William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

A tribute to Arvid Monson, founder of Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards. “Find a Tall Sage and you have found a place that will sustain superior grape vines.” Dr. Walter Clore. The Tall Sage label is the Monson Family’s tribute to a man of great stature, the founder of Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards , Arvid Monson. A tall sage is one that develops deep tap roots. I have been a fan of Gooseridge wines for many years. Quite happy to see this new label. Both of these Washington wines are true values with great QPR. Recommended . Tasting Notes  1. Tall Sage 2014 Chardonnay Columbia Valley Color : Straw. Nose : Tropical, mineral, inviting. Palate : Nutty, dry, light pear, banana in background, medium-light body, focus to middle, slight tingle, creamy, modest finish of pear, banana and hazelnut. Light in body and palate. Best for when you want a modest, light drinking wine. After 15 Minutes : More depth on nose, think fresh rain and wet rock, pear/banana, hazelnut shel...

Electric wine, think summer downpour, ozone and lightning in a bottle! You want this wine. I want more of this wine. Order the Holman Ranch 2012 Estate Grown Pinot Gris when you see it on the menu or  buy it direct from the winery . Highly Recommended + Great Value. Tasting Notes : Color : Pale gold with green highlights. Nose : Essence of stone fruit, mineral, ginger skin, a spicy floral note with a hint of pineapple. Palate : Fresh, mineral, unripe peach pith, dry slate mid-palate, almost tart, with lemon peel on the clean uber dry finish. Yowza! Screams for raw oysters. Would suit soft creamy cheese, bread dipped in olive oil, and fried chicken. Grabbed my attention. Day Two : Still crisp, good acidity, tingle on teeth, vibrant on the tongue, focused with a long satisfying tart lemon/tangerine with slate finish. So my speed, craving BLT and Mac and Cheese. A satisfying crisp, dry wine. Highly Recommended + Great Value . ABV: 12.5% Closure: Real cork SRP: $...

What's in the pretty blue bottle? You don't have to take a class to understand what's in this pretty blue bottle. It's a lovely, fresh, unoaked, NSA, Certified USDA Organic Washington Chardonnay. However, let's clear up a couple of terms before delving into the tasting notes.

This year I have had little to do with Washington Merlot. I'm not sure why. Merlot is one of the varieties I have always associated with premium Washington wine. Curious. Last night, early this morning, I was thinking about this unpublished post and this bottle of wine. Somewhere in town last week, I saw a bottle of the 2010 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot on a store shelf. It got me thinking that it would be fun to compare a bottle of the 2010 with 2011. There are not many bottles of the 2010 still on the shelf, so if you are like minded then this is the time to hunt one down. 2011 was a cooler year than 2010 and this bottle of 2011 took a couple of hours to open up - so I'm thinking that the 2010 should be drinking well. Just thought I'd share that. Following are my tasting notes for the 2011 Merlot.

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.

An almost elegant and very affordable Washington Viognier. McKinley Springs makes wine from their 2000 acre estate vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. They make wine in a style I appreciate and price their wines competitively. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I continue to be impressed by McKinley Springs wines. My first exposure to McKinley Springs was February 2012  after a  recommendation  by a gentleman I met at a local winery; it pays to visit with your fellow wine tasters. Thank you friend.

photo: Blasted Church Cabernet Merlot. One of the coolest wine labels. "The plan called for a controlled blast of four dynamite sticks inside the church in order to "loosen the nails". Odd as it may seem, the explosion spared the wood from damage during dismantling. Save for losing the steeple, the plan succeeded. Now, the 120 year old wooden church stands proudly in its second home of Okanagan Falls." A few years ago in Vancouver, British Columbia, my waiter at dinner introduced me to Blasted Church wines. "Pour me something local and good." Is what I asked for, he delivered. "Show me the bottle." Was my next request. I've been a fan since. Love the design of their label too. It is nearly impossible to find wines from British Columbia/Okanagan Valley in Washington. I'm told trade tariffs make it prohibitively expensive. Shame. The next time you are visiting Canada, go on the hunt for Blasted Church wines. You will be rewarded by ...

