William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

An end of the world wine destination. Some may consider SE Washington the ends of the earth. Miles of desert, few trees, rolling hills called mountains, wheat fields, apple orchards, hops and vineyards. I missed last weeks #winechat discussion on twitter because I was busy writing about the three hour lunch I enjoyed that day on Red Mountain with the marketing team of Hedges Family Estate winery . The #winechat topic was "End of the world wines." How appropriate a caption for the lunch I enjoyed and this post. FYI : The   Red Mountain AVA is the smallest in the state at only 4,040 acres. The AVA has 1,199 acres under cultivation. Primary grape varieties planted include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Sangiovese, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The vineyards have produced grapes for some of the most sought after wines in Washington State. Only 15 minutes from my front door. Christophe Hedges, General Manager. Arriving at the Hedges winery ...

Time for Red Mountain Syrah!  Many of my recent posts have focused on white and rose' wines. It's been two weeks of triple digit weather in SE Washington, so I have favored chilled wines. I am ready for a break from the heat. As much as I enjoy chilled white and pink wines in the summer, I still crave red wine, especially once the sun dips near the horizon. One of my favorite varieties is Syrah, Washington Syrah and Red Mountain Syrah. In that order. There's a quality and complexity to Red Mountain wines which titillates and gratifies the senses. This bottle of Kiona Vineyards and Winery 2012 Red Mountain Syrah did not disappoint. A worthwhile Wine of the Week. Tasting Notes Kiona 2012 Red Mountain Syrah Color : Bright Garnet. Nose : Violets, dark notes in background, soft soil, candied. Palate : Round, blue fruit focused to front, dry on the gums, tingle back of mouth, a little heat on the flavorful light finish. After 15 minutes : Broad nose, sarsaparilla...

What's the fuss about Washington state Syrah? In Washington we talk a lot about our affection for Washington Syrah. For us, it's one of those expressive varieties which can show off tremendous fruit, sublime funkiness, sexy floral aromatics, deep flavors and inky color. No one winemaker does Syrah the same. Washington grown Syrah lends itself to wonderful expression. This week I'm recommending you seek out the Columbia Crest Grand Estates 2012 Syrah. With so much going on with this wine, you can no longer excuse yourself from avoiding Washington Syrah. Yes, your tongue will be stained purple. Let me know what you think in the comment section below. I am continually impressed by the quality wine produced by Columbia Crest, I think I just talked myself into bringing another bottle home. Tasting Notes Columbia Crest Grand Estates 2012 Syrah Color : Purple-violet, vibrant. Nose : Earthy, fruity, plum, funk, orange peel, bacon fat, rubbed anise, generally w...

Over the weekend I was tweeting with my Australian friend @nessaussie, a Sommelier in Perth, about wine. We were discussing the Swan Valley of Western Australia. This morning I woke thinking about the wine we featured on the September #WineMuse Podcast. It was then that I realized I had not posted my tasting notes for the Hope Estate 2010 Shiraz " The Ripper "...fruit sourced from the Geographe Region of Western Australia. *Podcast Note : "You Say Syrah, I Say Shiraz (& To Spit or Swallow Wine)" Y ou can listen to our discussion of this wine on Minstrel and Muse Audio Art Magazine and our #WineMuse podcast . The show has a special interview with Keith Pilgrim of Terra Blanca Winery . Western Australia is the largest state in Australia. The Margaret River Valley Wine growing region is centered in the cooler south-western tip of the state of Western Australia. This area produces less than 5% of the country's wine (but excels in quality I'm to...

Take time to enjoy family and friends with Stottle Wines. The dreary, cool weather and that on and off drizzle has me bundled up today. Jacket and sweater are no longer optional. I'm cold, hungry and craving comfort. Good food, good friends and a good bottle of wine are on my list for tonight. My wine selection for this weekend is the Stottle 2011 Syrah Horse Heaven Hills. Because I'm fond of Syrah and the Horse Heaven Hills. Make some fond memories over the weekend and hug your loved ones. Tasting Notes Stottle Winery 2011 Syrah Horse Heaven Hills Color : Dark purple. Nose : Perfumed, smoky, violets, dark cacao, dark fruit, bacon fat, clove. Palate : Energetic, gripped my ears, pepper, leather, blackberry. 15 minutes : Relaxing, acid more present than tannin, dark fruit and dark chocolate, nose is more complex. Lively chocolate, plum finish kept it interesting. 30 minutes : chocolate, clove, mint nose. Tasty flavors, blueberry compote, tar, dark chocolate, balanci...

