Please use comments here to alert everyone to interesting wines you’ve seen at which stores, but which have not yet been reviewed. Please post any tasting notes in Guest Contributions, or as a comment on a main-page review, as comments here older than six weeks or so will be deleted.
You can check out what reviewers have at home to review at this sub-blog:
The magical world of wines from Grocery Outlet 
Morandé 2019 Cinsault – País, 75% Cinsault, 25% País, Valle del Maule, Chile, 13% ABV, $7. I was quite skeptical of this wine because Cinsault, as far as I could tell since it’s never bottled on its own, is not a very substantial grape, and País seems to be even worse. However, it’s not bad at all. Tangy earthy funky rhubarb, red raspberry, purple plum, slight darker berry, with slight drying grape skin tannin in the finish. Tastes like a fresh and fruity Côtes du Rhône that’s probably best in the next year.
Bodega Norton 2021 “Colección de los Andes” Malbec, Argentina, imported by Kobrand, 13.5% ABV, $6. Probably recently arrived in the US, this was immediately smooth and pretty tasty, but needed about 5 days to show what it seems to have. It shows medium-bodied Malbec flavors of tangy red cherry, purple plum, blueberry, slight roses and raisin, stemmy / skin mildly tannic finish. I suspect that with a little more rest time (much like the 2021 Recrí Cabernet / Malbec), this will be soft, fruity and accessible, if not necessarily as good the second day.
Ortigão “Nektar” Brut non-vintage sparkling wine, Portugal, 11.5% ABV, $8. Ripe yellow apple, lightly honeyed, lemony apple-y acid, darker yellow melon, fresh bread, dry and crisp with a medium mousse. I like it! Also, where most sparkling wine corks have a flared base, making them impossible to re-insert, this bottom of this cork was nearly cylindrical, making it easy to re-insert. Re-inserted, it stayed in the bottle, both in and out of the fridge, so there seems to be no need for a separate re-closure device for this wine.
Glad you liked the Nektar! It has been one of the most exciting things we’ve brought in this year! Better than most Prosecco at the same price.
I distinctly recall a GO Cinsault from South America from maybe a year ago. It had a rather Pinot Noir like mouthfeel and nice red fruit but was not complex enough to buy more than a few bottles.
In California, the Bechtold vineyard in Lodi has become an increasingly desirable source of Cinsault, and Turley has bottled one for years. It is their least expensive wine at $20 per bottle.
After reading your review last month of the Ortigão “Nektar” Brut, BW, when it showed up at the Silverdale GO, I bought two bottles and opened the first on Christmas evening. I generally keep at least a dozen mixed bottles of bubbly in the cellar, as my wife and I both enjoy it. Like you, I too found it very tasty…so thanks for leading me to it. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a Portuguese bubbly before. I found it to be brilliant pale straw with a steady stream of tiny bubbles; flavors of green apple and citrus with mild yeastiness and fine acidity; just barely off-dry and very refreshing with real texture in the finish. Checking on line, the producer lists the component varieties as 60% Arinto, 30% Bical, 10% Cercial, none of which I’m familiar. As for the cork, mine was flared to the point where it would not be easy or worth my time to reinsert, unlike what you encountered. But I have a great little bubbly stopper that fits flat on the bottle to make it very easy to fit into the fridge.
Been wanting to try the Ortigão “Nektar”, and Stan finally got it in here in Olympia.
He’s charging $10, which appears to be $2 more than for BW in Cali.
Lim, do you remember what Silverdale was charging?
I will get some nonetheless, but for $10 I’ll need to really dig it, to stock up any further.
$9.99 in Silverdale, JJ. And while I enjoyed it and wanted to experience a Portuguese bubbly, I’ll likely just stick to the three bubblies I love from Costco…Kirkland white and pink Proseccos for $8 and Kirkland Champagne for $20 (which is excellent and far cheaper than any other true Champagnes).
Oh wow….how did I not know that Costco has a true champagne?
Will have to try that for sure. Thanks lim!
Any other trusty reviewers want to add comment on that Costco champagne?
The Seattle Times wine & food reviewers rank it and the two Proseccos among the best wine offerings from Costco every year.
Hi Lim13. Glad to hear you also liked the Nektar. Interesting to hear you prefer Costco sparkling wine deals since I don’t shop there. Happy New Year, everyone!
Some interesting French bottles in Pullman:
1. Chateau Guillou 2019 Montagne St Emilion $18 80ML,20CF, concrete fermentation, French oak X12 mo, 4K cases produced, $26 MSRP, WE 90 pts Roger Voss 3/1/22.
Sale brings price to $14.40.
(4 cases)
2. Chateau La Haute Claymore 2016 Lussac St Emilion, 85ML,15CF. $17 GO, $18 wine.com so not such a deal, sale drops to $13.60. 90 pts Decanter. CellarTracker ave 86 pts.
(4 cases)
3. Cellier des Dauphins Puymeras 2017 Côtes Du Rhone Villages $10 GO, WE 87pts Anna Lee Iijima, 3/1/2020, $18 MSRP. Sale drops to $8. (3 cases)
4. Chateau Grand Marchand 2018 Bordeaux $8 GO, $17 MSRP. WE 89pts Roger Voss 3/1/2020. CT ave 86pts. Sale drops to $6.40. (3 cases)
Other wines spotted already discussed: Guarda Rios 2020 Red Blend ($6), Robert Willis Homestead CS and Red Blend (Mercer Bros label), Roku Gewurztraminer (Scheid Family label), Kosi SB.
Still drinking my cases of Kenneth Volk from last year – bargain of the year
I was recently pleased to find a bottle of the Unoaked chardonnay in my “drink me” white wine bin.
Yes they were, and my fav was the Tempranillo
I just purchased the Kenneth Volk 2013 Blaufrankisch, I have not had this varietal any thoughts?
The only Volk Blaufränkisch I’ve seen is this one, the 2014. Is that the vintage you picked up? GO also had a Hungarian (I think) Blaufränkisch which was a sweet red, in contrast to the very dry Volk wines.
It’s the same grape as Lemberger, if you’ve had that one–a grape that is sometimes grown in Washington as well as even more occasionally in California. It can be vinified to make a light wine, Beaujolais-like, or a more rustic red.
Also labeled by some as Blue Franc (the English translation of Blaufrankisch). It’s a cool climate Austrian variety. Longtime WA producers (like Thurston Wolfe and Kiona) call it Lemberger. All of those wines are dry and as flitcraft points out below, they’re generally made in a lighter Beaujolais-like style or more deeply colored rustic wine. I’ve had a number of Lembergers over the years, but I’ve personally never had a sweet one like BW mentioned. Jed Steele from CA made a number of Lembergers from WA grapes.
I was thinking of the Jed Steele wine when I mentioned California–didn’t realize it was WA grapes!
Yeah. And Steele did a lot of consulting with Ste. Michelle and other WA wineries.
A couple recent $6 reds:
– Desert Wind 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, Wahluke Slope, Columbia Valley, WA, 14.06% ABV, $6. On its first night open, this wine really put me off. While I thought it had nice WA Cab flavors of Bing cherry, cranberry / red currant, red plum, and dusty cocoa / chocolate / maybe mocha, and baking spice, its body was a bit light for a Cab, and these nice flavors were overwhelmed by the sort of syrupy vanillin-tasting oak product I can’t stand. However, a saved screw-cap bottle of this wine, opened a few days later, was much better, with the fruit (a little darker than the first night, with more boysenberry / less ripe blackberry) and complexity coming out to balance the bad oak, still with a little unresolved tannin the finish so it probably still has some life left in it. It’s still not really my kind of wine, but if you’re less finicky about it than I am, this is probably pretty good at current price levels.
– Proemio 2017 “terroir single vineyard” red blend, 50% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Petit Verdot, Mendoza, Argentina, 13.9% ABV, $6. Nose nice complex range of flavors from lighter red cherry, to darker purple cherry and plum, through blackberry, to baking spice, earth, wood. Recently arrived, it needed 3 – 3.5 hours to air nicely but incompletely. Has enough reserved structure that it’s probably better 2nd day. A few days later, the saved screw-cap bottle was more forward, with flavors of supple and tangy red / purple cherry, boysenberry / purple plum, red currant, cassis / blueberry, still with a stemmy / spiced earthy / brown sugary tannic finish. It has a very slight spoiled fruit / balsamic character, but as the saved bottle has been solidly good for 4+ hours, I don’t think this reflects its being over the hill, and for me does not detract from my enjoyment of it.
BW, thanks for your reviews! Desert Wind is 2.5 hrs from us, so probably won’t see any in Pullman. DW winery was sold to Lawrence/Merkel in 2021. Previous owners of Desert Wind also own Duck Pond. Lawrence/Merkel own Gård and other wineries. Will pick up a bottle of the Proemio at the sale if it’s still around!
Do you know when the Fall 2022 wine sale will be in effect?
I believe the word is Nov. 2-8.
I just tried the Proemio. Decent quaffing wine IMO, straight out of the bottle, but I agree that it could use a bit of time, and look forward to finishing this bottle off tomorrow.
Pullman gearing up for sale, 2 large pallets of wine came in, not shelved yet!
Has anyone had Cantina di Solopaca 2021 Aglianico Beneventano IGP? ($6) Was excited to see something different than the WA and CA wines that seem to predominate.
Hi WORN! I’ve seen the Cantina di Solopaca Aglianico you mention. I haven’t tried it, but here is my review of the 2015 from 2017.
BW, thanks for your redirect, think I’ll pass on this one!
Looking forward to seeing some good recommendations in Pullman, WORN!
What’s up, Doc! Hope you were able to grab a bottle or two of the Double Canyon 2018 CS during the sale! That was the third best wine I’ve gotten from GO in the last year, the two best were the Force Majeure Collaboration II and IV bottles (from Lewiston ID store early September, long gone now from that location).
Standing in the Hillsboro store right now and noticed a sign that says “Wine Makers Dozen: Buy 12 bottles of wine, get one bottle free. This location only.” A few interesting offerings, including several Rieslings I haven’t seen in CA.
Probably a bunch of wines not in CA, including OR Pinot Noir?
Actually at that store, more Bordeaux and CA wines than OR Pinot Noir. BTW, went tasting at Blizzard (Hillsboro, OR) on Saturday, really enjoyed their Pinot Gris and WA Carignan. They weren’t pouring any Pinot Noir that day, but a lovely experience nevertheless. They have a lot of Rhone varietals and I look forward to sharing this place with local friends as well as shipping a few bottles for the holidays.
A trio of organic wines from Croft Vineyards of Oregon at the Olympia store, all $8:
2013 River Runner Red Oregon Pinot Noir
2014 River Runner Red, Willamette Valley (a blend this time)
2013 Savoir-vivre Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Also – Rusack 2017 Ballard Canyon Estate Syrah, Santa Barbara County, $9
Please let us know what you think if you try them soon….
JJ, the Rusack 2017 Santa Barbara County Ballard Canyon Estate and Croft 2013 Savoir-Faire! PN arrived in Pullman. Passed on the PN due to lackluster reviews here but did try the Syrah. I believe BW and someone else have already commented earlier on this Syrah.
🕰2017
💯87/100 🌟3.7
👁Ruby garnet
👃👅Dry,slt balsamic nose,cherry,kalamata olive,air brought out purple plum,tobacco, low acidity,smooth tannins,med finish.
🍇90%SY Clones 383,470,877&Alban 1,10%PS Clone 3
🌄Ballard Canyon
🕰️16 mo in American & French oak barrels
⛽14.1%ABV
💯1700 cases
💵$25 MSRP $8 GO
Adequate MWQ Syrah but not super complex.
Did not get any meaty or floral notes on this Syrah/PS blend.
Nomenclature of this winery’s PNs on their website is confusing, couple of different price points. This is the Santa Barbara County.
Not a repeater for me but I have several friends who will love this.
