"Master of Wine Enjoyment"
Member Location:
Woodinville, WA
Member Since:
January 2008
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wawineman's Postings
Last Entry Posted 7/31/2010
WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/30/2010 at 9:47 PM PST
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Columbia Winery 2009 Rose of petit verdot
  [89/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 89.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Columbia Winery Country: United States Region: Washington: Yakima Valley Varietal: Petit Verdot Click on this box to hide me
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What is it with the Southeast lately? A Louisiana man passed out while trying to break into a home occupied by an 82 year-old woman holding a crowbar. Was it the moonshine-soaked grits? A Florida cell phone manager dissuaded an armed man from robbing his store, telling him Jesus wouldn’t approve. Think that would work on Lance Armstrong? Seattle’s had hail but nothing compared to South Dakota’s record-breaking 31 ounce, 8-inch diameter boulder that would have been larger if not for power outage that followed the storm. This reminds me of a wine blogger’s teabag that recently grilled some ribeye…but, I digress. As a blogger on Washington wine for the last 2 and ½ years, I have a gripe with you silent readers. Why the hell do you not comment on these blogs whereas you may or may not comment on others? I know you’re reading me…Carmen, Sean, Paul G., Babs, Da-wayne, Keith, John, Ryan, Matt, Neil, Cyndy, Robert, Jaden,... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/30/2010 at 9:37 PM PST
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Dunham Cellars 2005 Lewis Vineyard merlot
[91/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 91.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Dunham Cellars Country: United States Region: Washington: Columbia Valley Varietal: Merlot Click on this box to hide me
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Let’s take time out to celebrate the 75th birthday of a sturdy icon. No, you fools who were thinking I was talking about Paul Gre-guttless are wrong. I’m talking something younger…like the DeceptionPassBridge. This New Deal project cost Seattle $304,775 to complete. Compare that to today’s Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement cost of some $3.1 billion and it’s easy to realize that it really was a deal. The Bridge spans 900 feet and is a steel cantilever design. Depending on the tide, ultimate losers can expect a jump off the bridge to fall 180 feet (depending on the tide) into the crisp, cold Puget Sound. The bridge was opened to traffic on July 31, 1935, and on Saturday at 12:27pm, the bridge will close for a procession of pre-1935 cars followed by a fly-by of some Whidbey-based taxpayer jets. Unlike the I-90 sinking bridge to Mercer Island, this bridge has never been rebuilt nor had a major overhaul. Another memoir left behind by “The Greatest...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/28/2010 at 10:24 PM PST
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Yakima River 2004 cabernet sauvignon
[90/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 90.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Yakima River Winery Country: United States Region: Washington: Yakima Valley Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon Click on this box to hide me
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Damn Orygun, they keep lowering the standard… Oregon State Police have issued a missing cat alert after the feline crawled between the brake and accelerator of its owner’s moving SUV, causing the vehicle to roll and hit a tree, then ran away into a nearby forest. A Florida great-granny got her purse stolen at a gas station but bit the assailant then hung on to the getaway car until police caught up with the thieves. Think I’ll invest in some Polident next time I fill ‘er up. And, we made it to 100 days. One hon-nurd days of that lame oil spill out there in the Gulf of south Los Angeles. Think I’ll fire up the old 8-cylinder Ford Bronco to celebrate. Well, this was an accidental milestone achieved by yours meekly. While a more focused loser could have done this in about 3 months (on the wineman’s clock), this took me exactly 2 and ½ years to accomplish. What is it? It’s the world’s first buy-‘bibe-and... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/25/2010 at 9:15 PM PST
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Opici NV Dry Marsala
[50/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 50.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Fratelli Fici Marsala Country: Italy Region: Italy: Other: - Varietal: Other Click on this box to hide me
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People have asked me why I enjoy gunning down so many wine bloggers, lame as most of them are, to the point where I have treat it like an art in defense of intelligent Washington wine consumers, similar in the way the Mafia protects its interests.
