Last week, we had the honor of visiting Red Willow Vineyard and spending an afternoon with the incredible Sauer family, Washington wine royalty.
We toured part of the vineyard with Mike, Karen and their son, Jon, and later were joined by Jon’s wonderful wife Kelly and their five lovely children. In this photo, (from left) Jon, Karen and Mike stand in front of old signs of grapes planted at Red Willow. Of note, the sign for the 1986 Syrah represents the first grape planted in Washington state.
During our visit, Mike told us about the harvest, which was almost but not quite over. He also discussed his clone project, and we tasted three wines made from some of those clones.
Although we spent time with Mike and Karen at a wine event in 2017, we hadn’t been to Red Willow in nine years. It was an amazing experience. Continue reading →
A day of double-takes comprised what I like to call our experience of “Washington in Washington.”
Dave and I were in Washington, D.C. at the same time as this state’s Washington Wine Commission held a trade and media tasting there.
Ryan Pennington, the Commission’s social-media-savvy PR director, saw my Facebook update that we were headed to D.C., so he kindly invited us to stop by the tasting event at the Rooftop Terrace at The John F. Kennedy Center.
Of course we went! The tasting area was packed, and we listened with pride as many D.C.-area wine experts, restaurant owners, media and wine enthusiasts extolled the virtues of Washington state wine.
And we laughed at the looks on the faces of several winemakers and winery owners when they saw us, out of context, in “the other Washington!”
“We just happened to be in the neighborhood and heard some excellent Washington state wine was being poured here,” we replied.
We also had an opportunity to taste wine and talk to Daniel Wampfler of Dunham Cellars, Kristi and Lou Facelli of Facelli, Kim Bolander of L’Ecole 41, Debbie Hansen ofCougar Crest, and Mark McNeilly of Mark Ryan.
These were the wines we tasted and recommend (in alphabetical order):
Long Shadows 2007 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley ($55)
Mark Ryan2009 Dead Horse Red Bordeaux Blend, Red Mountain ($52)
Obelisco2009 Electrum Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain ($65)
Woodward Canyon 2009 Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State ($54)
Frankly, I couldn’t say it any better than the Washington Wine Commission’s brochure:
“Washington State’s exceptional grapes reach their potential in the hands of extraordinary winemakers, who create bright and balanced expressions of our region with world-class wines.”
Six of seven Woodinville wineries that make up the Grape Killers generated lots of fans and fun at their annual “Holiday in the ‘Hood” wine tasting event last night in Woodinville’s Wine Warehouse District.
Winemakers, and friends, from Gorman Winery(Chris Gorman), Mark Ryan Winery(Mark Ryan McNeilly), Darby Winery(Darby English), Guardian Cellars(Jerry Riener), Baer Winery (Lisa Baer) and Sparkman Cellars (Chris Sparkman) offered some amazing wines, appetizers and good cheer. Perfect example? Chris Sparkman appeared dressed as Elvis. (Photo courtesy of our friend Taryn Miller)
Not surprisingly, we enjoyed all the wines we tasted at Grape Killers Holiday in the ‘Hood party. But these were our favorites:
Gorman Winery2008 Bully Cabernet Sauvignon (blended with Petit Verdot), Red Mountain
Sparkman Cellars 2009 Kingpin Old Vine Cab (blended with Petit Verdot), Red Mountain
Darby Winery2009 Dark Side Syrah (100% Syrah), Yakima Valley
Baer Winery 2009 Arctos, a Cabernet-driven blend, Columbia Valley
Guardian Cellars2008 The Rookie Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
Mark Ryan Winery2009 Dead Horse Red, Bordeaux blend, Red Mountain
Do you sense a trend here? Indeed, our palates prefer Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends, and as Dave said, “I never met a grape from Red Mountain that I didn’t like.”
You could tell the six winemakers (plus Tim Stevens of Stevens Winery who couldn’t participate this time) are pals who hang out together in their spare time. Their camaraderie was evident at each of their tasting rooms. This was a night full of smiles and laughter!
And to top off the good fun, a portion of all wine sales will benefit Woodinville’s Homeward Pet Adoption Shelter.
If you didn’t make it to the Grape Killers event last night, be sure to stop by these wineries in the future. They make good juice!
Last week, we had the honor of visiting Red Willow Vineyard and spending an afternoon with the incredible Sauer family, Washington wine royalty.
