2008 Bona Vita. Strongly Recommended. Last week I visited Hamilton Cellars at their new location on Red Mountain . Previously they had a tasting room in South Richland. They have closed the original location and moved all operations to a beautiful new facility on Red Mountain. The new winery is just past Fidelitas Wines on Sunset Road. I'm not surprised if this is news to you, the new location only opened in late September. Hamilton Cellars new Tasting Room and Winery. Hamilton Cellars Red Mountain AVA Estate Vineyard. Hamilton Cellars new tasting room is solar powered. They are powering their winery and even selling back to the PUD when they generate extra electricity. They expect to break even with the solar power system within 5 years. From the tasting room there is a beautiful view of their 10 acre estate vineyard planted this year by Dick Boushey; planted ...

Anelare Wines Spring Release Spring is in the air in the Columbia Valley. This is the time of year when many wineries host Spring Release Events. Think wine, food and Anelare, Anelare Wines. I was invited to the Anelare Spring Release Event to sample their lovely wines. They have exciting news to share. "A family has brought together their hearts and minds in a common desire to make the perfect wine. Continuing the tradition with award winning star winemaker Charlie Hoppes. Having Charlie join us is the perfect pairing at the perfect time." Anelare Wines News A New Wine Boss Award-winning Fidélitas creator Charlie Hoppes has joined Anelare to develop the family winery’s next vintages with a focus on a more personal and interactive experience. A New Tasting Room In June 2014 Anelare Wines anticipates the opening of their new, permanent home. A combination winery and tasting room is under construction. Located off of I82 and Benton City. This ...

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.

photo: 2009 Horsepower and roasted leg of lamb pairing. Horsepower Proprietary Red Blend - A great match to roasted leg of lamb. My previous post I shared my recipe for Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb . The wine I paired with the lamb was the newly released McKinley Springs 2009 Horsepower Proprietary Red Blend. It was a very good pairing. Wine and food pairing can be tricky - I don't always succeed. The meal and wine should compliment each other - neither should overpower the other. There are many variables that come into play in the dance of wine with food at home; in this context I wanted a food friendly, Syrah dominant red wine. At 43% Syrah, the 2009 McKinley Springs Horsepower was a good match.

A wonderful dinner companion. I first met winemaker Scott Southard at Taste Washington Seattle! His style of winemaking continues to impress. You don't know Scott Southard and his wines? It is time you did. FYI: You can meet Scott Southard and sample his wines at Taste Washington Seattle 2013 this March 23 and 24. There's still time to purchase tickets. photo: Southard 2010 Columbia Valley Red Wine. Tasting Notes: On the first day, this wine had a pretty ruby color. An exciting spicy nose, with sandalwood, nutmeg, cocoa, raspberry, graphite and strawberry. It was smooth, medium bodied, bright, with round spicy flavors of raspberry and strawberry. The finish was smooth, spicy, with fine tannin, raspberry and a bright, dry finish. This was a friendly, balanced wine. Tannin became more noticeable with air. The Southard 2010 Columbia Valley Red wine was a good match to the slow roasted rack of lamb I prepared. On the second day, the Southa...

Hats off to winemaker Jeff White and Glen Manor Vineyards. Last year I visited Virginia wine country for the first time. That's when I learned that Virginia winemakers can craft some exceptional wines. I also made friends with some very passionate Virginians. This summer at the Wine Bloggers Conference, I shared some of my Virginia wine experiences with a member of the Virginia Wine association . She gifted me this bottle of Virginia wine. This is now one of my favorite Virginia wines. These guys knocked this one out of the park. Thank you.  Glen Manor 2009 Hodder Hill - it's time for Virginia wine. Tasting notes: Great color, dark, ripe plum. Good nose, plum, black cherry, tarragon, yummy, with a palate of plum and black cherry, perfectly dry, with cola into the tasty finish. What a great wine. Balanced and very tasty. Big smile on my face. On day two this wine was still tasty, with bright edges on the back of my tongue and cheeks, it had a solid dark cherry cor...

