Northwest Wine

Insider Washington Wines - Renegade, Betz

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:23:12 -0700

We have the ultimate “insider’s” offer for you today. The wines are made from one of the most famous vineyards in Walla Walla’s rocks, but we can’t tell you which one. We can tell you that wines made from this vineyard have received crazy high (the highest) scores. The vineyard only sells fruit to two wineries, both of which are famous for their Rhone style wines.

Ayoub's New 2010 Oregon Pinot noirs

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:22:10 -0700

Let me cut through the flowery praise and say this about Mo Ayoub’s 2010 Pinots: buy them. I’m rarely this direct but I think the 2010 Ayoubs deserve this candor. They are the best Ayoub wines to date. They are commanding and intense, with sublime balance and aging potential. You can open them now and marvel at their youthful energy, but save some for 5,10,15 years down the road. They’ve been open 5 days and I’m still enjoying them.

Washington Winery Guardian Cellar's Gun Metal Red Wine

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:21:12 -0700

Wine Spectator Insider gave 93 points to Guardian Cellars’ flagship red, 2009 Gun Metal Red. It’s big, rich, and ready to drink. Wine Spectator on Guardian Cellars Gun Metal: ‘Elegant and beautifully focused, glowing with black currant and blackberry favors that show hints of black olive and licorice, persisting seamlessly with deft balance into the long, expressive finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2021.” – H.S.

Six New Oregon Standouts

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:27:04 -0700

We’re just back from an awesome Oregon wine trade tasting. We tried 50 new Oregon wines and found six new standout releases.

There are four amazing summer wines from Evesham Wood and Grochau Cellars, plus two super-collectible Brick House Pinots.
at right, we’re hard at work tasting

Oregon Pinot noir for Burgundy Lovers

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:26:30 -0700

Every week we ask our Facebook readers for questions about wine. This week we answer Raphe Reeves’, a blogger and videographer about wine and food. Here’s our answer:

Well, we tried to narrow it to three wines, and came up with three wineries instead: Eyrie, Evening Land, and Evesham Wood. And no, we didn’t intentionally go for wineries that start with “E”!

J Albin Winery

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:19:08 -0700

J. Albin Winery is the personal project of John Albin, former winemaker and vineyard manager at King Estate. His sparkling wines, Pinot noir, and Pinot gris are made in very small amounts."