Tag Archives: Barbera

Wind Rose Cellars

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Wind Rose Cellars is a boutique winery in Sequim, Washington, owned by husband-and-wife team, David Volmut and Jennifer States. Their focus is to make top-quality, food-driven wine from Italian varieties grown here — including Barbera, Primitivo, Pinot Grigio, Orange Muscat and the rare-in-Washington Dolcetto and Nebbiolo.

We recently sampled two bottles of their latest releases.

Wind Rose 2013 Primitivo ($25)
Sourced from Stonetree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, this is an expressive Primitivo that has both structure and depth. It is blended with a small amount of Barbera to bring some acidity to the wine for aging and finish.

The nose is pretty, with notes of strawberry, lilacs and herbs, moving on to flavors of tart cherries, strawberries and blackberries, with hints of cocoa in the finish. Pair it with grilled meats, spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna or other tomato-based dishes.

It came as no surprise that this tasty wine took home a bronze at the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Even the label on the bottle is beautiful.

Wind Rose 2014 Omaggio Barbera ($33)
Wind Rose Cellars produced this lovely 100% Barbera with grapes sourced from Red Heaven Vineyard on Red Mountain. Crisp and fruit-forward, the Omaggio Barbera has simple flavors, structure and depth; it is approachable now but will become better with age.

With aromas of mocha, coffee and cherries, this Barbera opens to flavors of fruit, caramel and espresso, with a lingering finish. The Omaggio will pair well with grilled meats, chicken parmesan, pizza, pasta or even grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup.

Samples provided by Wind Rose Cellars.

While Wind Rose Cellars’ speciality is Italian wines, they also make small batches of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Grenache, sourced from Red Mountain, Wahluke Slope and Yakima Valley.

If you’re ever on the Olympic peninsula, stop by their tasting room, which becomes a wine bar in the evenings, and features live music on Friday and Saturday nights. As a result, Wind Rose Cellars is said to have the best nightlife in Sequim.

Cheers!
Margot and Dave

Locations Wine by Dave Phinney

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You might have heard of Dave Phinney because of his popular red blend, The Prisoner, or through Orin Swift Cellars, which he recently sold as a premium brand to E. & J. Gallo.

In addition to remaining with Orin Swift, his latest focus is on Locations Wine — as the name suggests, he is making the best value wines possible across the locations of all of the major wine-producing regions of the world.

In Dave Phinney’s words: “I seek out high-quality vineyards, and forward-thinking growers, across appellations to create a wine that proudly represents the best viticultural parcels of that country or location. Our quest is for old vines with low yields, to bring out the best of a specific vineyard and area. We then combine these parcels of place to craft a wine that pays homage to the country of origin; a wine that makes all of us proud.”

And better yet – these attractive wines are also affordable and approachable. Accolades for Phinney have been swift.

“Dave Phinney might be my “value winemaker of the year” candidate … If there are better wines for under $20 a bottle in the world today, please share that information with The Wine Advocate. These are all remarkable efforts. Kudos to Dave Phinney!” — Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, July 27, 2016

We were fortunate to be provided with samples of six Locations wines, which have basic labels (the letters of the region) and a release number — in this case, the numbers 4 and 5 represent the most recent vintages. We’ve only tasted two so far, and were impressed.

WA4 – Washington Red Wine, $19.99
A unique blend of Syrah, Merlot and Petite Sirah, we knew immediately this would be a big Washington state red that our palates favor. We were right.  A beautiful nose of blueberries, almonds and licorice was followed by flavors of dark fruit, chocolate and spices on the finish. There is a lot going on with this complex wine.

CA4 – California Red Wine, $19.99
This is another unusual blend — Petite Sirah, Barbera, Tempranillo, Syrah and Grenache, from California’s diverse appellations: Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and the Sierra Foothills. Deep ruby in color, this is a robust red, offering flavors of intense berries, black fruits, smoke and savory notes, with a peppery finish that one might expect from Syrah.

These two wines were delightful, and we are looking forward to experiencing the remaining four samples. Until then, here are their tasting notes and price points.

OR4 – Oregon Red Wine, $23.99
“100% Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley; vivid red with a deep purple core, the nose is generous with ripe cherry, black raspberry, acacia flowers and hint of forest floor. Immediately, the palate is treated to a textural mélange of sweet cherry, pomegranate, rose petal and sappy strawberry. A lively mid-palate reveals a mineral twist and exotic spice notes juxtaposed with fine tannins and superb clarity on the finish.”

F4 – French Red Wine, $18.99
“A blend of Grenache, Syrah and assorted Bordeaux varieties; a dominant nose of raspberry, rhubarb and wild strawberry are complemented by savory aromas of humid tobacco, lavender and rose petal. An immediate entry of cranberry and other red fruit leads to a touch of savoriness. the wine is fresh and lively with great acidity and approachable tannins.”

E4 – Spanish Red Wine, $18.99
“A blend of Grenache/Garnacha, Tempranillo, Monastrell and Carignan/Carinena; the wine presents a dark, polished amethyst with aromatic notes of white pepper, tobacco and black currant emerging from the glass. A silky mouthfeel with a palate of dark plums, black raspberry and hints of French vanilla closes with subtle tart black cherry and a lengthy, structural finish.”

AR5 – Argentinian Red Wine, $17.99
“A blend primarily of Malbec with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon; garnet in the glass, the wine exudes aromas of brambly boysenberry complemented by hints of antique rosewood and lavender. Immediately, the wine presents a rich entry of ripe red currant, hints of dark berries and subtle minerality, which transitions into an elegant and lingering finish of thyme and sage.”

