Seattle LawDawg Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Every President's Day weekend the wineries in the Yakima and Columbia Valleys of Washington host a Red Wine & Chocolate weekend. And another February weekend full of Red Wine and Chocolates has passed. Come to think of it, I don't remember eating any chocolate. But there are probably other things from the weekend that I don't remember either so anything's possible. It seems that in recent years, we've been doing less of the Yakima / Columbia Valley wineries and sticking to Red Mountain, Tri Cities, and Walla Walla. This year we started in Walla Walla and finished Saturday on Red Mountain. Here are the highlights: 1.) Spring Valley: What a great place to start. We drank the 04 Uriah, Frederick and Nina Lee. The Uriah and Frederick are amazing blends. The Uriah has a little more Merlot, the Frederick has a little more Cab Sauv. The 03 Uriah was #25 on the Top 100 after scoring a 94 (the 04 has scored a 93), the 03 Frederick also scored a 94 but the 04 has not yet been rated. The Nina Lee is a strong Syrah but pales a bit after drinking the other two. 2.) Va Piano: Well, their tasting room was open...and by open, I mean unlocked. And its a very nice facility but there was absolutely no one around to give us wine. Its a shame because they make a good Cab. 3.) Pepper Bridge: Ehh. 4.) Walla Walla Vintners: We went to pick up Sangiovese and Cab Franc. Sold out of both. But that didn't stop us...we drank what they did have. The highlight was definitely a Syrah which they don't typically bottle but use in their blends. This year, they are doing a straight Syrah that is so full of spice, I think it will be a great combination with many dishes. 5.) Seven Hills: The 03 Cab was good. The rest....Ehh. 6.) Reininger: (by this time my tasting may not be the most dependable) We swung into Reininger on our way out of town because they make a lot of solid wines from both their Reininger label as well as their Helix label. I thought their Sangiovese was a bit lacking, but they make a strict Carmenere which is extremely difficult to find and they do it well. 7.) Fidelitas: The new facility wasn't open yet but we did see the construction and its going to be amazing. Charlie Hoppes was at SandHill, however, pouring his Fidelitas wines. All I can remember is Good....really Good. 8.) Terra Blanca: We finished the night at Terra Blanca just so we could get a bottle of Onyx and sit out on their terrace, eat some food and drink the bottle. (Did I mention that it was 73 degrees?) That's Saturday...After the drive to Yakima to stay the night, I was hit with a Migraine that leveled me for the rest of the evening. (No, it wasn't wine related). Sunday was our short day since we had to drive back to Portland that afternoon. After breakfast, we headed to the 3 wineries that we didn't want to miss...and that was it. 1.) Agate Field: Agate Field had their 1 year anniversary on Saturday. They make 2 wines (with a 3rd coming): Syrah and a Bordeaux style blend. Both are very solid wines. They poured two vintages of the blend this year: the 02 and the 03. Completely different wines but both very good. 2.) Sheridan: Sheridan is another favorite. They make a couple blends, a syrah, and a Cab Franc. I'm pretty picky when it comes to Cab Franc and I can't say that what I like in a Cab Franc is a great representation of the grape, but I liked this one. I left with bottles of Cab Franc, the Kamiakin blend, and the L'orage Blend (this is the top end and a great wine). 3.) Porteuss: Drank a little Syrah...Ehh. After that, it was lunch time and the trip back home. Minus the migraine, it was a great weekend full of really good wine. I have more in-depth tasting notes for most of the wines I drank if anyone is interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Quick glance from the forum list and this thread looked like it was called wiener ring.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Magnolia Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Quick glance from the forum list and this thread looked like it was called wiener ring.. I just had a great Sirah from a winery in Wala Wala at a restaurant recently. It was recommended by the food and beverage manager who had visted the winery. Can't remember the name but I'll call him and find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nogohawk Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 1.) Spring Valley: What a great place to start. We drank the 04 Uriah, Frederick and Nina Lee. The Uriah and Frederick are amazing blends. The Uriah has a little more Merlot, the Frederick has a little more Cab Sauv. The 03 Uriah was #25 on the Top 100 after scoring a 94 (the 04 has scored a 93), the 03 Frederick also scored a 94 but the 04 has not yet been rated. The Nina Lee is a strong Syrah but pales a bit after drinking the other two. I have a few bottles of the 03 Uriah ... drank one of them about a month ago ... good stuff! I'll have to look for the 04 - haven't tried the Frederick yet - hopefully I'll be able to find some of that too! Thanks SLD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I went to Mount Pleasant last week. The wine still sucks but I got so drunk that I still bought a case. I guess I'll use it to cook with. However, they do make a decent Port so the trip was still fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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