William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

"You have not experienced Washington wine or cuisine, until you have enjoyed the Chaleur Blanc with Pacific Northwest seafood." Ah, October in wine country, the leaves are turning colors of fire and sunset. Yes, it is noticeably cooler, I needed a blanket last night to sleep and I find myself wearing a hat indoors. Friends and readers know that this is the time of year I begin to crave Chardonnay. It is my wine of the season. And yet, I find myself drawn this year not to Chardonnay, but to a Sauvignon Blanc dominant white wine. A wine which was difficult to resist drinking in one sitting. A wine made in the Pacific Northwest for Northwest fare. The 2015 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Blanc is styled as a classic Bordeaux blend, with 73% Sauvignon Blanc and 27% Semillon. After more than 20 vintages, the Chaleur Blanc has become a signature wine. I was impressed. Strongly Recommended! A true Pacific Northwest pairing! Tasting Notes Color : Dark Straw. Aroma : Yeas...

It's always a pleasure to discover a new to me Washington wine. Today, at 860 licensed and bonded Washington wineries, it is difficult for me to keep up, let alone attempt to review all their wines. Thankfully, some of those wineries reach out, introduce themselves and ask me to try their wines and review them if I like them. Lauren Ashton Cellars, a Washington winery established in 2009, sent me this sample of their 2011 Cuvée Méline white wine. I was impressed.

Architect Ed Luebben being poured 2010 Stella Blanca Semillon. Vintage Walla Walla Winemaker dinner. Last night my friend, Architect Ed Luebben, joined me at Northstar Winery for a winemaker dinner. My wife was unable to attend this dinner in Walla Walla, so I felt it was appropriate to invite the Architect who designed Northstar Winery , my friend Ed Luebben. Ed used to live in Walla Walla and he has been involved in numerous Walla Walla wine projects, including Northstar. I apologize for not having better photos of the facility; I was more interested in food, wine and conversation last night (I dug through my old files for construction photos of Northstar, but all I could find were project renderings and a short animated walk-through).  Assistant Winemaker Noah Reed guides us through the wines. We dined outside, enjoying an ideal view of vineyards and the Blue Mountains. Our delicious wines were provided by Northstar and our wonderful dinner was prepared by Chef...

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!

Washington Wine Goodness in a Blue Bottle Badger Mountain Wine with Rustic French Inspired Dinner This wine is produced using organic fruit and it is also a No Sulfites Added (NSA) organic wine. In 1990 Badger Mountain Vineyard became the first USDA Certified Organic wine grape vineyard in Washington State. Produced in the Columbia Valley AVA, Badger Mountain Wines benefit from an ideal location and climate, deep volcanic soil, and organic production – that’s win, win in my book. I strongly recommend you buy this wine. It is reasonably priced around $10 (the blue bottle just makes it easy to recognize).  Friday evening, we enjoyed this wine with dinner I prepared; a rustic, herbed chicken with caramelized vegetables. This was a delectable food and wine pairing. A balanced mineral core gives this wine a superb foundation. Lovely stone fruit flavors, mostly of pear are satisfyingly accompanied by a tasty baked bread finish. This wine is made from Organic grapes, NSA and ...

Tom Waliser of Beresan Cellars . We enjoyed a gorgeous sunny day in Walla Walla Saturday. While we tasted three Beresan reds, Tom discussed geology and climate and how it affects vineyards and their location. This vineyard is in Oregon, but since it is part of the Walla Walla AVA - it's still Walla Walla fruit, and the wine is still a Washington wine - that bit of information I did not know. Semillon Tasting at Buty Winery Caleb Foster and his lovely wife Nina Buty Foster of Buty Winery , hosted an enchaning and educational Semillon tasting at their winery. Along with, Marty Club of L'ecole No 41 winery and Jay Soloff of DeLille Cellars . For about an hour they discussed Washington Semillon, while we sampled their impressive vintages. I'm a big Semillon fan. We sampled 2005 and 2008 Semillon from each winery. There was even a surprise $200 bottle of Semillon from France we had a chance to compare them against. Jeez, can these guys make great wine. Ther...

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...