Whoops – I’ve had this sitting in a draft folder – thought I’d published it. Please note that it’s about 2 weeks old at this point.
Another great release weekend in Woodinville! We hit as many as we could and here are some of the highlights:
Chatter Creek - A Cotes du Rhone in Woodinville? Really? Yes – really! Gordy made one and it is wonderful! Light, fruity, approachable – everything you would hope and expect it to be. The other new release that had all of us drooling was the new Cab Franc. He always does a nice job with this one and the new release does not disappoint. Honestly, none of his wines disappoint. In addition to releasing new wines, he also had a screaming deal on his Cellar Cat Red – a case for $100, an additional 10 bucks off that if you’re a wine club member! I love a good deal on a great wine! Cellar Cat is his “not-enough-to-make-a-varietal” red blend. I believe it’s his first time making it but hope it isn’t the last.
Gorman Winery- Chris Gorman doesn’t have ‘regular’ tasting hours and is usually only open when he has new wines to show off. Boy were his new wines worthy of showing off! His release party featured four new releases: Big Sissy (Chardonnay), Zachary’s Ladder (Red Blend), The Pixie (Syrah) and The Evil Twin (Cab/Syrah Blend) – all were really great, as always. The Zack’s Ladder was tasting really well, like it was ready to be opened and enjoyed now. The Pixie and The Evil Twin were both fantastic and will probably be even better after a little age. That being said, I am not the best at aging wines anymore, with the exception of my beloved Cabernets. Everything else is fair game and these would be no exception. It would be very hard for me to try and hold on to The Evil Twin for long.
Alexandria Nicole Cellars - We had to stop here because – well we love it, plain and simple. There were no new releases here today but everything we had was great. I particularly liked the latest Quarry Butte and (as usual) the Cabernet. I was lucky enough to get a quick taste of the already-sold-out Lemberger and really liked that as well. If you aren’t a member of this wine club, you should think about joining. Not only do you get access to the secret tasting room behind the bookshelf door, but you also get to enjoy some of these small production wines, like the Lemberger. Really, this winery has something for everyone – great red and white wines, great tasting room staff (Kathy rocks!) and a nice range of prices to fit anyone’s wine budget.
Red Sky- Carol Parsons is such a wonderful winemaker! The new Cab (only enough made for wine club members) is so good and the new Merlot is out of this world! We were lucky enough to enjoy a vertical Merlot tasting. The 03 (only available in 1/2 bottle size) and the latest one, the 06, were the stand outs. I expect both will sell out before too long. We tasted some of the other wines too and, as usual, all were very good but I was in love with the 06 Sunrise. This is such a nice blend. I recently brought a bottle on a camping trip and insisted that several people try it, even people that don’t drink a lot of wine. All loved it. The Sunrise, 03 Merlot and 06 Merlot should not be missed.
Page Cellars – I hate to admit it, but I haven’t been into this winery in years. It’s one that I’ve always liked but didn’t go into because I didn’t realize they had more than just a couple wines. I was so wrong and I will not wait years to go back. I believe this release party was for The Red Zeppelin (Cab Franc) and for The Norseman (Merlot). Both were delicious, as was the Preface, a Cab dominant blend and the wine that I always think of when I think of Page Cellars. We were lucky enough to spend some time at the bar with the winemaker, Jim Page. It’s only fitting that he have a “Red Zeppelin” wine, isn’t it? This was one of my favorite wines of the day – a tasty 100% Cab Franc and a $20 price point. That is a winning combo in my book. I started out asking for one bottle, then a second and then finally a third. Can’t have too much of a good thing, right? I know, I know – I don’t need to buy anymore wine. But this one just may sell out in a hurry and I’d kick myself if I didn’t get a few when I had the chance.
William Church- New releases were the 07 Syrah and the 07 ”2 Spires” which is a Cab/Syrah blend. Both were outstanding! Also tasting really well was the Bishop’s Blend. Although this is not a new release it is still a home-run in my book. I’d never been to a release at William Church; they put on a very nice event. The tables were well spaced, the food was good and the check out was a breeze. If you’ve been to a lot of releases in Woodinville you know that sometimes it is really difficult to actually buy a bottle of wine at the end of the tasting. More places could (and should) take notes from William Church.
Cuillin Hills- No matter how many or how few people are in here, it always feels like a party. Derek is just down right nuts, and I mean that in the best possible way. He’s funny, talkative and the farthest thing from a wine snob. Oh, and his wines are sensational! Our favorites this trip were the Dungeon Syrah, The Shackled (56% Syrah and 44% Mourvedre) and the Claret, a well balanced Bordeaux blend. It’s hard not to come here every single time we’re in the warehouse district.
Sparkman Cellars – I was excited to see their new winery space. It’s right across the parking lot from their former location so it’s really easy to find. The space is more open and has a nice feel to it so far. And as always, the wines were very good. The Wilderness is always one of my favorites – but the Ruby Leigh – wow is that great! The only thing missing from this visit was the winemaker and his family. My guess is that crush has them all pretty busy.
Guardian Cellars- They moved as well…right next to Sparkman! I will admit, I was initially sad to hear that they were moving because I loved the former location. Yes, it was small and yes, it could get too crowded . Still, it was cozy. The new location is much bigger and really quite nice. They’d only been open a week so things weren’t completely done but I could tell this tasting room was going to be nice too. And the wines…so good, all of them. My favorite here was (and usually is) the Gun Metal. Here too, the only thing missing was the crazy winemaker, Jerry. His girlfriend, Jennifer, took good care of us though and seemed to have things running smoothly.
Challenger Ridge- This was a new stop for me. It’s a neat little tasting room; actually it’s more like a little house. They had about 4-6 wines to taste, the most interesting being a Pinot Noir made out of grapes from Concrete Washington! Not only is it noteworthy to have a Pinot from Washington…but Concrete? For those of you not familiar with the area, it isn’t a typical wine growing region. The wines were nice although because they were done in a lighter style, we probably shouldn’t have made this our 10th stop. I’m pretty sure I was suffering from pallet fatigue at that point. Still, it was a nice place and I will be back – earlier in the day next time. If you happen to visit them, be sure to check out the cute
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