I just saw Wine Spectator's sneak peek ratings for the Dec 15th edition.
Two Northwest favorites got high reviews. Plus, there's a favorite Zin of mine that would probably be perfect for Thanksgiving! For those who fly through SeaTac... you may be able to find both NW wines at Vino Volo http://vinovolo.com/visitdetail.php?store=2 (making it easier for you visitors to take 'em home on the plane). You can also probably find them at the usual spots (Seattle Wine, Esquin, Pete's, Matthew's Thriftway, etc.) The Seghesio Zin you can find at most good wine shops.
95
Argyle Extended Tirage Willamette Valley 1998 • $50
Haunting stuff, ethereal in texture, with amazingly delicate bubbles that carry wave after wave of rich toast, spice and baked apple flavors, persisting on the elegant finish. This has harmony, intensity and refinement. Drink now.—H.S.
94
Mark Ryan Syrah Red Mountain Wild Eyed 2006 • $45
This supple, open-textured and spectacularly flavorful red from Washington offers gorgeous plum, blackberry, wild flower and espresso flavors that mingle effectively on a surprisingly well-behaved frame. This has terrific flavors and impressive length, and it doesn’t go over the top. Drink now through 2015.—H.S.
93
Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County 2007 • $24
This seductive and vigorous Zinfandel offers smoky black cherry and blueberry aromas that lead to youthful wild berry, sage and cracked pepper flavors, with a lingering finish and zesty tannins. Drink now through 2012.—T.F.
This may be a good choice as a T-Day wine... I'm thinking it'll go great with the smoked turkey I'm planning! You'll probably be able to find this one closer to $20 in WA and CA.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Cayuse - Walla Walla
This weekend Cayuse's customers and guests travel to Walla Walla to pick up some of the most highly allocated Syrahs in the US. The waiting list is hundreds deep, the wines tend to be the highest rated US Syrahs in the wine pubs... and in the current economy, at 96pt wine selling for $45 seems a bit like a bargain. (yeah, compared with +$150 Rhone wines that's a bargain)
Other Walla Walla wineries also schedule some special events, and the tasting rooms tend to be pretty packed starting around noon on Friday. All the hotels in and around Walla Walla are overbooked, and many people just fly in for the day. Me - I have soccer games to watch or coach Saturday, so I'm making the drive with neighbors to taste, pick up, and then run a chunk of the cases back to the Seattle area at the end of the day. Hey, at least gas is back to less than $3!
Many of the Walla Walla wineries will be releasing 2005 red's - GREAT news considering the 2004 Walla Walla drop was nearly non-existent. Only a handful of Walla Walla wineries used fruit from the AVA - most had to use fruit from Columbia, which isn't a horrible thing, but different. I'm planning to stop in at least at Seven Hills, L'Ecole No 41, Dunham, and Woodward. With the +4 hour drive home it'll be mostly spitting tasting. Tasting thoughts/notes coming later.
Other Walla Walla wineries also schedule some special events, and the tasting rooms tend to be pretty packed starting around noon on Friday. All the hotels in and around Walla Walla are overbooked, and many people just fly in for the day. Me - I have soccer games to watch or coach Saturday, so I'm making the drive with neighbors to taste, pick up, and then run a chunk of the cases back to the Seattle area at the end of the day. Hey, at least gas is back to less than $3!
Many of the Walla Walla wineries will be releasing 2005 red's - GREAT news considering the 2004 Walla Walla drop was nearly non-existent. Only a handful of Walla Walla wineries used fruit from the AVA - most had to use fruit from Columbia, which isn't a horrible thing, but different. I'm planning to stop in at least at Seven Hills, L'Ecole No 41, Dunham, and Woodward. With the +4 hour drive home it'll be mostly spitting tasting. Tasting thoughts/notes coming later.
Sunrise
Most of you you received the Wine Update emails are familiar with Garagiste - an online/email wine retailer in Seattle. Garagiste has a huge customer base that spans the world - and Jon Rimmerman almost always prefaces the daily offers with an entertaining, often compelling narrative about the the wine, winery, or region. Half the fun of being a Garagiste customer is reading the emails.
Here's what Jon sent 11/5 - as a preface to an offer for some great champagne.
A New Light
I have a pact with each day and with the sun in particular.
I always greet the day with eager anticipation and as long as the sun is willing to rise, I’ve assured it that I will give the day my all, no matter how tired my hands or tough it seems.
I looked out the window this morning at the same sun I always greet - it rose from the southeast (as usual) but today it was more self-assured, it appeared to spread with confidence in all directions - to the north, east, west and south. For some reason, the rays were warmer this morning - the light appeared just a bit clearer.
This morning I filled my lungs with a new air - a breath of buoyancy from a country that is different than it was yesterday, different than it was in 1776, different than it was in 1865.
