Good wine over the holidays helps to make the season fabulous. Here is the list of special wines that we started to open and share over the Thanksgiving holiday and will continue to do so through New Year’s day — either pouring them for guests, taking to parties or enjoying at home.
Some of these wines are special because of their high quality and high price point. Others are simply special good-value wines enjoy in our home throughout the year.
Jarrod Boyle of Alexandria Nicole Cellars is continuing his winning streak with a number of recent accolades for several of his stellar wines.
Knowing Jarrod, he would also credit Jose Yanez, the excellent foreman at Destiny Ridge Estate Vineyard, assistant winemaker Matt Dodson, and Jarrod’s amazing wife, co-owner and marketing manager, Ali Boyle.
And last, but definitely not least, Jarrod would point to Mother Nature.
Twenty-three varietals are planted at Destiny Ridge, and the belief at ANC is that quality starts in the vineyard.
The winery’s motto is “approachable elegance” — and judging by the recent awards, and dozens and dozens of previous ones, Jarrod and his team are definitely succeeding.
Here are the most recent awards:
2014 “Crawford” Viognier, Best of Class and Double Gold, Savor NW Awards
2014 Shepherds Mark, Gold, Savor NW Awards
2013 Jet Black Syrah, Best of Class and Gold, Seattle Wine and Food Experience
2013 Shepherds Mark, Gold, Seattle Wine and Food Experience
Beverage Tasting Institute Ratings
2012 “Gravity” Merlot, 92 points and Cellar Selection
2012 “Little Big Man” Petit Verdot, 92 points and Cellar Selection
2011 “Alderdale” Cabernet Sauvignon, 92 points
2012 Quarry Butte, 91 points
2014 A squared Pinot Gris, Best Buy
The outstanding wines are what brought us to Alexandria Nicole Cellars almost 10 years ago. But the warmth of the ANC team and the winery’s fabulous events played a big role too.
Over the years, we have had the pleasure and honor of becoming friends with Jarrod and Ali, and we are so excited for their new venture, The Estate on Destiny Ridge— a breathtaking, luxurious and private venue for entertaining in the middle of wine country.
We also can’t wait for their glamping season to start up again this summer.
Congratulations to Jarrod, Ali and the ANC team on the latest accolades.
Stop by and see them at Taste Washington, or at their tasting rooms in Woodinville and Prosser.
Taste of Tulalip is always one of the best wine and food events in the Seattle area, and this year was no exception. The sixth annual Taste of Tulalip was an explosion of flavours for every palate.
Kicking off the event Friday evening at Tulalip Resort was the Celebration Dinner, an incredible six-course meal paired with excellent wines. While the entire dinner was beyond magnificent, our ultimate favorites were:
Creamy Jerusalem Artichoke soup, pumpkin seed pesto, creme fruit and crispy leek straws (Chef Brent Clarkson), paired with d’s Wicked Hard Cider “Baked Apple,” Kennewick, WA
Seared scallop with green papaya slaw, micro Asian mallow, golden edamame shoots, with ginger lime vinaigrette and aged balsamic (Chef John Ponticelli), paired with 2012 Alleromb Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, WA
Blackberry sockeye salmon lox popsicle and salmon souse vide over toasted hazelnut pesto (Chef David Buchanan), paired with 2012 Kosta Browne Russian River Pinot Noir, CA
New York strip, dry aged 46 days, tarragon beurre blanc and New York strip, aged 28 days, wild cranberry demi, with cambazola-mascarpone “Twinkie” (Executive Chef Perry Mascitti), paired with 2011 Leonetti Cellars Reserve blend, Walla Walla, WA
Chef Perry also provided another special treat during the dinner. He not only wowed the house with his, and his team’s, creative and delicious dishes, but also brought down the house with his showmanship by joining the band for a rocking version of “All Night Long.”
There were several musicians entertaining during the dinner, but Daniel Parks of Las Vegas had people on their feet dancing. From old-school Beatles and Neil Diamond tunes to perfect covers of Happy and Blurred Lines, this young man was a star. We hope to see him again; we can’t say enough good things about Daniel Park’s talent.
Can you tell that we totally enjoyed the Celebration Dinner?
Saturday offered a wide variety of things to do at Taste of Tulalip. We decided to spend our time at the Magnum Party and Grand Tasting.
There were two Magnum parties held simultaneously — one for old-world wine and one for new world wine. At the old-world tasting, we sipped an incredible 1985 Bordeaux blend from Chateau Lynch-Bages Pauillac in France — a chateau we visited during our trip to that wine region in 2005. This wine is drinking marvelously right now! We also tasted a pour from a $300-bottle of a Bordeaux blend, which combined Merlot and Cabernet Franc from St Emillion, France.
Hard as it was to leave the old-world event, we thoroughly delighted in excellent new-world wines too: Opus One 2007 Bordeaux blend from California; a lovely 2008 Shiraz from Penfolds in Australia; and our home-grown beauty, 2011 Betz Pere de Famille.
I also won a very cool gift pack that featured the Taste of Tulalip wine blend from the event’s honorary 2014 winemaker, Sean Boyd from Woodinville Wine Cellars. Special coffee and a gorgeous Tulalip medallion were also included in the gift.
How did I win it? Simple – I knew the answer to the trivia question, “Who is the Executive Chef at Tulalip Resort?” Even if I hadn’t already known it, how could I miss after his star musical performance the night before?
Next came the Grand tasting; how could this event make a mark after the activities already outlined above? Easy – we had an opportunity to see our friends and sip wine from some of our favorite Washington wineries: Obelisco Estate, Barrage Cellars, Avennia, Doubleback, Efeste, Gorman Winery, Alexandria Nicole Cellars, Figgins, Force Majeure and Woodinville Wine Cellars. Plus we had a taste of a magnificent red blend from Craggy Range, a winery we enjoyed when we were in New Zealand last May.
Special thanks to Allan Aquila for the invitation!
If you’ve never been to Taste of Tulalip, please bookmark this page, so you will remember to get your tickets for the 2015 event!
The weather in central Washington was much cooler this year than previous ones when the thermometer soared to near 100 degrees. But a little wind and rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the amazing ANC team, who worked for days preparing for the festivities.
In addition to the favorites of years past — a wine-balloon toss, grape stomp and dancing, accompanied by a vast array of stellar ANC wines and a delicious menu from Chef Frank Magana — this year’s Harvest Party also had a theme.
Cirque du Harvest 2013 featured entertainers in bright costumes and white face makeup, dancing on stilts, doing magic and passing out unusual appetizers, such as alligator bites.
The ANC team joined the fun, wearing top hats and multi-colored rings with flashing lights, and encouraged party revelers to step into a photo booth set up for the occasion.
Our hosts, ANC co-owners Ali and Jarrod Boyle, displayed their trademark warmth and humility, along with grace and down-home friendliness that permeated through everyone who attended.
We would be remiss if we didn’t flag the wine, created with talent, skill and passion by Jarrod and his hard-working vineyard and winery teams. In addition to old favorites and library wines such as Block 17, Destiny and Quarry Butte, wine club members tasted Little Big Man, Cabernet Franc, Jet Black, Shepherds Mark and Pinot Gris.
We’ve been members of the Alexandria Nicole Cellars wine club for years; it is the epitome of what we look for — stellar wine, fabulous people and incredible events. If you’re not a member, think about it. Seriously.
For party photos, have a look at ANC’s Facebook page. We hope to see you there next year.
Good wine over the holidays helps to make the season fabulous. Here is the list of special wines that we started to open and share over the Thanksgiving holiday and will continue to do so through New Year’s day — either pouring them for guests, taking to parties or enjoying at home.