Two wonderful Tobin James Cellars wines, courtesy of California Wine Club. Two Wonderful Wines from Tobin James Cellars. Tobin James does not submit their wines to competitions or for review. It was my pleasure this month to learn why; because they don't need to. This California winery is located in Paso Robles. When Tobin started his winery, there were only 7 wineries in Paso Robles, today there are 250. His commitment to making wine earned him the “Wine Person of the Year 2010” award from the Paso Robles Wine alliance. The longevity of this winery looks bright, Mr. James son is studying winemaking at Fresno State University. Tobin James Radiance 2010 Monterey County, Chardonnay This was my first experience tasting Chardonnay from Paso Robles. With a clear gold color, it opened with a toasty nose and a toasty finish. Swirling the wine in my glass, a subtle spice aroma tickled my nose. It had delicate flavors of ginger and fig, with a hint of tartness in the back palate. ...

This morning Dave Mathews song “So Much to Say” is on my mind. Feeling the need to press on and share this weeks wine chats. Time to finish some reviews too. #winechat: Santa Rita, Medalla Real, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008, from the Maipo Valley. Last nights #winechat featured two wines from Chile. For me, it was an eye opening experience. Chile is producing some spectacular wines. In particular, the featured Santa Rita, Medalla Real, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008, from the Maipo Valley, blew me away. The #winechat crowd was exuberant in their response too. It is an impressive Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, especially once you consider the retail price of US $18. Santa Rita, Medalla Real Gran Reserva, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 D.O. Maipo Valley, Chile. Ripe and round, dark color, dark fruit, the concentrated palate grows into and expansive finish at the 2 hour mark. Gorgeous wine. You could drink this wine with food, but why bother? Decant this wine for an hour or two, then kick ba...

Tonight: March Virtual Tasting #lecole41. Tomorrow: #winechat Chile’s Cool Coastal Wines. Tonight: Washington Wine Report March Virtual Tasting 7-8 pm PST, Tuesday, March 20, 2012. March Virtual Tasting - Featuring L'Ecole 2009 Red Wine. Sean Sullivan of Washington Wine Report has arranged another virtual tasting, tonight it is a tasting of the 2009 L'Ecole No 41 Red Wine. This wine retails for $18 and is fairly widely available. What you need to do to participate is: 1. Have a *twitter account - a great excuse to use twitter. 2. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery. I found a bottle for $18. 3. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7 and 8 pm Pacific using the hashtag #lecole41 and follow Washington Wine Report @wawinereport on twitter. My first time participating was last months virtual tasting, a lot of fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tomorrow: Twitter #...

2008 Planing Mill Columbia Valley Red Wine. My teenage son is drinking a lot of milk. So much so, that I find it most economical to purchase milk at Costco. At Costco two gallons costs almost $5, so at less than $2.50 per gallon, that's where I go. It just so happens that eggs, cheese and milk are located next to the wine section of the store. It is nearly impossible for me not to browse for wine when I'm on a milk run. This week was no exception, I could not pass on a bottle of 2008 Planning Mill Red, especially at the price of $10.99. Planing Mill is a second label for Seven Hills Winery. Established in 1988, Seven Hills Winery is one of Walla Walla Valley's oldest wineries. Casey McClellan is the founder, winemaker and a fourth generation farmer. How was the wine? On day one this wine reminded me of a young Syrah. It drank young, clear ruby color, bright with dark fruit, violets and spice. By day two, the 2008 Planing Mill Red, was much broader. The young Syrah ch...

An expression of New World and Old World wine. Last month I had the pleasure of visiting with Forgeron Cellars winemaker, Marie-Eve Gilla . She sent me home with a bottle of wine I did not taste, her non-vintage Walldeaux Smithie. This week I had the pleasure of enjoying this gift. Originally from France, over the last two decades, Marie has made wine in Washington State for some of my favorite wineries. She is part owner of Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington and she my friends, is making outstanding wines. NV Walldeaux Smithie. A red wine blend, this is a food friendly wine, with enough character to keep you pleased before, during and after dinner. Marie has blended several vintages in this bottle, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Her intent was to create an expression of maturity and youth, and to capture elements of new world wine and old world wine. Walldeaux had good dark color on opening, delivering a rich mocha nose, and expansive depth. On the palate there was just enoug...

Hedges CMS with grilled peppers, steak and mushrooms. On this chilly November morning, I find myself thinking of summer. The too warm afternoons, fiery valley sunsets, wafting smoke from the grill and of course, all the delicious wines I enjoyed. Here's a picture from August which I "re-discovered" on my computer yesterday. Grilled steak with mushrooms and peppers and a bottle of 2009 Hedges CMS. This photo is at a much higher resolution than I typically share - click on it and enjoy a summer memory. Cheers! Links to Hedges CMS Red reviews Buy this wine direct from Hedges The Midwest Wine Guy Reviews Hedges CMS Nickel and Dime Wine reviews Hedges CMS Yelp reviews of Hedges Winery The Random Oenophile Blog Tasting Notes Hedges CMS The Puget Sound Blogs What Were Drinking Hedges CMS Red

Saturday, I was with my family in the beautiful city of Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, where I purchased this bottle of wine. We were on a three day Holland America cruise out of Seattle, our first stop was at Victoria.

