Vega Sindoa Cabernet Sauvignon-Tempranillo, 2006

Vega Sindoa Cabernet Sauvignon-Tempranillo, 2006

This red blend is produced by Bodegas Nekeas in the Navarra region of Spain. The Nekeas valley is located at the foothills of the Pyrenees and is buffeted from the winds of the Atlantic. Warm summer days and cool nights help the grapes reach full maturity on the vines. The various micro-climates of the area allow for nice conditions for numerous grape varieties including Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Grenache. This bold Spanish red has a deep garnet color. The nose is full of deep black fruit with leather and spice. On the palate are flavors of ripe blackberry, cassis, licorice and black pepper. This is a big wine with prominent tannins and nice acidity on a full bodied frame. The finish is quite long and elegant. I have found the wines from Bodegas Nekes to be totally satisfying and great values. We purchased the “big-boy", from Navarra, at Total Wine (in Phoenix, AZ) for about $10.

Tamarack Syrah Columbia Valley, 2004

Tamarack Syrah Columbia Valley, 2004

Tamarack Cellars was founded in 1998 by Ron and Jamie Coleman. This family run winery is dedicated to the production of small lot, hand-crafted wines from select vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley, Rattle Snake Hills, Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope, Yakima Valley, Red Mountain and Columbia Valley appellations. The winery is located in a restored WW II fire station and barracks at the Walla Walla Airport Complex. Production began in 1998 and is currently up to 12,000 cases for the 2008 vintage. Wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, DuBrul Vineyard Reserve, Syrah, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, and Firehouse Red.
Ron Coleman serves as winemaker and general manager. He comes to the job after a long career in the wine industry with experience in wholesale and retail sales, as a sommelier, and through cellar work for Waterbrook and Canoe Ridge wineries.
Tonight we pulled this bottle of Syrah from our wine cellar to bring to a dinner party with our good neighbors. Back in 2004, there was an extreme freeze in the Walla Walla Valley and Tamarack Cellars had to turn all their attention to making wines from grapes throughout the Columbia Valley. This Syrah has a dark ruby color and is nearly opaque. The nose is cooked black cherries and berries. On the palate there is ripe black fruit, espresso, and licorice that commingle with espresso and mocha to create a luscious and balanced wine. There is impressive concentration with smooth tannins and some pepper and mineral notes on the long finish. We enjoyed this lovely Syrah with some African Chicken/Peanut Soup and a Vegetable Cous Cous Salad. You can count on Tamarack Cellars to deliver the goods!

Rivarey Tempranillo, 2006

Rivarey Tempranillo, 2006

This is a value wine from the Rioja region of Spain. This is a Crianza, or young wine, that is meant to be enjoyed in its youth. This wine has a deep ruby color and aromas of black berry, cherry and citrus zest. This is a medium bodied wine with a modern style of fresh fruit, crisp acidity and smooth tannins. The flavors are dominated by raspberry, black plum, kiwi and holiday spice. There is no evidence of oak, but the smooth tannins are complimented by some marshmallow and black pepper. The finish is velvety and quite long. This is an excellent wine to sip with a cheese platter and some Marcona almonds. We purchased this easy drinking Tempranillo from Esquin, in Seattle, for about $9.

Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha, 2007

Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha, 2007

This wine is imported by Elliot Bay Distributing, of Seattle, and is one of the many great wines exported from Spain by Jorge Ordonez. He is perhaps the most influential exporter of Spanish wines to emerge in the last few decades, tapping into the quality and value of the less-traveled regions of Spain such as Toro, Campo de Borja, Montsant, and Jumilla, as well as the Ribera del Duero, Rioja, and Priorat. From the ultra-expensive to the great values he has discovered and facilitated the revival of some tremendous old-vine Grenache (Garnacha) and Tempranillo vineyards that had laid dormant or neglected for decades. As a result, there is now an amazing resurgence of Spanish wine in the international marketplace. The Tres Picos is produced form old vine Garnacha on the slopes of the Moncayo Mountains in The Campo de Borja region of Northern Spain. This vintage of Tres Picos has a dark ruby color that is nearly opaque. There is a lovely bouquet of black cherry, raspberry jam, citrus peel and violets. This wine has a lush mouth-feel with dark berry fruit, cassis, mineral notes and fine dusty tannins. This is a juicy, full bodied wine with gripping acidity and a long, fruity finish. There are some underlying spice and herbal notes that complete the package. There is no evidence of oak on the profile. We have been enjoying Tres Picos Garnacha for the past 5 vintages and the 2007 does not disappoint. This delicious modern red wine, from Spain, can be found in the Seattle are for under $15. Seek this out.

Banfi Centine, 2007

Banfi Centine, 2007

This red wine from Tuscany is a "Super Tuscan" blend of 60% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. I was anxious to try this new vintage of Centine (pronounced "CHEN - TIN - AY", in Italian) to see if this wine was as good as the past 2 vintages. I am please to report that the 2007 is every bit as good and perhaps better. Castello Banfi is located in Montalcino, one of the best wine regions of Tuscany. The 2007 Centine has a newly designed label that proudly shows the Castello Banfi Estate. In the glass, the wine is a dark ruby red. The nose has fresh aromas of dark fruit and berries and earth. This is a fruit forward wine with ripe blackberries, cherries, cassis, subtle cedar notes and an underlying minerality. In the mouth this is a medium bodied wine with good balance, velvety tannins and vibrant acidity.This wine is quite elegant and delicious and has a long, smooth satisfying finish. This “entry level” wine from Castello Banfi makes a great house wine to enjoy with dinner or on its own. The Banfi Centine can be found throughout the Seattle area for about $12. This wine is an over achiever!

