Apex Cellars was launched in 1988 with the joining of wine retailer and distributor Harry Alhadeff and winemaker Brian Carter.  The blending of Harry’s knowledge and experience in the wine business and Brian’s ability to combine the science and art of winemaking has allowed Apex Cellars to consistently produce  high quality wines.  Apex Cellars produces three brands of wines, Apex, Apex II and Bridgman.  The Apex brand represents their reserve-caliber wines.

Quality

Using our 20-point quality scale this 2007 Chardonnay scored quite well.

Sourced from Columbia Valley, this Chardonnay represents the hard work and excellent winemaking skills from Apex Cellars.  The 100% barrel fermentation, “sur-lie” aging in those same barrels, and 100% malolactic fermentation comes through when you taste this Chardonnay.  After popping the cork and pouring myself a glass I was met with a nice floral aroma and a bright yellow color.  The first sip revealed flavors of apple, pear and vanilla.  The wine was well balanced and had a nice long smooth finish that I enjoy very much.

This Chardonnay was an excellent complement to a meal of Shrimp Limone with pasta.  The fruit and vanilla flavors worked well with the shrimp’s sweetness and the subtle acidity helped cut the richness of the cream-based sauce.

Value

The value score provides a basic indicator of how good a value the wine is based upon its suggested retail price. The average price for the 2007 Apex Cellars Chardonnay is approximately $18.00.  I find this wine to be appropriately priced for its quality, thus earning it a value score of 100.

Final Score – 16:100

The 2007 Apex Chardonnay is another high quality wine from the folks of Apex Cellars.  I recommend you find a bottle or two.  You won’t be disappointed. Cheers!

]]> http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/21/apex-cellars-2007-chardonnay/feed/ 0 http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2009/10/20/buyer-beware-especially-in-bc/ http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2009/10/20/buyer-beware-especially-in-bc/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:12:03 +0000 admin http://thewinecenturyclub.com/?p=631 As consumers we all want to be told the truth, or least some reasonable facsimile of the truth, regarding the products and services we purchase.  Sit back for a couple of moments while I tell you a little tale about winemakers, government agencies and truth in advertising or in this case labeling. Imagine you are in your local wine shop or state run liquor store browsing for something different.  As you examine the wines on the well stocked shelves your just not sure what to buy.  You stop at a bottle with a striking label depicting a half naked vixen riding a Harley.  Our wine shop is definitely not in Alabama! Nah, the kids will ask too many questions.  What about something local you say to yourself.  So you make a selection from a display boasting that all the wines are local products.  Who doesn’t want to support local producers these days?  You take your bottle of wine, pay the storeowner and drive home to enjoy the wine at dinner. You’ve just been duped! What you don’t realize is that locally produced wine you purchased originated from another country entirely. What the hell?!  How can that be you ask?  Well this is exactly what has been happening in British Columbia, Canada.  I came across an article this morning by Gordon Hamilton of Canwest News Service that outlines this very practice.  It made me pause and wonder if this has been a common practice or a new trend.  Does it happen here in the US? The article outlines a practice where the three largest winemakers in Canada purchase “low-cost” wines from multiple locations outside Canada (California and Washington sourced wines are included) and re-label them as locally produced products of British Columbia.  Apparently all three producers had consulted with both federal and provincial government agencies before proceeding.  Amazing!! As someone who makes a living in sales I am completely stunned.  I’m not all that shocked at a producer trying to capitalize on the reputation of a region’s name with another product.  Whenever someone is trying to make money, none of us should be surprised by anything.  But the fact that government agencies would allow this to happen and not at least require some type of labeling letting the consumer know the origin of the wine, is, well, amazing to me. As my parents always told me – Buyer Beware!  Especially when your buying wines with naked women on the labels.

The College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University have implemented the Integrated Plant Sciences (IPS) degree program this August. The program will provide students with a depth of knowledge in crop and soil sciences, horticulture, landscape architecture, entomology, plant pathology and food science not previously offered in a single program.

“It’s now a better degree for students because we revised, consolidated and restructured content and created more courses, which are a better fit for a modern plant science degree,” according to Rich Koenig, crop and soil science department chair.

Three degrees – horticulture, crop science and soil science – have been combined into one degree with numerous options.  Students in the IPS degree program can look forward to jobs in research, consulting, winemaking and more. Collaboration began in fall 2008 during a  review of programs on campus. The dean and associate dean of the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resources met with a committee multiple times to discuss how the different degree programs fit together, how they could mesh better and which majors were redundant.

IPS majors explore the science of plant development and production from the perspectives of a variety of disciplines. All students in the program take a core set of interdisciplinary courses selected specifically to give them a solid foundation on which they can build expertise in a specific discipline.

