WEEK 1 DAY 4: WASHINGTON WINE REVIEWS.

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Stan The Wine Man

This is just a reminder that I am reviewing 100 Washington wines in August. Mon-Fri each week for four weeks I will review five wines a day. So this is the five wines I am reviewing on day four of the first week, that is why it is day four instead of day 8 (are you following me?). At any rate, these are the five wines I am reviewing for Thursday of the first full week of August 2013.

I have been trying my hardest to stick to the same winery each day, but today I am going to post my notes for four wines from the same producer with a wild-card thrown in. Here goes… ( I will review the last Mackey wine tomorrow).

2010 Mark Ryan Vineyards “Lonely Heart” Cabernet Sauvignon (Red Mountain, WA) … $80.

This is way out of my league price-wise, but I just can’t help myself. This is the second chance I have had to try the “Lonely Heart” cab, and I have the same feeling now that I had back then, I am absolutely in love with this cab! It is deep and concentrated on the nose with notes of black licorice, currants, tobacco and rose petal with that Red Mt. earth thrown in. Structured and rich on the palate with notes of currants and tobacco with a rose petal undertone. There is a chalky minerality that comes through on the mid-palate leading into an intense licorice, currant and spice driven finish that lingers for quite a while. This is what cab should be, showing a little mint undertow with a ton of structure. This baby is ready to drink now, but will only improve over the next five years. My feelings have not changed about Mark Ryan’s ability to make cab… (A+) (By the way, this is the wild-card).

This next winery that I am about to review has a huge cult following in not only Washington, but anywhere the wine is attainable… Maison Bleue.

2012 Maison Bleue Jaja White (Columbia Valley, WA)… $24.99

Aromas of tart green apple skins with a little Jolly Rancher green apple element thrown in. The green apple Jolly Rancher element comes through on the palate with a little cut grass coming through. There is a bright beam of acidity that flows through this wine with an interesting spice component on the bright finish. (B+)

2011 Maison Bleue Petite Joie Marsanne (Boushey Vineyards, Yakima WA)… $29.

Aromas of spice and ginger with a back-drop of pears. Pears come through all over the palate with spice notes backing it up. Mineral notes on the mid-palate flowing into a finish of vanilla, pears and butterscotch. (B+)

2012 Maison Bleue La Famille Rose of Mouvedre (Columbia Valley, WA)… $19.99

Interesting aromas of popcorn kernels, strawberries and rhubarb. Dry on the palate with notes of tart Rainier cherries. Nice balance with notes of rhubarb and strawberries coming through on the finish. Acidity is fairly prominent on the palate which puts the wine a little off-balance. (B)

2011 Maison Bleue “Ja Ja” Red (Yakima Valley, WA)… $29.99

On the nose, chalky notes of red plums, raspberries, and a perfumed back-drop of cherries. There is a solid core of acidity on the palate with notes of currants and plums up front. Soft tannins support the fruit notes leading into a finish of tobacco and red flowers mixed with white pepper that lingers. There is a nice freshness to this red. (B+)

Day four is under the belt with some great Washington wines. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

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WEEK 1 DAY 3: WASHINGTON WINE MONTH.

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Stan The Wine Man

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to tour some wineries in Walla Walla, WA. One stop we made stands out in my mind. It was a barn with some open stalls next to it and surrounding vineyards. It was the wine making facility for Mackey Vineyards, a winery I had never heard of until that time. I tasted through many of the wines, but it was the end of a long day and I was through taking tasting notes by that time. Recently I had another opportunity to taste their wines when co-owner Philip Mackey showed up at the store with a bag full of goods.

