This week: Abacela Albarino, harvest update, storing port, Otis Kenyon's great story, catching up with Paul Gregutt.
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Sept. 4, 2007
Vol. 8, No. 35
Wine Press Northwest's Wine of the Week is an independent opinion based on double- and single-blind tastings.
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Pacific Northwest Wine Of The Week
Abacela Vineyards & Winery 2006 Estate Albarino
Appellation: Southern Oregon
Two years ago, London-based Jancis Robinson (Europe's finest wine writer) made the 2004 vintage of this her wine of the week. Owner Earl Jones increased production six-fold since that inaugural release, but the quality hasn't dropped one bit. Orange oil, bananas and minerality on the nose make their way to the palate with tropical fruit flavors. There's an explosion of acidity and twist of lime in the finish. Rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine.
Price: $23.
Cases produced: 633. Look for this in wine shops or order directly from the winery.
Food matches: This Iberian grape makes a superb seafood wine and should marry well with a paella or a skewer of shrimp sprinkled with white pepper and joined by cilantro, mango and guava.
Abacela Vineyards & Winery, 12500 Looking Glass Road, Roseburg, OR 97470, 541-679-6642, http://www.abacela.com
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Recent wines of the week
-- Capstone Cellars 2004 Boushey Vineyard Merlot, Yakima Valley
-- Vashon Winery 2004 Semillon, Washington
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Best Buys
-- Columbia Crest 2004 Two Vines Shiraz, Columbia Valley, $8
-- Barnard Griffin 2006 White Riesling, Columbia Valley, $8
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More on Albarino
Many consumers have yet to come across Albarino, a white wine best known in Spain and Portugal (where it's known as Alvarinho). Very little is grown in the United States, and one of the finest examples on the West Coast is from Abacela.
Earl and Hilda Jones are no strangers to out-of-the-mainstream varieties, as they have made their mark in Oregon with Tempranillo, Grenache, Dolcetto and other European grapes.
While we may be most comfortable with the wines we are most familiar with, Abacela offers Northwesterners the opportunity to stretch their palates.
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Harvest update
With Labor Day behind us, harvest in the Pacific Northwest begins in earnest. A few white varieties were harvested last week, primarily Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Expect to see some red grapes hitting crush pads in Washington as early as this week or next. The early ripeners will be Merlot and Syrah from the Wahluke Slope and Red Mountain.
We spoke to a couple of winemakers this morning. This is what they reported:
-- In Washington's Columbia Valley, Claar Cellars plans to harvest Sauvignon Blanc this week. Owner Bob Whitelatch said that aside from hot temperatures in June, this season has been very steady with no incidents. He expects grapes to come in several days earlier than usual if this keeps up.
-- In Idaho, Chuck Devlin of Ste. Chapelle started harvesting Chardonnay last week for sparkling wine. He was checking sugar levels today and said he plans to have his calendar set for the rest of the week very soon. Devlin reports that weather conditions in the Snake River Valley are nearly perfect, though a tiny bit of rain is forecast for Wednesday.
Keep up on what's happening with the Northwest wine harvest here and on The Wine Knows blog.
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Thinking ahead
It's still a bit too early to be thinking about Port, as the sweet, alcoholic (and usually red) wine tends to be reserved for cooler temperatures.
However, a reader asks Ken Robertson how Port should be stored.
Read his answer at:
http://www.winepressnw.com/robertson/
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New Herbfarm chef
The rumors that have been swirling around the Northwest are true: After 17 years, Jerry Traunfeld is leaving his position as head chef at The Herbfarm restaurant in Woodinville, Wash. Traunfeld plans to launch his own restaurant next year in Seattle.
Taking over Oct. 1 will be Keith Luce, who most recently was the executive chef at Cosentino Winery in Napa Valley.
The Herbfarm has won our Best Northwest Wine List Competition each year for the past six (and we might as let you know that he'll win it again when the Fall issue comes out in a couple of weeks).
Read more on The Wine Knows:
http://community.winepressnw.com/node/487
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Great wines, great story
It isn't easy distinguising yourself in the crowded Walla Walla Valley wine scene unless you've been around awhile. Perhaps that's why Otis Kenyon Wines has such a great story to share.
It seems that early in the last century, James Otis Kenyon was a dentist in Milton-Freewater, Ore. Turns out he might not have been entirely stable, as he burned down the competition's clinic and spent a couple of years under lock and key. His wife left him and moved to Walla Walla, 15 miles to the north.
Then he vanished for the next half-century.
Read more on The Wine Knows:
http://community.winepressnw.com/node/487
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Gregutt on Washington wine
Paul Gregutt of The Seattle Times and Wine Enthusiast magazine has a new book coming out this fall on Washington wine. We recently caught up with Paul at his home in Waitsburg, Wash., north of Walla Walla, to chat about the book and the state of Washington wine.
Catch the interview in this week's Northwest Winecast.
The Wine Press Northwest Winecast (or video podcast) can be viewed online at:
http://www.winepressnw.com/video/vodcast/
Additionally, the Winecast is available via Apple's iTunes Music Store. Via this free software, you can subscribe (for free) to the Winecast, and it will automatically look for and download new episodes each week. Just go to the iTunes Music Store and search for "Wine Press Northwest."
TECHNICAL NOTE: If you have trouble viewing any videos on our site, you may need to download the latest version of the free QuickTime plug-in. It takes just a couple of minutes and you shouldn't need to restart your computer. Go to: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download
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The Wine Knows
The Wine Knows, Wine Press Northwest's blog, is getting updated almost daily (and sometimes more than daily). Recent highlights include:
-- Harvest 2007: Oregon update.
-- How to distinguish yourself from the crowd.
-- Do cork arguments pass the sniff test?
-- Old pigskins, new vines at Spring Valley.
-- Harvest starts in Walla Walla Valley.
-- Post-Rovani Advocate still has hots for Washington (and Oregon).
-- Storm a brewin'.
-- Thinking about Ports.
-- New chef at The Herbfarm.
-- Harvest beginning in earnest.
-- And more.
Be sure to check out the blog daily to read updates on the Northwest wine scene. If you are into RSS feeds, you can easily get blog updates throughout the week.
http://community.winepressnw.com
If you are into RSS feeds, you can easily get blog updates.
The URL for the RSS feed is:
http://community.winepressnw.com/node/feed
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Pacific Northwest Wine Shop Directory
Williams Seafood Market & Wines
10627 E. Sprague Ave.,Spokane. 15% off all cases! "Seafood our specialty."
509-922-4868
ESQUIN WINE MERCHANTS
2700 Fourth Ave. S., Seattle.
More than 4,000 wines. Discount prices and free local delivery. Open 7 days a week.
206-682-7374
http://www.esquin.com
