This week: L'Ecole No. 41 Chardonnay, B.C. wine wins NW Wine Summit, Walla Walla Valley Spring Release Weekend, upcoming spring fests, favorite wine shops, Thirst Wine Bar, The Wine Knows blog.
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April 29, 2008
Vol. 9, No. 18
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
L'Ecole No. 41 2006 Chardonnay
Appellation: Columbia Valley
If this is your greeting upon arriving home, then the day won't be all that bad. It's unmistakable Chardonnay with inviting oak, a hint of lemon and some grapefruit in the aromas. Rich and buttery is the entry with apples and pineapples taking over in the mouth-coating midpalate. There's a tinge of oak at the beginning, but it's not overdone. Rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine.
Price: $22.
Cases produced: 3,939 cases . Look for this in wine shops or groceries or order directly from the winery.
Food matches: Enjoy with grilled halibut, salmon or chicken or just have a glass on its own.
L'Ecole No. 41, 41 Lowden School Road, Lowden, WA 99360, 509-525-0940, http://www.lecole.com
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Recent wines of the week
-- Owen Roe 2006 The Kilmore Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton District
-- Pend d'Oreille Winery 2005 Bistro Rouge, Washington
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Best Buys
-- Six Prong 2004 Red Wine, Horse Heaven Hills, $13
-- David Hill Vineyards & Winery 2006 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $15
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Lumos Winemaker Dai Crisp profile
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Bryan Wilson new winemaker at Foris
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More about L'Ecole No. 41
L'Ecole No. 41, our 2003 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, is one of the original Walla Walla Valley wineries. Located in the tiny town of Lowden (west of Walla Walla), L'Ecole is in an old schoolhouse. Lowden once was known as Frenchtown because of the early French trappers who lived there. Thus, L'Ecole's founders, the Fergusons, named it L'Ecole.
Today, Marty Clubb, Baker and Jean Ferguson's son-in-law, is the co-owner and winemaker. He's best known for Bordeaux varieties and blends, as well as Syrahs. And he also makes a terrific Chardonnay and a Chenin Blanc known as "Walla Voila."
L'Ecole is one of the greatest wineries in Washington. Consider making a stop there if you're headed to Walla Walla for the weekend.
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B.C. wine wins best in show at N.W. Wine Summit
For the second consecutive year, a British Columbia winery took top honors in the Pacific Northwest's largest and most important wine competition.
Mission Hill of Westbank, B.C., won for a 2006 Riesling ice wine, following up on La Frenz Winery's win for a Merlot last year.
I've posted results of the top wines on The Wine Knows blog at:
http://community.winepressnw.com/
We'll try to get the complete results posted in the next few days.
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Walla Walla's Spring Release Weekend
Spring Release Weekend - best known as Leonetti Weekend - is coming up this Friday through Sunday. Thousands will descend upon the valley to pick up their Leonetti allotment. Leonetti, the valley's oldest winery, is open only to those on The List.
Meanwhile, more than 75 wineries (possibly many more) will be open to the masses. This is one of two big weekends for Walla Walla wineries and their fans - the other being the first weekend in December.
For more info, check in with the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance:
http://www.wallawallawine.com/
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Barrel tasting weekends looming
The annual Yakima Valley Spring Barrel Tasting weekend unofficially marks the beginning of the wine-touring season in the Pacific Northwest. Here's a quick rundown so you can begin mapping out your strategy:
May 1-10: Okanagan Valley Spring Wine Festival
May 9-11: Spokane Spring Barrel Tasting
May 16-18: North Central Washington Barrel Tasting
May 24-26: Willamette Valley Memorial Weekend in Wine Country
May 24-26: Olympic Peninsula Spring Barrel Tasting
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Your favorite wine shop, wine bar, wine club
We are in the midst of revamping our Web site. One of the features will be easier-to-use search functions for wine reviews, wineries and wine shops.
Here's where we need your help. We want to make certain our database of wine shops, wine bars and wine clubs is as complete as possible.
Thus, I have put our list of 161 Northwest wine shops, wine clubs and wine bars online. You are welcome to look it over and add your favorites via a simple form. I'm especially lacking in wine bars on this list so far.
The links for the list and submission form are posted on The Wine Knows at:
http://community.winepressnw.com/node/809
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Thirst Wine Bar and Bistro
Thirst Wine Bar & Bistro is one of the hot spots in Portland for wine lovers. Eric Degerman, Wine Press Northwest managing editor, stopped by there to check it out. And you can check it out in this week's Northwest Winecast.
You can watch the Northwest Winecast two ways (both free):
On our Web site:
http://www.winepressnw.com/video/vodcast/
On YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/WinePressNW
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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:
-- Award-winning Toasted Oak for sale
-- On the WineTrails of Washington
-- Ste. Michelle's concert line-up
-- A great meal in Walla Walla
-- Tales of parasites and eBobs
-- Whitman Cellars' Lessard unleases Corvus
-- NW Wine Summit under way
-- Mystery of Ste. Chapelle's Sparkling Riesling solved
-- NW Wine Summit drawing to a close
-- And the winner is ...
-- 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
LIBATION STATION, a Fine Wine Shop
110 N. First St. Suite B., Mt. Vernon. Located in old downtown Mt. Vernon, WA. Weekly tastings. Local & imported wines; 10% off all cases.
360-336-5266
http://www.libationstation.com
BRENTWOOD WINE COMPANY
Internet fine wine auctions. Titanium Schott Zwiesel crystal wholesale & retail. The Northwest's largest buyer of fine wine. For free appraisal, email wine list: appraisals@brentwoodwine.com
(503) 638 WINE
http://www.brentwoodwine.com