A successful union of elements. Tom O’Neil has been making wine for about 25 years in Washington. He interned with Chateau Ste. Michelle and was assistant winemaker at Milbrandt Vineyards. He opened his Richland, Washington winery, Thomas O'Neil Cellars , on April 15, 2011. I sampled the original bottling of 2009 Fusion in April, which quickly sold out. May 15th, Tom bottled a new blend of 2009 Fusion (Fusion 2.0). Thomas O'Neil Cellars 2009 Fusion 2.0.

A wicked wind is blowing in the Tri-Cities. Two days of breathing gunk from the desert is affecting my allergies. Joy. Although the back of my head is throbbing, I am sifting through my notes from Sunday's Taste Washington Seattle 2011. It should be no surprise that my bias, once again, is to the red wines. Looking at my notes, what surprised me is that many of my favorite wines were from Walla Walla and "Other". Here is the breakdown by region:  Walla Walla – 8 wineries (12 favorite wines posted). Woodinville – 3 wineries (6 favorite wines posted). Other – 4 wineries (11 favorite wines posted). So, out of all the wines I tasted at Taste Washington Seattle 2011, I was able to identify 29 wines I truly enjoyed. These are wines I would personally purchase for myself or for gifts. Over the next several days I will reveal these wines and any relevant comments. As soon as the wind dies down, my allergies should go away, then I’ll be able to enjoy wine again. Cheer...

Oops, I did it again. As lovely as the 2005 Tradition was upon opening, it was even better on day two. Tonight, as the last bit of this delectable wine left my glass, just as it was going past my lips, I found myself thinking, "Oh...this is good, it's just now, so very good and it's now gone". I certainly enjoyed this wine, it was immediately approachable at opening. But the true merits of this wine did not manifest, for me, until the second day. Soft, silky, earthy/leather, touch of graphite, floral elements, good mouth feel (chocolate covered cherries on the sides of my tongue), balanced (by day two) and only 13.5% alcohol - if you have some, stash it away for a few more years. If you can't help yourself, open, taste and save most of it for day two. I purchased this bottle at the Gordon Brothers winery during Crush weekend this September. Winery notes: Estate Grown, Columbia Valley, 65% Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 8% Syrah. Production: 1,201 six packs (600 ...

Wines not Reviewed now Reviewed Say goodbye to summer friends, it’s gone and now it’s time to welcome fall and cooler weather. Fall in the Columbia Valley is one of my favorite seasons. Crisp mornings, clear skies, warm comfortable clothing and the essential fruit hanging from the vines. While a cool season has delayed harvest by a couple of weeks, I'm told the fruit of the year is of excellent quality. Growers and wineries will be very busy for the next several months. Although I look forward to enjoying the 2010 vintage next year and in the years to come, today I’d like to reminisce about some of the wines I enjoyed this summer. I have not figured out a practical method for documenting all the wines I enjoy. In some instances, I am able to photograph the wine, but lack the time to properly review them. Facebook and twitter assist to partially “document” some of these wines. But, I’m often left with just the memory of the wine. Friends and sp...

Tonight, I enjoyed the Gordon Brothers 2007 Kamiak Rock Lake Red. Katie Nelson  gave me the bottle Monday at the Gordon Brothers winery. I made a couple of sliders to go with the wine. Sliders were tasty and so was the wine. The Rock Lake Red is easy to drink. It’s smooth with gentle tannins, balanced acidity and a pleasant café mocha finish. After a couple of hours, I’m getting aromas of cherry and chocolate sundae, a subtle note of raw broccoli, black pepper and a whiff of carnation. I find myself with my nose still stuck in my glass. This wine is perfect for dinner, would go great at a wedding reception and will impress your guests. While this wine retails for $15 or less, it reminds me of a particular $25 bottle I’ve enjoyed on occasion. Save yourself $10 or more and try the 2007 Kamiak Rock Lake Red. My suggestion is to find any excuse for a party or a summer BBQ and share this wine with your friends. This wine is ready to drink now my friends, recommend...