You had me at first sip... Sometimes I forget to take advantage of living in wine country. Life and responsibility take center stage. Then I remember how close I live to the wealth of Washington wine country. Minutes and not many miles from home, I have access to some of the best wines made in the world. It's all right here in Southeastern Washington. Accessing the delightful wonders of Walla Walla wine country is a mere one hour drive. I recently visited with Ashley Bruton at her family owned Skylite Cellars  in Walla Walla, Washington. Ashley was a wonderful host and shared many delicious Skylite Cellars red wines. It was a comfortable, fun, engaging visit. The wine which captivated me this time was her 2009 Syrah. View of the tasting room from the loft. Skylite Cellars is on the outskirts of Walla Walla on the old highway. The new highway bypasses their winery along with several others. You will have to make the effort to find this winery. It's wort...

Is it summer yet?  I have a new grill and it is getting daily use in the sunshine of eastern Washington. When I think grilled foods I also think wine. Are you looking for affordable delicious wines for summer? My friends at Purple Star Wines are producing tasty wines at reasonable prices. These are perfect summer wines, serve chilled and enjoy with grilled foods. Tasting Notes Purple Star 2013 Chardonnay Color : Polished gold Nose : Mineral, toast, pear skin, whiff of allspice. Palate : Fresh pear, juicy, brioche, hint of cinnamon with pear skin on the lightly creamy finish. Tingle on the gums. Enjoyed with dinner and with the setting sun. Day two : Lush, juicy, spicy pear, most of the action mid-palate, creamy pear, with a lingering floral flourish. Very good now and likely to improve in the bottle. Thoughts : Tremendous value in this Washington Chardonnay. No summer BBQ would be complete without a bottle of Purple Star Chardonnay. A balanced tasty white w...

Another Washington Syrah, this time from Walla Walla. The Mackey brothers, Philip and Roger, launched Mackey Vineyards in 2010. The 2008 vintage was their first. Their 2009 Syrah is therefore their second vintage. And it is a vintage worth aging in your wine cellar. A collectors wine. This initial exposure to Mackey Vineyards was interesting. Expect great things from this winery.

Okay fans of Washington Syrah, this one is for you. A notoriously difficult to find bottle of Syrah. I snagged the last bottle when I saw it at the local grocers. It's a little young today but drank well after an hour. I even made a couple of wallpaper images of the bottle for you to put on your desktop. "Good expression of varietal." -William Pollard, Wild 4 Washington Wine.

Tuesday evening was the November 2013 Virtual Tasting. Washington Wine Report  (Sean Sullivan) hosts these monthly virtual tastings. This months Virtual Tasting wine was the 2012 Boom Boom! Syrah . The tasting took place on Tuesday November 26th from 7-8 pm Pacific. We used the hashtag  #CharlesSmith for our tweets. "Go buy this one before it is all gone." William Pollard, Wild 4 Washington Wine

An impressive red wine. This summer friends from the wet side of Washington took me wine tasting in Zillah, Washington. Our friendly guide was Summer, my new friend. Summer is a local, her husband a Zillah winemaker. She was the perfect guide, bubbly, exuberant with sharp wit, her enthusiasm for local wineries contagious. She directed us to several boutique wineries I never would have found on my own. Thank you Summer. One of the more out of the way wineries was Knight Hill Winery.

Maison Bleue is a family-owned winery dedicated to the production of terroir-driven wines from designated vineyards and appellations located across Washington State. They focus primarily on Rhône varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Marsanne and Viognier, as well as Chardonnay.  Jon Meuret-Martinez, owner and winemaker of Maison Bleue Family Winery has had a long affection for Rhône wines. He realized that this is where he would start Maison Bleue Winery and his lifelong focus of Rhône-style wines. "A highly regarded producer of Syrah and Grenache." - Jancis Robinson, MW

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.

My first Idaho wine review. Last week I met Gary Cunningham owner/grower of 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards. Gary was showcasing his Idaho wines at the Kennewick, Washington Costco. Yes, I believe this is my first Idaho wine review. photo: Gary Cunningham. Gary had a good display of the wines he makes. While my wife continued shopping, Gary and I had a chance to talk. With over 50 wineries in Idaho, 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards is the largest producer at over 10,000 cases annually. To keep up with demand, Gary is planting more vineyards. Gary apologized for not being able to share his wine with me; in Washington you cannot taste wine at Costco, you can eat food samples, but unfortunately not wine. I had to wait until I got home.

