I had the privilege to interview one of my favorite wine makers out of Washington State... Kyra Baerlocher. Her wines are delicious and food friendly and it is a small production winery. If you can get your hands on her wines I strongly recommend it.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
I remember vividly the time a wine sales rep. told me he didn’t like Washington wine in general. I couldn’t believe that he was serious, and to this day I rib him about that statement. First of all, if you are truly immersed in the wine world, there are few wine regions that you do not like. There may be varietals you are not fond of, but it is never a sweeping rejection of an entire region.
Washington is the picture of diversity. Maybe not as diverse as let’s say Italy, but certainly enough diversity of terroir to keep any wine lover happy. Think of the great areas where wine are produced in Washington State. Red Mountain, Columbia Gorge, Rattlesnake Hills, Walla Walla, Wahluke Slope and Horse Heaven Hills. There are thirteen AVAs in Washington State, soon to be fourteen from what I have heard on the streets. From all these unique viticultural areas, come some very unique, distinct wines.
March is the official and original Washington Wine Month, so I will dedicate this blog to reviewing fifty Washington wines. I hope you enjoy the reviews, and some side-notes on Washington wine facts. Follow me on my journey through Washington Wine Month…
2010 Memaloose “Mistral Ranch” Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $20.
Memaloose owns two vineyards that are farmed sustainably and three that are farmed organically. Their wines lean more towards an “old world” style and are great with food.
Aromas of blueberries, grape jam, bloody meat and dusty rocks (I really like this nose). Blueberries and cassis notes all over the palate, matched by a beam of bright acidity. This is a mouth-watering wine with good balance, that would be tough to pick as a “new world” wine in a blind tasting line-up. 84% syrah, 11% & 5% grenache (B+)
Non-vintage Result Of A Crush Red Table Wine (Walla Walla, WA)… $25.
Smokey cherries and currants come through on the nose. Dusty minerals on the palate followed by notes of Bing cherries, currants, cassis, rose petals and violets. There is a bloody meat element on the mid-palate that is subtle. There is a nice balance of acidity that carries the fruit notes into the medium to long finish.
This wine has some good pedigree as an extension of the Reynvann family (Reynvann wines are receiving some big accolades). Sisters Amanda and Angela team up with consulting wine maker and brother Matt Reynvann. (B+/A-)
2012 Renegade Wine Co. Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $10.
This is a tale of two wines and I feel a need to tell the story. I reviewed this wine on my Youtube channel “Stan The Wine Man”, and wasn’t thrilled with it. After it had much more time to breathe, it came to life and was an entirely different and better wine. It’s not often you have to decant a $10 bottle for a long time, but this is an exception to the rule. I want to tip my hat to wine maker Trey Busch (Sleight of Hand) for doing such a nice job with this red blend (I suggest however, that you put instructions on the label to “decant extensively before consuming”).
A blend of 40% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot 16% cabernet franc, 3% malbec & 2% petite verdot, this red exhibits a nose of grape juice (go figure), tobacco and currants. There is a huge load of dark fruits and spices on the front of the palate. Smooth, polished tannins back the big fruit notes that flow big and smooth across the palate into a spice driven finish with a touch of minerals coming through. A great bottle of wine for ten bucks. (B)
This is my first three Washington Wine reviews. Join me tomorrow with a few more Washington wine facts, and more reviews.
Cheers! Stan The Wine Man
O.k. I will admit that I am getting a late start on this “original” Washington Wine Month. I have had a lot going on with the somm class down in Portland, and despite my original aspirations, I am a little behind. Needless to say, I am very excited about Washington wines and Washington Wine Month. In August of last year, I attempted and succeeded in tasting and reviewing over one-hundred Washington wines. That was a huge effort and very difficult to accomplish. I did it, and decided at that point that I would not take that step again unless I felt super-charged and ahead of the game.
So, for the month of March I have decided that I will taste and review fifty Washington wines. I am off to a good start and will post my first reviews on Monday, March 10. At the end of March when all of the reviews are put to bed, I will reveal my “Top Ten” of the month. I hope we find some great wines together (I’m sure we will), and I hope that together we can appreciate the grand scope of Washington Wines and the superb quality of juice coming out of this great state.
Thank you so much for reading my blog and giving me your support. I can only hope that you are getting some enjoyment out of what I am putting out there.
Cheers! Stan The Wine Man
Well, I made it through level one of sommelier training and I don’t really know how well I did on the test, because they don’t tell you unless you are have the top score (that wasn’t me). However, I have my certificate and pin, and that is good enough for me.
It really was inspirational for me to go to this training course and I am truly fired up to go on to the next level which is the Certified Sommelier level. It is only after passing this stage that you can officially call yourself a sommelier on your blog or business cards. I really don’t care about the title, but I do care about the training and the knowledge that is attained by studying for these exams. The world of wine is amazing and there is so much to find out, dig out and digest.
It was especially satisfying to be instructed for over sixteen hours by four Master Sommelier. Melissa Monosoff (Coordinator), Thomas Price, Nate Reddy, and Chris Tange were top-notch teachers and I was enthralled by their passion, humility and knowledge. I had never been so tired as I was the first day, and yet was able to pay rapt attention to everything that was put before the class. Truly amazing stuff!
Day 2 of the instruction was a bit of a catch-up day so the instructors went through some of the information at a very accelerated pace. We then tasted four wines in the double-blind format, using the tasting grid that will be used at the certified level. The instructors walked us through one white and one red, than left us on our own to the other white and red. We were given 5 minutes per wine. I should have went with my gut on the first white, and I would have nailed it. The red was a little easier for me and I got that correct except for the country of origin. It was both fun and challenging at the same time.
After the instruction and blind tasting, we were given a seventy question test. It was multiple choice, so I wouldn’t put it on the super-difficult level, but you certainly had to pay attention in class if you wanted to pass. A lot of us did as eighty-two of the ninety-one in attendance passed. Awesome! There were a couple of questions where I wondered what was even being asked, so I knew I wasn’t going to ace it. However, I passed and I can move on to the next level which is what I plan to do. I have some practice ahead of me, since the certified level involves Champagne service, something I have never done since I am not in the restaurant side of things. For the next few months, I plan on lots of study and practice.
I know all of this is going to help me be better for my customers at the store level, better for my blog, and better for my Youtube channel. It will also help me to be a better wine taster, something that is most beneficial for what I do. Most importantly, the humility that a sommelier is encouraged to show is most refreshing to me, and something that attracts me to this side of the wine world.
Cheers! Stan The wine Man