I live in Portland, worked for an Oregon winery for 35 years…now retired, and I’ve never seen a bottle of Croft PN in any retailer in the state, or on any wine list. I HAVE heard great things from other wineries about the Sauvignon Blanc grapes they had bought from the vineyard. The patriarch of the family recently died, and so it seems that their Washington distributor saw no reason to hold onto their stock. Since I live so close to Washington, I do go over to Vancouver to see what’s available, and yesterday, I ran across these Crofts, and bought 1 of each. I opened the 2014 River Runner Red tonight, and it is pretty fresh, but incredibly dilute. I didn’t pour the rest out, but am not at all optimistic about how it’ll be tomorrow evening. My advice is to skip. (I’ll open the other 2 wines soon, but am also not optimistic about them.)
I had filled the bottle up with marbles, so there wasn’t a strong oxidative effect from the evening before…the ’14 Croft had a touch more fruit and a touch more flavor…but not enough to make the wine interesting. I’ll probably use the rest in cooking today….
Thanks for taking one (actually, two) for the team. I saw these at Crown Hill and thought about picking them up for review purposes, but you’re saving me the trouble.
I opened both of the other bottles of Croft wines, but with a lot less patience than the other night. Both the 2013 River Runner Red and the 2013 Savoir-Vivre had a lot in common with the 2014…a touch more nose and mouth, but really, in the same ballpark. I looked up Croft on-line…they’re selling the 2015 River Runner Red for $28.00 at this time, and they have an Estate bottling PN going for $60.00. Elsewhere, the big Oregon winery King Estate proudly lists them on their web-site as one of the vineyards they work with…so maybe these aren’t good examples of what Croft is capable of. Anyway, both the above mentioned bottles got poured down the drain…they were a year older than the first one, and it was a very difficult vintage logistically speaking…lotsa rain mid-harvest that waiting it out until the next few days of dry skies was necessary to make great wine. I don’t think that these were at the end of their portfolio that would have warranted that sort of care….
A few recent rosés:
The Wolftrap 2017 rosé, Wine of Origin Western Cape, South Africa, 13.0% ABV, $7. Intensely red-fruited of cherry and ripe currant, has the South African rusty orange (at least how it strikes me) character in red wines, perhaps a little wood, slight roughness in the finish. Has a somewhat sharp character, without much softness, in a way that tends toward oxidation. Feels to me more like a Spanish style of rosé, more to go with ham than seafood, although without much of the Spanish finesse.
OC & OC 2021 rosé, Pays d’Oc IGP, southern France, 12.5% ABV, $8. At first, the fruit is a bit full and fuzzy in a way that’s not to my taste, although still in very nice balance. On the second glass, though, the weight settles down to be clear and crisp, with the usual sorts of flavors of cantaloupe, pink grapefruit, tangerine, a little yellow apple, tart strawberry / raspberry, with a little bitterness and gentle minerality in the finish. Expensive for a GO rosé, but superb.
August Kesseler 2018 “The Daily August” rosé of Pinot Noir, Rheingau, Germany, 12.5% ABV, $6. Typical rosé of Pinot Noir flavors of red cherry, orange, raspberry / strawberry in a very German style of being fruity and mildly sweet with some sharp acid in the finish. Not really my preferred style but admittedly pretty yummy.
Southern Ocean 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Wine of Origin Western Cape, South Africa, 12.5% ABV, $6. Another South African Sauvignon Blanc, pretty different from the Kosi Bay, but also good. They are both dry and acid, but whereas the KB is subtle, elegant, complex, minerally, the SO is exuberantly fresh and juicy with flavors of soursop, lemon / yellow grapefruit, maybe mango / jackfruit / orange, green lime, slight roughness in the finish.
Must be a South Africa-oriented distributor clearing out old stock. The Tormentoso Mourvedre Paarl 2013 is absolutely delicious. This is a ready to drink wine that briefly confused me with a Pinot Noir, same mouth feel.
Interesting. First, I recall a year or two ago getting a vintage of the Tormentoso that I thought was too old. Second, I’m pretty sure the vintage at the Richmond store is 2014. Thanks.
There might be two vintages. The bottle I bought definitely said 2013.
Price on Tormentoso?
We got the Kosi Bay SB, but not the Southern Ocean…sure hope we get this one!
Tormentoso was $8 or less, I really don’t remember.
Tormentoso $6
I can now confirm this, bought a bottle of each vintage today.
Did you (or anyone else) try the 2014 Tormentoso Mourvèdre?
Yes. I like them both. I am in a drink what I have mode now otherwise I would buy more.
Calabria 2014 “Three Bridges” Durif (Petit Syrah) [sic, usually written “Petite Sirah”], Riverina, NSW, Australia, $7. Tasty from first pour, it became darker and more accessible over a few hours. Not as dark and heavy as CA Petite Sirahs, with redder boysenberry / lighter purple plum, almost like there’s some Viognier in it (like a Côte Rôtie-style Syrah – Viognier blend), still with some darker plum / blackberry underneath at least on the first night, has some of the PS clamping tannic finish. A few days later, the saved screw-cap bottle was very much the same, although it became a little more dark and smooth in the glass after 45 minutes or so. While I would have liked it to be more complex, it’s an easy and yummy wine in the dry and fruity Australian style.
Christina Pickard at Wine Enthusiast calls this a “dense, inky-hued wine, oozing with ripe blackberry, blueberry, dried herbs, wet earth, toasty oak and a savory smokey streak in the background. The palate is rich in powerful, dusty tannins, plush fruit and slightly chunky wood. It’s on the hot and extracted side, and unless you’re a lover of gargantuan reds, this needs more time in the bottle. Drink 2020–2030.” However, my bottle at least was no longer so tough and huge, and I doubt there’s anything to gain by aging it further.
Ziata 2019 Chardonnay, Carneros, Napa Valley, CA, 14.1% ABV, $15. Recently arrived, so if it’s been at a store or at home for a week or two, you’ll likely get “2nd day results” right away. First day, fruit was dull and simple, oak rather strong and sharp. Second day, much more integrated and balanced, with flavors of ripe yellow apple / golden kiwi / ripe pineapple, white / yellow pear, lemony acid, green apple, buttery / butterscotchy oak. For those who like a full-bodied, buttery-oaked, CA Chardonnay, that still has a pretty good fruit / acid balance. Although from a fairly recent vintage, tastes like it shouldn’t be held that much longer. I’m not wild about it for this price, but should be a good wine for the upcoming fall sale. 3rd day, diagnosis of near-end-of-life confirmed. Fruit still pretty nice but becoming more heavily yellowed, and strong oak in finish getting slightly rough and bitter. To me, this suggests a good deal for a nice CA Chardonnay to be enjoyed in one evening some time in the next few months.
Siesta 2012 Pinot Noir, “The Varietal Wines of Ernesto Catena,” Mendoza, Argentina, 13.9% ABV, $6. The longish cork was in very good shape. I drank the first night’s portion of my bottle over about 4 hours, during which it tasted only distantly like Pinot Noir, and sort of failed to come together in a way that made me think it’s a little too old. The next day, the saved screw-cap bottle was also okay, and did not fall apart or become vinegar or anything awful, but nonetheless reinforced my opinion from the first day. Very oddly, it reminded me more of a New World Bordeaux-style blend, with a little balsamic flavor and a slightly rough acid finish. There was relatively small amount of funky lighter Pinot cherry and baking spice near the end of the taste. It did integrate and become relatively smooth after 1.5 hours in the glass, and it’s not a bad wine, but not what I had been hoping for, having liked a number of Argentine Pinots in the past. Did anyone else try one? I expect there’s a bit of bottle variation in an older wine like this.
I drank a bottle over three days and had a different experience. I found it to be fairly typical for pinot noir, medium bodied, nothing unpleasant, and was surprised to see it is from 2012.
Over that same period I also really enjoyed the Reyneke Syrah 2016, Stellenbosch, also bought at Richmond. Day 1 it had a classic cool climate Syrah profile, black fruit, white pepper, good acid balance, but days 2 and 3 more red and black fruit emerged making for a very tasty New World syrah. I bought a couple for of these to put away.
Hi Seedboy. I had the same experience with the Reyneke Syrah. On the first night, I completely loved it. Open 4.5 hours, it seemed like it was almost completely aired before it shut down for the night. The saved screw-cap bottle, however, did not even come close to the first night. It was redder, more acid, and simple, although not tasting at all too old. Was really not sure what to make of it, but will be glad to have more if only for that first night. $8 BTW.
I saw some bottles when I was in the store over the weekend.
No longer.
It looks like there is the beginnings of a stock-up for the fall sale in the Seattle GOs. More of the Keira wines showed up, this time at Crown Hill. I was told that there is a lot of wine in the backroom at Kenmore, waiting to be put out. And saw an interesting Cotes du Rhone, from Celliers des Dauphins, Puymuras village, 2017. Did not buy, but will keep an eye on stocking over the next couple of weeks for those who want to taste before the sale.
Keep us updated what you are seeing at Crown Hill/Kenmore (I browse Lake City and Lynnwood as well as all are in my area) as it leads up to the sale!
And the Keira wines have shown up at the MLK GO, too–as elsewhere, a potpourri of vintages and types. If you are interested, the Columbia Valley wines are single vineyard Stillwater Vineyard, which today would be classified as Royal Slope AVA–so not a generic Columbia Valley appellation. I’ve tried a couple of these varietals and am impressed for the price. I wouldn’t put much stock in the 40 dollars plus ‘elsewhere’ price touted by the GO shelftalker; they do not strike me as 40 dollar plus wines, but mid-twenties, sure…and at 7.99 worth the tariff.
A couple of other interesting wines, not bought but noted: Scatena Brothers Seghesio ZInfandel, Faliero Piemonte Appassimento ripasso style wine, Le Petit Chateau de Lagarde organic Bordeaux, Guarda Rios Alentejano Portuguese red wine, 2020.
Will report more as we get closer to the sale, including any I have bought and tasted.
We seem to be getting a lot of Portuguese wine around here lately.
The little Lacey store showed some 5 or 6 on the stock sheet yesterday!
Flitcraft, or anyone who tries it…I’d love to know about the Cotes du Rhone. Do you remember the price?
Price on the Cotes du Rhone was 9.99. Too much for now, but if it’s around for the sale, I will bite.
They have also added a Cotes du Rhone Villages from the same producer at Crown Hill. Also 9.99.
Also at Crown Hill is Guarda Rios Red Blend, Alentejo Portugal at 5.99. This wine reminded me very much of the Porta das Armas Dao Portuguese wine from the last sale. And, surprise, it turns out that both wines are from Monte da Ravasqueira… Like its sibling, the Guarda Rios is a somewhat rustic but frankly delicious wine, all black fruits and a little vanilla. Very typical Alentejano mix of grapes, though some turn out to be more familiar grapes in Alentejano disguise–like Aragonez, which DNA reveals to be the same grape as Tinto Roriz, which in turn has been unmasked as Tempranillo. Regardless, this wine is a delightful quaff at 5.99. And I doubt it will last to the sale, so if you liked the Porta das Armas, you might want to get this one now.
The Montevina Amador Zinfandel that I bought the other day at Richmond for maybe $6 or $7 is pretty good. Not boozy or overripe, good fruit balanced out by acid and a bit of grippy tannin. Was good with lasagna last night.
Kosi Bay Selections 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Wine of Origin Western Cape, South Africa, bottled for Off-Piste Wines Ltd, UK, imported by W. Direct, Lawrence, KS, 12.5% ABV, $6. Tart gooseberry and ripe green kiwi leads into pear and lemony tropical fruits of cherimoya and golden kiwi / medium-ripe mango or jack fruit, maybe slight white pepper, smooth minerality in the finish. Outstanding!
Somehow, the flavors seemed less intense and complex the next day, although still yummy especially warmed up a bit from fridge temp. [Update: and this evening (3rd day), it’s back to being yummy, so maybe my palate was just off yesterday.]
