Washington Merlot: Virtual Twitter Tasting

I'm coming late to Merlot, and in particular, to Washington Merlot. But I've discovered I really like Merlot, not only in terms of the traditional pairing with X and X, but in terms of pairing with high quality dark chocolate. As far as I'm concerned, Merlot and chocolate are the perfect synergistic pairings—plus, they're good for you!

Merlot's popularity

apparently took a hit after the movie Sideways was released; I've not seen it, so I'm not sure how much damage to associate with the film, but I do know that Merlot is referred to dismissively as a has been. I'm here to tell you that they couldn't possibly have tried Washington Merlots. But on this coming Thursday, March 25, there's going to be a national Washington Wine Merlot Twitter tasting, organized primarily by Josh of DrinkNectar.com. The basic idea is to find a Washington Merlot, drink it, and then Tweet about it between 5 and 7 pm PT on Thursday the 25th of March. When you Tweet, use the hashtag of #WAMerlot so that others can follow you.

For a more formal explanation, and to make a reservation (free and not required, but it's a good way to meet others interested in Washington wine, and Merlot) go here.

If you're new to Twitter, it's a free Web service that allows you to do "micro blogging." It's sort of a cross between a blog post and an "instant message," because Twitter posts (Tweets) are limited to 140 characters. You can create a free Twitter account here. It's really simple, and rather fun. All you need is a Web browser, access to the Internet, and some Washington Merlot. If you're planning on trying a Washington Merlot at a restaurant or bar, there are free Twitter apps for most phones and computers. TweetDeck is a popular one. Just remember to include the hashtag #WAMerlot so others can follow your "virtual tasting."

A number of Washington wineries are offering special discounts and deals; you can find a list here, thanks to Bean of the fabulous Wine and Beer of Washington State Website and blog.

I note that both Fred Meyers and Haggen are featuring some nifty discounts on Washington wine all month long, and there are plenty of Merlots to choose from, ranging from under 7.00 to over 50.00, so there's something for everyone's pocket and palate.

And if you're shy about trying Twitter, the fabulous Sean Sullivan of Washington Wine Report has said that people can leave comments on his March Virtual Tasting blog post on March 25, and he'll copy it to Twitter for you.

I'll be participating for sure; I think it's going to be fun and interesting, and it's a great way to let people all over the world know how fabulous Washington wine can be.

Washington Wine Month: A Rant and a Celebration

March is Washington wine month, and it's always something to be a little excited about because Washington wine is worth celebrating. There are special prices and displays at Washington State Liquor stores, and at a variety of chain stores, and at special Washington wine events all over the state. So this weekend, we went Washington wine shopping. We haven't made it to the state liquor store yet (more on that later), but we made two back-to-back visits, yesterday and today, to two Washington grocery stores from the same chain. It's very much a Pacific Northwest chain with a buy-local emphasis.

I've written about the first grocery store we went to before. They had end-caps up at the end of aisles near the wine section, featuring Washington wines, sort of. The problem was that the labels on the exhibit were wrong. Pacific Rim's Dry Riesling and Riesling were labeled as California wines. Hogue wines were labeled as California wines as well. When we walked back to the central wine section, it was dominated by imports from Europe, and organized by origin. I don't know about you, but when I shop for wine, most of the time, I'm interested in a particular wine, not wine from a particular country. The wine manager I'd dealt with before was there, so we turned right around and left.

This morning we went to another branch of the same store. I noticed as we passed the "ready to eat" section of the deli that there were Washington and California wines under $25.00 for sale right at the deli, and at the "broasted chicken" counter. Farther on there were several end-caps of Washington wine with promotional signs about Washington Wine month, and the labels were correct. But what was really interesting was that the wine manager had hand-written notes with personal recommendations, including his response to the wine, short references to reviews in Wine Spectator and similar publications, and a suggestion about food pairing. The main wine section was largely ordered by varietal, with a few "catch all" white wine, red wine, dessert wine, sub sections, and then two banks of shelves for international wines. Again, there were personal recommendations, as well as "shelf talkers," and there was one eye-level row of very high end ($100.00 or more a bottle) wines, locked against temptation but easily visible. There were European wines there, California wines, and several Washington wines.