• Agricultural Biotechnology
• Field Crop Management
• Fruit and Vegetable Management
• Nursery and Greenhouse Management
• Landscape Design and Implementation
• Turfgrass Management
• Viticulture and Enology

Viticulture and Enology

The Viticulture and Enology major was created for students interested in wine-grape growing and winemaking, as well as contributing to critical research and development opportunities in the wine industry. This program offers the technical, scientific, and practical experience needed to gain the essential skills for producing high quality grapes and premium table wines.

This past Saturday, we picked a nice batch of Blackberries from Knapp’s Farm on Greenbluff, WA.  While most of the berries are destined to be eaten fresh, end up in a batch of jam, and become a glorious pie, I had planned to make a savory blackberry glaze for grilled chicken.  The grilled chicken was the main course for a dinner party that included hors’ devours of  grilled, bacon wrapped goat’s milk gouda cheese bites, a cherry tomato orzo salad and a peach-rhubarb cobbler for dessert.

To complement the smoky bacon-cheese bites and the sweet, spicy goodness of the blackberry glazed chicken, while also not overwhelming the tomato-orzo salad, I selected a Washington wine that has become one of our family’s summer-time favorites – Hogue Cellar’s Terroir selection of Sangiovese Rosato.

Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety whose name derives from the Latin sanguis Jovis, “the blood of Jove”.   Jove or Jupiter is the Roman equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon.   Sangiovese is most famous as the main component of the robust Chianti blend in Tuscany.  In this case, Hogue Cellars expertly reveals Sangiovese’s softer side.

2005 Hogue Terroir Sangiovese Rosato

Technical Information
Fruit	100% Sangiovesse
Vineyards	52% Zephyr Ridge, 48% Pheasant Vineyard
Appelation	52% Horse heaven Hills, 48% Wahluke Slope
Aging	The lot of rosé from Pheasant Vineyard was chilled near the end of fermentation to stop the yeast prematurely.
Alcohol	13.1%
pH	3.24
TA	0.65
R.S.	0.99 g/100 ml
Production	412 cases
Wine Maker	Jordan Ferrier
Price	Retail: $15.99 Wine Club: $11.70
Winemaker’s Notes	The Sangiovese grapes used in this rosé-style wine, were also the base for a hearty super-Tuscan style Sangiovese.  The rosé wine is ‘bled’ from the primary fermentation when there is a strong pink color and a touch of flavor that would otherwise be lacking in a blanc de noir wine. The lot of rosé from Pheasant Vineyard was chilled near the end of fermentation to stop the yeast prematurely. This contrib- uted the sweetness and a more floral, fruity character to the final blend.

Winery website: www.hoguecellars.com

The next time you reach for a rosé or just want to try something new, consider trying Hogue’s Terroir Sangiovese Rosato.  This is a refreshing wine with a character and depth of flavors not often found in a rosé.  To obtain a bottle (or three) plan on visiting Hogue’s website or their tasting room in Prosser, WA.  The Terroir line of wines is available only at the tasting room or for those who decide to become a member of the Hogue Cellars Wine Club.

Hogue Cellars Wine Club

wineclub@hoguecellars.com

(509) 786-6108

Wine Century Club Seal

WHAT IS THE WINE CENTURY CLUB?

The Wine Century Club was founded by Deborah and Steve De Long in 2005 in New York, NY, to promote “the many unsung grape varieties used to make wine.”   The club’s inaugural meeting was held in Manhattan on March 16 at Lo Scalco restaurant, and included a five-course dinner.  Dishes were paired with wines such as Ocone Falanghina del Taburno 2003 and a Nusserhof Südtiroler Lagrein Riserva 2000.  Since this first meeting and a starting membership of 32, the club has grown to an official membership of 590 and boasts local chapters from coast-to-coast.

The Wine Century Club is for all adventurous wine lovers.  The club is for all those who enjoy wines and seek to explore wines made from lesser known varietals. If you’ve already tried at least 100 grape varieties, you’re qualified to join the Wine Century Club.  Simply download an application form here in either Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Excel format and return it to us via email.

Wine Century Application.pdf (To download this form you will need Adobe Reader®) which you can download for free.

Wine Century Application.xls (To download this form you will need Microsoft Excel®)

If you have yet to reach the century mark and would like to learn more, consider joining a local chapter of the Wine Century Club.

WHAT DOES THE INLAND NORTHWEST CHAPTER OFFER?

The state of Washington has gained a reputation for producing some great wines, especially from the classical grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.  There is however a world of uncommon varietals that awaits.   Based in Spokane, WA, the Inland Northwest (INW) Chapter of the Wine Century Club is positioned on the doorstep of Washington’s premier wine producing regions.  The INW Chapter promotes regional wine events allowing its members to compare the common and uncommon grape varieties.  If you’re interested in an exploration of the world through the its wines, please consider joining the Inland Northwest Chapter of the Wine Century Club.