The Kosi Bay showed up at the Silverdale GO yesterday, so I picked up a bottle at $5.99. When first opened and tasted, it wasn’t bad…but for me, it went downhill fast. The typical gooseberry was initially there in the nose, but then it took on some sour and rubbery notes and the flavors got weird (hard to describe). I did pick up on the white pepper you mentioned, BW, but the wine just didn’t do it for me. No comparison to my favorite southern hemisphere SB’s. I also thought it was interesting that the label very closely resembles New Zealand’s well-reputed and pricey Cloudy Bay Sauv Blanc.
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/cloudy+bay+sauv+blanc+marlborough+new+zealand
Wow! I was excited to read that we got to taste the same wine for once, but from your description, I’m less sure it was the same wine. Interesting label comparison to Cloudy Bay. Thanks!
Silver Totem 2017 Red Blend $6
🕰2017
💯70/100 🌟2.0
👁Ruby
👃👅Dry,black fruit,ashtray, herbs,decent acidity and tannins,med finish.WA state red blend w smoke taint note 🧐
🍇CS,ML,MB % unspecified
🌄Columbia Valley
💵-$13 MSRP $6 GOBM
⛽13.5%ABV
🏰Banfi Wines
🌃Silver Totem Richland WA
Pat popped this open when I came over last night.
I’ve had a bottle of this before with no smoke taint issue.
Bottle variability.
Pat thought it was great, I didn’t want to burst her bubble.
She still has sensory issues from COVID Classic in 2020.
🚬 🍷🚬🍷🚬🍷🚬🍷🚬🍷
“When your forest’s on fire,
You must realize
Smoke gets in your wine”
Tasted twice to confirm.
First time I’ve had a smoke tainted wine.
Hi WORN! My wife and I have had a few bottles of this wine and not noticed any smoke taint issues, although I can’t say I know what this tastes like. Maybe there were different batches? We have one more, and I’ll pay more attention whenever we open it. I’d like to think I’d notice “ashtray,” though.
BW, yes I was rather surprised to taste “ashtray” as I’d had this wine before a year and it was very good! Different batch probably than what I drank back then. I tasted it twice to confirm.
Saw an interesting, paywalled piece on smoke taint and Oregon Pinot Noir. Smoke particles apparently chemically bond with the grape skins, so smoke taint cannot be washed off. Internally, the smoke leaves the grapes tainted by guaiacol, which leaves a smoky, almost barbeque flavor. The article said that several Oregon winemakers had gotten together to try to figure out if smoke tainted grapes could be nevertheless used in some way–perhaps by pressing with lower pressure and not keeping the juice in contact with the skins for very long, also using oak to try to make a more savory wine where a minute bit of guaiacol would not be noticeable. In the end, the conclusion was that some rose might be made, but probably no red Pinot Noir. (If you see an Oregon rose from the 2022 vintage called Lemonade, it was made collectively by several of these winemakers, as in “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
And for more on smoke taint, oddly enough I just saw this article from “Wine Enthusiast” contributed by a WA state writer today:
https://www.winemag.com/2021/02/17/wine-science-smoke-taint/
Very interesting! Thanks! The part about “20% of people don’t even notice it” has me worried… 🙂
Meiomi non-vintage sparkling wine, Methode Champenoise, CA North Coast Special Selection, 12.0% ABV, $10. This is the other sparkling wine about which I’ve been curious, as I am somehow familiar with the brand name even though I can’t recall ever tasting any of their wines before. (Probably customers have asked for it?) Anyway, in contrast to the Murari, this has more and riper fruit, probably very slightly more sugar, has well-integrated acid and astringency, and seems less fresh although not “off” at all. My overall reaction, though, is similar: not especially exciting but good for the price.
I’ve had a number of bottles of Meiomi Pinot Noir over the years and usually loved it, particularly their Belle Glos bottling…rather ripe, dark and full-flavored. So I tried the sparkling wine when it first showed up at the Silverdale GO, probably a year and a half to two years ago. I was unimpressed…a little too fruity and just off dry; not usually my preferred style of bubbly. I know it sells well around here. The Silverdale GO owner just told me she ordered a bunch of it again and she loves it.
Thanks. It’s not my preferred style, either, but strikes me as a solidly made wine that many would like. I’ve never seen any Meiomi Pinot at GO.
I concur, BW. Nothing wrong with it…and I’m sure it’s popular with the masses. Just not for me. I’ve never seen Meiomi Pinots at GO either; always bought mine from other retailers. I became less interested when I saw all their TV ads, even though I suspect their Pinots are still tasty.
A large quantity of different varieties from Keira Cellars in Woodinville WA available at the Hazel Dell location in Vancouver, WA. I believe they were all $7.99
2017 Red Mountain Cabernet Franc
2016 Red Mountain Red Wine Revere
2017 My Red Head Red Wine Blend (double gold medal 2020 from WA State Wine/Seattle Wine Awards)
2016 Merlot (Double Gold Medal Seattle Wine Awards)
2017 Red Mountain Cabernet Franc
Also a couple of white varieties that I did not record for reference. Did not buy any, was in a hurry, but after coming home and doing a little research, I am going back for a few to try.
Ok, well now I really AM pissed.
Olympia is paying at least $1 more for every one of those bottles than WOODINVILLE ???
The median household income in Olympia is roughly HALF that of our wine-kissed northern compadres.
Just to be clear, the wine was made in Woodinville, but purchased in Vancouver, WA.
Oh my lord, what a hothead I am.
You’re so right.
My socialist heart leapt out of its cage again~
Murari non-vintage Brut sparkling wine, 11% ABV, $8. In recent years, Murari was a Prosecco that I liked because it had nice, even flavors and was very dry. Very recently, it showed up looking almost exactly the same (striking tapered bottle that is widest at the base), but it is now just Italian sparkling wine. It’s still pretty dry, but has more robust and less smooth (At least, as I recall. It has been a few years) flavors of lemony pear, with some aspirin or unripe apple in the finish. So, IMO, it’s still a pretty good sparkling wine for the money, but, unsurprisingly, I guess, doesn’t really taste like Prosecco anymore.
It’s pretty hard to source decent inexpensive Prosecco right now…if its not the grower’s holding the co-ops hostage and raising prices, it’s the supply chain, or no glass available or COGS going up on dry goods like labels…So to get decent Italian Sparkling/Prosecco-like wine, we’ve had to buy Prosecco with out the name to keep costs in line with what our customers will spend.
Thanks! So it actually is made from Glera? If so, then maybe it’s just a bit fresh?
Yes, and if I remember correctly there’s some Chardonnay in there too.
If you can get any more of that Kris sparkling wine that came through in the Spring, please do. That was lovely.
Force Majeure 2012 Ciel Du Cheval Collaboration IV Red Wine – Lewiston ID $10 (my Vivino review)
🕰2012
💯91/100 🌟4.1
👁Purple ruby,opaque,staining
👃Purple violets,black currant,blueberry jam
👅Dry,tart black currant on attack,spices,cloves then ripe black cherries,earthiness,purple plums,dried herbs,med high acidity,chewy tannins,loooonngg finish.
Amazing.Keep wanting another taste to savor and analyze.
Must have been a monster on release!
In prime drinking window, just fantastic!
🍇72%ML,16%CS,8%CF,4%PV
💵$65 release $10 GrocOut
Winemaker of this Collaboration IV is Carolyn Lakewold who has 2 small boutique wineries in Tenino near Olympia.
Shoulda bought a case, dang it!
This is a very well made wine by a master of her craft.
Pieces 2013 red blend, Paso Robles, CA, 53% Petite Sirah, 22% Syrah, 16% Grenache, 9% Viognier, produced and bottled by Pieces, Creston, CA, 14.1% ABV, $7. Quite mature but not gone off, and not balsamic-y, either. Soft, caramelly, stemmy ripe fruits of funky red cherry, cola, plum, dusty brown earth / cinnamon, darker dried herbs, i.e., lots of aged complexity, still with a little drying tannin in the finish. Fruit still has some of that Paso Robles jamminess. The next day, a saved screw-cap bottle was still good, fruit a little darker, not as complex but had a little more acid, which I thought it could have used the first night. I wasn’t super excited by this, but it was an interesting, well-aged wine.
The new GO in Nipomo had an entire end cap of these.
BW, Public COLA registry reveals bottler as Broken Earth Winery in Creston. Broken Earth applied for and was granted 2 labels under “Pieces” name in July 2022. One was the blend you mentioned. Might have been some of their older vintages that were unsold so blended them? Hard to know! Shoulda named the other blend “Bits”!
Hi WORN! The story on the label is that the winemaker describes each vintage’s wine as a puzzle, the pieces of which have to sorted so they fit together. Your interpretation may be more plausible, though. 🙂
Tonight I opened another saved screw-cap bottle and it sat in the glass for a good while whilst I was making dinner. It’s quite good, better than the first saved bottle, which I maybe didn’t let air long enough. Tonight’s glass did have a little balsamic character, but only a small amount, so I liked it.
2018 Cedargreen Cellars Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($5.99 at the Silverdale GO) opened tonight. Brilliant pale straw; serious whiffs of sulfur in the nose that never really seemed like it would blow off, so it was 90 minutes before I got any pear or grassiness (two aromas I generally look for in domestic Sauv Blanc); lemony, citrusy notes were eventually pretty flavorful; what impressed me most was the texture…almost chewy and mouth coating, so I’m assuming it got a fair dose of skin contact before pressing; leaning toward high acidity, so it should do really well with shellfish…think chilled raw oysters on the half shell. My best advice is open it an hour or two before drinking. It’s really pretty tasty after that.
Serendipity to be drinking a glass of this AS I rec’d your review, lim!!
I’m on 2nd or 3rd night open…hasn’t lost anything (rather, gained) but I had a harder time ‘finding it’ in the first place.
Very high in acid with a dearth of fruit characteristics. I may have gotten a bit of sulfur but not burdensome or terribly noticeable….most emergent was a nice toastiness in the nose, never got much grass or pear (I wish!) ….maybe I didn’t drink enough to have it sit out developing.
Disappointingly little of anything but acid carrying through into the mouth.
By tonight it has full round and rich nose of roasted almond/maraschino, stinky sock and a touch of green apple, slaked lime (almost like a corn tortilla), and a lower perfumed and alluring layer of musky fruit. I would not have guessed this as a Sauv. Blanc,, much less a CV SB, on a blinder.
As an SB, it most resembles a Loire, or does at certain moments.
I am quite enjoying it now–it has developed much more character—so I mirror Lim’s suggestion to give it PLENTY of air.
It’s still all in the nose….quite acid in the mouth.
However I can imagine that being tamed by a nice plump scallop or a briny grilled oyster!!
Mine was $6.99; Stan has now informed me that we are a ‘top shelf’ GO, which means we pay a premium for being such a good seller (not my favorite trait of the free market)….nearly always now $1 more/bottle than others.
I’ve certainly noticed the price increase.
Serendipity indeed. Very well put, JJ…”had a harder time ‘finding it’ in the first place”. I suspect the couple ounces I have sitting in the bottle will taste better tonight or tomorrow night. I just love the texture, so bought two more today.
And pardon me, but that dollar more thing at the Oly store would royally piss me off. If they’re selling so much more, one would think they could handle charging the same price as us peons pay up north.
You know Stan better than anyone, Lim….talk to him on our behalf!!
😉
Now, I love my man Stan and I’m guessing he isn’t the one pulling all the strings here, but these were his exact words in response to my query about the higher prices:
“Sometimes our prices are a dollar more usually because it’s going on Ad or in-store special. Because our wine sells 2 to 3 times faster than most grocery outlets, we have to mark it up if we know it’s going to be a hot seller because we don’t have the warehouse space to back stock anything.”
I need some help interpreting that, as I’m not getting it.
If it’s on Ad isn’t that usually a mark-DOWN, not a mark-UP?
And what is the intersection of warehouse space, inflating a price over other GO’s, and high sales?