Looks like a Pepi party! Put some Pepi in  your glass! My first exposure to Pepi wines was at the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference . The 2011 Pepi Sauvignon Blanc was one of the wines featured at the speed tasting session. The wine was quite lively. Since then, I have had the pleasure of enjoying the other three Pepi white wines: Pepi Pinot Grigio, Pepi Chenin Blanc-Viognier and Pepi Chardonnay. Pepi wines are sourced from grapes grown in cool-climate vineyard regions of California. Cheers to the 2011 Pepi Pinot Grigio. 2011 Pepi Pinot Grigio Tasting Notes Color of pale straw, with mineral, slate, fresh pear nose, light pear flavor and wonderful minerality through the finish. Clean, crisp, dry white wine. This would be a good seafood wine. I'd pair with steamed clams, oysters on the half shell, Dungeness crab, halibut, sashimi, cheese fondue and pasta alfredo. I liked this wine. Big value at this price. Recommended. Blend: 90% Pinot Grigio, 10% Chenin B...

Photo: Alexandria Nicole 2009 "a squared" Cabernet Sauvignon. Jarrod and Ali Boyle are producing wonderful Washington wines at their Alexandria Nicole Cellars winery. A wise and loving husband, Jarrod named the winery after his wife Ali. This summer I had an insightful visit  at their Paterson winery and a grand tour of their Destiny Ridge vineyard during véraison . This weekend my wife and I had the pleasure of being guests at the Alexandria Nicole Cellars annual Harvest Party. Photo: Ali Boyle rolling a wine barrel while husband Jarrod cheers her on. Thankfully, we did not have to drive ourselves to the party at the winery. Two large bus coaches received our group of revelers in Richland and delivered us all to the winery. The hour long trip was ameliorated by glasses of Alexandria Nicole Cellars Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. The only way to travel. Photo: Chef Magaña in charge of Oysters and Dinner. The Harvest Party was, well, a party. Oysters on...

Don't wait too long to purchase this wine for your holiday celebrations. My wife and I recently visited Hamilton Cellars tasting room in Richland, Washington. The first wine we sampled was the 2009 Rosé of Malbec. I originally tasted their Malbec in February.   My wife had never sampled their Rosé, so I was interested in her reaction. This Rosé is a bit darker and bigger than most, it is a lovely, clear, candy red. The color reminds me of the cherry suckers we used to get at the dentist office as kids - a perfect color for the holiday season. On the first taste of this crisp, dry, wine I had some instant free associations – I thought of cranberries, visualizing the cranberry dressing my wife made last year and I saw turkey at the dinner table with stuffing and sweet potatoes then I heard laughter, followed by the image of our fireplace, friends with glasses of wine, falling snow, and cranberries again. Whoa, a holiday wine indeed. This Rosé has some depth and is far more inter...

A Venue for Wine, Music and Celebrations. Tom and Tricia O'Neil. Last month I stopped by for the grand opening of Thomas O’Neil Cellars. They are the first production winery with a tasting room in North Richland. Arriving around 3 pm, on a cold and wet afternoon, I was warmly greeted by Mr. and Mrs. O'Neil and friends. Tom O'Neil took time to show me his facility and to take me through his entire lineup of Rhone style wines*. Mr. O’Neil has been making wine for about 25 years. Originally from Michigan, he now resides in Richland, Washington with his lovely wife Tricia. Tom interned with Chateau Ste. Michelle and then became an assistant winemaker at Milbrandt Vineyards. He just opened his Richland winery on April 15, 2011.  I found all of the Thomas O'Neil wines enjoyable and priced reasonably. Expect a detailed tasting review soon. A Fahrenheit 100 Please. One of the other interesting aspects of Thomas O’Neil Cellars is their outdoor...

Found it on sale @ $5.59 buy it while you can. This week I found the 2009 Covey Run Merlot on sale at the local Richland Safeway for the low, low price of $5.59. The price is low, the quality of the wine is not. There’s a lot of 2005, 2006 and 2007 Covey Run Merlot in town, this was the first 2009 Covey Run red wine I have found locally. On the neck of the screw cap are the words, “Best Value”, which it is. At $5.59 I’d call it a terrific value. My advice is to pass on the older vintages of Covey Run Merlot, but don’t pass on the 2009 Covey Run Merlot . Covey Run was a Zillah, Washington winery, founded in 1982. I recall visiting the Covey Run Winery when it was called Quail Ridge. But that was over 20 years ago and times have changed. On the back of the bottle, it says the wine was cellared and bottled in Richland, Washington. But, according to their web site, their contact address is in Woodinville, Washington (that's across the lake from Seattle). The winery has changed h...

Shameless self promotion These days I'm calling myself a Social Media Strategist. This type of role is best described as someone who helps companies with branding and marketing using social media tools. A much more interesting title than web designer. My fascination, fixation and passion for wine, has me wanting to connect wine with employment. Which many of us wine bloggers are trying to do. My current employer is a Recruiting company - ANR Group . We're focusing on better presenting our experience, history and capabilities. This has me excited about  expanding my services to include, helping wineries find the people they can't find. Which is what ANR Group does best. Winemaking is essentially a chemical process. It involves chemical reactions where yeast, converts sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. There are many chemical processes which affect the strength, appearance, color and taste of wine. Winemaking may require a Chemist for:...

DBYD – Drink Before You Die! I’ve been eager to open and drink this wine, but I exercised restraint and saved this wine for a special occasion. We just returned from holiday in Vancouver, British Columbia, where I found the occasion to enjoy this wine. Contact the winery if you are trying to locate a bottle. They may be out of stock by now, but they have a list of distributors who may be able to help you out. Yes, I purchased my bottle direct from the winery. To enjoy a wine of this caliber, I always open the wine an hour or two before drinking. The intense flavors of this wine cascaded into my mouth like the memory of the waves crashing onto the rocky shore of Playa Linda in Mexico. My mouth was saturated with flavor, roof, tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips. This is a vivid Merlot, a Washington Merlot, crafted with care by the wine making team of Barnard Griffin winery. Stupendous! Put this on your list as a “not to miss”, buy it and drink it before you die. The time is now, the ...

Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Happiness My wife gifted me with this bottle last week - just because I’ve been a good husband - a trend I hope to continue. I don’t know where she bought it, or how much she paid (it is a gift). I enjoyed every bit of this wine. Earthy aromas hit you after you pull the cork - wait, let it breathe. This wine has a gorgeous color, to me it looked smoky-ruby in the glass. I’m reviewing this wine on day two, and I’m very pleased with how the wine has changed from day one (day one was mostly fresh Bing cherry and tartness). There's ripe cherry, vanilla, leather, spice with a hint of toasted coconut underneath the nose. Dry Bing cherry, vanilla in the mouth, very smooth, and a bit of plum tartness - good mouth feel, medium body. This is a sunset wine or sipping wine. It does not have the aggressiveness needed for food, it’s just too dainty - and a bit sophisticated. I really like this Kiona wine, and it puts me in the mood for more Cabernet Sauvignon. Th...

A Tasty Washington Cabernet Sauvignon When I broke the seal on the screw cap, there was an instant aroma of dark fruit, jammy, and blueberry on the nose. Immediately appealing. On my first taste, I got gobs of fruit in the mouth, with a dry and tart blueberry finish, not a monster finish, but very pleasant. Two hours later, now there's a whiff of dark earth and candied fruit, reminds me of those cherry suckers dentists always used to have (red was my favorite when I was a kid) and there's a hint of tar residue. I like how the wine has changed. The fruit now rolls around on the back of my tongue and tickles my ears. Tasty. This wine sure puts me in mind of a Syrah blend. As I already noted, it's tasty. This is my second Eliseo Silva wine. Last year, I enjoyed the Eliseo Silva 2005 Syrah. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is just as good. My advice is go cook up some steaks or burgers and crack open some Eliseo Silva 2005 Cabernet - it's ready to drink now. If you crank it open...

