William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Let's get the party started! I'm happy they used screwcaps on these wines, to lock in the flavor and aromatics of the fruit, and for easy access too. Screwcap closures no longer worry me. I've had too many bottles of wine ruined by natural cork. Bottles of wine sealed with screwcaps also indicate that the wine is a buy me drink me wine. Should't they all be ready to drink? Theses wines were a pleasure to open and I enjoyed them both. What a great way to end this fun tasting from the California Wine Club - details below. Treat your friends to some Tangent Viognier. 1st Review: Tangent Viognier 2010 I like the clean look of this label. It hints at the wine inside the bottle. The Tangent Viognier had a clean nose, with peach and pear, a whiff of honey and orange blossom, very pleasing, quite feminine. The enticing aromas led to flavors of peach and pear, with gentle toast. Creamy mouth feel.  I liked the finish, it had lingering stone fruit, a touch of minerality....

àMaurice Cellars 2009 Malbec - decanted. Washington's Best Malbec. Two weeks a go I visited family on Bainbridge Island. Bainbridge Island is a 30 minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle. I had not visited with my cousin José in three years. To celebrate the occasion I brought a special bottle of wine...àMaurice Cellars 2009 Malbec. This May I was in Walla Walla for Spring Release weekend. It's the weekend when Walla Walla Wineries celebrate the season and showcase new releases by opening their tasting rooms. While I stopped at several wineries, one of the wineries I visited was àMaurice Cellars - whose winemaker is Anna Schafer. This was my first time at the Walla Walla winery, but not the first time I had met the winemaker. My first meeting with Anna Schafer was at the 2007 Washington Wine Country Grand Gala in Yakima, Washington. Winemaker Anna Schafer in the tasting room. In 2007 I wrote, "These are not lazy, rural wines - but big, expressive urban wi...

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...