Here are my impressions of the wines I tasted…

2009 Mackey Vineyards Syrah (Walla Walla Valley, WA)… $31.99

Aromas of red plums, boysenberries and hits of bacon fat and red flowers. Nice weight in the mouth with a core of acidity and minerals. Notes of plums and boysenberries come through on the palate with some bacon fat showing up on the mid-palate and into the lingering finish. I love this syrah because it has good balance. It doesn’t get all fat and sassy. It has the minerality and acidity to match the fruit, giving it some age-worthiness. (A-)

2009 Mackey Vineyards Merlot (Columbia Valley, WA)… $36.99

Aromas of minty cherries and red flowers with a marinated beef element coming through. Penetrating currant and cassis notes on the palate with hits of black licorice. Black olive and red flower notes join up with the fruit with a nice flow across the palate into a long-ass finish with some tannins rearing their head. This baby has some muscle and good structure with a good core of acidity. Another wine from Mackey that will age for you. (A)

2009 Mackey Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA)… $31.99

Aromas of tomato stem, currants, spice and licorice. Creamy structured tannins back notes of currants, white pepper and licorice. A little green bell pepper element shows on the mid-palate flowing into a bright cassis/currant finish. Definitely Bordeaux in style with just a hit of new world love. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Petite Verdot (B+)

2009 Mackey Vineyards Concordia Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $39.99

Interesting aromas of blueberries and Strawberries with a backdrop of smoke and bacon fat and a hit of tobacco. Very plush on the palate with notes of bacon fat currants and blackberries. The wine expands on the mid-palate, but then takes an interesting turn into the finish with notes of crushed rocks joining the fruit and revealing a beam of acidity. Again, this wine shows excellent structure with a nice balance of fruit, minerals and acid. You can put this away for a few years with confidence, it will only get better. (A)

2009 Mackey Vineyards RAC Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $44.99

This wine is named after the Mackey’s grandfather Roger (R) Adams (A) Converse (C) and is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and 39% Merlot. Aromas of red flowers, cherries, tobacco and red currants. There is a baked earth element to this wine on the palate with chalky minerals. Sweet tannins back a core of blackberry, cassis and plum. Notes of chocolate and mocha come through on the mid-palate and flow into the finish joined by black currants and white pepper notes that linger. (B+)

I know the Mackey wines are not on the lower side of the price range, but let me tell you they are worth the investment. Most are drinking excellent now, but putting them away for a couple of years will only help the cause. If your local wine shop doesn’t carry Mackey Vineyards wines, you need to put some pressure on them to catch up with the times.
I tasted a couple more Mackey wines that I will review tomorrow…Stay tuned as I move on with my Washington wine reviews for the month of August. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

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WEEK 1 DAY 2: WASHINGTON WINE MONTH…

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Stan The Wine Man

There are so many wineries that I really like in Washington State, and I am sure I will leave many great wines out of my reviews for the month of August. However, I would feel bad if I left Kyra Winery out of the picture. Kyra’s 2012 Chenin Blanc is one of my favorite whites so far this year. I had a chance to taste through a few of Kyra’s wines this year and I was very impressed…Here are my thoughts.

2011 Kyra Chardonnay (Columbia Valley, WA) … $12.99

Nice vibrancy on the nose with notes of perfumed pears and apples. Very clean on the palate with notes of Asian Pear backed by a core of minerality that lingers on the finish. Good acidity and nice balance. Very simple, clean and fresh Chardonnay. (C+)

2011 Kyra Pinot Gris (Columbia Valley, WA) … $12.99

Nice brightness on the nose with notes of perfumed pears and dusty minerals. Very edgy on the palate with bracing notes of kiwi and apples with a hit of peach pit. There is a nice steely element to this pinot gris that is backed by a core of minerality. This is a mouth-watering white that has a load of character, good balance and a backbone of minerality that lingers. (A)

2012 Kyra Chenin Blanc (Columbia Valley, WA) … $12.99

This was my “Pick Of The Week” on my Blue Collar Wine Guy blog a couple of months ago. I am a big fan of Chenin Blanc and this one fit the bill. Aromas of fennel and wool with a back-round of apples. Cutting acidity on the palate drives the Red Delicious apple core expanding on the mid-palate and penetrating into a long, mouth-watering finish. A “10” in the delicious category and the price is stupid for the quality that you get. (A)

2010 Kyra Dolcetto (Wahluke Slope “Purple Sage Vineyard”, WA) … $17.99

Aromas of crushed red bricks soaked in plum juice. Very earthy with a little rust and rose petal action. Red berries come through on the palate backed by notes of rose petals and minerals. Black olive notes show up on the mid-palate flowing into a finish with a little white pepper hit. Nice balance of fruit and acidity. (B+)

