Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Force Majeure is one of the most important producers in Washington yet remains under the radar for most wine drinkers. Now relocated to just outside the western boundary of the Rocks District, it's guided by winemaker Todd Alexander. His superb touch with exceptional Red Mountain and Walla Walla vineyard sources inspires a growing lineup of Bordeaux and Rhône-inspired blends and single varietal wines. These are not cheap, but this week's feature is from the lower-priced Parabellum tier and is...
Apart from the intriguing name, there is much to admire here. This is a sister brand to Walla Walla's Corliss and Tranche wines. It features estate-grown fruit from Columbia Valley vineyards and is made by the same winemaking team as its pricier siblings. One sip and you can taste the kinship. The 2017 Cab is just now being released after spending 22 months in French oak and further aging in bottle, which has done wonders for the overall melding of the components. The packaging is clever and...
This is among Oregon's finest value brands, especially for Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Samuel Robert makes two versions of dry, Pinot-based rosé, and both are excellent. The Conscious is priced a buck less than the winery's other rosé, and tastes more like a reserve, which is to say it is more precise and less fruity, with appealing minerality. The flavors are light, elegant and expressive, with watermelon and wild raspberry fruit. It's a fine counterpoint to the more fruity, bold Samuel R...
The first NV (Non-Vintage) Brick House Red was introduced last year in response to the 2020 smoke taint issues that affected some Oregon vineyards. In this second release, the winery has blended fruit from both 2020 and 2021 to make a better wine than 2020 alone. All the grapes were sourced from the estate's biodynamic vineyard up on Ribbon Ridge. It's a stunning value, with a refined herbal streak, tight and brambly red fruits, a touch of peppery spice and the evanescent aromatics that come...
L’Ecole No. 41 2021 Old Vines Chenin Blanc Celebrate Walla Walla Wine Month with a bottle of this splendid old vine Chenin Blanc. I know of no one making new plantings of the grape other than a couple of tiny patches in the Willamette Valley. In the early days of the Washington wine industry, Chenin was widely grown because it could ripen as much as 12 tons to the acre, and then be made into an off-dry, springtime wine – cheap to make and easy to sell. But this is a grape than can achieve gre...
Quady North 2021 GSM Rosé This is one of a trio of superb dry rosés from Quady North, a winery in Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley. The blend is principally Grenache and Syrah with a splash of Mourvèdre, and its balance of fruit and acid strikes a perfect chord. The harmonious flavors mix juicy citrus, red apples, pie cherries and orange slices. Quady North is the project of Herb Quady, whose family is also known for dessert wines at the original Quady winery in California. Along with thes...
Peter William 2018 Robin's Red This Rogue Valley blend is roughly half Tempranillo and half Syrah, much the same as the winery's 'Extravagance' reserve at a lower price. It's focused and sharp, with punchy raspberry and black cherry fruit. The tannins are ripe and full, and there's good balance throughout. This wine is sealed with a screwcap, so no worries about a bad cork. As with all screwcap wines, it will show best with a little extra breathing time, or you may simply decant it into a clean...
