Decanterberry Tales - A Willamette Valley Wine Blog - washington tag

Di Stefano, Columbia Valley, Cabernet Savignon, 2004

Mon, 04 May 2009 01:06:09 GMT

This was a wine that I picked up awhile ago at Fred Meyer's. Some guy was there and noticed that we were looking at the same Pinots. We started talking, and he highly recommended this bottle.

The nose was a strong river rock, along with plum, nutmeg, vanilla (a slight sweetness), and black cherry. Later there was cayenne, and it smelled dusty (earthy). The taste was vanilla and black cherry -- strong black cherry. And dusty. The finish was a bit tannic at first: stems, bark, and some vanilla sweetness. Later on that all mellowed out and it was black cherry with asparagus and carnation.

For a Cab (mostly at least), this was very smooth and nice. Everyone liked it.

Cost:

Rating: 8.0

(93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot)

Duck Pond, Columbia Valley, Syrah, 2004

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:25:36 GMT

We've been drinking a lot of European wines recently, so it was nice to have something much closer to home for a change. We had a bottle of Morgon open (see other review), and have had lots of Spanish, Italian and especially southern Rhones. But we were having seared Ahi Tuna with a pepper sauce and potatoes. We needed a bit meatier wine for such an occasion. Syrah sounded about right.

While Duck Pond is in Oregon -- like many other wineries -- they tend to source Cab and Syrah grapes from Washington, actually. The heat of the south-central Washington is prefect for such grapes.

The nose included vanilla/oak, plum, and was a bit dusty. Later we found spices -- nutmeg? oregano? -- we think it was closer to all-spice. Denise found hints of ginger, cherry, and carnation (green floral). Even later -- and after a bite of chocolate -- it smelled like the sea -- seaweed and muscles (in a good way)! And on top of all that, there was a nutty smell (and taste): hazelnut! Interesting.

The taste was plum and black cherry. The plum is predominant as you swirl it in your mouth -- then there's black cherry for a second as you swallow. It was also rich and creamy (with that oak/vanilla). The mouthfeel was both smooth and full-bodied.

The finish was white pepper! And, there was something citrusy and slightly sour -- maybe just a slight stem/tannic taste at the end. Sort of like a unripe (and not sweet) tangerine.

This wine was perfect for our purposes; it went great with our Ahi Tuna.

Cost:

Rating: 7.5

Hedges Family Estate, Red Mountain, 'Three Vineyards, 2005

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 06:22:46 GMT

It was New Years Eve. Denise was really sick, so we decided to just stay home. I went down to Zupan's and looked for something, anything for the occasion. Sure, we have a lot of wine on hand, but ... well, any excuse to try something new. So I hit up the wine steward: "what's good?" "How about Champagne?" was the obvious reply. Okay, I need to give a little info to get some. "I like red" I replied. Standing near the Cabs, she points to this bottle. "It's a nice wine for the money" she claimed. So I tried it.

First, it was very good, and smooth. And while many will really like how creamy it was -- it was really creamy. And by that I mean: vanilla. This baby was oaked up for sure. Had Denise not been sick, she would have been disappointed. For me though, sometimes I like that too. And like I said, it was very smooth.

The nose was nutmeg and clove, dust and zuchinni. And of course: vanilla. The taste was plum -- and vanilla. It was tannic -- stems -- but it was not overly bitter as many low-end French wines can be. However, a bit later on, the wine evolved a bit. I got marionberry and then black cherry. Definitely black cherry. But it didn't end there. I found some anise and then some lavendar. The floral and spice elements were subtle. And then, I got some zucchini at the very, very end of the finish.

Cost:

Rating: 7.5

(Cabernet Sauvignon 36%, Merlot 61%, Cabernet Franc 3%)

Chateau St Michelle, Chardonnay, 2006

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:01:21 GMT

Chateau Ste Michelle is a volume producer from Washington. They make all the usual suspects, including this Chardonnay. We drank this along side the Emerson Pinot Gris (see earlier review). And while you might think that a (generally heavier) Chardonnay would handicap a (generally lighter) Pinot Gris -- instead, this Chardonnay actually tasted sweet. Yeah, sort of like a Riesling. Albee thought it tasted like a desert wine.

The nose was sweet lemon (no, not sour at all). Sage. Honey. Golden raisin. Currant. The taste was sort of apricot and honey. I just couldn't get over how much like a Riesling this wine tasted (hey, CSM makes Riesling too; maybe they mis-labeled it?). That sweetness lingered into the finish, which was a bit like bubble gum. Denise said it tasted like "raisins and honey". To that, I'd add peach. But that's about it.

This was definitely lighter-bodied when compared to the Emerson Pinot Gris. It wasn't horribly sweet. It wasn't terrible. It was just sort of weird.

Cost: (gift)

Rating: 5.5