Amazon Hates Wine Regulations. Join the Club.

The Seattle PI reported today that Amazon will not be getting into the wine business. Period. Apparently, “the regulatory hurdles were just too much.”  This comes after a year of waiting to see what kind kind of game they were going to bring to the space. And if Amazon can’t pull it off, then nobody can, right? Per a spokesperson, “We will not be providing any additional details.”

Learn more about State laws here. Read the full article here.

Philippe Raimbault 2007 “Apud Sariacum” Sancerre

*Bottle #77: Philippe Raimbault 2007 “Apud Sariacum” Sancerre Loire Valley
*Price Tag: $23
*Running Tab: $1,088

It’s been so long since I’ve posted that the site logged me out and forgot my password.

Mostly true and sad, I’ll say.

That being said, I’m back. Back after a job change (yes, now I am slinging wine for a living to fellow foodies and lushes throughout the Seattle area), trying to cram in stressful wine drinking sessions with friends and co-workers alike, all followed by a few shameful, half-assed attempts at posts.

And here’s my full-ass. Wait, what?

To the naked eye (or one who hasn’t written on wine in a while), the logo of the label slapped on this bottle of Philippe Raimbault Sancerre might just look like a funky Nautilus shell but the story behind it is all in the dirt that feeds the vine.

The Raimbault vineyard is home to soil that dates back to the Jurassic period and houses fossils of ancient sea creatures, many more than 130 million years old. Fossils similar to the shell portrayed on the label. It’s said that Philippe Raimbault has a collection of these fossils on display in his cellar. Talk about decrepit…

The name of this wine, “Apud Sariacum,” is respectfully the ancient name of the Sury-en-Vaux village. The wine was exclusively made from this village’s vines.

This village in the greater Loire Valley, whose current mayor is a family member of the Raimbault wine legacy, had a population of just over 700 in a 2006 census and is one of the few communes (although tiny) permitted to grow grapes for Sancerre AOC wine.

And that brings us to an above mentioned Sancerre wine, the Philippe Raimbault Apud Sariacum 2007 Sancerre.

Rimming the glass with a gorgeous golden hue, this 100% Sauvignon Blanc had raging aromatics that came busting out of the glass as if they had been holding their breath the entire time they spent sealed up. Talk about bottled up…

Fresh lemon zest shavings, limestone minerality, hints of banana and apparent acidity, this Sancerre was most intriguing with its key lime and kiwi fruit tones. They were so absorbingly fragrant, I was literally smelling them after I put the glass down.

With a smooth attack, the exotic fruits and minerality were rich yet still seamlessly refreshing with the kiwi present in the front and the key lime in the back. Medium-bodied with sensible acidity balancing out weight and the fruit, this wine not only can stand alone, pair nicely with fish or simply a Caesar salad and even cure a hangover. I stand here today as living proof.

While researching, I stumbled upon this April 15th post from the New York Times by wine critic Eric Asimov who covered merely the word “Sancerre.” I enjoyed, your turn:

“The soft sibilance, the internal alliteration, the smooth completion, whether you give it the clipped French pronunciation or simply ease off the word American-style — it’s a beautiful sound, suggestive of beautiful wines.”

Divine, right? And he’s only talking about the word… Just wait til you see how it tastes, man.

Score: 9.

The Second Renaissance by Pleasant Hill

Recently, my friend Robin gave me a gift of a bottle of Pleasant Hill’s “Renaissance II” Red Wine. I sat on it for a couple of weeks, but on Sunday, I decided it was time to crack it open. Though the sun was shining brightly, the air was crisp and chilly, Autumn was in full swing, and I decided it was time to open this particular bottle of red wine. And, I’ll tell you, I was not disappointed.

This is a wine chock-full of imagery. Full of personality and plot, the “Renaissance II” packs a lot into a 750ML bottle.

Pleasant Hill Cellars
2006 “Renaissance II” Red Wine
Columbia Valley
25% Syrah, 25% Tempranillo, 25% Merlot, 25% Lemberger
$24

Dark and leggy, the “Renaissance II” smolders like a mysterious and sexy woman in the corner of the proverbial hotel lounge, cloaked in shadows while a pianist taps out “Ne Me Quitte Pas” on a baby grand. The aroma drifts like perfume from the glass before you can even get close enough to identify it. A closer sniff reveals dusty currants, black cherry, chocolate powder, with hints of ripe raspberry.

At first taste, you’re struck by an exotic, velvety mouthfeel, intense acids and heat from the 15% alcohol, but these elements are well balanced and welcome. Dark fruits like plum and black cherry follow, along with chocolate, leather, tobacco, mahogany, and moss–serious, intense and focused.