Done! We’ll see just how much pull I have with Stan…but don’t hold you breath. Will let you know what I hear. Also just reading your second post, JJ. Still makes little sense to me and I know Stan had a similar issue with warehouse space here in Silverdale. The owner here, Christina has told me the same thing, but she hasn’t raised prices. I’m curious where the pricing determination originates. I’m pretty sure that’s not Stan’s decision. If it’s a “hot seller”, why do you need warehouse space? Large floor stack those cases…although on my one visit to the Oly store, they sure didn’t seem to have much space on the floor either. Maybe Stan just has too many PLU’s/too many labels? Got me!
You have all the right questions, I have faith in you!
(and, I’ll take your advice and continue breathing…..)
JJ, seems like a supply and demand Economics 101 equation. High demand, limited supply, raise the price. A small price increase should be tolerated without a noticeable decrease in sales. Any other reason given for the price increase is blowing smoke IMO.
If wine sales start dropping in the future, expect a rollback in price to stimulate sales again.
WORN, you are so right. I recall some years back, when Crown Hill had a different owner to now, they used to raise the price on wines that got enthusiastic reviews here. (No good deed goes unpunished…)
That would make more sense, if it were particularly popular wines he’s marking up a buck….but it’s just about all of the ones I’ve been looking at lately…not necessarily hot sellers.
Why I should pay more than Lim, who’s just up the road–our stores both probably using the same warehouse–irks me.
Well, as suspected, JJ, “rattling the cage” changed nothing. But I did learn a few things that don’t sit particularly well with me. Stan told me pretty much the same thing he told you. “Some of the wine that is marked up is going on Ad and because our store does 2-4 times the sales as Bremerton and Silverdale and we don’t have the warehouse space to store them, we have have to mark it up to slow down the sales.” This still makes little sense to me. So they bring in less of the ad wines because they don’t have the space to store what they’ll likely sell? And they slow down sales by marking up the price? Huh??? None of the wines we’ve been talking about here are on ad. As a matter of fact, I’m rarely interested in the wines in the weekly ad. I was also told that some wines get marked up $5.00! I was also told that Olympia had almost a full pallet of the Glenlivet discussed on this blog and it quickly sold out. So what’s fair about particular stores getting “tons” of a particular item while most get none? This is all most confounding to me. To my knowledge, all the product in western WA (and perhaps eastern WA too?) comes from a warehouse in Vancouver, WA.
JJ & Lim, Sellers will charge what the market will bear. If sales stay constant despite the $1-$5 increase, the price will stay there. Profit margins for grocery stores are slim so if they can make more money selling wine at a slightly higher cost, that’s what the business owner will do. Again, any other reason is obfuscation.
Well, I love that you tried Lim!
Tho I’m sure our RN is correct that they sell it for whatever they think they can get it for it….it still makes little sense what Stan is saying. First of all, they used to knock OFF a dollar or more for a daily ad sale wine (which I also join you in rarely being interested in), not RAISE it a dollar…
Then, why run an ad at all on a wine you are intentionally limiting because you’re afraid you’ll sell too much, so you bump the price up, to slow it down?!
Oh dear me, that sounds like a Dr. Seuss riddle.
AS you suggested the possibility of before, Lim, Stan does offer an awful LOT of choice in wines, perhaps too many…which I suppose is a boon for some, but not really much of it I’m interested in. I think he sells so much because he literally packs the place, taking on many endcaps that used to be groceries, stacking cases in aisles, honing into beer territory, etc.
As comparison, Lacey has far fewer choices, but usually has the good ones if there are any to be had. When Olympia runs out, I usually check with Lacey and get back-ups.
Stan is apparently a selling machine, not having much interest at all himself in wine, that I can discern…such a funny combination.
I sheepishly and unfairly got in on a rather large load of that Glenlivet 14 year.
I will be giving those cute little half bottles of delicious cognac-barrel-aged Scotch as gifts, for the rest of my life.
If I ever have the chance to meet you Lim, I’ll bring you one!
Fall 2022 wine sale scheduled to commence Nov 2.
Three Paddles Pinot Noir Martinborough 2015 from Nga Waka vineyard. I bought this at the store on Poway during a business trip to San Diego. I had tried this wine when I found it in Napa in July but when I went back only one bottle left. Medium body, nice balance of fruit earth acid and a bit of tannic grip. If I had had a shipper with me I would have filled it and put it on the plane home.
I also bought another bottle of the Lachini pinot and it was a good bottle. I think this is my fourth and while there is bottle variation there wasn’t one that was bad.
Are you also seeing the 2011 Lachini? It’s what I’ve found in the Novato and Palo Alto stores. I like it – it’s been tight with heavy pencil lead flavors upon opening, but re-tasting the next evening has shown a nicely structured wine with a tad of nice (still) fresh berry flavors, and much less of the pencilly aftertaste – could definitely do much worse for 10 bucks
Greetings MrC. Please also see the discussions here and here.
Thanks for steering me to these – looks like the jury’s out on this one.
Yes, as you might have noted in the links BW posted. I have opened at least 3 bottles of this. There is some variation, not sure if it is more than bottle shock but given the age some variation is expected. Each of them has been a good wine, some better than others.
Tom of Finland 2016 OUTstanding red, California, 47% Petite Sirah, 26% Zinfandel, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot, 14.5% ABV, $6. Has Petite Sirah’s chocolate-y boysenberry / blackberry, Zin’s black raspberry / tangy dark purple cherry, with a little red cherry smoothing over from the Cabernet and Merlot, in a pretty full body. Dry, ripe fruit, with balancing ripe acid and PS’s gripping tannic finish. I had expected this cause-oriented wine (cause I support) to be pretty basic, i.e., bad. However, this is actually quite good for the price. For more info on the cause, please see here. [Update: still ok 2nd day, but not as good as first]
Tom of Finland is back! I opened a bottle of it last night and, although it’s maybe slightly declined from last fall, it’s still really yummy for the price ($5). Because of my expectation that it would not be as good second day, this bottle did not last to see it.
Seen in Lewiston, Force Majeure 2012 Ciel Du Cheval Collaboration Series IV, Red Wine ($10). A RBBdx blend of 72%ML,16%CS,8%CF,4%PV, aged 28 mo in 50% new French and American oak, 13.8%ABV, winemaker Carolyn Lakewold of Gibbons Lane & Donedai wineries in Tenino. We drove back to Lewiston to pick up a case of the FM 2012 Series II Syrah and spotted the Series IV so subbed a bottle of this in the case. The Syrah has been drinking well over 3 or 4 days now, still delicious!
Two wines of interest at Kenmore GO and one at Crown Hill: It’s been a while since I found anything to be buy-worthy at my local GOs, but today I bought two interesting wines at Kenmore:
First up, 3 Brothers Syrah, 2020 WA state, 5.99, 14.5% ABV. I knew nothing of the winery, so bought a bottle and came home to reconnoiter online. It appears that 2 Brothers Winery is now rebranded as 14 Acres Vineyard, most likely because there is a Three Brothers Winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York that celebrated its 15th anniversary a while back. (Why don’t businesses run a check on names they are considering???) It also appears that the Tre Fratelli Washington state wines that have also appeared at GO are their lower cost label–and again, there is an established Italian brand by that name. I have no idea whether the wine is good or bad, but for 6 bucks I thought it worth a try. (And, for what it’s worth, the 14 Acres rebranded wine is apparently still in business.)
Second wine of interest: Luftschloss Rheingau Riesling, 2018, 4.99, 12% ABV, so it is likely rather dry, though no indication of trocken or halbtrocken on the label. Still, given the paucity of German Rieslings up this way, I thought it worth a purchase. Worse case scenario, it’ll be use for coq au riesling.
Neither of these seen at Crown Hill, and none of the interesting wines seen south and east of Seattle, but I did buy a bottle of Le Fervent Syrah, 2015, Costiere de Nimes AOC, 13.5% ABV. It’s a ‘bottled by’ wine for Tenet, and imported by Chateau Ste. Michelle, which I didn’t realize was in the ‘imported by’ business. Goes to show what I know about the wine industry…
FC, not sure how to redirect to past posts so here are my previous reviews for Fervent & Fratelli.
Le Fervent Syrah
🕰2015
💯87/100 🌟3.7
👁Garnet w watery blue edge
👃👅Dry, earthy, blackberry brambles, garrigue, leather, smooth tannins, gentle acidity, med finish.
🍇Syrah,Viogner coferment
🌄Costiéres de Nîmes, Rhone Valley, 🇫🇷
🏰🇫🇷MichelGassier/Philippe Cambie/🇺🇸CSM collaboration
⛽14%ABV
🎖88 pts WE v2015🎖
🎖90 pts WE v2014🎖
Drink now, at end of DW.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Fratelli Red Blend
🕰2017
💯78/100 🌟2.8
👁Med garnet,watery edge
👃👅Dry,cranberry,raspberry,faint clove,dried herbs,tart,med acidity,light tannins. Light bodied red.
🍇50%CS,50%ML
⛽13.8%ABV
💵$12 winery,$5 GOBM
If blinded,I would NEVER have pegged this as a WA Cab/Merlot blend but a too tart CA PN.Completely atypical for Cabernet Sauvignon,Merlot or Bdx blend.🤷
Second line of this winery which is based in Ridgefield WA near Vancouver.
Sadly Cambie died late last year. He was involved in a California Pinot Noir project with Adam Lee, of Siduri fame.
We popped the Three Brothers Syrah two nights ago, and finished it last night. In the glass, it was a very pretty, transparent red color, not at all like a Syrah would typically look. And not at all like a Washington Syrah would typically taste, either. Very tart, mostly red fruit and cranberry on the palate, and not a lot going on in the nose, either. Last night I tipped some into a garbanzo bean stew, and we drank the rest. The tartness simmered down and it was a better match with a vegetarian stew than with the lamb burgers the night before. But this one is not a re-buy for me, despite the attractive price. No Syrah character, unfortunately, is its undoing. Maybe it’s bottle shock, but I don’t think age will help it much.
FC, from both of our reviews it seems wines from Three Brothers/Tre Fratelli/14 Acres Vineyard are very atypical for the varietal contained within. Sounds like problems growing fruit ripe enough to express the grape’s typicity. Shorter growing season, too cold, not enough sun perhaps. Just a guess. Fruit from much hotter, sunnier areas like Royal Slope AVA makes luscious, full bodied red wines. I’ve tasted fresh Syrah wine grapes from Royal Slope during crush, incredibly sweet w thick purple skins. Maybe someone who grows wine grapes can chime in!
– Gia Coppola 2019 red, 50% Graciano, 25% Grenache, 25% Petite Sirah, 14.5% ABV, $15 for 1 Liter. This is in series made by Francis Coppola’s grand-daughter Gia, made to appeal to younger folks new to wine. The blend is well done and tasty, with ripe purple / red / blue fruits with plenty of tangy acid, without much non-fruit flavors or oak, but neither soft nor sweet. Recently arrived, it fully aired over the course of about 4 hours. It is a respectable wine for a casual occasion, but clearly a lot of thought was put into the packaging. The label is a photo of a very plump and fluffy, somewhat bored-looking, black and orange cat on a pink rug near a pink sofa. The bottle is flat-bottomed, 1L, closed with a crown cap (like a beer bottle), making it look like a German or Austrian bottling, so.. plentiful, portable, easy to open, tasty to drink.
– Rusack 2017 Syrah, Ballard Canyon Estate, Santa Barbara County, CA, 90% Syrah – Clones 383, 470, 174, 877, and Alban 1, 10% Petite Sirah – Clone 3, 14.1% ABV, $8. Usually, I think the Syrah / Petite Sirah blend, despite the similarity of names and genetic heritage, doesn’t work very well, but I was very happy with this. Develops with air but does not need to be aired or decanted. Ripe and rich funky darker red cherry, soft blueberry / purple cherry and plum, chocolate, toasted oak, hints of green olive, fennel, green stem. Despite fairly young age for these grapes, fully mature; do not wait to drink. Aromatic enough that it was better in a Pinot glass. Should be very popular with the GO crowd.