Today we breath the air of tomorrow, held in our hands as the most delicate of opportunities. Fleeting for sure, but it is there for us to nurture, to grown and coddle despite what are certain to be missteps along the way.
Sometimes our will as human beings can outmuscle our negativity and yesterday that most fleeting of human traits was propped up by a desire bigger than any single one of us. Sometimes ‘larger than life’ is life itself.
40 years ago, across the southern tier of our country, a significant number of the population could not register to vote - last night they used that vote to sweep away three centuries of depravity and judgment based only on a color and not on the integrity, ambition or intellect of the human being. Is that prejudgment ancient history? Not a chance - we’ve taken the smallest of steps but the door is now slightly ajar and it’s going to take all of us, every one of us, to keep the ever-present wind of resistance from blowing it closed once again. Regardless of who you voted for, there is only one vote that now matters - your vote of confidence - your willingness to give the man a chance. Nothing is free - he will need to earn our respect but he asks for your unbiased arm extended - without precondition.
This morning, as I watched that new light rise, I received an email note from a good friend of mine (and customer) - a well-off staunch Republican that has been an advocate of the center-right for years. We frequently exchange musings on the ideas of our time but something struck me in his note today that seemed to resonate with many voters yesterday, he wrote “I’ve voted Republican for the last 30 years, but when I searched my soul, it was for ‘me first’ not ‘county first’ - I voted in most elections to pay less taxes and I certainly benefited more than most from the last eight years. I paid the lowest taxes of my adult life and I made the most money. Yesterday I voted for the Blue side and you know what - for the first time I did it for ‘country first’ - I think the wrong guy had the slogan in this year’s race. As a small-biz owner, I know I'll pay higher taxes, probably a lot higher but for some reason, I don’t mind”.
Last night we let enormous pressure out of the bottle so let’s go ahead and pop the cork on a new frontier...even if you voted on the red side of the fence (which many of us did), my faith in our ability to reach a common good is what motivated the original settlers to unify this land in the first place.
Easy - no. Possible - you betcha’.Here’s to you America.
- Jon Rimmerman**************************************************
Here's what Jon sent 11/5 - as a preface to an offer for some great champagne.
A New Light
I have a pact with each day and with the sun in particular.
I always greet the day with eager anticipation and as long as the sun is willing to rise, I’ve assured it that I will give the day my all, no matter how tired my hands or tough it seems.
I looked out the window this morning at the same sun I always greet - it rose from the southeast (as usual) but today it was more self-assured, it appeared to spread with confidence in all directions - to the north, east, west and south. For some reason, the rays were warmer this morning - the light appeared just a bit clearer.
This morning I filled my lungs with a new air - a breath of buoyancy from a country that is different than it was yesterday, different than it was in 1776, different than it was in 1865.
Today we breath the air of tomorrow, held in our hands as the most delicate of opportunities. Fleeting for sure, but it is there for us to nurture, to grown and coddle despite what are certain to be missteps along the way.
Sometimes our will as human beings can outmuscle our negativity and yesterday that most fleeting of human traits was propped up by a desire bigger than any single one of us. Sometimes ‘larger than life’ is life itself.
40 years ago, across the southern tier of our country, a significant number of the population could not register to vote - last night they used that vote to sweep away three centuries of depravity and judgment based only on a color and not on the integrity, ambition or intellect of the human being. Is that prejudgment ancient history? Not a chance - we’ve taken the smallest of steps but the door is now slightly ajar and it’s going to take all of us, every one of us, to keep the ever-present wind of resistance from blowing it closed once again. Regardless of who you voted for, there is only one vote that now matters - your vote of confidence - your willingness to give the man a chance. Nothing is free - he will need to earn our respect but he asks for your unbiased arm extended - without precondition.
This morning, as I watched that new light rise, I received an email note from a good friend of mine (and customer) - a well-off staunch Republican that has been an advocate of the center-right for years. We frequently exchange musings on the ideas of our time but something struck me in his note today that seemed to resonate with many voters yesterday, he wrote “I’ve voted Republican for the last 30 years, but when I searched my soul, it was for ‘me first’ not ‘county first’ - I voted in most elections to pay less taxes and I certainly benefited more than most from the last eight years. I paid the lowest taxes of my adult life and I made the most money. Yesterday I voted for the Blue side and you know what - for the first time I did it for ‘country first’ - I think the wrong guy had the slogan in this year’s race. As a small-biz owner, I know I'll pay higher taxes, probably a lot higher but for some reason, I don’t mind”.
Last night we let enormous pressure out of the bottle so let’s go ahead and pop the cork on a new frontier...even if you voted on the red side of the fence (which many of us did), my faith in our ability to reach a common good is what motivated the original settlers to unify this land in the first place.
Easy - no. Possible - you betcha’.Here’s to you America.
- Jon Rimmerman**************************************************
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