Wines Tasted in August

2000 Waterbrook Meritage Red Mountain USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain Good bottle of wine, needs a little more time. Tannins in the first hour dominated, making the wine dry and spicy. After about two hours of decanting the wine got very smokey and smoothed out. Lots of dark fruit, predominantly blackberries. Might wait a couple more years before trying my next bottle.

2004 Finca Allende Rioja Allende Spain, La Rioja, Rioja Paired with pan seared duck breast and a goat cheese tamale. Right out of the bottle the nose was very smokey. On the palate there was more smoke on the front and then a bright cherry core on the mid palate which turned overly tannic on the finish. After about an hour the cherries disappeared and the nose and palate took on green vegetal notes. Nose reminded me of the inside of a green bell pepper right after you cut into it. Not sure how this wine will develop over time. I'd like to try it again more out of curiousity of an "interesting" wine, rather than saying "Mmmmmm, that was good". Would purchase again.

2004 Château Rouquette sur Mer Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape Don't know what was wrong with this. Smelled fine, but the taste was off. As my wife put it "bleh"

Non Vintage Conte Collalto Piave Italy, Veneto, Piave Decreased amount of pressure in the bottle upon opening. Still good amount of bubbles. Dry and tasty. Didn't hold up for very long, got a little bit flat.

2006 Mollydooker Shiraz The Boxer Australia, South Australia, McLaren Vale / Padthaway Needed about an hour in the decanter to blow off the alcohol. Smelled of fruit loops cereal and menthol. Big extracted wine on the palate, but not as hot as I was expecting. Tended to tire out the palate quickly. It was alright, but for the price there are better options. Would not purchase again.

2004 Robert Karl Cellars Claret USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Tasty as always. Lots of fruit, oak is integrating nicely. Would purchase again.

2006 Inama Soave Classico Italy, Veneto, Soave Classico The structure on the nose really stood out for me. Not overly oaky, but had a depth of aroma and mouthfeel. Solid fruitiness, but not sure which ones. Really enjoyed this. Would purchase again.

2005 Bodega Norton Malbec Reserva Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo Crazy dark color, made my teeth stain after the first couple of sips. Nice dark fruit flavors with a balanced amount of oak. Good smooth finish. Drank this wine out of really small cheap wine glasses. Interested to see how it would have improved with the appropriate stemware. Would purchase again.

2002 Isenhower Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Lab Cab USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Wine was singing tonight. A bit tannic right after opening, but softened with about 15 minutes in the glass. As wine opened up I got a hint of steamed asparagus (a good thing) on the nose. Wine was spicy. Don't see this getting much better. Drink em if you got em.

2002 Covey Run Merlot Winemaker's Collection USA, Washington, Columbia Valley A little green out of the bottle. Softened up by the second glass. Still needs some time to develope. Decent Tuesday night drinker. Would purchase again.

2003 Christopher Bridge Pinot Noir Satori Springs USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley Flat. Good wine but no excitement. Gained a little complexity with about an hour of air. None of the earth flavors that I search for in Pinot. Bit of cherry and wild strawberry. Would not purchase again.

2006 Stevens Viognier Divio USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Still going strong. Nose of honeysuckle and jasmine. Flavors were very citrusy with lots of lime and acidity. Finish left my mouth watering. Would purchase again.

2001 Il Vescovado Chianti Italy, Tuscany, Chianti Good mid week wine. Would purchase again.

2004 Château Rouquette sur Mer Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape Better bottle than the last. Slight hint of pineapple on both the nose and the palate. Nothing fancy, but works if you are not going to serve it to anyone.

2001 B.R. Cohn Zinfandel USA, California, Sonoma County Very good to begin with but completely closed down after about two hours. Would purchase again. Lots of upfront fruit with eucaliptus. Right out of the bottle I thought I might have opened a Cabernet???

2003 Barrister Cabernet Sauvignon USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley Really smokey right out of the bottle. Settled down after about a half an hour. Picked up more of a blackberry nose with just a hint of roasted spices. Nice well balanced wine. Tannin structure could have been a little tighter. Plesant though shortish finish. Would purchase again.

2001 Covey Run Merlot Barrel Select USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Good QPR wine. Bit drying and a touch of green, but the fruit flavors are still present.

