Hollywood Hill Vineyards Eastside Winery Cabernet Franc Vintage: 2005 Purchased: Mar 1st 2008 Price: $24.00 Purchase Location: Hollywood Hill Vineyards - (http://www.hollywoodhillvineyards.com/) Categories: Cabernet Franc - Red - Washington

Tasting Notes:

This is a wonderful cabernet franc. It might not be the best value, as similar examples from the Loire can often be found for less money, but I like to support my local wine makers. This is a bright garnet color, but translucent. There is tons of black raspberry flavor, with a hint of bitter greeness on the back end that I like. There also is an aroma of fresh pencil shavings.


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Paradisos del Sol Under 10 Buck Red Vintage: 2005 Purchased: May 31st 2008 Price: $9.25 Purchase Location: Paradisos del Sol - (http://www.paradisosdelsol.com/) Categories: Red - Washington

Tasting Notes:

This is a simple mid week wine. I find it has a nice purple color and a grapey taste with a lot of pepper on the midpalate. There is quite a bit of herbal bitter greenness on the finish, which some may not like, but I do. For under $10 how can you complain?


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Portteus Zinfandel Vintage: 2006 Purchased: May 31st 2008 Price: $26.00 Purchase Location: Portteus Vineyards - (http://www.portteus.com/) Categories: Red - Washington - Zinfandel

Tasting Notes:

I served this with a spicy jambalaya that I was preparing. It was a deep purple in the glass and very very dark. The nose was pretty good with lots of dark berry fruit, vanilla, and cedar. In the mouth this was a thick heavy wine. I noticed that the temperature of the wine had to be right, if you let it get to warm the heat from the high alcohol became a bit distracting. The texture and flavor of this wine actually reminded me of a berry milkshake. I could taste a vanilla creaminess beneath the fruit flavors. There was a bit of cedar, but it was not in the forefront at all. About halfway through the taste the pepper started to crop up, and then a minty type flavor on the finish. I liked this wine even if it wasn't my normal style. It was a nice change of pace and it worked quite well with the spicy food.


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Sagelands Riesling Vintage: 2006 Purchased: Jun 9th 2007 Price: $14.00 Purchase Location: Sagelands Vineyards - (http://www.sagelandsvineyard.com/) Categories: Riesling - Washington - White

Tasting Notes:

As I drink more and more riesling from around the world I find my palate becoming more and more discriminating. What I once drank and quite liked, I know see as slightly flawed. This isn't a bad wine. I quite liked it the first time I had it. It's pleasantly off dry. This time however, I just couldn't coax out enough acidity to make me happy. It could be that the bottle was just too old, the 2007's should be around now. But rather than take a chance, I'll focus my riesling dollars elsewhere.


Also Tasted On:
Aug 31st 2007


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Steppe Cellars Gewurztraminer Vintage: 2006 Purchased: May 3rd 2008 Price: $16.00 Purchase Location: Steppe Cellars - (http://www.steppecellars.com/) Categories: Gewurztraminer - Washington - White

Tasting Notes:

This is my favorite domestic gewurztraminer. Which is saying quite a bit, because gewurz is probably my favorite white wine. This wine is off dry and opulent with the lychee and rose petal perfume just punching you in the face. But what makes this wine great is the acidity that it retains. Gewurz can get very flabby and just fall completely flat. This keeps a great acidity that brightens things up and just makes you smack your lips.


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Hollywood Hill Vineyards Pinot Noir Rose Vintage: 2007 Purchased: Apr 5th 2008 Price: $20.00 Purchase Location: Hollywood Hill Vineyards - (http://www.hollywoodhillvineyards.com/) Categories: Pinot Noir - Rose - Washington

Tasting Notes:

This is a perfect rose for me. The color in the glass is a little odd, as it's almost a salmon color of orange. But the nose is beautiful with a strong strawberry and rhubarb scent. In the mouth it's light and alive with flavor. Strawberry dominates upfront, but there is a touch of orange zest and a great acidity which makes the wine seem dry, even though there is a touch of residual sugar.


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Bloom Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage: 2004 Purchased: Aug 9th 2007 Price: $24.00 Purchase Location: Maple Leaf Wine Cellar - (http://www.mapleleafcellar.com/) Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon - California - Red - Washington

Tasting Notes:

Kathrine picked this wine out and I'm not sure why. Even when I originally tasted it I was not a super fan. This is a well made cabernet. The color is spot on and it's very full bodied. The nose is a mixture of blackberry, oak, and a hint of mint. In the mouth though, the fruit flavors just explode. It's a jammy concoction of creme de cassis, black berry, and just a hint of chocolate. There are tannins and acid, but they just heighten the jammieness. This would be your basic fruit bomb. It's a good wine, just not my style.


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Trio Vintners Sangiovese Vintage: 2006 Purchased: Jun 1st 2008 Price: $20.00 Purchase Location: Trio Vintners - (http://www.triovintners.com/) Categories: Red - Washington

Tasting Notes:

American Sangiovese can be hit or miss. If you are expecting the classic earthy and high acid Chianti, you generally need to look again. This wine is like the others I've tasted, but better in than most. It's a deep purple in color all the way to the rim, but still slightly translucent. The aroma is purple as well. No, I'm not kidding. You do get hints of tobacco, leather, and dried cherries that Sangiovese can be known for; but what I think of most is juicy purple grapes. In the mouth, the grape flavor hits you at first. As the wine opens up though, it fades and the more elegant dried cherry flavors take over. There is a nice acidity, and a slight velvety tannin to this; but it's not the rustic acidity and tannin you'd get from a Chianti.


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Steppe Cellars Syrah Rose Vintage: 2007 Purchased: May 31st 2008 Price: $16.00 Purchase Location: Steppe Cellars - (http://www.steppecellars.com/) Categories: Rose - Syrah/Shiraz - Washington

Tasting Notes:

This was wine number one for the Mia and Ryan farewell dinner I prepared. It was pared with playful takes on salad nicose and pasta primavera.

This is a nice fruit forward wine with a good dark pink (with hints of salmon) color. The nose is very lively with fresh red berries and violets.

The wine is all bright red fruit on the palate, with a nice acid backbone and a slight residual sweetness on the finish that balances the floral characteristics nicely.

It may be a little expensive for a rose, but a single vineyard wine made with this much care is a good thing to support.


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Harbringer Chardonnay Vintage: 2006 Purchased: Sep 1st 2007 Price: $21.00 Purchase Location: Harbinger Winery - (http://www.harbingerwinery.com/) Categories: Chardonnay - Washington - White

Tasting Notes:

This was a wine I really loved when I had it at the winery. That is unusual for me since domestic chardonnay is probably my least favorite wine. After tasting this though, maybe I need to give more of it a try.

When the bottle was opened and poured it was a nice golden straw color and had a nice weight. The nose though was overpowered by alcohol. This was odd as it wasn't what I would call a super high alcohol wine. After about an hour of being opened the alcohol smell completely blew off. If I had it to do again, I'd definitely decant. the remaining nose was a very pleasant apple and pear dominated aroma, with just a touch of citrus and vanilla. I didn't get any of the tropical fruit scents that so often crop up in domestic chardonnay. On the palate the weight was perfect with well mingled acids and the apple flavor. There was just a hint of lime before it built to the finish that was just slightly oaky-spicey. There was also a surprising yeastieness on the finish. The oak flavor was just prevalent enough to be good without being overpowering.


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