Welcome,
|
| Request Activation |
It has long been rumored that the few rows of vines at the entrance to Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Wash., were required so the winery could be called a "chateau."
PROSSER -- Construction is expected to start soon on the next phase of what backers say will be the state's premier educational and promotional center for Washington's wines and food products.
PASCO — Gordon Brothers Family Vineyard east of Pasco is a quintessential family operation.
The vineyards are owned and operated by Jeff and Vicky Gordon along with their daughter, Katie, and son-in-law Mark Nelson. Jeff's brother Bill retired from the operation in 1998.
They have about 100 acres of wine grapes, more than enough to satisfy their annual production of about 15,000 cases of wine.
The winery is in the middle of the multi-year process of transitioning to using all organically grown grapes.
The Gordons see organic wines as the best way to find a spot in the crowded marketplace.
Tim Henley, who grew up in California and polished his skills at several prestigious California wineries before heading north, is their winemaker.
Gordon Brothers offers two tiers of wines, the economical Kamiak line and the regular Gordon Brothers Family Vineyards line.
2008 Kamiak "Windust" white, Columbia Valley, $10 -- Mostly Sauvignon Blanc and a bit of Chardonnay makes for a flavorful, crisp wine with some apricot overtones. I'd try this with a nice oyster stew with a dollop of butter.
2007 Kamiak "Rock Lake" red, Columbia Valley, $15 -- Chocolate, caramel and cherries for this mostly blend of Bordeaux varieties. Good with pepperoni pizza.
2008 Sauvignon Blanc, estate grown, Columbia Valley, $13 -- Citrus, melons and tropical fruit and a great crisp mouth feel. Would go well with baked, crab-stuffed sole.
2008 Chardonnay, estate grown, Columbia Valley, $16 -- Great balance of vanilla oak and crisp apple fruit with a rich aftertaste. Pair this with citrus-sage chicken.
2008 reserve Chardonnay estate grown, organic, Columbia Valley, $23 -- I'm upping the price range now to anything $25 and under. Lemon zest and Asian pears with a creamy finish. Try with Alaska king crab with butter sauce.
2007 Merlot, estate grown, Columbia Valley, $23 -- Spice aromas with crushed Bing cherry skin-laced flavors. Try this with a good steak in a merlot blue cheese sauce.
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, estate grown, Columbia Valley, $23 -- Big boysenberry flavors with oak and kitchen spice aromas. A ground sirloin patty melt would be a nice match.
* Bob Woehler has been writing about Pacific Northwest wines since 1978. E-mail him at bwoehler@charter.net or check out his past columns at www.winepressnw.com.
Wine Press Northwest is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impracticable for our staff to monitor each and every posting.
Since WinePressNW.com does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Wine Press Northwest.
If you find a comment offensive, clicking on exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators, we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.
Print
E-Mail