However, if you linger, take a minute to take it all in, you notice the suggestion of sweet fruit punch underneath all of the potency, as if that dark mysterious woman was wearing pink underneath it all–a more delicate, feminine side that reveals itself only if you look for it.

Pair this wine with a glass and enjoy.

Bottleology – Bob Delf of Northwest Cellars: “Wine. Now it gets personal.™”

The man, the myth, the legend: Bob Delf of Northwest Cellars started learning about wine when he was 20 years old—his parents are in the wine importing business.  His education is heavy in computer math and computer science. In addition Bob has a business degree. He’s been head honcho at several software companies and the Canadian loves the idea of building companies.

His head scratching, AH HA moment: “About five or six years ago someone had  given me a private labeled bottle of wine. First of all, the label was kind of cheesy looking. Well I opened it and it was just terrible, I mean just pour down the sink—you wouldn’t even cook with it, it was that bad (Bob sends his apologies to the gift giver). I then thought, there must be a wine market for quality wine that people would actually enjoy drinking.  So that’s what I’ve been going after for the past 5 years.”

Here’s the deal: Northwest Cellars is a custom labeling facility that cherry picks an endless array of already made wine from all over the state, from wineries that have more wine than they know what to do with.  Bob doesn’t make the wine, he does only the blending and selection work, with the occasional tweak. Bob buys, bottles and sells this wine under custom labels created by customers for; special events, restaurants, hotels, corporate and personal gifts, private clubs, non–profit fundraisers, and regional or community–based projects, as well as special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and grand openings. In addition this wine is also bottled under the Northwest Cellars label and sold in a retail fashion.

Making the cut: 95% of the wine that people send Bob as samples don’t make the cut. He note’s “there’s a lot of bad wine out there.”

Northwest Cellars 2005 Yakima Valley Merlot

*Bottle #76: Northwest Cellars 2005 Yakima Valley Merlot
*Price Tag: $15
*Running Tab: $1,065

Ed Hardy makes wine now.

Like designer Christian Audigier who branded tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy’s work as a “lifestyle of street couture.” Like the clothing that Madonna wears to Starbuck’s and Kanye frequents on his head.

Like the wine that now sits on grocery store shelves with the same skin-tagging label as the trucker hats only the coolest kids of the early millennium wore.

Not only does Ed Hardy produce several wines boasting a fringy slogan – “Crazy about the bottles. Serious about the wine.” – but anyone can now order award-winning wine to the custom-designed label of their choice.

Yes, that’s right, folks, according to founder and winemaker of Northwest Cellars, Bob Delf, wine is “now getting personal.”

Northwest Cellars produces and distributes local wines with custom-designed labels. The wines are tasted from the barrel, selected at the peak of quality they seek and then bottled for any paying customer, be it for Lombardi’s Italian Restaurant’s house red, Pike Place Market or a 50th birthday party.

The concept is unique, but tiptoeing over the border of cheesy and legit.

“Wine Rocks” is Even Bigger and Badder than Before

Last year, we attended the First Annual Wine Rocks event at the Gibson Guitar Showroom. It was a really fun night of wine, cheese and music (and a little brandy), featuring Washington winemakers as the house band. We volunteered as doormen, taking tickets and checking IDs, standing like sentries at the entrance. However, we were able to catch plenty of the scene, and I’ll tell you, it was a great time for everyone involved.

With wine flowing, Salumi Cured Meats, Beecher’s Cheese, Theo Chocolate, and live music filling the room, all to raise funds for the Vera Project, it was a great time for a great cause.

Now, it’s time for the Second Annual Wine Rocks, and it promises to be even bigger and better than last year. This time at the Palace Ballroom on November 12, Chris Ballew from the Presidents of the United States of America will be in the house playing alongside Rob Newsome (Boudreaux Cellars and The Super Lucky Cats), Rusty Figgins (Clos Sainte Rose and Heavy Petting Zoo), Gordy Rawson (Chatter Creek Winery and Gordy Rawson Group), and Paul Gregutt (The Seattle Times and The Paul Gregutt Band).

In addition to all this musical talent, there are scads of wineries signed up to participate, including: Balboa Winery, Barrage Cellars, Boudreaux Cellars, Brian Carter Cellars, Chatter Creek Winery, Cuillin Hills Winery, Des Voigne Cellars, Donedei Wines, Dunham Cellars, El Chalán, Eliseo Silva, Efeste, Gamache Vintners, Ginkgo Forest Winery, Hightower Cellars, JM Cellars, McCrea Cellars, Sleight of Hand Cellars, Sparkman Cellars and Tagaris Winery.