The vision of Locations Wines is “Simple. Complex. Fun.”

Simple: “Make the best possible wine from a given country or location”

Complex: “Going out and tracking down the vineyards which are capable of delivering the quality of wine needed”

Fun: “Traveling the world to visit incredible sites and meeting amazing people that challenge each other to make the best wine possible”

Our final note: At this price point, we highly recommend that you try some, if not all, of the wines in this unique portfolio.

Cheers!
Margot and Dave

Hard Row to Hoe – Wine with a Story

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img_0004We’ve been fans of Hard Row to Hoe for years, and we finally made it to their intriguing tasting room in Lake Chelan Valley last month. Co-owner and winemaker Judy Phelps poured us tastes of many of her winning wines and shared some stories behind their names. First, the name of the winery itself has two meanings — one obviously related to vineyard management; the other is racy!

Back in the late 1930s, construction was winding down at the Grand Coulee Dam, and the area’s “professional ladies” decided to travel to the then-remote Lake Chelan, where a new mine had just opened near the town of Lucerne. The ladies moved into the Edgemont Lodge, located a few miles uplake from Lucerne at Point Lovely. Their goal: to take care of the miners. Yes, the lodge became a brothel.

As the story continues, a long-time resident, an entrepreneur some might think, ran a rowboat taxi service from Lucerne to Point Lovely to transport the miners to and from the brothel, in support of the soon-thriving enterprise at Edgemont Lodge. Eventually the miners’ wives decided to retaliate by burning down the brothel.

Fast forward to present times, and the decor in Hard Row to Hoe’s tasting room reflects the theme: an actual bed from the brothel, feather boas, pink panties and — well, let’s just use the word intriguing again – intriguing wall paper. The names of wines also contribute: Burning Desire, Shameless Hussy, Seduction, Good in Bed and S&M (Syrah and Malbec).

img_0005In addition to the names, the stories are also illustrated by little caricatures drawn on the wine bottles — one depicts the miners in the rowboat taxi, heading to the brothel. Others show the brothel beds or the building itself, with the shutters up when the brothel was open for business, or the shutters down when the miners were visiting. For example, Hard Row to Hoe’s stellar Cabernet Franc, Burning Desire, has a drawing (right) of the wives carrying torches in the rowboat taxi en route to burn down the Edgemont Lodge.

So let’s take a look at the Burning Desire, along with some of the other wines we tasted.

2014 Hard Row to Hoe Burning Desire Estate Cabernet Franc ($45)
This big juicy wine has made our list of favorite Cab Francs for years, and this vintage is no exception. Tasting notes: “Showing great purity of fruit with a long, vibrant finish. It is loaded with dark cherry and plum flavors with a complex aroma of herbs, spices and violets. Well-balanced, with richness, good acidity and a judicious use of new oak.”

2014 Hard Row to Hoe S&M ($38)
A delicious blend of 60% estate Syrah and 40% estate Malbec, this is one big beauty of a wine. Tasting notes: “Shows beautiful fruit flavors of black cherry, blackberry, black pepper and blueberry with aromas of black pepper, leather and tobacco.”

2014 Hard Row to Hoe Barbera ($40)
The Barbera grapes come from a single vineyard in Oroville near the Canadian border. We plan on pairing this wine with Dave’s famous spaghetti or maybe Margot’s beef stew. Tasting notes: “Offering flavors of cranberry, dried red currant, allspice and anise, the palate showcases the freshness and purity of this varietal, with pure cherry and dark berry flavors, alongside an earthiness of spiceand leather.”

2014 Hard Row to Hoe Primitivo ($49)
Oh do we love this wine – robust and beautiful with flair. Tasting notes: “Bold and delicious; filled with plum and cherry flavors. Aged in mostly neutral barrels so as not to overwhelm the fruit flavors with oak, this wine is incredibly food friendly and supple. It has an exotic spice finish that goes on forever.”

These were our favorites in Hard Row’s extensive lineup, and the ones we brought home to our cellar. All of these wines will drink well through 2020 or longer.

We highly recommend a visit to the winery tasting room if you are even remotely close to Lake Chelan. If not, you can purchase these wines at some wine shops or at the winery’s website.

Cheers!
Margot and Dave

Onward to Oregon

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My last post was about wine from the north side of Washington state’s border; now we go south to Oregon. Actually, we’ll be traveling to Oregon wine country in August for the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference, so this post is a prelude to some of the fine wines we will be writing about in a few months.

Cana’s Feast Winery is located in Carlton, Oregon, and to our surprise – and delight – produces an excellent Barbera, one of Dave’s favorite varietals.

Although the wine was produced in Oregon, this fourth vintage of Cana’s Feast Barbera 2009 is the first to be made exclusively from Coyote Canyon Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills region of Washington state.

After a few sips, we were not surprised to find out that Cana’s Feast ’09 Barbera won gold at the Winemaker Challenge International Wine Competition. A soft elegant red with rich fruit flavors, this lovely 100% Barbera paired well with our dinner of grilled halibut. Next time, we’ll serve it with Dave’s excellent spaghetti.

And yes, there will be a next time. Rich red in color, with a smooth finish, this ’09 Barbera showcases Washington state wine with an Italian flair. We’re looking forward to tasting many other Italian and Bordeaux varietals from Cana’s Feast.

(Full disclosure: This was a free wine sample from Cana’s Feast. As per our wine sample policy, we only write about wines that we like.)

Cheers!