2008 Kyra Syrah (Columbia Valley, WA) … $17.99

Aromas of charred currants with a hit of sulfur and a trace of bacon fat. Red fruits all over the palate with a bright edge to it. A little bacon fat and spice show on the back of the mid-palate into the finish. There is an earthy edge to this syrah with hits of minerals that reminds me a lot of some wines from the Rhone Valley. (B)

As I have said before, Krya is a very nice lady and a seriously talented wine maker. I urge you to seek her wines out. They are reasonably priced and excellent. As we would say in the biz…They are great qpr (Quality-to-Price Ratio) wines. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

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WEEK 1 OF WASHINGTON WINE MONTH…AUGUST THAT IS.

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Stan The Wine Man

So, this is the start of my Washington Wine reviews for the month of August 2013 (Washington Wine Month). Five wines a day for twenty days, totaling 100 wine reviews for the month. I think it is appropriate that I start with one of my local wineries, San Juan Vineyards. I had a chance to taste through the 2010 vintages of their reds and the currant release of the Riesling. Here are my notes from the Moleskine…

2010 San Juan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Horse Heaven Hills, WA) … $24.99

A little perfumed on the nose with notes of tobacco, anise, cherries and cassis. Nice plushness on the palate with intense cherry and currant notes, backed by hits of tobacco. Polished and structured tannins (figure that one out), with a spicy backbone. This wine strikes a nice balance of fruit and acidity, being intense without being fruit-forward. There is a nice leather hit on the white pepper, spice driven finish. I love the fact that wine maker Chris Primus allowed the quality fruit to express itself without oak getting in the way. (A-)

2010 San Juan Vineyards Cabernet Franc (Horse Heaven Hills, WA)… $24.99

Veggie notes come through on the nose along with perfumed red flowers, black licorice and a back-drop of currants. Intense notes of dark currants and blackberries on the front of the palate with a nice backbone of acidity. There is a spicy element that comes into play on the mid-palate that flows into the finish followed by notes of currants, spice, tobacco, chocolate and subtle herbaceous elements. This is just another “star” cab franc from wine maker Chris Primus. (A)

2010 San Juan Vineyards Merlot (Horse Heaven Hills, WA)… $24.99

Subtle cedar note aromas come through along with notes of currants, cassis, vanilla, tobacco and red flowers. Smooth and rich currant and cassis notes dominate the front of the palate. Spice comes through on the mid-palate and intensifies into a long finish of tobacco, licorice and currants with a little leather thrown in. Nice balance of acidity and minerality backed by polished, structured tannins. This baby will be a beauty in the next two to four years. (A-)

2010 San Juan Vineyards Cab-Merlot (Horse Heaven Hills, WA) … $13.99

Aromas of black licorice, with hits of cinnamon and currants. A very nice warm spice element on the nose with a back-drop of red flowers and wet wood. Very bright fruit up front, with notes of cassis and currants with a backbone of black licorice. The acidity dominates on the palate leading into a tobacco, cassis and currant driven finish. The intensity of the brightness is almost over-powering. I am going to give this wine a little break and say with a little more time in the bottle, the brightness will probably calm down. Many of the reds from San Juan Vineyards improve quite a bit over a two-year period. (B-)

2012 San Juan Vineyards Riesling (Les Vignes De Marcoux, Yakima Valley, WA) … $10.99

Aromas of apples and white flowers with a sugar/peach juice hit. Sweet green apples on the front of the palate, with a peach element coming through. Nice bright backbone, balances out the sweetness. Peach and apricot notes hit on the mid-palate with just a touch of creaminess and a hit of petrol. Nice balance of sweet and acid leads into a delicious, bracing finish that lingers. This is not a dry riesling, but I think with the acid, it will appeal to a broad range of riesling fans and it is only 10.9% alcohol. (B+)

I will say it once more (and this will not be the last time), I am proud of our local winery and I really like what wine maker Chris Primus brings to the table. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

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