Interesting to hear about the Rusack – sounds like something we might like, as long it has a bit of acid & structure to it. How does it fare on that front?
I recall both acid and structure being adequate for a riper wine like this, but you may well disagree.
We did buy a bottle of the Rusack to try last week, and we liked it. For fans of slightly riper, fruit-forward wines, this might be a good one for you to check out. Reposting my CellarTracker note below:
Not decanted, consumed over ~1 1/2 hours at cool room temp. 90% Syrah & 10% Petite Sirah, and definitely showing the PS influence. This is fairly dense and feels polished, centered on ripe slightly jammy dark red fruit – cherry and blackberry, maybe hints of chocolate and something that reminded me of underbrush or oak. Acidity is a bit on the low side, and there’s a moderate amount of smooth tannin lurking in the background. Maybe a little on the concentrated side for it to be something I’d want to drink very often, but that said, we did enjoy this, and I think this will hit the spot for a lot of folks.
Following up to note that I do think the acidity seems totally in-line for the style, just a bit on the low end for my personal preferences.
Thanks and agree.
BW & BR, our store finally got Rusack Syrah 2017 Santa Barbara County, Ballard Canyon Estate in stock.
Based on your reviews tried a bottle. My Vivino review:
🕰2017
💯87/100 🌟3.7
👁Ruby
👃👅Dry,slt balsamic nose,red cherry,kalamata olive,air brought out purple plum,faint tobacco,low acidity,smooth tannins,med finish.
🍇90%SY Clones 383,470,877&Alban 1,10%PS Clone 3
🌄Ballard Canyon
🕰️16 mo in American & French oak barrels
⛽14.1%ABV
💯1700 cases
💵$25 MSRP $8 Grocery Outlet
Adequate MWQ Syrah but not super complex.
Paired w Pizza and Salad.
Did not get any meaty or floral notes on this Syrah/PS blend.
I find the nomenclature of Syrahs at this winery confusing.
Very similar names for several Syrahs at different price points.
Not a repeater for me, but perfect for several friends I know.
Hi WORN and thanks for sharing your notes. Pretty sure this is gone from my store by now. Please, what is MWQ? Usually, I can guess your acronyms, but not this one.
Hi BW! So sorry, people on Vivino use a lot of acronyms. MWQ =”Midweek Quaffer”, DWOT =”Drinking Without Thinking”. Both are used to describe wines that are adequate but not great. Someone coined those acronyms awhile back. There’s also different wine days, Malbec Monday, Tempranillo Tuesday, White Wine Wednesday, Pinot Noir/Barolo Thursday, Cabernet Fix Friday, Bordeaux Saturday/Sunday. Some people have “clubs” where they keep track of how many bottles of champagne everyone’s sabered. Alphabet Week, the group doing that has gone thru the alphabet at least 3 times. They try to post on a wine that has as many of that week’s letters in it, grapes, winery, appellation or vineyard. Currently on letter X so everyone will be drinking Xarel-lo or Pedro Ximenez. Competitive folks on Vivino.The #1 person in US rankings has over 7000 reviews.
Hi WORN and thanks for the explanation. I’ve seen people using Vivino in the wine section, but have never investigated it myself. From your description, I think I’ll just stay in this low-key backwater. 🙂
Seen in Pullman, M Chapoutier 2018 La Combe Pilate Collines Rhodaniennes $8. WA91, VM91,JD90,JS90. 100%Viognier. Cedargreen Cellars 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley WE 89. $6. Both sounded promising. Our 3 year old store was sold to new owners, taking possession today, flash 10% off wine sale yesterday so bought both bottles to try out.
Wow. Would love to see La Combe Pilate down here, but probably won’t.
We have both of those in Olympia too….I’d love to hear some commentary when you crack them open 🙂
In Oregon, we also have 2 of Chapoutier’s Alsatian Rieslings and one of their Gewurztraminers (also Alsatian), and a Banyuls. (I don’t remember the vintages…except that all are recent.) I learned the story from a distributor salesperson last Monday…they’d been imported by Terlato, who lost the contract to Folio. As is usually the case, the old importer dumps their inventory cheap to screw with the pricing for the new importer. This also happens at a more local level…if a brand or a winery switches distributors.
Have you tried any of these various Chapoutier mentioned, including the Viognier?
Sorry that I haven’t responded before now…I was on a three day road trip down to the Bay Area. I tried one of the Rieslings a few weeks ago…both are Lieu Dits showcasing different soil types of the vineyard. As I expected…since it’s a 2016…it’s in fine shape. I don’t much like Alsatian Rieslings, since they’re a little low on acid for my taste…but if that’s someone’s thing, I would think that they’d really enjoy it. The Banyuls is a 2017, and also appears to be really lovely for it’s type. I have never had one of those before, so I didn’t know what to expect…but I bought 2 more bottles the next day. Really clean wine…I’ll probably let them sit a few years.
ALSO…on my road trip, I went to the Napa GO on West Imola Avenue. I found a 2016 vintage on the Terlato and Chapoutier Shiraz from Australia. I couldn’t remember what the vintage is of the one I’ve seen for months around Portland (I have 6 bottles in my cellars…I now know it’s the 2017) , but since the label is darker on the 2016, I knew I could buy it without fear of getting something I already have. It’s $14.99, just like the 2017. I don’t expect to open either for several years.
At the Napa store, I also picked up one bottle of the Joel Gott 2019 CA Zinfandel for $14.99 – not a super deal, but what the heck, I have high hopes for it. I’ll report back in a couple weeks. And. I bought a bottle of the Rusack Ballard Canyon Estate 2017 Syrah for $7.99. I’ll also check that one out in a bit.
Later in the day, I stopped at the Redding GO. It has the largest wine section yet, in my experience, and quite a few wines from true wineries. I did a quick look at everything, but since I had a bunch of wine in my car on a hot day, I didn’t linger. I skipped the 2 or 3 Rock Wall offerings, and they may have also had the above-mentioned Terlato/Chapoutier.
I did buy a 2019 Santa Barbara County Rose from Etude for $9.99, and then took a couple of fliers with a 2018 Mendocino Ridge Mariah Vyd Pinot noir from a winery named Wooden head for $12.99, and – lastly – a 2016 Russian River Valley Grenache from a winery called Noble Tree (for $5.99). I ‘ll also report back on these wines in a couple weeks.
JJ, my review of the M Chapoutier La Combe Pilate 2018 Viognier.
🕰2018
💯89/100 🌟3.9
👁Pale gold
👃👅Dry,honeysuckle,apricot,nectarine,slt citrus,faint chamomile,slt creamy,minerality,med low acidity,high alcohol,long finish
🍇100%Viognier
⛽14.4%ABV
🎖️WA91,VM91,JD90,JS90🎖️
💵$30 MSRP
Slightly dry cork, difficult removal,cork broke.🤦
Delicious Northern Rhone white!
Picked this up at GrocOut for unbelievably $8.
Running back to buy more!🥂🏃🏃
Oddly enough, we opened a bottle of the Chapoutier Viognier tonight too and here are my notes: No problem with the cork…came out perfectly; brilliant deep golden; I was immediately drawn in by the very fragrant nose of intense honeysuckle, white flowers and a bit of earthiness (terroir); in texture, it’s lower in acidity, showing what I often find to be regional varietal flabbiness; while I could handle more acidity, I’ve become used to this quality in many Rhone and Alsatian whites and am quite willing to give up acidity because I love the nose and flavors; the flavors show white peach, orange blossom and apricot. Some heat in the long finish, but not the least bit distracting. A steal for $8. Went really well with Hellenic Farms Fig Salami with orange zest (from a 100% woman owned business). Here are links to the wine and the “salami”:
https://www.mtouton.com/products/france/rhone-valley/14405-2018/chapoutier-viognier-combe-pilate
https://www.hellenicfarms.com/product-page/fig-salami-w-orange-zest
Is there any of this in the Bay Area? Sounds interesting though 4 years old. Lim, who’da thunk of meatless salami. I’m drying some figs now for port drinking later. Hmm, should I try my hand at this salami?
Sure, Darrell…give it a try. A few weeks ago we bought some seriously ripe figs at the local farmers’ market and I made a delicious fig jam. Spread it on crackers and topped it with a bit of blue cheese. Yum! We found that Fig Salami at a new little Mediterranean market that just opened up here in Bremerton, WA. If you checked the website, you saw that they make a number of flavors, so we’re anxious to try more. Great for our 5:00 wine and appy time on the front porch.
Also you read my mind in regard to the four year old Viognier. I’ve almost never found a Viognier that aged well, so I’d advise to drink up if you found any. Pretty tasty now though anyway.
“almost never found a Viognier that aged well” including Condrieu? I’ve had very few myself, but I seem to recall that they had enough acid and structure to age decently.
That’s only my experience, BW. Or perhaps I just don’t appreciate aged Viognier…including Condrieu.
Interesting. Thanks.
Gee “Great for our 5:00 wine and appy time on the front porch,” what a life. Daughter has a fig tree dropping fruit and I can’t stand the waste so I will give the fruit salami a go. I have had decent luck with aged Condrieu, better than domestic, anyway.
Ok, with all this talk of figs, I’ll have to give my favorite preparation for a great appetizer:
Split fig in half lengthwise, heat a saute surface in a pan with some olive oil, balsamic, bit o’honey and fizzle figs face down until they seem to have absorbed some of that goodness (but not so long they’re ‘cooked’ or flabby), turn out face up on a baking pan and place a slice of your favorite Roquefort, blue, or Cambazola on each fig, place under a broiler for a few until melted, bring out and drizzle with balsamic glaze (I use the Nona Pia’s or TJ’s).
You can also skip the saute portion and go straight from halved raw fig to melted blue/balsamic drizzle. If you don’t care for blues, try another sharp cheese.
Voila!
Saw both of these wines at the Silverdale, WA store on Friday for the prices you quoted. Also saw three Keira Cellars reds that were all highly rated: 2017 Red Mountain Cab, My Red Head Blend (2017, I think) and a 2016 Revere Red Mountain Blend (Meritage)…all for $7.99. But no Syrah.
Wonder why our wines are $1 more for all mentioned in Olympia?!
Forgot to mention that Silverdale GO also had both the Jameson Caskmates IP and Stout barrel aged whiskies for $7.99 (about $12 taxes incl).
I found a batch of the Keira wines, all at 7.99, at the Lake City GO (of all places! I can’t remember the last time I found anything of interest, wine-wise, there.) For most of them, not only did the bottles note percentages of each varietal, but also the specific vineyard from which the grapes came. What they had:
Keira Revere Red Blend, 2015, Red Mountain appellation, 14.8% ABV, a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec, in that order; grapes grown in differing Red Mountain vineyards.
Keira Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016, 14.6% ABV, 95% CS, 5% Malbec. Specific Red Mountain vineyards listed on the label.
Keira Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016, 14.8% ABV; Stillwater Creek vineyard.
Keira 2017 Cabernet Franc, Red Mountain appellation, 14.3% ABV. 90% CF, 10% CS; vineyards for both varietals listed on the label.
Keira 2018 GSM, Washington State, no other appellation or vineyards listed, 15.1% ABV; 55% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 25% Mourvedre.
I checked for any Keira wines at Kenmore, Crown Hill, and MLK–no dice. So if you want them, and you’re in Seattle, Lake City may be the only option.
We had burgers and buddies night last night, and served two of the Keira wines–the Revere red blend and the Cabernet Franc. The Revere was, by a hair, the WOTN–exuberantly fruity without being jammy, tasters threw a cornucopia of tangy fruit flavors at it, including raspberry, cherry, red plum, black cherry, and cassis. Short aftertaste of cherry cola. No one mentioned oak or tannins. If there was ever a good burger wine, this was it–and it was the first bottle finished.
The Cabernet Franc was also well-received by the six of us–similarly tangy red fruits but with a little more stuffing to it, leading to a medium length finish with dusty licorice undertones. We played a short round of ‘guess the price,’ with my husband and me disqualified as we knew what the price was. Guesses were in the mid-twenties, which seems about right to me.