2001 Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley Nice, but could use some more bottle time. Tannins are heavy and need to integrate. Had an element of bing cherries on the back palate. Looking forward to more of this wine in about five years.

2004 Baer Winery Ursa USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Really nice bottle of wine. The menu said 2003, but the bottle showed up as a 2004. Paired with a med rare rib eye steak. The fat of the meat really complimented the wine. Very dark purple. Loads of dark fruit flavors and the tannins have not yet integrated. Would purchase again.

2004 Gallagher U Brew Pinot Gris USA, Oregon, Yamhill County Very light funk. Just a hint of tropical fruits. Wine seems heavy and clumsy tonight. Just sits on the palate.

Non vintage Sleight of Hand The Spellbinder USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Needs at least an hour of air to show it's best side. Right out of the bottle the arooma was dominated by tighness. Not much fruit. With air, the wine shows some green peppercorn notes. The cab franc really dominates this wine. Hard to tell that there is any Sangiovese in the blend. Would purchase again if on sale.

2003 Amity Vineyards Pinot Blanc USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley very acidic. Not a lot of fruit. Drank on very hot night, so might have clouded opinion. Somewhat heavy and brutish. Was looking for light and crisp.

2005 Rulo Syrah USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley Again, Rulo has a winner. Will be much better in a few years based on prior vintages. Wine was smokey and meaty with a mineral streak running through. Not much fruit to speak of at the moment. The oak elements were in check. Looking forward to seeing how this one develops. Would purchase again.

2007 Sleight of Hand Cabernet Franc Magician's Assistant Rosé Frenchtown Vineyard USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley Very refreshing on a hot day. Nose of slightly underripe strawberries. Thirst quenching wouthfeel. Finish is a little bit short. Would purchase again.

Non Vintage Cristalino Cava Brut Spain, Catalunya, Cava Very low on the bubbly quotient. Odd nose of anise. Decent taste, but not memorable. Would not purchase again.

2006 Stevens Yes USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley Nice bottle of wine for what it is. Needed a drink last night and pretty much pounded the bottle. Sweet fruit and lots of toasty oak on the nose and palate. Would purchase again.

2004 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay USA, California, Sonoma County Consistent. Good bottle. Would purchase again.

2006 Stevens Viognier Divio USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Drinking very nicely. Good balanced acidity. Second bottle of the night for me, so we will leave it at that. Would purchase again.

2006 Eagle Haven Madeleine Angevine USA, Washington, Puget Sound Interesting wine. Seemed to me like a muted Reisling. Just a touch of sugar on the palate. Nose had a bit of an apple cider element. Palate had good acidity, but the flavors were a little bit lacking. The wine seemed pretty simple. Fairly refreshing on a hot day, but not terribly interesting. Would not purchase again.

2002 Covey Run Syrah Winemaker's Collection USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Not terribly impressed. Too much of a green flavor for my taste. Not enough fruit to offset. Too many good wines at the $10 price point to make me interested in purchasing this again. Oh well.

2004 Boudreaux Cellars Merlot USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Brought to an after party for the Auction of Washington Wines. Only got a quick taste as I was drinking all of the wines that other people brought. It was good and I would purchase it again.

2003 Belle Pente Pinot Noir USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley Day 1: Decanted. Has all of the musty forest floor aromas that I look for in a Pinot Noir. Deep and heady on the nose, but so light and feminine on the palate. Will wait til tomorrow and see how this develops.

2003 Veramonte Primus Chile, Aconcagua, Casablanca Valley Heavy oak. Sweet than drying tannins. Decent enough wine. Nothing complex about it. Kind of hits you in the mouth and then stays there for a good 30 seconds. Unfortunately by the end of the 30 seconds all you can taste is the oak. Went well with a steak, mellowed it out a bit.

2004 Barrister Cabernet Franc USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Nose started off with grahm cracker and a little bit of menthol tobacco. Palate had subtle oak and sweet cherry flavors. Finish was smooth though disappeared too quickly. Would purchase again.

2002 Piety Flats Mercantile Red USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley Very nice, could still use some time to soften the tannins. Will open another bottle in six months to a year.

