William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Barnard Griffin is open for tasting in new digs. I popped over to Barnard Griffin winery yesterday to check out the new Bistro. Barnard Griffin is in the process of remodeling their facility, which includes a new Bistro, outdoor patio, glass studio and a re-built tasting room. The original tasting room is in the process of demolition and remodel, so they have temporarily moved the tasting room to the new Bistro. Yes, they are open and ready to pour you some wine. I'm told they will start serving some food within the week. New patio visible from the Bistro. The glass doors slide open when weather permits. Starting in July they will be open Wednesday through Saturday until 8PM! Stop by and check out the new digs and take time to enjoy some great wine. Tell them Wild 4 Washington Wine sent you. View of vineyards from the new patio. Outdoor fire pits will make evenings truly romantic. Deborah Barnard's glass clouds are displayed from the suspended ceiling.  T...

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. ...

Obsessed with New Zealand. As I write this post, I'm drinking a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and listening to Kiwi FM  out of Auckland, New Zealand on tunein radio . Slowly, slowly, I'm emerging from a month long funk. What happened? I've become obsessed with New Zealand and New Zealand wine. For over 30 days I've been trying to figure out how to justify time and money to commit to a visit to New Zealand wine country. You might recall my May review of two New Zealand wines . This is what started my obsession and subsequent funk. I truly, truly want to visit New Zealand, see the sights, take photographs, document my visit and especially taste those oh so lovely New Zealand wines. Fortunately, I'm finding some like minded souls, who have a similar obsession. We're talking back and forth, sharing experiences and connections. I'm hopeful I will find a way to visit New Zealand, one that makes sense financially and one that will expand my appreciation fo...

Today I will be writing to catch up on all the delicious wine I experienced this weekend. Briefly, this is what went down. Checking the glasses before I begin pouring. Friday – AntoLin Cellars Sensory Tasting I conducted a private wine tasting and sensory class lunch, featuring AntoLin Cellars Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. Review soon. Ed Luebben at the Wine Incubators. Saturday – Walla Walla Spring Barrel Tasting Went Walla Walla wine tasting with my friend, winery Architect Edward Luebben. We visited Leonetti Cellars, Corvus Cellars, Cavu Cellars, aMaurice Cellars and Garrison Creek Cellars. Review soon. Virtual tasting at L'Ecole Winery - it was an actual tasting for us. Sunday- L'Ecole 41 Perigee Vertical Tasting My friend Ben Simons, wine blogger at Vinotology.com , joined me for a vertical tasting at L'Ecole No 41 . This was a virtual and an actual tasting at the winery. They poured from their library the 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 20...

What have I learned about New Zealand this week?  They make some freaking awesome wine down there! Ask me today where I want to go wine tasting and my response would be “New Zealand.” Shall we buy tickets today? On this wine blog I have shared some of my “ah ha” wine moments. Those personal wine epiphany’s when new insights into wine are recognized. The two stunners from New Zealand. Recently, I received a couple of bottles of New Zealand wine from my friends at Pasternak Wine Imports. A bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and a bottle of Pinot Noir. This distant part of the wine world has largely been ignored by me. When I opened these bottles, I did so with the expectation that the wines would likely be simple, light, food wines. I was wrong, I was surprised, I was thrilled, I was stunned at how good these wines tasted. "It seemed to dance around and did not let me pin it down. It refused easy definition. I enjoyed that." Stylistically, both of these New Zealand wine...

Cider from Eastern Washington, land of apples and sunshine.  You may equate Washington with handcrafted wine and micro breweries, but it is rapidly becoming the land of fresh pressed apple cider. Hard apple cider, you know, with alcohol. Last month I was in Seattle for Taste Washington , where I not only enjoyed wondrous wine but several Washington hard ciders. Some of the tastiest ciders were made by farmer Craig Campbell of Tieton Cider Works. His ciders are made from a blend of American, English and French cider varietals, grown on his organically farmed ranch, Harmony Orchards in Tieton, Washington. Tieton Cider Works first commercial release was in 2009. Why are these ciders so interesting? Many varietal reasons. There's a long history of making cider in America, it was once more popular than beer, wine or whiskey. Yes, that's what Johnny Appleseed was planting, seeds for apple cider trees. Apple cider, by many accounts, was first made by the Celts and Normans beca...

Hedges Family Estate Chateau. A great way to enjoy the weekend in the Columbia Valley. What did I do today? Besides edging and mowing the lawn with my family, I managed to zip over to Red Mountain to revel in the glorious spring sunshine. I also sampled some wonderful wines in one of the most beautiful of settings, Hedges Family Estate winery. Hedges RMF - ABV 21.5% and delightful. A  grand tradition this time of year in the Columbia Valley, is sampling new wines straight from the barrel, as well as drinking award winning wines in the tasting room. This weekend is referred to as "Spring Barrel Tasting" weekend. Straight from the barrel, Kenan with wine thief. After the morning chores were completed, I stopped by Hedges Family Estate to visit with my friend Kenan, Vineyard Apprentice at Hedges. I enjoyed visiting with him in the full of barrels, barrel room. The two barrel samples were enticing, a good vintage. The fortified wine I sipped after was like l...