This was not, of course, a serious tasting by any means, but I thought I’d throw out our reactions to it, hopefully in time for those who might be interested to pick up a few bottles.
My wife and I had the Keira Revere tonight, but ours was 2016 not the 2015 that flitcraft mentioned above. And I’m just now noticing that FC found the 2016 Red Mountain Cab Sauv, while ours is the 2017. Anyway, we don’t eat much beef in our house, but when we do, we go BIG. Had the Keira Revere with a couple of char grilled Fred Flintstone sized T-Bones with Montreal seasoning. Here are my notes on the wine: Deep purple/ruby and opaque; Most definitely WA state Cab Sauv dominant with cedary cigar box and new leather in the fragrant nose; somewhat thick and viscous with scratchy, moderately chewy tannins; fairly high acidity; espresso and dark fruit (black plum, blackberry and cassis) at first, but that’s eventually followed up by more tart red fruit flavors (raspberry and dried cherry); lip smacking and still slightly chewy finish. There was some fine sediment in the bottom of the glass after each pour. I think this one will do just fine in the cellar for maybe 3 more years thanks to the balance of tannin and acidity. Love the nose and the fact that oak is in a supporting role.
For those interested, this vintage was comprised of 40% Corliss Red Mountain Cab Sauv, 20% Hedges Bel’ Villa Cab Sauv, 15% Corliss Canyons Malbec, 8% Corliss RM Merlot, 2% Black Rock Petite Verdot.
Thanks for the note FC, just went to the Lake City GO, Keira 2016 Columbia Valley Cab and 2017 Cab Franc were all that was left. Was able to buy a case of each. Excited to try them.
I ended up making to the Mt Vernon GO, I picked up about 20 bottles . While I haven’t tried them all, I think the GSM was my favorite folllowed by The Gauntlet. They had three different Cabs 2015 Red Mountain, 2016 Columbia Valley and a 2015 WA State. They had a 2017 Red Merlot (RM, I think) as well. I bought the Syrah at the winery, I didn’t expect to see any at GO.. Kind of kicking myself for. It picking up more.
Opened the 2017 Keira My Redhead blend tonight: 70% Sangiovese 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Clear dark ruby; lots of distinct black pepper in the nose and flavors along with “sweet” dried cherry; moderate tannins and fine acidity; excellent pizza wine…tonight with pepperoni; not terribly complicated, but very flavorful. And as with the other Keira wine I’ve tried thus far, oak is in the background…a plus for me.
Tonight I opened a 2015 Keira Cellars Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($7.99 at the Silverdale GO) composed of 83% Canyons Red Mountain Cab Sauv, 13% Canyons Red Mountain Malbec, 2% Hedges Bel’ Villa Cab Franc and 2% Yakima Valley Petit Verdot. My notes: Clear deep garnet; seriously fragrant with aromas of cedar, cocoa and menthol mint; soft and lush in texture with “sweet” jammy fruit, moderate, but firm tannins and flavors of black plum, cassis and espresso; really well balanced and quite delicious, with tannins showing mostly in the long, flavorful finish. I’m liking this a lot and will pick up a few more if it’s still there. Be mindful that there’s also a 2017 vintage, which I haven’t yet tried.
And a 2016….as that’s what I have sitting in my garage.
It looks like quite a different composition than the 2015 Lim just reported on.
I’ll report back on it when I try it, however I’m still pulling whites as we’re having such a warm start to our Autumn.
I also picked up a number of other Keiras….Cabernet Franc, Gauntlet and the GSM. Our GO got in some seven different varieties or more of the Keira.
The last 3 Keira wines you mentioned, JJ, have not been seen by me up north here. I’d like to try the GSM. And what’s in the Gauntlet?
Keira wines I purchased
(there are others at the Olympia GO)…..
~The Gauntlet: 2017….60% Cab Franc/27% Cab Sauv/10% Malbec/3% Petit Verdot
~GSM: 2017….55% Grenache/20% Syrah/25% Mourvedre
~Cabernet Franc: 2017….90% Corliss Red Mt. Cabernet Franc/10% Hedges Bel’ Villa Cab Sauv.
~Cabernet Sauvignon: 2016….65% Corliss Red Mt. Cab Sauv./30% Hedges Bel’ Villa Cab. Sauv./5% Corliss Canyon Malbec.
They all have “Red Mountain” above their names, except the GSM.
JJ & Lim,really hoping our new store owner Bradly can get in on the Keira wines if they’re still available. These from all reports are great wines! Crossing my fingers!
The suspense was too much for me, so I opened the 2017 Keira Red Mountain Cab Sauv tonight and my wife and I tasted it alongside the 2015 which is quite different in that the 2017 is 100% Cab Sauv from Hedges Bel’ Villa vineyard. My notes: Clear deep purple/ruby with a violet rim; nose is far more closed than the 2015 Keira Cab (which is a blend of four Bordeaux grape varieties), but gradually shows cedar, tobacco, black plum and leather; more youthful dark fruit, moderate tannins and fairly high acidity on the palate; considerably shorter on the finish than the 2015 and far less complex. Tasty enough, but I prefer the 2015. Both lovely examples of WA State Cab…especially at eight bucks a pop.
So now I want to hear about the third in the vertical…the 2016…just in case it shows up around here. Whaddaya’ say, JJ??
Alllllright Lim.
Even though the weather will be in the 70’s and 80’s all week, I’m going to finish up my Provenance SB (what a nice guava nose!!), and crack the 2016 tout de suite 😉
I was going to do the GSM next, in your honor…but I will change course!
Stay tuned (but don’t hold your breath).
No prob, JJ. I’ll hang around until you get to the GSM.
JJ – Provenance SB? Did you get that at the GO?
Provenance was the last winery started by the Chalone Wine Group before Diageo bought that company, and when Diageo got out of the wine business it was bought by Treasury Wine Estates, which recently sold the winery to Far Niente and the name and inventory to someone in Lodi. The founding winemaker was Tom Rinaldi, who was also the founding winemaker for Duckhorn. Provenance always made great SB, and for a while made three or four different ones. Wish I could find find some at GO prices
Interesting details Lim….hearing the name Chalone always makes me sad thinking about those golden days when their labels were both delicious and fairly priced–we cut our teeth in the 80’s treating our palates to the wines from Chalone and Edna Valley, Carmenet and Acacia. Though I’d have the privilege of greater chards and pinots later, that’s where I learned to love them.
Visiting Carmenet was a winery I’ll never forget.
This is a 2017 Provenance ‘Rutherford’ SB from Napa, bought at GO between 6-10 months ago. It’s still quite nice, but softening some on acid. Two more to treasure, but I’d better be quick!
But I should add that it makes me very happy to know I’m once again drinking a ‘Chalone’ wine that I appreciate! Thank you 🙂
Foley now owns Chalone. Foley sells a fair amount of wine to GO. The Chalone Estate Chardonnay and Pinot, and the second label Gavilan Chard, came through the GO a couple of years ago and I stocked up. That said, the Chalone Chardonnay is not really very pricey even at retail.
A few years ago I worked the panel tasting at the Big Sur Food and Wine festival, and the subject was the Chalone AVA. Michael Michaud brought a lot of older wines, and the star was the 1984 Chenin Blanc
Actually, JJ, it was Seedboy, not me who provided the Chalone details…and it was an interesting read. I too drank many a bottle of Chalone, Edna Valley, Carmenet and Acacia, as well as Duckhorn…all wineries we visited back in the 90’s…which seems like forever ago now.
Right…..sorry Seedboy for the false attribution.
Lim, it’s finally time for the 2016 Keira Red Mountain Cab. Sorry for the wait.
That Provenance really did last me! And I’ve let the Keira Cab accompany me over a few nights as well…
*Also been very busy actively opposing Thurston County as a final three location choice for a SeaTac style mega-airport in our backyard 😦
I will start by saying I feel wholly unqualified to be reviewing a Cabernet these days…so take this all with a grain of salt.
Don’t drink so many of them anymore.
2016 composed of: 65% Corliss Red Mt. Cab Sauv./30% Hedges Bel’ Villa Cab. Sauv./5% Corliss Canyon Malbec.
Seems like I would have liked your 2015 much better, LIM!
When you said 85% Canyons Cab, you didn’t mention a Corliss in front of ‘Canyons’ so I’ll assume it was a totally different vineyard than this one–which seemed to produce a very different wine.
Dominant aromas: Taint of oxidation, all 3-4 days it’s been open, beginning to end…but not always. In the nose, not the palate.
Also, green pepper. Not a fan of the food bell pepper, thusly it is not one of my preferred wine aromas/palate. But quite present.
Odd, considering it has no Cab Franc in it.
Once past the oxidation…one moves quickly to high sweet notes in the nose, some shoe polish and currant, pencil lead. Most pleasant were the notes of violet and purple flower. Not nearly often enough there are whiffs of cedar but did not detect the characteristic mint, chocolate, or rich leather.
In the mouth, as long as you’re sucking air over it….there is pronounced cedar, pencil lead, dark fruits,
It’s a thick and viscous wine, with high acidity. Heady, strong, more than the sum of it’s alcohol.
As a vegetarian I was not trying this with big slabs of red meat, or burgers, or even pizza. That probably has some effect on the experience.
Would like to hear what anyone else says about it, the oxidation in particular.
Hopefully bottle variation, but….
Appreciate the report on the 2016 Keira Cab, JJ. Bell pepper is not one of my preferred flavors and remember when most of the early WA state Cabs exhibited that aroma and flavor in their profiles. I believe continued research in canopy management settled that out a lot. Anyway, doesn’t sound the 2016 is of much interest to me and haven’t seen it up here anyway. Perhaps I’d buy a bottle just to compare notes, but that’s not likely to happen…and no big loss.
I sure wouldn’t want a “lifesized” airport in our backyard…so you go girl! I’ve already had my fill of construction of hundreds of apartments and houses here in Kitsap County, putting thousands more people and cars with crazed drivers out on the road. Gimme lots and lots of elbow room and wide open spaces. But that’s all for another blog.
Now lim, for the Keira GSM review….
Keira GSM: 2017….55% Grenache/20% Syrah/25% Mourvedre…..$9 for me, cheaper for you.
Opened last night, tried a bit….tonight a fuller dive.
Medium garnet color. Bright and warm, pretty inviting and accessible. A lovely deep black licorice in the nose, with higher notes of cedar, black cherry, orange rind, spice, and a whiff of marjoram.
As it ripened in the glass….some pepper and fresh melon/cucumber….lilac.
In the mouth, cedar really shows up, light pepper, blackberry, some tannins, fairly acidic. Aging potential, I find the body fairly heavy.
Something wanting….
I’d likely prefer the perfume and body of a Spanish Garnacha, but y’all should try this and see what YOU think–would be curious to hear…some may love it.
Vastly prefer this to the 2016 Cab Sauv, but that’s my general bias too.
Have a great weekend!!
The GSM sounds much more to my liking, JJ. Your inclusion of marjoram in your profile is enough to get my interest, as (thanks to my dear mom, God rest her soul) that’s my favorite herb…grow it from seed every year. Nurseries often sell what they think is marjoram, but it’s really oregano…totally different flavors. I’d surely give the wine a try if I could find it locally, but it’s yet to be seen by me in Kitsap County GO’s. Be nice if it showed up for the sale.
Happy weekend to you too! In the 48 years I’ve lived here in western WA, I can’t recall a summer/fall like this one…warm, sunny and lacking rain…good and bad.
I love that, lim!!
I was going to say oregano, but having stuck my nose for quite some time in that big globe glass, I decided it was marjoram–more delicate and somewhat aphrodisiac 🙂
The Autumn has been stunning.
Had to water my plants again this afternoon.
But I see the rains finally arriving next week, so enjoy the glory while you can.
Olympia is predicted at 80 both weekend dayz!