The basic assumption of the second wine manager is that there is a lot of good wine available, wine goes well with food, and that Washington wine can compete with the best the world has to offer. We're going to be going to this store on a regular basis (by the way, the beer section was stellar too).

Washington's Well-Kept Secret

I'm surprised over and

over by friends who love wine, and are far more knowledgeable about wine than I am, who don't seem to realize that we have lots of fabulous wineries in Washington. Granted, most of them are in California, but people in Washington are quite knowledgeable about California wines, so I'm a little mystified. We have fabulous wine in Washington, wines for every price range and palate. I've been delighted by the interest spurred by the Wine Spectator naming the 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as the #1 wine of 2009 in Wine Spectator's annual Top 100 Wines list, there's been a sudden surge of interest in Washington Cabernet Sauvignons. Sure, the wines of Quilceda Creek, the fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon only winery have been known for quite a while outside the state, but some of the newer wineries are less well known outside of Washington, and outside of those whose profession it is to know wine. I thought I'd write a post for my wine-loving friends in California, Australia, Germany, and South Africa to let them where they can go for information about Washington wines.

Right now we're seeing a lot of focus on Washington Cabs, and, as someone who likes Washington Cabs, I'm happy about that, but I want to point out that while the big journalists are new to Washington wines, the Washington wine bloggers have been there right along. There are a lot of them, all of them passionate, informed, and enthusiastic about Washington wines. I've mentioned Sean Sullivan's Washington Wine Reports, and Wine Peeps. There's also the fabulous informed and thoughtful coverage from Catie the "Walla Walla Wine Woman," of Through The Walla Walla Grape Vine, the blog and Web site Wine Foot. There's Shona Milne of Woodinville Wine Report.

I note that long-term Washington wine aficienados and bloggers like Kori and Colby Voorhees and John and LaGayle Sosnowy of the fabulous Wine Peeps blog have long known about Washington Cabernet Sauvignons. Here's John Sosnowy on Washington Cabs. You'll note that the Wine Peeps were clued in to the superlative nature of the Columbia Crest Reserve long before Wine Spectator. So was Sean Sullivan of the Washington Wine Report, who described the Columbia Crest Grand Reserve 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon as "a lock" almost a year before the list came out. You've got people like Paul Gregutt who have been championing Washington Cabernet Sauvignon and Washington wines for years.

There's a fabulous list of Washington wineries here. There are even guides to setting up your own Washington winery tours and visits. I can't possibly link to all the amazing Washington Wine bloggers, but each of the blogs I've linked to above have a blog roll; explore it! And follow the Washington wineries and Washington wine bloggers on Twitter; Sean Sullivan has some fabulous lists of Tweeters here.

Washington Wine and Dark Chocolate: Valentine's Day Pairings

If you and your beloved like Washington wine and chocolate, I suggest you go right now and check out the amazing Yakima Valley events for Valentine's, featuring wine and chocolate. Seriously, it's a fabulous list. You can "Celebrate Valentine's Day at Chandler Reach Winery" on Friday the twelfth. It's an incredible menu paired with wines. You need to make reservations, but I'm told there are still some openings. There are some nifty "Red Wine & Chocolate Hotel Packages," running right through the 15th, and an entire "Red Wine & Chocolate" celebration centered in Yakima Valley. For a lot of people Monday is a holiday, so the celebration extends over the three-day weekend. More than 52 Yakima wineries have created special wine and chocolate pairings, many of them featuring not only amazing red wines, but some fabulous chocolate desserts. There's a special $30.00 "pass," and some of the wineries do request reservations.

If you'd rather do something more intimate, you can easily create your own Washington red wine or sparkling wine and chocolate pairings. I suggest any of the Ste. Michelle sparkling wines, for fans of effervescence (remember to pick based on your beloved's preferences and yours for dry versus sweet). If you like the idea of reds with dark chocolate, and are worried about budget (you might want to include a romantic dinner, for instance, or cook one for the two of you), there's a wide variety of affordable Washington reds. Columbia Crest has a Two Vines Merlot, as well as a Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon. The Grand Estates tier from Columbia Crest is still under $10.00 a bottle, and the Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon are both reliably good. The Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet is generally around $25.00 to $30.00, and worth it. The current vintage is 2006, but I note that Wine Spectator named the Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 as the #1 wine last year.

