"Master of Wine Enjoyment"
Member Location:
Woodinville, WA
Member Since:
January 2008
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wawineman's Postings
Last Entry Posted 2/7/2010
GENERAL POST
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
2/6/2010 at 5:05 PM PST
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A Response from Mr. Greg Harrington
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Well, this is interesting (but honestly, unintended). My last wine review (Gramercy Cellars' 2007 tempranillo) elicited some surprising responses from some unexpected readers. As a side note, for those of you loyal enough to read my wine reviews (and I thank you graciously, as well as wonder if I have irreversibly warped your views of the world!), you should know that my blogs are targeted to those who have finished a long day of work, whether it's making wine or peanuts. My columns should make you laugh, be informed, and give you a visualization of what the performance of the wine is. However, I have many weaknesses in my approach, as I am relatively new to this, so if you point one out...get in line (and email me about it!). I am first, and foremost, a consumer. My wine experience starts with a trip to the store, like 99+% of the world's inhabitants. From store to table, this is the wine experience that shows up in my review. It's important to me, and should be... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(1 Member Vote)
Posted
2/5/2010 at 1:49 PM PST
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Gramercy Cellars 2007 Inigo Montoya tempranillo
  [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: Greg & Pam Harrington Wines Country: United States Region: Washington: Walla Walla Valley Varietal: Tempranillo Click on this box to hide me
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A pathetic sign of our times…an NYC 4th-grader was sent home for bringing a two-inch plastic toy machine gun and put it in the hands of a plastic police officer while playing Legos with a friend in the school’s cafeteria. Guess it was unrealistic; after all, those types of guns are normally found in the hands of plastic drug dealers. A 71 year-old Edmonds man pleaded guilty to assaulting (read: grabbing wrist and pushing) two backwater LaRouche supporters who had a poster of Obama-as-Hitler. The man, an Armenian immigrant who lost family to the Nazis, stated “I think I did the right thing…” No, I have to disagree, sir. You should have dragged the knuckleheads into a train car nearby. That, would be doing the right thing, in my book. And, the oddest news of all…the Mariners have agreed to terms with $1.5 mil-a-win-in-2009 pitcher Erik Bedard. If he wins just two games the whole season, the M’s think they got a deal. This is a guy coming back... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
2/4/2010 at 7:44 PM PST
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Pomum Cellars 2007 Tinto
[88/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 88.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Pomum Cellars Country: United States Region: Washington: Columbia Valley Varietal: Tempranillo Click on this box to hide me
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The east coasters must have cabin fever. Greased Lightning in Springfield, MA as a 30 year-old chango stuffed 75 8-oz bottles of lotion in his pants and tried to run away from mall security. Gives new meaning to 'grease monkey'. A 22-year vet of the ex-NYC counterterrorism detective blamed his wife's so-called marijuana meatballs after failing a random drug test, so that he would leave police work to his wife's desire. Well, at least we know who eats 'balls in that household. A 'nother Nu Yawker got nailed with a $135 traffic fine after the 61 year-old sphincterboy used a mannequin to cruise through the HOV lane. The tip was the sunglasses on the mannequin...it was overcast at the time. Makes me wonder what kind of device he uses to convince his wife he's a man in bed.
Pomum Cellars is located in that "other" warehouse district in Woodinville, along with Chatter Creek and Covington Cellars. No fancy sandwich boards to help guide the wandering wine tourist, so it takes a fair...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
2/2/2010 at 7:25 PM PST
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Abacela 2007 Cuvee tempranillo
[90/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 90.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Abacela Winery Country: United States Region: Oregon: Southern Oregon Varietal: Tempranillo Click on this box to hide me
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51 years ago at 1am Iowa time on February 3, someone saw alive, for the final time, Buddy Holly, JP “The Big Bopper” Richardson, and Ritchie Valens leave Mason City Municipal Airport in Iowa, after a rousing concert for their “Winter Dance Party” tour before their Bonanza plane struck the frozen ground in Albert Juhl’s cornfield at 170 mph a few minutes after take-off. Don McLean’s “American Pie” song would further immortalize that day as “The Day The Music Died.” To the “kids” today who listen to Ke$ha, LMFAO, Taylor Swift, David Guetta, etc., I can only say this—you don’t know jack about really good music! Charles H. “Buddy” Holly was the original “nerd” rocker. “The Big Bopper” was the original pop-stud. And, Ritchie Valens, even at the tender age of 17 when he died, is still known as “the Father of Tex-Mex (Chicano/Latin)” rock. Challenge... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
2/1/2010 at 4:41 PM PST
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Ross Andrew 2008 Celilo Vineyard pinot gris
[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: Ross Andrew Winery Country: United States Region: Washington: Columbia Gorge Varietal: Pinot Gris / Grigio Click on this box to hide me
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From the Hollywood Sports wire: "Federer defeats Bill Murray for lead spot in Caddyshack XVI". From Lowell, MA: "Truck driver eats PED chili, flattens home". From the New York papers: "Yankees call for spending limits after watching Team Obama". Ok, no more reading the paper for awhile.
Celilo Vineyard, which recently celebrated its 32nd crush, covers 70+ acres in, perhaps, the most scenic of all the Washington AVAs, the two-state straddling Columbia Gorge. The late Dr. William McAndrew had the foresight to purchase the land on a southeast-facing slope off Underwood Mountain back in 1971 and he hand-planted his vineyard, which is still owned by the McAndrew family. Celilo sits in close proximity to the Cascades such that it is one of the few dry-farmed estates (receives 50 inches of rain/year) in central and eastern Washington. The climate is too cool to grow cabernet but ideal enough for the following grapes: chardonnay, gewurztraminer, lemberger, merlot,...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
1/31/2010 at 9:49 PM PST
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Cooper 2007 L'inizio
 [94/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 94.0 based on 2 Tastings
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Cooper Wine Company Country: United States Region: Washington: Columbia Valley Varietal: Blend Click on this box to hide me
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(second of two parts) part one: http://www.winechatr.com/fullpost.aspx?p=3879
Futures: 150 cases of a white wine (not allowed to divulge); prominent involvement for "db" (again, not allowed to divulge); and an 09 vintage that is 1/3 Estate, 1/3 Red Mountain, and 1/3 Columbia Valley.
Time to wine.
Food pairing. I emptied a section of my fridge for this. Savory-coated baked chicken, veggies in black bean gravy, steamed cabbage and bok choy, and meatloaf. No, I can't just whip out a porterhouse or filet mignon like other reviewers can, even though I think a thick slab of Prosser beef or Ellensburg lamb chops would be ideal.
Color: firm purple-black. Nose: expensive oak, blackberry pie, dark plum, purple flowers, wild blueberries, brambleberry, black blossoms, grandma's spice cupboard. Mouthfeel: tingling and full. