William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Showcase the wines of this winery at your next celebration. "They are producing some kick-ass wines at this winery." William Pollard, Wild 4 Washington Wine It's starting to get a little hectic and stressful. I blame my stress on the holidays and everything I want to do to show my appreciation and affection for family and friends. While I was preparing for the Thanksgiving podcast on Minstrel and Muse radio  " Thanksgiving Traditions ", I started to think that it would be fun to showcase one winery and only their wines as the solution for holiday entertaining. One winery shopping if you will. And a way to make selecting the perfect wine a little bit easier. Choose them all!

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.

photo: A kick ass Chardonnay. This Washington Chardonnay delivers the goods. Today it's raining and the wind is threatening the Columbia Valley. That's okay with me, I know that sunny skies and warmer weather are just days away. Which means it's almost grilling season. Today I'm dreaming of grilling up some brawts and enjoying another bottle of Two Mountain Chardonnay. Yes, this white wine is for grilling. Two Mountain Winery is located in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA, one of many wineries in the area. My last visit to Two Mountain Winery was in 2007, when I attended  Two Mountain Vineyards “Vineyard Management” class taught by Matt Rawn. They are producing some kick-ass wines. I must get back and visit again.

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....

Enjoying a glass of Silver Lake wine and the view. 2008 Silver Lake Cabernet Merlot Reviewed Two weeks ago I wrote about my impulsive trip to Zillah, Washington ( Escape to Zillah ). It was a sparkling, sunny morning when the road called out to me. I found myself unpredictably in the small winery community of Zillah, Washington. When in wine country, one should take advantage of the occasion to go taste wine. Tooling down the winding, shoulder-less road, I randomly chose, and followed the sign pointing the way to Silver Lake Winery.

An Impulsive Tasting Trip to Zillah, Washington. ( re-post, original post date 11 May 2011 ) The glorious sunshine has returned to the Columbia Valley. Finally, spring has arrived. This perfect, hopefully not temporary, weather had me yearning to get out of town yesterday. Hitting the road impulsively, I found myself enjoying the drive and the tunes, before I knew it, I was exiting at Zillah. Bonair Vineyards with view of Mount Adams. Zillah is a small community in the Yakima Valley; Bonair winery is located in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA, one of many wineries in the area. My last visit to Zillah was in 2007, I was attending Two Mountain Vineyards “Vineyard Management” class taught by Matt Rawn. Feeling a bit peckish, and craving carnitas tacos, I went to my favorite Zillah restaurant, El Ranchito. To my disappointment, I found El Ranchito empty, closed, shut-down, and out of business. What a shame. I have fond memories of eating and shopping there. It’s been a while sin...

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...

This is one of the few white wines I have reviewed. With the lengthening days and warmer temperatures, I'm getting that good old white wine feeling. This is my first of three white wine reviews. Today I grabbed a bottle of Covey Run 2006 Chardonnay, Quail label, to enjoy with dinner; Medite rranean salad (lettuce, dates, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, oil and vinegar - yes, that is the salad in the picture and one of my plates - I use some of the pottery I make) and Roman style chicken. The wine was priced right and I have fond memories of visiting the former Quail Ridge/Covey Run tasting room, back when they had a public tasting room. Dinner was excellent! The chicken came out tender and delicious, complemented by the salad and the wine as hoped. This Covey Run Chardonnay is tasty but not over the top. The nose has apple, pear and bread, a soft mouth feel, pleasantly buttery, and finishes with some creamy vanilla ( I have to admit that there is more going on in this glass than I c...

HYATT 2004 Syrah Yakima Valley In 1986 I moved to the Columbia Valley. Hyatt Vineyards released their first wines in 1987, which was the time I began taking wine more seriously – having local wineries is a wonderful motivator. Hyatt was one of my favorite wineries to visit in the Zillah, Washington area. Somewhere along the way, I stopped visiting the winery and stopped purchasing their wines. Last week I found a bottle of Hyatt 2004 Syrah at the local grocer, reasonably priced too. I would not hesitate to recommend this wine to anyone looking for a decent Syrah. From the picture you may notice that a synthetic cork was used for closure (hard outer casing and dense cellular center). I was greeted by a heady aroma when I first opened the bottle - which made me think of a more expensive wine. Unfortunately, the flavor did not match the aroma. After I gave the wine an hour to breathe, some tasty flavors emerged; unfortunately, the rich aroma had receded. But, the wine was enjoyable the fi...

Summer Thinning Two Mountain Winery in Zillah, Washington, http://www.twomountainwinery.com/ is once again offering seminars on growing and managing grape vines. This Saturday I spent almost two hours thinning Riesling and Syrah vines with about 20 other students. Matt Rawn was our instructor. He discussed the importance of controlling vine vigor by thinning vines and leaves. Air flow is necessary to reduce the chance of mold/mildew, and excess vines and leaves need to be removed to focus the energy into the grapes. The vineyard we “worked” in is planted on rocky soil in Zillah, Washington, part of the Rattlesnake Hills appellation. The vineyard is in a scenic location, mountains are visible above the vineyards, birds sing in the background, and this weekend we were lucky to have a pleasant, slightly overcast morning to work in – we missed the 100 degree heat of the previous week, and the few rain drops which fell Saturday did not bother us. Matt seemed to like the work I did th...