Non vintage Frank Family Vineyards Blanc de Noirs USA, California, Napa Valley Wine was starting to go downhill. The first concern was that the cork was very easy to get out and it didn't hiss as much as a normal sparkling wine. Wine was still very pleasent. Very dry, reminded me of a nice dry rose. Not as fresh and lively as when we purchased it. Would purchase again and drink in the near term.

2004 Avery Lane Merlot USA, Washington, Columbia Valley At $3.85 a bottle how can you go wrong. Nice bright fruit. Not much in the way of tannins. Paired nicely with a strip steak. Would purchase again.

2004 Powers Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Champoux Vineyard USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills Nose opens up with a strong graham cracker aroma. Fruit is a little subdued and the oak is showing through right now. Tannins are present, but not overpowering. Finish was short but tasty. Alright bottle of wine, without being all that memorable. For the price I'd buy it again, but there are other wines out there that provide a slightly higher QPR. Would purchase again.

2004 Gallagher U Brew Pinot Gris USA, Oregon, Yamhill County Last bottle to be filled, only came up 80% and had to be drank. Needs at least six more months. Still a little to fruity. Will mellow with time.

2004 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County USA, California, Sonoma County Decent mid week bottle of wine. Just not as good as prior vintages. Will wait to purchase more when the 2005 comes out.

2004 L'Ecole No. 41 Sémillon USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Oaky in all the right ways. Good bit of acid to balance things out. Just need to go out and purchase a case or two of this to be my everyday white. Paired wonderfully with poached chicken in tarragon cream sauce.

2004 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County USA, California, Sonoma County Very dry. Just doesn't live up to the

2003 vintage. The fruit is hidden in the background. Decent wine, but not exciting. Will keep purchasing future vintages hoping for a return of the 2003.

2004 Avery Lane Merlot USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Consistent with prior bottles. Would purchase again.

2002 Cedergreen Cellars Thuja Conner Lee - Radar Hill USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Decanted. Think that this might be closed right now. Had it about a year ago and it was singing. Last night it just wasn't giving much up. There was a hint of sweet tobacco on both the nose and palate. May have to purchase a few more and see if they open up after a few more years in the cellar.

2003 Lake Chelan Winery Stormy Mountain Red USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Smoke was the dominant element. Nice wine, but not a good QPR. Consistent with prior bottles. Would not purchase again.

2006 Trust Riesling USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Not as sweet as I remembered from the tasting room. The nose was really closed, and did not open up over a couple of hours. On the palate there was an element of banana chips as well as pear. Nice full mouthfeel. Finish is a bit short and tart. Alright tonight, but don't think that i would purchase again.

2006 Hence Cellars Riesling USA, Washington, Columbia Valley Really impressive wine. The little bit of residual sugar was masked by the wonderful crisp acidity. Paired wonderfully with a tomatillo/jalapeno salsa. Every so often I would get the slightest hint of petrol in the background. Made me think of aged German Riesling. Would purchase again.

2000 Baron Philippe de Rothschild Sauternes France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes Pleasant wine. Not as much acidity as some sauternes that I have had. This is definitely a young drinker. Not overly complex. Would purchase again if I needed an average desert wine.

2003 Toad Hollow Merlot Reserve McDowell USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley So much better than the last bottle. The color still makes me think that this is actually Pinot Noir rather than Merlot. Lots of oak showing through on the nose and palate. Notes of black cherry and raspberry. Tannins are still somewhat dull. Developing into a nice wine. Would purchase again.

2003 Bergevin Lane Calico Red USA, Washington, Columbia Valley A little too heavy handed on the wood. There is some fruit in the background, but wood dominates. Finishes with a green element. Decanted for an hour, heavy sediment.

2002 Basel Cellars Claret USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley Very nice bottle of wine. Decanted due to sediment. Aromas of strawberries. On the palate there was strawberries, blackberries and black cherries. Nice and spicy on the finish, not black pepper, but more of what I would call mild indian spice mix. Good bit of tannin, but was not overpowering. Would purchase again.

2005 Pontin Del Roza Sangiovese Angelo Pontin USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley Very light color, almost a dark rose. Lots of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Bright cherry and pomegranate flavors jump from the glass. Little bit of spice on the back end. Enjoyable wine, but not as memorable as the 2001 vintage. At new price point, this wine would be hard to justify. Would not purchase this vintage again.