The bottle to which I speak is the 2006 Duck Press Red.  Duck Press Red is produced and bottled for Mackay Restaurants by the fine folks at Alexandria Nicole Cellars.  All great wines start with great vines and you can say that Alexandria Nicole Cellars started in the fall of 1998 when the first vines were planted at their Destiny Ridge Vineyard.  Once Ali and Jared Boyle realized the superior quality fruit being produced by their vineyard they decided to begin work on a winery.  It was not until 2004 when the state-of-the-art winery was constructed that Alexandria Nicole Cellars begin producing small lot, superior quality wines.

Quality

This bold red is sourced from 4 blocks from the Destiny Ridge Vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.  A barrel fermented blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 14% Malbec, 10%, Petit Verdot, this wine spent 4 months sur-lees and then was aged 22 months in new French Oak.

This is a powerful red wine with depth and layers at every step in the tasting experience.  The aromas were a menagerie of leather, chocolate and dark fruit. Tasting the wine brings layers of dark berry fruits like blackberry and blueberry followed by coffee, chocolate and leather.  The long finish concludes with highlights of vanilla with soft tannins that are easy on the palate.

This red blend can stand on its own but it really shines with food.  The Duck Press Red was a perfect complement to our barbecued leg of lamb, and would be an excellent choice with other red meats, wild game and hearty cheeses.

Value

As of this writing, I am sad to say that the Duck Press Red is sold out.  However, if you happen to be in Seattle, Tacoma or Portland the Duck Press Red might still be available in one of the Mackay Restaurants.  Founded in 2000 by Paul Mackay, Mackay Restaurants includes seven successful properties, each based on Paul’s original vision and designed to present guests with a unique, unparalleled service encounter.

That being said, the price of this wine was a nice value at $32.  Given the layered flavors and soft, long finish I would give it a value score of 120.

Final Score – 17:120

Alexandria Nicole Cellars shows us what’s possible from Washington – excellent quality wines that will only get better.  If you can find it, I highly recommend you purchase a bottle.  Cheers!

]]> http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/22/mackay-duck-press-red/feed/ 2 http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/21/apex-cellars-2007-chardonnay/ http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/21/apex-cellars-2007-chardonnay/#comments Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:55:28 +0000 admin http://thewinecenturyclub.com/?p=839 I enjoyed a wonderful Washington Chardonnay last evening and wanted to share with you my comments.

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/2010/01/12/new-years-sparkling-tasting/ http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/12/new-years-sparkling-tasting/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:15:30 +0000 admin http://thewinecenturyclub.com/?p=786 We were fortuante enough to sample ten, yes I said ten, bottles of Champagnes, Champagne style wines and desert sparkling wines to bring in 2010.  This is something I have been looking forward to for some time and I was not disappointed.

The tasting list consisted of three sparkling wines from the Champagne region of France, three domestic wines produced in the Champagne style, a pair of sparkling roses and if that weren’t enough, we concluded with two sparkling desert wines.  Holy crap that was a lot of bubbles!  Boy was it fun though.

Champagnes
Egly-Ouriet NV Brut, Grand Cru 
Bollinger’s NV Brut Special Cuvee
Pierre Peters 2002 Brut Millesime

Champagne Style Wines
Domaine Meriwether Wines 1999 Captain Clark Vintage Cuvee’
Domaine Meriwether Wines 1998 Thomas Jefferson Prestige Cuvee
Tru Cellars 2007 Blanc de Blanc

Sparkling Rose´s
Argyle 2007 Brut Rose
Domain de Nizas Rose 2008

Sparkling Desert Wines
Cascina Castlet 2008 Moscato d’Asti
Tualatin Estate 2008 Semi-Sparkling Muscat Frizzante´

SCORE 14.75:94

Value  94 Based upon an average purchase price of $69/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Golden hues.  Plenty of lemon on the nose and palate, with hints of toasted nuts and butter.  Fresh and lively tasting.

SCORE 14:90

Value  90 Based upon an average purchase price of $69/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Light yellow. Apple and honey flavors with plenty of vanilla and toffee flavors on the finish.  Well balanced.

SCORE 15.5:95

Value  95 Based upon an average purchase price of $45/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Nice, straw yellow color. Floral nose.  Full bodied sparkler with peach and citrus flavors.

SCORE 16.75:150

Value  150 Based upon an average purchase price of $25/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Light yellow color. Spicy nose.  Well balanced, with tropical fruit flavors.  Nice long, clean finish.

SCORE 17.25:127

Value  127 Based upon an average purchase price of $30/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Pinkish-yellow color. Abundant foam.  Toffee and vanilla aromas.  Very well balanced.  The Pinot Noir fruit comes through on this wine.  Elegant finish.

SCORE 15.25:90

Value  90 Based upon an average purchase price of $36/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Light yellow. Lots of apple on the nose and palate.  Medium body.  Acidic, clean finish.

SCORE 16:100

Value  100 Based upon an average purchase price of $45/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Pale pink. Mixed berry aromas.  Berry and tropical fruit flavors are well balanced with acidity and tannins.  Creamy, cherry finish.

SCORE 16.5:130

Value  130 Based upon an average purchase price of $15/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Soft rose color.  Floral aromas.  Berry, spice and cherry flavors.  Lush finish Well balanced.

SCORE 14.75:100

Value  100 Based upon an average purchase price of $15/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Light straw-yellow in color.  Floral aromas.  Floral and stone fruit flavors.  Slightly sweet, while still having a clean finish.

SCORE 16.5:120

Value  120 Based upon an average purchase price of $15/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Clone of an Italian Moscato d’Asti. Light yellow. Berry and citrus aromas, follow with more berry and floral flavors.  Medium body with a velvety, sweet finish.

]]> http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/12/new-years-sparkling-tasting/feed/ 3 http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2009/09/18/wine-news-september-18-2009/ http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2009/09/18/wine-news-september-18-2009/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:00:40 +0000 admin http://thewinecenturyclub.com/?p=620 Oregon Wineries Face Event Restrictions
Lane County requires permits; B.C. and Washington wineries enjoy greater freedom

The Economy Meets the Wine Economy
Experts at Wine Industry Financial Symposium debate when and if consumer wine spending will rebound

The Changing Face of France’s Vineyards
Even in France, where wine tradition reigns, vineyards are changing. A new study by Franceagrimer, the national agriculture trade organization, has found notable changes in vineyard composition in the past 30 years.

WA: Port of Kalama wine bottle plant shutting down
A company that makes wine bottles has shut down its plant at the Port of Kalama. Port spokeswoman Mindi Lindquist says only a few of the 100 workers are staying on a few days following Sunday’s shutdown to help with the closure.

Departure of Newberg, Oregon winemaker prompts vindictive lawsuit
A winemaker’s decision to quit a local label has sparked a lawsuit, not to mention raised eyebrows in the wine community.

Online Wine Magazine Tests Waters
Palate Press is an experimental mix of blogging and traditional journalism, publishers say

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