Cheers~
Lachini Vineyards 2011 Pinot Noir, Lachini Family Estate, Chehalem Mountains, OR, 12.3% ABV, $10. Seemed very promising at first, delicate, tightly structured, hinting of more underneath. Flavors are very tasty and interesting: delicate red / purple cherry / cranberry, pine, bacon, lilac. However, by 3.5 hours open, seemed to roughen and become more acid, with some balsamic character. It did not smooth out in the glass; very much confirmed at 4 hours decanted. Several days later, the saved 250ml screw-cap bottle, after over an hour in the glass became more full and smooth, although still a little rough and acid. Although Seedboy is contemplating aging this another year, to me it’s an interesting and tasty Pinot for near-term drinking.
I decanted our bottle of this on Sunday afternoon and, after it still seemed closed four hours later, I poured it back in the bottle. By the following night, it had opened up just a little, but the acid and structure were still prominent, seeming a bit out of balance with the mild fruit, slight astringency, and subtle floral and balsamic notes. I probably wouldn’t rebuy myself, but I thought it was okay for drinking after getting used to the acidity…my wife didn’t enjoy it, though.
Hi bretrooks. I opened another bottle of Lachini Pinot last night, and it was lovely, without roughness or excess acid, and just as tasty, a terrific value for $10. It seems like there is a more-than-usual-even-for-GO amount of bottle variation in this wine.
Glad to hear yours are showing well…maybe you have a better batch than we got, or maybe we just got an off bottle. Overall, I’d say the one we opened was a bit high on acid (a little like some of the few German pinots I’ve tried), showed slight roughness (which I generally don’t mind), and was pretty slight when it came to flavor. I tend to like my pinot on the structured, earthy, non-jammy side, but our bottle just didn’t have much going on to provide enjoyment.
Seen in Lewiston ID, Force Majeure 2012 Ciel Du Cheval Vineyard Red Mountain Collaboration Series II Syrah (98%SY,1%V,1%R) for $10.
Release price $65, WE91,WA92. Only 200 cases produced of this wine. Winemaker for this particular FM wine was Ross Mickel of Ross Andrew Winery, who worked under Bob Betz prior to starting his own winery. Last FM Collaboration year was 2013. Vivino currently selling these online for $30. Picked up several bottles. Thought about buying the entire case, but too long a drive to return.
I would love to try this wine, but it saddens me (for those who may not be aware) that very recently Ross Mickel along with his pregnant wife and 22 month old son lost their lives along with seven others in a very unusual floatplane crash off Whidbey Island, WA. His wines are very highly regarded and will certainly contribute to his legacy.
I had no idea, that’s incredibly tragic. We’re near Spokane, so the only victim mentioned on TV was Sandy Williams, a civil rights activist from Spokane.
Mickel’s wife, Lauren Hilty was the sister of actor Megan Hilty. Here’s a link to a statement from longtime Ch. Ste. Michelle team member and renowned independent winemaker Bob Betz:
https://www.nwnews.com/news/woodinville-wine-country-releases-statement-in-memory-of-ross-mickel/article_2c371048-3543-11ed-9a30-b35926b3ac57.html
😦
So sad….Rest in Peace.
My review for Force Majeure Syrah 2012 Collaboration II ($10 GO)
Release price was $65, Vivino is selling for $30 currently.
🕰2012
💯92/100 🌟4.2
👁Dense opaque purple garnet
👃👅Dry,black currant,licorice,black cherry compote,leather,cloves,juicy acidity,smooth well integrated tannins,spicy at end,long finish, well balanced,full bodied.
Probably the best WA Cote Rôtie style Syrah I’ve ever had!😍
Lip smackingly delicious!😋
🍇98%SY,1%VG,1%RS
No tech notes available
🌄Red Mountain
⛽14.3%ABV
Winemaker Ross Mickel, who died tragically this month in a small plane crash w his wife and child.
💵$65 release
200 cases
Picked up 3 bottles at GO for a song,shoulda bought the case but store is 40 mi away.
🏅91pts WE🏅
In prime drinking window.
Owners of Force Majeure,(previously Grand Réve) Paul and Susan McBride contracted for grapes until 2013 when their vineyard matured.They collaborated w 7 dif winemakers in different years,in different varietals and styles.Other winemakers involved w their Collaboration series of wines.
Ben Smith (I),Ross Mickel (II),Mark McNeilly/Mike MacMorran (III),Carolyn Lakewold (IV),Chris Gorman (V),James Mantone (VI),Chris Peterson (VII). 2013 was last Collaboration year.Their current winemaker is Todd Alexander since 2014.
Has anyone seen Keira Cellars anywhere closer to Seattle than Mt Vernon? It’s fabulous, and trying to see if I can get any closer.
What particular wine of theirs are you speaking of….and the cost and details?
If you go to Mt Vernon Grocery Outlet Wine Page on Facebook, you will see all the different ones. I am wondering if Keira Cellars went belly-up
If you check the Keira webpage, you’ll see their tasting room in Woodinville closed in 2019 due to the wife (for whom the winery is named) dealing with a rare form of cancer. They then went to online sales only. The last post on their
Facebook page was New Years 2020. You’ll also see that when you click on “Shop” to buy wine on their webpage, nothing comes up. So don’t quote me on this, but I suspect that they may have decided to close and sell all or most of their remaining stock to GO locally. I was totally unfamiliar with that winery.
https://keiracellars.com/
Thank you for doing the leg work. We drank a 2016 Syrah about a month ago. It was wonderful and still young. Heading to my cabin that is past Mt Vernon on Thursday, but fearful it may be gone when I get there. I have looked in Milton, FW and Burien, none of them have it. If you find it, pick up a few bottles.
Thanks Lim,
I picked up a bottle of Keira Cabernet in Olympia today ($8.99), not sure what others they may have had there. I’d love to try the Syrah…..
They did have the Glenlivet 14 yr. Scotch (from Cognac barrel-aging), for $13.45/375ml—incl. taxes, which in WA are substantial—and because they were such nice little bottles and I know a few Scotch lovers, I bought a case!
Deluxe stocking stuffers….
Thanks so much to bretrooks for alerting me—never would have known otherwise 🙂
I haven’t seen much new of interest in SLO recently, but I have bought a handful of bottles of the 2020 Republic of Pink Rosé. I had tried it last year and found it to be a pretty decent mid-weight rosé, so I was happy to see this show up at GO.
While looking for the Glenlivet Scotch in the SLO store this morning (finding none), this caught my eye: 2011 Lachini Pinot Noir Lachini Family Estate, $9.99. It’s a cool-year Pinot from Oregon (12.3% ABV), so I’m curious how it’s holding up at age 11. I bought one to find out.
I opened a bottle of this two days ago. Initially it was mostly just earthy but day 2 revealed a decent amount of fruit. I imagine it is bottle shocked from transit. I might buy one or two and hold them maybe a year.
To be clear I was talking about the Lachini pinot noir. Last night on day 3 it was even better, with more fruit, nicely integrated with its earthiness and acid. I did buy two more bottles.
Glad to hear it. It sounds like something we might like… I suspect we’ll be drinking our bottle this weekend, and I’ll plan to open it well ahead of time.
Y’all get Glenlivet Scotch at GO down there?!
Wow…Cali cool.
Sorry for being unclear – after reading some showed up at a GO in Washington, I made a quick stop by our store to see if it made its way down here. I didn’t see any, and I didn’t see a spot on the shelves for it, so I don’t expect that we’re getting any.
Then it’s us up in WA who are cool!
I didn’t see that post—if anyone in WA knows about the Glenlivet let me know…..gifts!
Faliero 2019 “Appassimento” Rosso Passito, Piemonte DOC, Italy, 14%, $8. I could not find this wine online at all, but apparently this wine is made with the method of Valpolicella Ripasso, in which the wine (in my limited understanding) is passed over the skins and seeds again to restart fermentation, extracting more flavor(s) and a more silky mouthfeel. While I like this method in VR, in this effort it has failed. From the flavors in the wine, it’s apparently predominantly if not entirely made from the Barbera grape, which in my mind is similar enough to Corvina (the main grape in Valpolicella) that I could see how a Barbera Ripasso might be interesting. But this wine is rough, simple, candy-like. Both the first portion of the bottle and the saved screw-cap bottle, after being giving ample airing, were poured down the drain. If you’re looking for a good Barbera, get the Manieri (same price), which is still around.
BW, it’s too bad the appassimento method did not work well here. I’ve had Valpolicella Ripasso from a couple of different Italian producers and it’s quite delicious. “Baby Amarone” I am told, although since I’ve never had an Amarone, cannot confirm.
Quinto 2020 Malbec Reserve, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina, produced and estate bottled by Bodega Riglos, 13.5% ABV, $8. Pretty recently arrived, this needed 3.5 – 4 hours to open. Pretty often, Mendoza Malbecs just have full, soft, dark blue / purple fruit without that much complexity or structure to recommend them. This one, however, has in addition tangy red / purple cherry, stemmy / earthy / spiced tannic structure, with the thickness of the tannins adding to the body of the fruit. This one strikes me as pretty good, but I’ll update if the saved 250ml screw-cap bottle changes my opinion any.
BW, I tried this Malbec a couple months ago and found it quite tasty(!
Riglos Quinto Reserva Single Vineyard Malbec $8
This wine seems to be this winery’s intermediate level Malbec.
🕰2020
💯88/100 🌟3.8
👁Purple ruby
👃👅Dry,blackberry brambles,eucalyptus, purple plums,bittersweet cocoa,med high acidity,smooth tannins, med finish.
Very enjoyable!
Hi WORN! When I read your notes, I very much agreed except that I didn’t recall eucalyptus at all, and was perplexed. However, tonight I opened my saved 250ml screw-cap bottle, and I can see what you mean, as something that for me was the last flavor in a sip, and after the sip, sort of minty but also very close to the stemmy finish. Thanks!
Robert Willis 2018 Homestead Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, WA, 14.1% ABV, $8. Soon after it arrived at the store, this wine slowly aired over 4.5 hours to taste of supple and smooth fruits of purple cherry / grape / plum / blackberry with acid of those fruits, cocoa, allspice, black pepper, dusty / earthy tannin in the finish. A few days later, the saved 187.5ml screw-cap bottle was also yummy.
Saw this at the Olympia store this week for a similar price. Also a red blend from the same producer and (I think) same vintage.
Yet another in an abundance of labels from the Mercer Estates in Prosser, Yakima Valley.
Thanks. I forgot to add, “produced and bottled by Mercer Wine Estates.”
Both this and a “Homestead Red” blend ($7) showed up at the SLO store last weekend, and this morning I saw a Chardonnay as well. The Red was a little reductive/sulfur-flawed (a hint of burnt rubber), but we liked the Cab. I bought a few more today.
Domaine des Pasquiers 2019 Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, Rhone area, France, 14.5% ABV, $6. Apparently made from Merlot, Syrah, 20% Marselan. This is an unusual but pretty tasty blend that, in it’s earth, slight funk and herbs, is typically southern French. Very recently arrived, it needed a good bit of air (4.5 hours) to fully air into soft dark ripe fruitiness, with flavors of red / purple / blue cherry (not really sure what blue cherry is, but it seemed accurate when tasting, maybe should be cassis?), blueberry, red currant, slight blackberry, dark tobacco, soft plum / boysenberry. However, it was decently tasty along the way. A few days later, the saved 187.5ml screw-cap bottle was more accessible and still quite tasty, but ultimately maybe a little faded from the first day. Despite its young age, I suspect this should be consumed pretty soon.
Château Beaulieu 2020 rosé Coteaux D’Aix-en-Provence, France, 12.5% ABV, $4. Delicate flavors of tart tangerine, pink grapefruit, less ripe red berries, with slight bitterness and a full minerality that is a little chalky. It’s a little more tart than I personally prefer, but many people like this level, and I think it’s very good for the price.
Beau Pere Cask 33 Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi CA ($6)
🕰2019
💯86/100 🌟3.6
👁Ruby
👃👅Dry,sharp black currant nose,sour cherry,cranberry,acidic, tangy,slt smoky herb,very faint orange rind,bit of Red Twizzlers note,grainy med high tannins,med full body,short finish.