In terms of chocolate, there's always Godiva, the necessity of making chocolate that can be shaped means that Godiva might not be the best choice for wine pairing. If your SO is a chocolate fanatic,

then I'd head right over to the Lindt section and look for Lindt Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt, or The Lindt Excellence Intense Dark 70% Cocoa 0r even the 85% Dark Chocolate. If you're lucky you can find these in the shape of individually wrapped squares. I suggest Ghiradelli squares, or bars, especially the Ghiradelli Intense Dark line. If your sweetie favors organic chocolates, then look for Dagoba, or Green and Blacks. You can find all of these at most chain drug stores, a lot of grocery stores, and co-ops. And if you're out of luck with premium branded chocolates locally, try a hand-made local chocolatier, or even Dove Semi-Sweet and Bitter Sweet Chocolate hearts. Pick up some strawberries for dipping, a special CD or some flowers, and you've got a lovely thoughtful gift. And remember, red wine and dark chocolate are good for you. Really!

Columbia Crest Two Vines Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Washington State

This is a more subtle

Sauvignon Blanc than others I've tried. It's a little sweeter than California Sauvignon Blanc, and quite different from the Barnard Griffin Fumé Blanc. The grapes were sourced from the Yakima Valley and Horse Heaven Hills in Washington. As is typical for Columbia Crest, the grapes were pressed, cold-settled, and filtered before fermenting in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The final blend was made two weeks before bottling. This is a 13.5 ABV "drink it now" wine, that is fairly easy to find in the under $6.00 range.

It's delicately scented and reminds me of almost ripe pineapple and pears; the aroma is very enticing. There's a citrusy quality to the taste, but there's more melon and less pear to the taste. It's just acidic enough, though I think food pairing could be tricky; this is a wine that might be easily overwhelmed, but it's definitely light and refreshing. For a more informed opinion, see my colleague Sean Sullivan's review here.

I'll buy Columbia Crest's Two Vines Sauvignon Blanc again, since it's an easy grab-a-bottle-for dinner sort of wine, and at this price it's a bargain. I confess it's got me looking forward to spring and early summer, though thus far, the Barnard Griffin Fumé: Blanc is still my favorite Sauvignon Blanc, though the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Sauvignon Blanc is mighty fine . . .

Columbia Crest Two Vines Merlot 2004

I've not been, in general,

a fan of Merlot. Again, most of the Merlot I've tried has been from California, and I'm discovering the provenance of a wine makes an enormous difference. I've decided to go ahead and try Merlot; after all, I was pleasantly surprised by Chardonnay. I've not as yet been disappointed in any of Columbia Crest's Two Vines wines, and trying their Washington Merlot struck me as a reasonable introduction. And of course, the fact that Two Vines, Grand Estate wines, and Horse Heaven Hills, the three tiers of Columbia Crest wines, are all currently on sale at Fred Meyers doesn't hurt.

A lovely crimson in the glass, with dark highlights. There's a nice impression of blackberries on the nose. Plum more than blackberry at first, but later, I noticed more blackberry in flavor. This is quite nice, though more fruit forward, than the Crane Lake Merlot. The second glass was better still after about forty minutes. There's something that reminds me a little bit of dark bittersweet chocolate, but my general impression of the wine is that it's mellow, rather than oaky. We were inspired to have a second class with dessert, Lindt Excellence Sea Salt chocolate. It's an absolutely fabulous pairing, one I plan to repeat. We purchased this bottle of Columbia Crest Two Vines Merlot for $5.99 at Fred Meyers.

Mount Baker Syrah 2005

Mount Baker Winery

is a local Western Washington winery in Everson, one that's been slowly increasing the number of cases it produces, year by year. The Mount Baker Winery began in 1978 when a career military man, Al Stratton, began making fruit wines, and German style white wines. He secured a contract to produce and ship plum wine to Japan, and used the proceeds to improve his winery. In 1989, Stratton sold his winery and small vineyard to Randy Finley, a local businessman, who, after a year in France, was inspired to become a winemaker. Finley continued making fruit wines, but began to concentrate on varietals suited to the Northwest. He also improved the winery itself, significantly increasing the warehouse space and improving growing methods. Today, Mount Baker Winery grows Chasselas, Madeleine Angevine, Muller-Thurgau, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Siegerrebe grapes, and uses grapes sources from Eastern Washington and brought to his winery to produce Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It's been a successful decision; the wines are featured by local restaurants, Finley has been able to offer "custom label" wines, and his 2001 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was a double gold medal winner at the 2005 San Francisco Wine Competition.