I am all for freedom of speech, mind you, until I read some of the absolute lamest of wine descriptions (yes, lamer than my own) such as today’s entry on the front page of the Arts and Life section of the regional paper, describing the “Working Girl” line of wines from Olympic Cellars as “the wine doesn’t disappoint, with full, sweet fruit tones and just a touch of tart. Drink it chilled, with cheese or cold meats.” Wtf? Is that all it takes to get printed in the paper as an “authority” on wine??? “The sprightly label”?? I thought the TTB disapproves of words that connote effervescence. No wonder the New York Times has made such deep inroads in...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/24/2010 at 10:26 PM PST
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Kirkland Signature 2009 pinot grigio
 [85/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 85.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Casa Vinicola Botter Country: Italy Region: Italy: Other: - Varietal: Pinot Gris / Grigio Click on this box to hide me
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Despite Darth Vader apparently robbing a bank in Setauket, NY on Thursday (times are hard even in the Death Star), this version of odd news is dedicated to man’s best friend. A Frankfort, KY humane society let loose an apparent “coyote” that was later identified in pictures as an AKC-registered domestic dog that may have escaped the owner’s fenced backyard. The owner cannot understand how an animal shelter misidentified her coyote-looking dog. The shelter cannot understand how a pet owner spent thousands on acquiring a dog, yet not bother to collar, chip, or license her pet. An Idaho police dog is back on duty after serving a suspension for attacking an innocent schnauzer. The 5 year-old German shepherd is trained in finding illegal drugs, missing people, evidence at crime scenes, and mauling mutts with overgrown goatees. And, earlier today, motorists at a Swiss fruit market helped themselves to melons that fell off the back of a truck, creating a traffic... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/23/2010 at 10:54 PM PST
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Venica 2008 Ronco del Cero
[92/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 92.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Venica and Venica Country: Italy Region: Italy: Other: - Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc Click on this box to hide me
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Now I’ve seen it all…a Scottish beer brewery, BrewDog, released a beer that sold out in a day. What’s so special about that? Two things actually. One, the beer is 55% abv. That’s not a typo. And two, the beer bottle is encased in…get this, a stuffed grey squirrel or a stoat. Of lesser note, individual bottles sold for $650 or $900. A 39 year-old Pasadena woman was arrested after attempting to run over the brother of her ex-boyfriend and fled. Police stopped her later but she was still so pissed that she ended up throwing her urostomy bag at the officers, who were then doused with her urine. Never piss off a scorned woman, she will piss back. A Chinese wife of a provincial official was mistakenly beaten for 16 minutes by six police officers, assigned to guard the office building and subdue petitioners, thinking she was a protester of the government and seeking redress for layoffs or land seizures. Ranking officials, once notified of their mistake,...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/19/2010 at 10:49 PM PST
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Hightower Cellars 2008 Murray syrah
[93/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 93.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Hightower Cellars Country: United States Region: Washington: Red Mountain Varietal: Syrah Click on this box to hide me
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Upon hearing the success of “Woodinville Squares,” the good folks on Red Mountain invited me over to conduct their own show called “Red Squares”. I should have known, with this coincidental Communist Party undertone, that these farmers knew how to party. Good-natured by day, total party animals at night. Some celebrities shall stay unnamed since they are in the Witness Protection Program, but here was a short-list of the participants: Ryan Johnson (Ciel du Cheval), Neil Cooper (Cooper Wine Company), CyndyO (Fidelitas), Michael Moore (Blackwood Canyon), and Vicki Williams (Kiona). Again, the contest between the Pilgrims (Terra Blanca) and the Pearsons (Tapteil) could not determine a winner as, this time, we were rudely interrupted by some UFO landing in the nearby Hedges Family Estate. However, here are some clips from another wild night on Red Mountain: Q: When you pat a dog on its... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/17/2010 at 9:17 PM PST
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Tefft Cellars 2005 Villarocca
[87/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 87.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Tefft Cellars Country: United States Region: Washington: Rattlesnake Hills Varietal: Blend Click on this box to hide me
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I recently hosted an impromptu (and now ill-advised) game show over at the Willows Lodge with the local wine luminaries whose dinner I crashed. Everyone knew about the game show “Hollywood Squares” so we did our own version called “Woodinville Squares,” featuring the following local celebrities:
John Bigelow (JM Cellars),
Lou Facelli (Facelli Winery),
Lisa Bowen (Village Wines),
Ross Mickel (Ross Andrew Winery), and
Jessica Turk (Gifford Hirlinger)
Unfortunately, I couldn’t declare a winner because, as you know, when you get a group of savvy Woodinville winos together, it can only result in a wild fracas where even the most proper of ladies and gentlemen end up with the lampshade on their heads. However, here are some excerpts from a night of “Woodinville Squares”:
Q: Do female frogs croak?
Ross: If you hold their heads underwater long enough.
Q:...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/16/2010 at 10:54 PM PST
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Betz Family Winery 2007 Clos de Betz
[92/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 92.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Betz Family Winery Country: United States Region: Washington: Columbia Valley Varietal: Blend Click on this box to hide me
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Finally, some good odd news. A 33 year-old MO man gave his fiancée a winning lottery ticket, worth $250k. Somewhat similar (and now disseminated), I gave my ex-wife a winning ticket…but it was for going 95 at the Longview exit of I-5. Help, Orygun! A Cottage Grove man sued a pest control company for his hearing loss when they used explosives to remove rodents on his neighbor’s property. (?). Okay, I feel much better about myself now. Locally, Tacoma has spawned its own version of the “Barefoot Bandit”. A 47 year-old Tac man was arrested in Wenatchee after stealing collectibles from the Discount Center. Police caught the man after his car stalled about 50 feet from its original parking spot. Say hello to the “Bad Luck Bandit”. There will be a run on British cellphones soon. A whopping 20% of Britons have admitted sending racy texts to the wrong person. I admit sending au naturale texts, but they ended up on the phones of my grandmother’s... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/15/2010 at 10:30 PM PST
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Rochioli 2008 Russian River sauvignon blanc
[92/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 92.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Rochioli Vineyards Country: United States Region: California: - Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc Click on this box to hide me
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What the hell is it about wine blogger wannabes who think they know WA wines after tasting a few Walla Walla wines? Look, I know about Leonetti. I also know about Woodward Canyon and L’Ecole No 41 in Lowden. And yeah, that “stink” associated with Cayuse, Waters, and others. But, let’s get real here. Walla Walla wineries exist primarily because of Puget Sound AVA residents. Sure, Puget Sound AVA wineries do not make notable wines with estate grapes, but neither do the Lake Chelan AVA wineries, so what’s your point? With this prolonged recession and so many neophyte winemakers drowning the reputation of Walla Walla wines, I have to wonder how the affect of “free” wine to select wine writers will influence the downfall of the wineries of Walla Walla.
Which brings me to the topic of lame-ass wine bloggers advocating “samples” from wineries. What got me really heated on this topic was a certain winery...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/15/2010 at 10:16 PM PST
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Guardian Cellars 2009 Angel
[90/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 90.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Guardian Cellars Country: United States Region: Washington: Yakima Valley Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc Click on this box to hide me
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Myth: the recent wine bloggers convention in Vidalia…oops, Walla Walla, will improve the quality of wine blogging. Fact: I have yet to see any bump-up in quality writing from most of the local winos. Myth: a New Jersey woman claimed to perform a “sex act” on a man she picked up before wrapping her car around a tree. Fact: the woman and her boyfriend stole a laptop and outdrove the police until her car met a tree. Myth: a New Hampshire woman broke into a home and, after being discovered in the kitchen, told the owners she was a police officer who was chasing a burglar in the house. Fact: it was all bullsh*t and the homeowners wrote down her car’s license number and called police, who later arrested the “police officer.” Myth: a New Jersey man posted bail for shoplifting then returned to demand a refund. Fact: the police were looking for him after realizing the money he posted bail with was fake. He was charged with counterfeiting. Don't believe the... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/11/2010 at 12:17 AM PST
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Stina's Cellars 2007 merlot
[89/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 89.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Stina's Cellars Country: United States Region: Washington: Columbia Valley Varietal: Merlot Click on this box to hide me