I popped over to Bookwalter winery for a glass of wine. Wednesday evenings, a live radio program is broadcast from the Bookwalter winery on local radio, KONA AM 610. Last night I was listening to the program in my car, Jazz/Blues, many great classics and thought, "hey, let's check it out". There was a small crowd, most of the indoor seating was taken - but there was plenty of outdoor seating and this weather begs you to hang outside. I walked over to the bar to order, when the hostess got around to me, we talked wine. Bookwalter has a good list of Bookwalter white and red wines. I ordered a glass of 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - the hostess said it was a big, bold red, and it was. The glass of 2005 Cab Sav was $13. If you've never been to the Bookwalter winery, they use some of the largest glassware available, which provides you with ample room to swirl and sniff. My nose was in my glass most of the time I was there. Bookwalter Cabernet Sauvignon historically sell...

2005 Tamarack Cellars Fire House Red Here’s proof that a little extra time in the bottle helps deliver the goods. On a recommendation, I purchased this wine last summer and was under-whelmed. This year I reluctantly opened another bottle of Fire House Red and was happily surprised to discover a different wine. This wine has some life in it, I enjoyed it over two days (I can occasionally exercise restraint) and strongly recommend you find this wine and try it too. My tasting notes are from the second day (the day before I was too surprised to take notes). The nose: coffee, tobacco and toffee. Good mouth feel – medium dry, a balanced blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – I believe the Syrah really brings out a lot in this wine. Finish: cocoa and cherry, tasty. Drink it while you can find it. Find it in town for under $20. Visit their facility in Walla Walla, Washington - it is on my to do list now. Cheers! Here's a breakdown of the blend and vineyard sources: 31% Cabernet S...

Write that name down and remember it - Anna Schafer. How many of you know that earlier this year the 500th winery was bonded in Washington State? Some 200 wineries opened their doors in the last three years alone. As passionate as I am about wine, Washington wine, I am a creature of habit. Yes, I do tend to drink the wines I know. Well, guess what? This weekend I was bumped off my comfortable log in Yakima , Washington . Saturday I poured at the 2007 Washington Wine Country Grand Gala in Yakima , Washington . A truly deluxe fundraiser for Washington Wine Country. I was unexpectedly paired with Anna Schafer. Anna Schafer is the co-winemaker for her family owned àMaurice Cellars in Walla Walla , Washington . She my friends is the future of Washington wine. Did you write down her name? You should. Pouring with Anna Schafer I was fortunate to enjoy an hour in the company of an intelligent, serious and passionate Washington winemaker. She's engaging, knowledgeable and managed ...

A Gorgeous Red Table Wine The first thing you’ll notice about this bottle is the screw-cap. Not to worry, the screw cap is just a closure for this tasty bottle of wine. On first opening, you may think you have a pleasant but unassuming bottle of wine. Color is good, but the nose and body seem to be lacking. Once again, not to worry, pour a little into your glass, leave the screw-cap off and set the bottle aside for 2 hours or so. This would be a good time to start prepping for dinner. By the time dinner is ready, this wine should be ready to enjoy. Oh yes, you will be greeted by a completely different wine two or three hours later. Subduction Red deserves to be decanted or at least let it breathe for 2 hours or so as I suggest. This is a luscious wine full of flavor and a wonderful mouth feel. So, what’s in the bottle? There is 45% Syrah, 41% Grenache, 12% Mouvedre and 2% Cinsault – 700 cases were bottled. This wine is on my “Drink me now!” list. Highly recommended – just remembe...