We tasted nine Canvasback wines in June, when we visited the winery‘s rustic yet elegant tasting room for the first time. What a lovely Walla Walla location to experience Canvasback’s extensive wine portfolio. From sophisticated to hedonistic, polished to luscious, and refreshing to captivating, Canvasback has it all. Duckhorn pioneers Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded the winery in 2012, and named it after the Canvasback duck, native to the Pacific Flyway.
Tag Archives: Red Mountain
Avennia Red Mountain
Superb winemaker Chris Peterson’s style remains consistent over the years, as we witnessed during our first time at Avennia Red Mountain estate winery last month. And we go back more than a decade. In 2012, we stopped by Avennia, then one of Woodinville’s newest wineries, and became immediate fans of Chris and managing partner Marty Taucher. At the time, we wrote that Avennia wines were “classic, complex, balanced, structured, true to varietal, and a showcase of the beauty of Washington grapes.” They still are. Read on for details of our visit and the wines we tasted.
Canvasback Cabernet and Syrah
In a word, Canvasback Cabernet and Syrah are exemplary. We adored six current releases. Different words describe them – from sophisticated to hedonistic, from appealing to killer, from polished to luscious, and much more. This is not surprising because Brian Rudin, Canvasback’s very talented winemaker, is known for making terroir-driven, structured wines with an unmistakable sense of place. Duckhorn pioneers Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded the winery in 2012, and named it after the Canvasback duck, native to the Pacific Flyway. Read on for details.
John Bigelow
If you’ve never been to JM Cellars in Woodinville or Maltby, you are missing out on many wonderful Washington wines crafted by talented winemaker John Bigelow. John is the epitome of a winemaker who is both an artist and a scientist. We’ve been drinking his impressive wines since we moved to Seattle in 1999, one year after JM Cellars opened its doors at the picturesque Bramble Bump hill in Woodinville. We caught up with John a few times this spring and summer. In March, we chatted with him at Taste Red Mountain Woodinville. In April, we visited his Maltby location. And subsequently, we talked to him at Celebrate Washington Wine this month (pictured here with his son and Cellar Master, Tommy). We really enjoy listening to John Bigelow’s passionate stories and tasting his wines. Read on for more details.