We picked up a bottle of the Mount Baker Washington Syrah 2005 the other day at a local Washington State Liquor store. It's from the winery's table wine line of Washington State wines. The bottle used a natural cork, and the wine was a lovely raspberry red in color. It was noticeably a Syrah on opening, in terms of the aroma, and the wine itself was just slightly herbacious, though still rich with fruity dried plums and and a lovely just slightly tannic edge. It's one we'll watch for again, though I suspect this was essentially the last of the lot.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2007

At first sip, this very pale citrine-colored

Sauvignon Blanc actually reminded me of Chardonnay. I know, I know, but it's important to be truthful, yes? And I admit, freely, I don't know what I'm talking about. But once the wine warmed a little—I do think, honestly it was really several degrees colder than it should have been—it opened up, and was much more complex and yes, much more like Sauvignon Blanc. It shifted from acidic to slightly sweet peach and mango flavors, with the faint herbal-grassy hint I like so much with Sauvignon Blanc. The aroma too was decidedly fruity; peach and ripe pear. I note that the Columbia Crest Web site makes a point of saying that some of the wine was barrel-aged, and that "Extreme caution was exercised to prevent malolactic fermentation, thus preserving the crisp acid and fresh flavors."

I liked this wine, very much. It lists for around $13.00; we found it at a local Fred Meyers for $5.99. That's practically a steal. I'm going to see if I can find a 2006 bottle hiding somewhere, to compare the two years directly; I think that could be quite interesting and a lot of fun.

Apex Chardonnay 2007

Apex Cellars in Yakima, Washington,

is another of the Precept brands; you can find the marketing materials at Precept's site. Apex was created in 1988 by Harry Alhadeff, a much respected Northwest wine authority and disctibutor, and Brian Carter, a much respected winemaker. Apex produces three basic tiers of wine; Apex, Apex II, and Bridgman. Carter was joined as winemaker by Victor Palenci in 2007.

This was a lovely straw yellow color. There's a hint of green apple and something slightly sweeter in the aroma. The taste, though, is green apple, with hint of caramel and slightly sweet pineapple. This is recognizably Chardonnay, with a clear sharp edge to it. There's a hint of tannic to it, but not so much as with the California Chardonnays I've had. This was more complex than I'd expected, with a buttery finish to a citrus acidic start. The ABV is 13.7%; we paid $5.99 at the Bargain Grocery Outlet (the standard retail is around $15.00), and yes, we'll be watching for more. Having said that, I'm becoming increasingly puzzled by Chardonnay; there's so very much range in terms of flavor and scent that I very much want to try the same wine from different years. I think, however, that even restricting myself to Washington Chardonnays would give me a huge number of wines to try.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley 2007 Nellie's Garden Dry Rose

This is so far my favorite Washington Rosé. Mind, I have only tried two other Washington Rosés,

Colombia Crest's Two Vines Rosé, and Gordon Brothers Rosé. Both were quite enjoyable, but this Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Vallen 2007 Dry Rosé does stand out. Syrah grapes were pressed and processed in Eastern Washington, at the winery Chateau Ste. Michelle uses for most red wine production. The juice was then cold fermented at the white wine production facility in Woodinville, Washington. There's a small amount (2%) of Grenache added as well. Most of the juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks, with the remainder aged in neutral oak barrels. Wine Spectator gave the wine 87 points in June of 2009.

This is definitely dry Rosé, but it's not without the fruit scent and berry qualities you expect from a mostly Syrah wine. It's pleasant on its own, but it is absolutely superb with food. The fruit qualities of Syrah are enhanced by the dryness; it's a sweet-sour combination of raspberry and slightly sour cherry, a description that really doesn't do this very pretty wine justice. This is my pick for a wine to serve with the Thanksgiving turkey; I think it will be fabulous. It lists for $23.00, but I've been seeing it locally for under $8.00.

The "Nellie's Garden" name on the label refers to the garden of Nellie Stimson, who was initially responsible for the lovely gardens on the Chateau Ste. Michelle grounds.

Pages