Tom Douglas Catering will be providing food along with the return of Beecher’s Handmade Cheese.

Tickets are $50, and proceeds will support the Program for Early Parent Support. The wine, food and entertainment are well worth the cost of admission, and you can also feel good about supporting a worthy cause. We can’t wait to attend Wine Rocks this year, even if we agree to guard the door again.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit winerocksseattle.com.

Belle Glos 2007 Taylor Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir

*Bottle #75: Belle Glos 2007 Taylor Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir
*Price Tag: $60 (gift for me!)
*Running Tab: $1,050

There are times when I think I drink too much.

Don’t worry, Mom, it’s not so much the amount consumed, just the frequency of consumption. I just returned from Oktoberfest in Leavenworth (epic and full of Lederhosen, bratwursts and delicious, hearty beers) and am trying to recount my week, recapping and pondering if a day went by that some sort of alcohol was not in my system.

In my recollection, I realized 1) there was not a day that didn’t have booze in it, 2) I’m not really worried and 3) I had a really rocking Pinot Noir from Sonoma with herb roasted chicken prepared by the boyfriend and golden beets/purple carrots that I’ve been searching for since last November and was able to locate at the Ballard Farmer’s Market (great place, by the way).

Corvus Cellars is Causing a Ruckus

At the Auction of Washington Wines at Chateau Ste. Michelle in August, we ran into Steve Lessard (winemaker) and Randall Hopkins (winegrower) of Corvus Cellars, two amiable fellows with smiles on their faces and bottles in their hands. They were excited to be “beta testing” their newest release, a secondary label called “Ruckus.”

They decided to call this Cab/Merlot blend “Ruckus,” because they were sure it was going to create quite a stir when people found out that a wine of this quality, balance and structure would sell for just 18 bones. Even they seemed incredulous at the price of their own wine, like they could hardly believe that they had landed on such a great find in their own winery. They were sure that once Ruckus was discovered, winos would be running pell-mell to snatch it up.

We gave it a whirl, and then smuggled out an unopened bottle in one of our AAW totes.

This week, the folks at Corvus announced the official release of the 2007 Ruckus, and they’re very excited. So, I pulled our bottle of Ruckus out and invited fellow wino Robin Brower to take it out for a spin with me. Here’s what we found:

Bottleology – Frank “The Tank” Roth of Tagaris Winery

Where It All Started: Shooting birds in Preston Vineyard when he was ten years old.  “Old Man” Bill Preston, as Frank used to call him, paid him 10¢ a bird which he said equated to about 30¢ per day. Then when Frank was twelve, he started working for Rob Griffin [of Barnard Griffin], hired to do small chores around the winery—“I was a big kid for my age” he noted.  After high school he worked on a mobile bottling line in British Columbia, Canada. After that, he helped out in their vineyards and the crush. This led Frank into the winery where he learned about cellar work.

Work In The Interim: Washing dishes in a restaurant and working as a grill cook.

His Big Break: Working for Barnard and Griffin. When he started in 1997, they were producing 20,000 cases annually. Upon leaving in 2005, when he started with Tagaris, Barnard Griffin were producing 75,000 cases.

Motive: “I’m a dad. I have two kids, two boys actually. So really, just the responsibility of taking care of my kids is all the motivation that I need. On the other hand, there is the personal pride thing…just wanting to be the best at everything…and the competitive aspect of it all.”

Otis Kenyon: Man of Mystery

When you look at a bottle of Otis Kenyon wine, you see a man’s dark silhouette (presumably Otis Kenyon himself), and burned paper, leading you to ask, “What’s going on here?” Who is this Otis Kenyon, and who’s been playing with matches? Turns out that the answers to these questions are rich, and will fascinate your guests as you sip on the wines.

Hang tight, we’ll get there.

In 2004, Steve Kenyon–vinophile and CEO of a Seattle law firm—received the surprise birthday gift of a lifetime from his wife: a few tons of grapes, still on the vine and nearly ready to harvest. While Steve and his wife had daydreamed about the idea of owning a winery, he wasn’t adequately prepared for the sudden reality of a dream come to life. He went into problem-solving mode, made a couple of trips to the Walla Walla vineyards where his grapes were reaching maturity, found a talented winemaker (Dave Stevenson), and made things happen. The result is Otis Kenyon Wines, a Walla Walla winery with a story more timeless than the winery itself.