Big Name, Big Wine

I took the opportunity this past Saturday night to visit a old friend of mine in Virginia Beach and share a good bottle of Washington wine. One bottle in particular, the 2005 Columbia Crest Cabernet Reserve, was definitely calling my name. Wine Spectator recently gave the wine a huge 95 rating, and the wine went from being relatively easy to find to pretty much impossible over night, which is not too far fetched since the wine retails for about $30 in most places. I picked up the bottle two weeks ago at the Cheese Shop in Williamsburg, VA, for about $28. They still have a few bottles and I would definitely advise you to pick a few up if you can find them.

Columbia Crest, a name that most people know and some still for some reason group with a lot of the big box producers in California, is one of the oldest names in Washington wine. Started in the early 80's, which is ancient by Washington standards, Columbia Crest is known for making good, value driven wines that are known to be palatable, albeit simple, in and around the $8-$20 price point. Their reserve line, largely their take on a boutique wine, is possibly one of the BEST values out there. They continually get good ratings across the board and for the prices they charge, an out and out steal. A lot of people before the rating poo pooed the label, including myself to some extent, but man have they proven a lot of people wrong.

Initial Impressions: As soon as I pop the cork, a nice integrated oak component immediately makes its presence known, with a lot of dark, bitter chocolate and dark fruit also on the initial whiff. The cork is fine, no runs at all along it and a nice wet end. The color, oh the color is just gorgeous. A great dark, black inky, color to it, with a little bit of purple on the edges. Very impressive so far.

Nose: The nose is a little tight, but does show a lot of chocolate, oak, sour cherries, blackberries, cassis, mulberries, and a whiff of strawberries on the back end. Very tasty and delectable. The oak can be a little much, but if you drink a lot of mainstream Cali cabs, you're not going to really notice. Overall a very nice, albeit a little tight, nose.

Taste: Oh my god, if tasted blind, there is no way I would say $30. This wine has SO much polish, with well integrated sweet tannins, amazing structure, with layers upon layers of blackberry, sour black cherries, vanilla, raspberry, and strawberry flavors. This is so tasty, and while being nice and fruity, has a great mocha and dark choclolate component to even it out and not make it so New Worldy in its flavor profile. Don't get me wrong, this is defintely nothing to be confused with an Old World effort, but has a great amount of balance and is pretty much tailor made for most, if not all people, to atleast appreciate it.
Overall: For $28, I think it would be very hard for any company, big or small, to produce a wine as fine as this. This wine just simply kicks ass at any price point. I have to agree with the Wine Spectator and give this wine a 95. No reason not to. 95 Points

K Vintners 2006 El Jefe

I must admit, Charles Smith and K Vintners has a special place in my heart. The 2005 Old Bones Syrah, one of the best wines I have had up to that point, really changed my thoughts on Washington wine. I used to be a huge California wine snob, loving the living hell out of the cult Cabs, Syrahs, and Pinots coming from Napa and Sonoma. Don't get me wrong, they are still AMAZING wines coming out of Cali, but K really changed my view of where good juice could come from. Tonight was a friend's birthday, so I decided to break out one of my favorite bottles, the 2006 El Jefe. The Jefe is a Tempranillo (75%), Cabernet (25%) Blend, with all of the fruit sourced from Walla Walla. I opened up the bottle and let it get some air for about an hour or so before pouring. Alrighty, lets get down to the wine.

Initial Impressions: Absolutely killer color, a great rich black, viscous color and texture, with a hint of ruby on the edges. Pitching the glass to the side does very little to lessen the opaqueness of the wine, but reveals a beautiful hue of dark ruby and Grimacey purple. The initial scent is a little off, smelling like the skin of a honeydew, big time.

Nose: After getting its footing and some air into it, there are four main components, loads of black fruit, chocolate for days, poopy earth, and a nice smacking of honeydew skins. The honeydew is very strange, but somewhat appealing and very different. I am not sure where it is coming form exactly, but I am not going to kick it out bed for that. The black fruit is just tasty and scrumptous, with heavy cassis and black raspberry on the nose. Great amount of earth on the nose also, coming on towards the middle, with some manure added in for good measure. Loads of dark chocolate.

Taste: Overall, this is a perfect example of what K wines bring to the table. These wines are like onions, many layers of flavor. Starts off with a heavy attack of earth, red cabbage, and chocolate on the front, and then slowly cascades down into dark chocolate, cassis, honeydew (Again!?), and a strong finish of cassis. Each time you go back it varies a little, but this wine really makes you think about whats in the glass, blowing you away with every sip.