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I thought New Mexico had smarter people than this: deputies found a 47 year-old man on the side of U.S. Route 70 with his prosthetic leg on fire. The man stated he lost a drinking bet with his “buddies” and that he agreed to have his leg lit up…and his butt-buns and lower back. Orygunians would be proud. Let’s get back to more normal odd news. A suspected California wine drinker sent hundreds of threatening text messages to herself while telling police it came from her ex-boyfriend and his sister-in-law. As a reward, she got: (1) a year in jail; (2) three years probation; and (3) ordered to pay $50k in restitution. The following smells of Lettie Teague: suburban NY police investigating a suspicious red suitcase in a park x-rayed the case and thought they saw wine tools and three cylinders so they blew it up, only to find the items were a can of corn and two cans of tuna. That’s one more homeless, oops, I meant New York Street Journal knucklenut that...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/7/2010 at 10:56 PM PST
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Col Solare 2005 Red Wine
[89/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 90.5 based on 2 Tastings
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Col Solare Country: United States Region: Washington: Columbia Valley Varietal: Blend Click on this box to hide me
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I don’t understand wine bloggers. They go to some cult convention in Onion Town, USA, to drink some leftover Jonestown Flavor-Aid wine, then whoever was still standing got sent on a mission to get into my odd-news segment in an attempt to infiltrate the thick green ooze that is WAwineman’s world. Read on and you’ll understand. A 29 year-old Georgia man was arrested for allegedly holding his mother hostage for failing to iron his clothes. A 25 year-old Florida woman was arrested after stealing $78 from a man’s checkbook while he tried to renege on paying for sex. The guy apparently had a change of heart (and penis size) after seeing her full smile of bad teeth. A Memphis woman dressed in a brown apron and blue shirt and sporting a wig was almost arrested for bank robbery…until the cops figured out that woman owns a business making funnel cakes and cotton candy. A similarly attired woman had robbed the bank just minutes prior to her stepping in. That must... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/6/2010 at 4:59 PM PST
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DeLille Cellars 2006 Grand Ciel cabernet sauvignon
[92/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 92.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: DeLille Cellars Country: United States Region: Washington: Red Mountain Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon Click on this box to hide me
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Zimbabweans have taken to washing and drying the legal tender U.S. small currency bills since its lifespan there far exceeds the 20 months an average $1 bill circulates in the U.S. as a way to cleanse the stinky, unhygienic bills. I don’t see the problem. My money is secured in the hiney region of my thong and makes a great alternative to toilet tissue and… A Russian poll announced that 8% of the country believes their national soccer team will win the World Cup. (Note: Russia was eliminated by Slovenia in qualifying). As a follow-up, 68% of Russians in the same poll believed Yakov Smirnov will be the next host of “The Tonight Show” once the KGB offs Jay Leno. And, next time you walk by Abercrombie and Fitch in the mall, think of this: the company was forced to close its teen-apparel Hollister store in Manhattan due to an infestation of bedbugs. No, I’m not talking about their target customers. You know, those parasites that come alive at night and eat... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
7/1/2010 at 1:13 AM PST
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Grand Reve Vintners 2007 Collaboration Series III
[93/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 93.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Grand Reve Vintners Country: United States Region: Washington: Red Mountain Varietal: Syrah Click on this box to hide me
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Well, it appears the wine bloggers have begun to use the advice they picked up at their recent convention (cult?) in Gallo Gallo (formerly Walla Walla, but wineries there are going belly-up and selling to plonk profiteers from down south). A Roswell, GA man identified himself as the “Duke of Germany” when he was busted for breaking into a house to take a shower. A Blair County, PA couple is in lockup for stealing $2000 from, of all places, the county jail. Where did they think they would end up if caught…the $300/night Buhl Mansion Guest House?? A Boulder, CO man dressed as a leprechaun and was shooting at people with his fingers and making obscene gestures in a supermarket parking lot when he was arrested. The Boulder police department remarked that was the first time they had received a complaint about a “leprechaun.” Ya know, you bloggers don’t have to believe everything Lettie Teague says you should do. Let’s... ... View Full Post >>
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