Sex in a glass of wine. Smell is one of the most prized aspects of my wine enjoyment. The more time I spend smelling and analyzing wine, the greater my appreciation and sensitivity to those characteristics. Smell can also enhance the libido and draw people together. "Smell is not just a biological and psychological experience, it is also a social and cultural phenomenon." Source:  The Smell Report by Kate Fox , Social Issues Research Centre My friends and regular readers know that I am a huge fan of Washington Syrah. Washington Syrah can be very expressive in color, aroma and depth of flavor. Personal experience suggests it will stain your mouth and lips purple. There is no singular style of Washington Syrah; Syrah can be fruity, smoky, meaty, funky, floral and any combination of those elements. Yes, I have been enthralled by the deep properties emanating from a glass of Washington Syrah. This week I had a truly unique sensory experience with the  Pomum Cellars ...

photo: Charles & Charles Rosé 2012  I crave savory food, especially Asian food, almost as much as I crave wine. This weeks wine of the week is the Charles & Charles Rosé 2012 a good mate to my home prepared Asian inspired meal. This wine is a collaboration between Charles Bieler and Charles Smith . Eschewing the aesthetic of the well-known Charles Smith black and white label design, they have opted for a broad swipe of pink stripes on this label, creating an eye catching, difficult to ignore bottle of wine. A bottle you and your friends will not be able to resist.

Guest Post by Juli Crompe. Another year has come and gone at Taste Washington Seattle (Taste). I feel so lucky and grateful for the opportunity to attend for the third year in a row. On top of the wonderful event itself, Taste now offers seminars before the event, four on Saturday and three on Sunday, on a variety of extremely interesting and educational topics (check them out  here ). On Saturday, I chose to attend "Intro to the World of Wine", with moderator Sean Sullivan of Washington Wine Report , and panelists Dr. Kevin Pogue of Whitman College, Thomas Henick-Kling of Washington State University, Thomas Price MS of the Metropolitan Grill and Linda Murphy, author of " American Wine, an Honest Drink ." Quite the caliber of experts for a 90 minute synopsis on the world  of wine. Luckily, they chose to focus mainly on Washington and a few basics. I thought this would be the perfect seminar to share with you; regardless of if you're new to wine or knowl...

Sexy, Groovy, Washington Syrah. photo: Two Mountain 2009 Syrah. Syrah is one of my favorite varietals. I am continually impressed by the quality and depth of character expressed by Syrah from Washington State. Two Mountain Winery in Zillah, Washington has delivered an outstanding wine with their 2009 Syrah. Highly recommended. Tasting Notes: This Syrah had a sexy deep color. On the nose was pepper and plum; almost gamy with violets. It was bright at first, with bacon fat, dark fruit, and a medium finish. After 10 minutes it started to open up; flavors of tasty blueberry, with smoky elements and tarragon, yum. After 40 minutes there was ginger bread on the nose and palate, yielding to savory chocolate. This wine was "lush": as in "growing luxuriantly". The word "groovy" also came to mind. The brothers Rawn have done an excellent job with the Two Mountain 2009 Syrah. This is another wine to put on your must experience list. Highly recommended....

photo: 2008 McKinley Springs Syrah - Horse Heaven Hills. McKinley Springs is a family owned and operated winery in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of Washington State. Doug Rowell is the winemaker and Rob Andrews is the grower. This was a dark wine, deep color almost inky; as expected from a Washington Syrah. On the nose: violets, blueberry, tar, pepper, whiff of earth, medium mouth feel, aromas flowed into the finish. There's a lot to like about this wine at opening, although, after some air, this wine became more concentrated on nose and palate. Aromas deepened, flavors became richer, root-beer, chocolate and espresso components emerged after 25 minutes, which was lovely on the nose. Balanced acidity and fine tannin kept this wine fresh and interesting. Really a treat to drink after 30 minutes. This wine is going to stain your tongue and lips purple; I checked in the mirror and it's true. Isn't that great? Man, the nose on this wine was captivating. I derived as much...

Syrah Harvest 4 October 2012 Photo: Syrah clusters, ripe and ready for picking. Yesterday morning, I visited Gordon Estate to photograph harvest in the vineyard. They were picking Syrah. Winemaker Tim Henley was not sure when they would start harvest, so he told me to wait for his text. At 10:30 am he texted that they had begun. Photo: Mechanical harvester. When I arrived at the vineyard, I saw the mechanical harvester 3/4 of the way down the row. I parked my car and hoofed it to grab some photos of the harvester in action. The Syrah clusters looked good to me. Photo: Vineyard manager Ramon riding the harvester. The tractor pulling the harvester was not moving too fast, so I was able to reach the harvester, grab some shots and then walk back to where I started. Looking at the clouds of dust, I noticed that the soil in the vineyard is fine and powdery. After walking down the rows, my boots looked like they were covered in talcum powder. Photo: End of the ...