Overall: Get this wine, period. This is really a wine for people who love the Old World style, as there is not a huge amount of vibrant fruit attacking your palate, but enough to keep you interested and not peg it as exclusively old world. Overall, a great effort. 95 Points

House Wine

The 2006 House Wine is from the great people at Magnificent Wine Co., a Washington based company looking to bring great, drinkable, value oriented wines to the public. Started and still made by Charles Smith, the owner and vinter of Charles Smith Wines and K Vintners, Magnificent makes a few different wines, primarily blends and a few single varietal wines. House Wine is their attempt to make a very tasty red bordeaux blend, out of a bunch of different varietals. The 2006 version is primarily made up of Cabernet Sauvignon (73%), with the rest being made up of Syrah (8%), Merlot (10%), Sangiovese (5%), Malbec (2%), and Cabernet Franc (2%). It retails anywhere between 10-15 bucks, and I was able to pick it up locally at the Newport News Total Wine and More for $11.

Initial Impressions: Upon opening this wine you get a nice punch of plum and dark red fruit. The color overall is pretty deep for a wine at this price point, a nice dark dark dark purple with a little ruby on the edges. When pitched, it thins out a little and becomes slightly transparent across the edges. It seems decently viscious and thick, which is surprising again at this price point. All in all, pretty good.

Nose: The nose is a tad closed, but there is a huge amount of red fruit in the nose, with a little darkness and mocha smells bringing in the rear. Strawberries, cherries, and plums are definitely evident, with hints of mocha and coffee bean towards the rear. Not overly complex of different, but certainly appealing.

Taste: Lots of nice red fruit, good acidity, and mocha covered chocolate. OVerall very very tasty, good structure for a wine at this price point, thinner body than most are used to, no real tannins to speak of, but all in all a joy to drink. This isn't really a thinking mans wine, where you have to search around for what you are tasting, but more of a nice date that is interesting enough to keep things going.

Overall: For the price point, this wine is needed in everyones cellar for everyday drinking. It is a good tastey, not overly sugarfied wine that is appealing to just about any red wine drinker. Not one to blow anyone away, but thats not really this wines intention. Its more of a underscored buddy who just wants to enjoy the night with you, rather than make the night for you. 87 Points

Long Shadows Scores Again

After the night saving performance of the Long Shadows Sequel, a project wine by Allen Shoup and former winemaker of the Grange, John Duval, I decided to break out a second bottle from Long Shadows, The Pedestal. The 2004 Pedestal Merlot is Shoup's project with renowned and world famous "flying winemaker" and consultant Michel Rolland. For those who don't know of Michel, he is a consultant for many vintners around the world, but especially well known for his consultation work in Bordeaux. His wines are known for being incredibly concentrated, rounded, bombs, which have polarized many wine drinkers into either loving in hating his wines. Overall, I do tend to enjoy Rolland's work, but it can go to much over the top on some occasions.

The 2004 Pedestal is Michels version of a powerful Pomerol, which is a region of Bordeaux known for making powerful, earthy wines that are very much Merlot based. Much like the wines of Pomerol, the Pedestal is primarily Merlot, with the remainder being Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. The blend changes year to year, and I at this point I cannot find the exact blend for 2004.

I picked up the bottle at The Cheese Shop at Merchants Square in Williamsburg, VA, for the seemingly hefty price of $65.99.

Initial Impression: This is definitely indicative of Pomerols in both color and the initial whiff. The color is just deep, dark, and amazing. Huge amount of blackness, with a little Grimacey purple on the edges. Even when tipping the glass, the color persists to the very edge. Very nice and very concentrated, and very much indicative of Michels hand in the wine.

Nose: A great amount of dark, dark blackberries, dark cherries, sour cherries, blueberries, and black raspberries dominate this nose. There is a fair amount of vanilla, which is indicative of new oak, and a nice amount of mocha and dark chocolate can be found also. Overall, the nose is very delectable, hedonistic even. So rich.

Taste: Oak, which people either love or hate, really does make its presence known at first. Thankfully its presence dissipates and reveals a huge amount of dark fruit, chocolate, and explosive mocha and milk chocolate. The wine is very well made and structured, with a great velvety tannins on the finish. Definitely not an overally dry wine, almost viscous and coating on the palate. It does have some lift and does not just sit there thick, and has a great long finish of dark and sour fruit. Overall this is very very tasty after the vanillay oak, which does greatly hurt the initial impressions of it.

Overall: If you like the big, brawny, huge wines that are lionized by Parker and indicative of a huge Pomerol, this is the wine for you. This is the epitome of a huge new world bomb of a wine, with enough old world flair in it to make interesting. Overall, I really love this wine, outside of the excessive oak at the beginning, which I have to deduct some points on. 92 Points

Tale of Two Wines

Last night I was stood up on a date, so to console myself and to give myself a reason to pare down my wine collection, I pulled some wine out of the cellar. The two winners out of my selection really were complete and utter opposites in every way imaginable. The first selection was the 2003 Nicholas Cole Cellars Camille, a Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet, Merlot, and Cab Franc. The second, and definite winner, was the 2004 Long Shadows Project Sequel.

