Round Table: Walla Walla, Pt. 1

For this session of the Round Table, we traveled to Walla Walla like crusaders and hauled back about three cases of spoils from that land of milk and honey. By far the largest Round Table we’ve done to date, we had to enlist the help of a few more fellow winos.

Basel Cellars

Yashar Shayan, Erik Seigelbaum and David Bender from the NeoSommes of Seattle joined us to taste through the wines, along with Darin Williams and Seth Furman of Small Lot Co-Op, Dave Egan from Vino Verité, and Jameson Fink of QFC. Peter Moore offered up the mezzanine of Poco Wine Room along with his stemware, palate cleansers and spit buckets, and his amazing staff made the daunting task at hand easy-peasy—Peter, of course, joined us in the tasting, too. While we were all busy sipping, spitting, and speculating, the incomparable Lisa Basher took studios notes—no easy task among a large table of yammering winos. To all that participated, a huge thank-you.

The following is the first installment of the Walla Walla Round Table. Stay tuned, as more will follow.

Tamarack Cellars
2007 Chardonnay
Columbia Valley
$18

A veritable study in the American Chardonnay, this wine offers everything consumers have come to expect in a Chard, and then some. Showing oak with almond and vanilla, this Chard goes beyond with aromas you might find in the funky little teahouses that are growing in popularity: earthy, woodsy tea steeped an hour ago, finishing with a touch of citris. While a little hot, it’ll still have you longing for the three o’clock break, complete will miniature sandwiches.

Five Star Cellars
2008 “Kynzie” Rosé of Sangiovese
Walla Walla Valley
$20

With 14.8% alcohol and acidity to match, this big boy needs a cold shower. Surprisingly well integrated, this rosé doesn’t register as super hot, but instead greets you with dry grasses and mild strawberries, with a tiny bit of that mushroomy funkiness so typical of Sangio. Guys, pour yourself a glass of this rosé at your next backyard barbecue, and then laugh at the pansies drinking Bud Lite.

428 Wines
2004 “Boulevard” Table Wine
Merlot/Syrah Blend
Columbia Valley
$30

Like Cyrano de Bergerac, the ’04 Boulevard has a nose impossible to miss, but an unexpectedly gentle disposition on the palate. With aromas of anise, oak, cinnamon sticks, casis and remnants of spearmint gum, you’ll be surprised at the subtlety of your first sip, hinting at green bell peppers like in a game of charades.

Va Piano Winery

Va Piano Vineyards
NV Bruno’s Blend V
Columbia Valley
67% Syrah, 19% Cab, 14% Merlot
$23

Rustic and tasty, this blend makes you feel like a ranch hand, whipping a horse with a licorice rope. Well-integrated with rich black fruit and spice, it begs for a cheeseburger or gristly steak at the end of a day on the range. It’ll give you everything you want in a red blend, which is why it meets with Fr. Bruno’s approval, and thus bearing his name. Giddy’p, cowboy.

Basel Cellars Estate Winery
2006 “Merriment” Estate Red Wine
Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc Blend
Columbia Valley
$48

With pencil lead-like minerality on the nose and juicy, well-integrated oak, the Merriment says Back-To-School. Earthiness and some greens like green bell peppers and jalapeno play a rousing, evenly-matched game of tetherball on the palate. Some Zin-like characteristics, the Merriment is a nice blend of Washington and California wine styles, showing that friendships are formed in the barrel as well as the playground.

Basel Cellars Estate Winery
2006 “Inspired”
Merlot/Cabernet Franc Blend
Columbia Valley
$40

On the nose, the Inspired shows a crafted fruit-oak ratio. Showing red fruit on the palate, it also brings a heat indicative of a Left Bank style. While a little chemically, the Inspired may cellar really well, bringing balance and integration over time.

Sleight of Hand Cellars
2007 Spellbinder Red Blend
57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and 14% Sangiovese
Columbia Valley
$19

Trickery, trickery, trickery! The Spellbinder will have you thinking you poured the splurge wine rather than the value wine. Tasty and complete, the Spellbinder has a slight bready component, and a muskiness recalling a sweet Italian man on a park bench. With a healthy dose of tannin, this is a very functional wine with QPR for days at just $19 bones.

Tamarack Cellars
2007 Firehouse Red
31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Syrah, 16% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 3% Sangiovese, 1% Carménère, 1% Petit Verdot
Columbia Valley
$20

On the nose, the Firehouse Red is opulent, fleshy and toothy like a Cheshire grin. Showing both alcohol and fruit concentration on the palate, it brings the balance you’d hope for from a crafted blend of eight—count them—eight varietals. However, the Firehouse is still trying to figure itself out, a little awkward in a Holden Caulfield kind of way. Some time in the bottle (or a long walk around Central Park) may help it come into its own.

Morrison Lane
2005 Carménère
Walla Walla Valley
$28

This ain’t your typical Carménère, if you could say there is a typical one. A complex nose of black pepper, black licorice, cayenne pepper and bubblegum, you find yourself shaking your head and muttering “Yowza.” On the palate, you’ll find great red berries mixed with practically the entire inventory of a spice shop. This is not a wine for amateurs, which is not to say that amateurs won’t love it–they will. It would be great paired with something earthy like mushrooms or a skewered meat dish, though it’ll repeatedly raise your eyebrows on its own.

Tertulia Cellars
2006 Phinny Hill Vineyard Carménère
90% Carmenère, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot
Horse Heaven Hills
$35

You can add some spice to your life with the Tertulia Carménère. Huge pepper quality rides in on the nose, and the spice rolls on all the way through the finish with some celery root action. In addition to the spice, there’s a tanginess to the aroma which, oddly, never appears on the palate. It just keeps you sticking your schnoz back into the glass for another pleasurable sniff.

Trio Vintners
2006 Den Head Vineyard Mourvèdre
96% Mourvèdre, 4% Syrah
Yakima Valley
$26

Trio’s Mourvèdre brings a whole new meaning to the concept of a “desert island wine.” With coconut notes throughout, it also shows gamey characteristics and leathers, making you feel like Robinson Crusoe with stemware. Red berries and spice from a successful day of gathering add to palate, and while the oak comes through in a big way, it’s not enough to build a canoe to make your escape.

Patit Creek Cellars
2006 “Trinite”
Grenache/ Mourvedre Blend
Columbia Valley
$25

A nose with hints of lavender and licorice with notes cocoa and chili powders, this wine also brings a little heat. On the palate, medium-bodied with acidity for days, the Trinite is definitely a food wine. Light in texture and soft-spoken in flavors of cherry preserves, the finish is a gentle but persistant fade.