🍇CS?%,no tech sheet
🌄Lodi CA
⛽13.5%ABV
I’ve had a lot worse.🤷🏻♀️
Best slightly chilled 20 min.
Did not improve w airtime.
YMMV.
Fine w Saturday night pizza watching Cougar FB.😺🏈
💵$15 MSRP $6 GO
Beau Pere made by Thomas Allen VYs who make private label wines.
(Public COLA Registry search)
Not a rebuy for me 🫤
Thanks for your notes. I’ve seen a Beau Pere Chardonnay at my store. I haven’t tried it, but it has sold decently well. I’ve thought that if we got magnums of it, it would be the “Big Beau Pere.”
And, finally…
Roku 2021 Gewürztraminer, Monterey, CA, 11.0% ABV, $5. I was eager to try this wine after liking the 2020 bottling a lot. The 2021 tastes a good bit different from the 2020, but is still very good for the price. Flavors of jasmine / gardenia, perfumed fruit of lychee and yellowish Comice pear, plenty of balancing green apple acid, and a little sappy astringency in the finish, the body perhaps a little lighter than the 2020. Lightly sweet but well balanced.
I have a couple more I didn’t manage to get to last night. First:
Napa Heights 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, cellared and bottled by Napa Heights, Napa, CA, 14.5% ABV, $18. Five of these Napa Heights wines showed up, 4 Cabs and a Syrah, all from Napa Valley or sub-designations of Napa Valley. This seemed the most promising to me, so I opened one. At least this recently arrived, this needed a decant of 5 – 5.5 hours. Somewhat lighter body for a Napa Cab, but nice elegance and complexity, with flavors of ripe red currant / rhubarb, Bing cherry, cassis, stem, blackberry, oak unusually light, almost non-existent, hint of tar?, still finishing with fairly blanketing but not very tight tannins. Good to drink this winter, probably for another year. Two weeks later, the saved screw-cap bottle still needed about 4 hours in a glass to become very similar to how it was on the first night, a little less red- and blue- and a little more black-fruited, still with an assertively tannic finish. This wine perplexes me in that its lack of oak makes me think it should be consumed over the next year or so, but OTOH it has survived fine for 8 years and still has pretty strong tannins. This wine is gone from the Richmond store. The others were a 2015 Stag’s Leap District, a 2015 Rutherford, 2017 Napa Valley, and a 2016 Napa Valley Syrah which was the cheapest at $14. Did anyone else try any of these?
BW, did a Public COLA Registry search on the name Napa Heights, spanning 14 years, 2008 to present. All 8 varietal labels applied/approved June 3, 2022. The wines were bottled, labelled and released by Smith-Anderson Wine Group in Napa, approx 10 labels on their website, Stonehenge and Haven are two. This label is not listed on website, leading me to believe they acquired and bottled previous unused past vintages of wine (their own? Bulk wine market? since vintage from GO is dated 2014. Labelled and released this June 2022, which is confusing as vintage is 2014. I don’t think a winery would go to the expense of bottling wines, store them and keep them unlabelled for 8 years. Bulk wine storage is the only thing that makes sense.
Hi WORN and thanks for doing this search. Bulk storage sounds like it also makes sense of why there’s so little oak on the wine. It would be interesting to know why this pretty tasty juice never got properly finished in oak.
BW, my guess is whoever made the wine initially, ran out of oak barrels/space for their less magnificent lots of wine, so stored it in bulk. A lot of wineries make more wine than they have barrels, bottles and storage for and sell their bulk wine on the marketplace. They use the best lots of wine for their own sales, of course. Minimum buy is a high volume. Sometimes wineries keep their bulk sales anonymous, others are quite open about it. I was at Tagaris in Richland WA in 2017, on their blackboard was advertised their bulk wine rates, 100 gallon minimum purchase.
I get a daily wine news email (Daily Wine News perhaps?) that has a commerce section offering for sale grapes, bulk wine, and shiners.
SB,just looked at the website. Napa Valley Red Blend shiners for $1/case? Wow, wondering if that was a typo! 😳
SB, NVM. That dollar per case listing was clickbait to get you to the white label company’s ad and real price list.
BW, personally would love to try any of the Napa Heights as it appears they are sourced from specific vineyards. I doubt if any will make it here as the owner seems to stick to $10 and under price on nearly all wines. 🤷🏻♀️
Stemmler 2020 Lawler’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, 14.1% ABV, $15. Notes first night: “Tasted at 3 hours, this still had an unpleasant amount of Swee-Tart candy, indicating it’s young or not fully aired. Seems to have fully aired when tasted again at 5.25hr, to show soft and smooth dark purple cherry / plum, w/ red cherry and baking spice underneath, slightly stemmy tannin in the finish. Suspect there’s still a more balanced and interesting wine waiting to emerge if left at home for a couple weeks, or I hope at least in the saved screw-cap bottle. 5.5 hours, soft very smooth really yummy lightly jammy, dark purple cherry / plum / grape, dark raspberry / black raspberry / almost blackberry, still with some red cherry / orange / baking spice underneath, still with pretty well balancing acid. Decent Pinot funk but still overall a little too “clean” for my taste.” So, indeed, the saved bottle is a more integrated and interesting wine than the soft fruit of the first night, but it still doesn’t seem to have fully aired tonight, with all its flavors still bound tightly to its tannic finish. This probably has a good future ahead of it for the next few years. [Update: as so often happens, the last bit of the wine in the glass evolves to surprise me. The wine seemed to be almost fully aired and had become quite dark and spiced, very tasty but tasted blind I doubt I would have recognized it as Pinot.]
Up next:
Mendoza Vineyards 2018 Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, 14% ABV, $6. I commented on this bottling here (4/2021), and GOWineLover did so here. My notes from its first night open, six days ago: “this needed about 5 hours decanted to show the nice balance of soft ripe dark boysenberry / blueberry / slight blackberry and sharp acid of boysenberry / plum / maybe hibiscus tea, baking spiced-wood, black pepper. Acid is strong enough that it’s probably better cutting through food flavors.” I opened the saved screw-cap bottle tonight, and it still needed a couple hours in the glass for the first-night flavors to integrate the softer, darker flavors with the redder, more acid flavors into a nice whole, with the secondary flavors present more in the background, developing a nice aged complexity, still with a drying tannic finish. Nice now and should be good for the next year or so.
Next:
Ternion 2018 Chardonnay, “Power of Three,” 83% Sonoma County, 12.5% Monterey County, 3.5% Santa Barbara County, 14.0% ABV, $7. OMG, tasting this right after that somewhat unforgiving Chilean Sauv Blanc, this is so sweet! That was part of my reaction earlier, but for those that like a ripe, fruity oaky CA Chardonnay that, on these terms, is pretty well balanced, this is quite good. My notes from the first night it was open: “ripe fruit of very lemony yellow apple, white and yellow pear, hints of pineapple, butterscotch, and sweet lime, butter / vanilla oak, to me a little sweet for Chardonnay, but quite tasty. Flavors get fresher after it’s been open a little while. Getting toward the end of its life, so drink soon.” However, I actually thought it was better balanced and integrated on the second day, and has held up nicely for days after that, so it’s not about to become sherry. My comments on the Ternion 2018 Pinot Noir are here.
I have a bit of a backlog of reviews, mostly from saved screw-cap bottles that I have put off opening in favor of trying something new. However, with some gourmet pizza, I’ll try to get to a bunch of them tonight.
First up:
Missiones de Rengo 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley, Chile, 12.5% ABV, $7. I had been curious about this for a while since I didn’t remember previously seeing a $7 Chilean SB, so I finally opened one. It tastes to me very typically Chilean SB, with lemon / yellow melon fruit and lime, jasmine, plenty of ripe acid and a touch of citrus pith bitterness. For a SB, it is full-bodied and full-flavored, and well structured, so I see why it’s $7, but I find the acid / bitterness a bit too strong, a little out of balance and somewhat charmless, although it definitely improves warmed up a bit from fridge temp. Probably the rest of this bottle will go into a pork pot roast.
Y’all…
Went to the Pinole store today and saw 3-4 Bordeauxs for around $6.99
3 of the 4 had a Buy Now 3/1/22 designation
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/chateau-de-langalerie-2017-cotes-de-bordeaux/
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/chateau-maubert-2015-cotes-de-bordeaux/
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/chateau-de-bleyzac-2017-bordeaux-superieur/
This had a BUY NOW Designation of 3 years ago
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/mas-de-la-dame-2018-la-gourmande-red-les-baux-de-provence/
All seemed to be rated well.
The best move if you can’t see these reviews is to open in an Incognito Browser. Usually works.
I liked that Les Baux de Provence quite a bit, and thought it had a bit of life left in it. I got a couple for myself and will try one this winter.
I opened a Les Baux de Provence recently, and it did not fully open the first night. I opened the saved 375ml screw-cap bottle tonight, and it’s better tonight, still evolving nicely. I’ll try to wait until next fall for my last bottle.
The Chateau de Langalerie was at the Olympia store this week for $10.
LO-VE GRN 6, non-vintage Grenache, Spain, 14.5% ABV, $5. Ripe, dark red and purple cherry and plum, a little ripe and dark strawberry / raspberry, pretty full and fruity for a Grenache, but still with a dark earth- and wood-iness. Mostly smooth with only a little roughness in the finish. The back label lists a “note of lavender” and, sure, I can agree with (and enjoy) that. To me, a good and tasty, pop-and-pour with casual food kind of wine.
Update 2nd day: I just left the bottle with the cork in it overnight and have been sampling the last of it while cooking. The fruit is more full and forward, and I realize I forgot to mention that (1) there is plenty of acid to balance the ripe fruit and (2) the roughness in the finish is a slight tannic bite that I rather like.
Señorío de Villarrica 2017 Crianza, Rioja, Spain, 14% ABV, $8. Nice, typical Rioja tangy dark purple plum / cherry, bitterness of fruit pit, faint licorice / blueberry, earthy / woody, ripe with plenty of acid, some fullness of fruit without really becoming soft. The saved screw-cap bottle, opened a few days later, still benefited from a bit of air, but shows the wine is at the end of its life. Fully mature, but not too old, but drink soon.
Chateau Adoré 2014 “Estate Reserve” Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA, from JW Vineyards & Winery, 13.8% ABV, $6. At least this recently arrived, this wine needed about 3 hours decanted to become full, ripe, soft, dark, earthy red / slightly black cherry, hints of blue fruit and eucalyptus / mint. After being open 4 hours, there were moments in which the acid took on a little “too old” character, so don’t wait long to drink this. I found it indulgently tasty, but was often wondering, “Is this Pinot?,” as it often struck me as almost more like a Cabernet. There’s also a Chateau Adoré 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011 and 2012 Merlot, and a 2011 red blend, all $6.
Les Galets de Sauveterre 2015 Côtes du Rhône, France, 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, 13.5% ABV, $5. This has some solid crystalline sediment, but also some fine sediment. To me, the wine was better if I let the bottle rest a couple weeks to decant it also off the fine sediment. It’s not bad with that fine sediment, but stays rather tough, even after hours in a decanter. Many of the CdRs that GO has gotten in recent years seem to have been made almost exclusively from very ripe Syrah, which I generally find to be a bit much, so I was happy to see this one made predominantly from Grenache. Indeed, it’s quite pleasant and tasty, tasting mostly of Grenache’s earthy red cherry, backed up by Syrah’s bluer fruit and slight funk. My wife and I have had no trouble going through two bottles (on different evenings). However, a saved 250ml screwcap bottle was not very good, becoming more rough and acid, so it’s apparently much better on the first night. At this price, it’s not really a surprise that this is a “drink now” deal.
I opened another bottle of this tonight. Instead of fine sediment, a real and solid precipitate had formed. Decanted off this, the wine was still quite good for the price, and while pretty good right away, still needed a few hours to air fully.