2004 Nicholas Cole Cellars Camille

First up was the 2003 Nicholas Cole Cellars Camille, which was what I though a screaming deal on Wine Library.com at $26. The bottle received really good press overall, with ratings ranging form 90-93 from Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, and Wine & Spirits, so I figured I would take a chance.

Initial Impressions: Upon opening the bottle, a sweet funk emanated from the bottle, kind of like a sweaty sock filled with red fruit. The color was pretty transparent, more of a classic Burgundian color than a massive Bordeaux, and the texture was pretty thin and watery.

Nose: I have never ever smelled this many peppers in one place in my life. Bell, Green, Jalepeno, or any other type of peppers, its in here. Also a distinct smell of dark chocolate and feet, dirty dirty feet. Pretty much no fruit on this nose that I can pick up. Overall, very different nose, interesting, but not terribly appealing to be honest.

Taste: My god, this is horrible. It literally tastes like licking a sweaty armpit. Very, very bitter tannins and aftertaste. Not much is discernible other than that.

Overall: This wine is not worth a dollar, much less the $50 it goes for retail. This is quite possibly the worst wine I have ever had. Seriously, stay away from this wine. 50 Points

2004 Long Shadows Project Sequel

After that last wine, I think anything would show really well. Thankfully, this next wine is a keeper. The Long Shadows Project is Allen Shoup's attempt to see what some of the best wine producers in the world could do with the varietals that they are known for with Washington grapes. For the Sequel, Shoup tapped the talents of John Duval, former winemaker for Penfolds Grange, the benchmark that all Aussie Shirazes are measured against. The Sequel, if you can find it, retails for about $55, and I was able to pick it up from the Pottery Wine and Cheese Shop in Williamsburg, VA, who are lucky enough to have the entire product line.

Initial Impressions: Much more lush and inviting than the Camille. Lots of dark, very ripe fruit on the initial attack. The color is pitch black, with a little purple when tipping the glass. Amazing color density and feel overall. Looking MUCH better than the Camille.

Nose: So much chocolate, dark, milk, whatever, its there. Lush dark fruit, cassis, blueberry, and a tinge of strawberry freshness. Overall a very good nose.

Taste: My palate is now happy with me again. Amazingly lush and beautiful mouthfeel. Huge attack of all types of black fruit and chocolate on the initial taste, rounding out nicely as it leads to a nice, clean, and surprising refreshing finish, considering the weight of the wine. Great overall structure, as there are some tannins and backbone to this wine. Not overly alcoholic and very rounded edges, which is definitely indicative and shows the pedigree that Duval brings from his experience with the Grange. Overall, a very nice wine.

Overall: If you want to taste what a great, and I mean great, Aussie style fruit bomby shiraz tastes like for a sixth of the price, do yourself a favor and pick this wine up. It is a steal at $55, especially with some of the weaker vintages of the Grange going for upwards of $300 here locally. This wine has it all for New World lovers: great ripe fruit, great structure, balance, and lush mouthfeel and tannins. 93 Points

Saturday Night Wine Extravaganza

Last night I had the opportunity to hang out with my usual crew of wine nerd and imbibe some very nice and beautiful Washington wines. Typically we go through a bottles in a sitting and have found very few losers in the world of Washington. Tonight we picked three bottles we haven't had, the 2004 Three Rivers Champoux Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Andrew Will Ciel du Cheval Red, and the 2000 Col Solare Red.



The first wine on deck we had was the 2004 Three Rivers Cab. I picked up this wine not too long ago at a well respected and incredibly well stocked shop in Richmond, VA, J. Emersons, upon the suggestion of a few of the employees. It was pretty pricey, about $50 a bottle, but came from a great vineyard and was highly touted by all around the shop. Upon arriving I popped an poured a glass, letting it sit out for about an hour or so to get its footing.

Nose: When I came back, it had a great nose of red fruit, blueberries, heavy dark chocolate, a little manure, and dirt. I love the earthiness of this effort, especially compared to the sugarfied, oak driven action to its neighbors to the south. As it unfolded, I found more and more red fruit, a lot of all types of milk and dark chocolate througout, with the dirty, earthy component really taking hold. Overall a great nose.