Crave Arizona, Scottsdale 2009

Crave Arizona, 2009

Thousands of food-loving people gathered together as Crave Arizona pulled off three days of food and wine events. Celebrity and local chefs, hundreds of wines, trendy cocktails and delicious food made for an unforgettable event. We had a great time and really enjoyed the Arizona Grand Tasting this past Saturday.




We attended cooking demonstrations by Top Chef Favorites Sam Talbot (Bravo’s season 2) and Stephanie Izard (Bravo’s season 4).

The Grand Tasting was laid out on the Scottsdale Southbridge and showcased small bites from over 40 local restaurants and hundreds of wines from around the world. This year there was and entire section devoted to Washington State wines from over 30 wineries.

We tasted some great wines form Owen Roe, Novelty Hill, Amavi, Reininger Winery, Tamarack Cellars, Nicholas Cole Cellars and Northstar. The food bites were equally impressive as we noshed on delicacies like seared sea scallops, braised pork belly, veal ravioli and chocolate/caramel tarts.

Later in the day we attended a wine seminar entitled: Which One's Washington? With seminar moderator: Shayn Bjornholm, Education Director for the Washington Wine Commission and Master Sommelier. This was a high energy, interactive and educational game show format wine tasting that mimicked the TV show “Family Feud”. Shayn Bjornholm guided the festivities from the helm with his powder blue polyester 70's style tuxedo.




Local Sommeliers added to the fun with the whole audience participating in the spectacle. We enjoyed “blind tasting” numerous as wines as we tried to name the varietal and region. It was a blast for everyone there to try to determine if a wine was Riesling or Chardonnay, from Washington or France.

A big “Shout-Out" for Shayn…. Nice job!

We will definitely attend Crave Arizona again next year.

Poggio alla Sala Chianti Colli Senesi, 2007

Poggio alla Sala Chianti Colli Senesi, 2007

Yesterday, I decided to visit Total Wines at the Desert Ridge shopping mall in Phoenix. We are down in Scottsdale enjoying some great sunny weather and time with family. Our plan was to watch a video and to take home a large pizza from Yo Pauly’s. I was on a mission to fine a fun wine for the evening. I selected this DOCG Chianti from a producer from Montepulciano, Italy in the hills southeast of Sienna and hence the Colli Senesi designation.

This wine has a medium ruby color and appears unfiltered. This Chianti is highly aromatic with dried cherry, prune, dirt and cellar floor. This is old-world style with flavors of sour cherry, strawberry, figs, straw and cedar. This is a medium bodied wine with moderate acidity and gentle tannins. Overall, a good wine, but nothing to brag about. However, our pizza from Yo Pauly's ( half "Whitestone Bridge"/ half "The New Yorker" ) was fantastic!

Novelty Hill Red Wine, 2006

Novelty Hill Red Wine, 2006

Novelty Hill wines are made by Mike Januik, one of Washington’s most acclaimed Winemakers. He was head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle for ten years before starting his own winery in 1999 and he’s been making wine in the Columbia Valley since 1984. This 2006 Novelty Hills Red a blend of 33% Syrah, 18% Mourvedre, 18% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot. The result is a wine with a deep red color being nearly opaque. On the nose are spicy cherry, blueberry and currant. The mouth feel is full and rich with flavors of dried black cherries, ripe blackberry, and dark chocolate with cinnamon spice. There is subtle oak, good acidity and smooth tannins that complete the package. This is a rich red wine for lovers of chocolate covered cherries. There is no real evidence of terroir. This wine will pair well with a nice brick of quality dark chocolate or a big rib-eye steak. This wine is available at Pete’s Wine Shop, in Bellevue, for about $13. This is an interesting Washington State blend.

Bodegas Ateca Garnacha de Fuego, 2008

Bodegas Ateca Garnacha de Fuego, 2008

This Garnacha from the Calatayud region of Spain represents another great value wine that proves you can get interesting and delicious wines on a tight budget. The Garnacha grapes are from old vines that really excel in the high elevation and gravely soil vineyards of Bobegas Ateca. This is another fine wine from the Jorge Ordonez Selection. This is a medium bodied wine with a deep red color and a nose of fresh raspberry and fresh orange. On the palate there is ripe red cherry, raspberry and some spicy black pepper. There are supple tannins and crisp acidity with no evidence of oak or earth. The fruit driven style is delightful and refreshing without being too much like candy. This wine shows a zesty, focused personality that will pair well with any spicy dish. This is a great value that can be found at Pete’s Wine Shop, in Bellevue, for about $7. If you are a New World fan, give this a try.

Poyares, 2005

Poyares, 2005

Earlier this year we tried a bottle of this Portuguese red wine and were impressed by the quality and flavors. We bought two bottles from ambassadorofwine.com and cellared one until this weekend. This is a blend of grapes indigenous to the Douro including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinto Roriz. The 2005 Poyares has a dark blood red color with purple hues. The nose is packed with blackberry, toast and earth. This is a full bodied wine with abundant tannins and moderate acidity. The flavors are bold and intense with dark fruit, roasted herbs and espresso with nuances of licorice and coco. This is a well balanced wine that finishes dry and firm. Although more “New-World” than “Old”, this wine deftly controls the abundant fruit and tannins to create a full-throttled, multilayer palate. This wine should cellar well for many years. We are hoping to obtain a few more for that effort!