Taste: At the beginning with a little air time, it came hard and heavy like the nose with the red cherries and strawberries, dirt and chocolate. The tannins were not very pronounced, although there was a good amount of structuring and cleanliness of the flavors. This wine was basically taking a bowl of chocolate covered cherries, strawberries, and cranberries, dropping the entire thing in some nice deep dark dirt, and then taking a bite. A little simplistic at first, it started to come together nicely with a lot of elegant chocolate and deep earth flavors. The only real downer is that the mouthfeel just want up to snuff, especially when compared with a lot of other wines at this pricepoint. It felt very very delicate and thin on the palate, really too racy for its own good. It did have a good amount of acidity, which was nice, but overall couldn't save the thinner mouthfeel.

Overall: This wine I think would be a perfect table wine, although I think it is a little mispriced. I can find a lot of what I like in this effort at a lower price point, so I would have to give it an overall pass. 87 Points



The second wine on deck was the Andrew Will 2004 Ciel du Cheval Vineyards Red Wine. It is a single vineyard blend, something that Andrew Will is known for, of 48% merlot, 30% Cab Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Petit Verdot. This wine hales from one of the best areas in Washington, the Red Mountain AVA, and I was able to find this at Total Wine and More in Newport News, VA at closeout for $40.00. The press on this wine was not nearly as glowing as many other efforts from this vintner, garnering on average rating in the high 80's, which for a wine rolling in at aroudn $60 bucks retail, many would pass on. Man are those guys wrong.

Nose: This wine was kind of the bigger, more polished, and deeper brother of the Three Rivers Cab we had earlier. It was amazingly polished nose, with great amounts of red and black fruit, dark dark dark chocolate, a little manure, great amounts of loamy undergrowthy earth, and ended with a nice tinge of quality milk and dark chocolate. Very, very delectable nose.

Taste: This wine is tremendous, straight up. Compared to the cab earlier, this is what the cab was trying to be but just couldn't cut the mustard. Heavy amounts of polish on this effort, firm but very rounded tannins, heavy amounts of earth and bitter dark chocolate, sour cherries, back end of strawberry, cassis, licorace, nice red cabbage, vegetal components, a little gamey/meaty action, and had a long long finish of dark chocolate and nice beautiful cassis and sour cherries. The mouthfeel was very thick, almost viscious, but didn't just sit there and plump itself on my tongue. It was very polished, draping itself over my palate, almost making sure I tasted every last bit of it. Great, great wine.

Overall: In comparison to the earlier wine and on its own, this wine is a killer value even at $60. This wine has a lot of Old World love to it, but with enough fruit to keep everyone happy. Amazing effort from a vintage that a lot of people were not as high on as the 2003 efforts. 94 Points.



Pulling up the rear of the tasting is the 2000 Col Solare Red Wine. Col Solare is the joint project between Chateau Ste. Michelle and Tuscan winemaker Marchese Antinori. I picked this little wine up at the best shop in Williamsburg, the Cheese Shop in Merchants Square. This was the last bottle of the 2000 vintage in the shop, and at $30, I figured I would give it a whirl. It is made up primarily of of Cabernet (upwards of 70%), with the rest of the blend being Merlot and Syrah.

Nose: Given this blind, I would say Barolo, Barolo, Barolo every time including Sunday. Has such scent of burnt rubber and the inside of a sweaty winter jacket, which I for some reason get whenever I encounter Sango or Nebbiolo. Very nice red and black fruit tandem taking hold throughout the beginning, and has a lot of New World fruitiness and sweetness to it, especially when compared to the other wines. Overall, much more in the vain of a California Barolo lovechild more than anything.

Taste: Again you can tell this has some definite Italian flair to it with the extreme resemblence to Barolo, Tuscanos, and Barbarescos in both the mouthfeel and overall taste. I get a huge amount of Asian spices, black fruit, some strawberry, and a little bit of rubber skid mark, burnt rubber action. Definitely more fruit forward than the other two wines though, with not nearly as much earth or density as the previous two wines. A little too sugarfied, but has a nice mouthfeel and a decently long finish of black fruit and heavy asian spices and rubber.

Overall: If you want to see how Italy would be in Washington, this is the wine. Very interesting to say the least and not at all what I expected going into it. Nice ripe fruit, with heavy Italian love and flair throughout, I would definitely suggest this to anyone who loves Super Tuscans and has never had a Washington wine. To me, this is not my favorite, being a little to fruit foward and the rubber aspects did get to me, but an overall good wine. 88 Points.

If you guys have any suggestions or requests, please feel free to contact me anytime.

Hello World

My name is Jonathan Sasser. I am a 25 year old wine lover from the great state of VA, and wanted to focus a blog and attention to what I think is THE underappreciated wine region in the world, Washington State. In this blog, I will be exploring all areas of Washington wine, expensive, inexpensive, red, white, etc. Basically anything from an AVA or vintner in Washington, I will be on it.

If any of you guys, presuming anyone reads this, have any suggestions or want someone to try a Washington wine before you pay your hard earned dollars from it, drop me a line. Hope you enjoy.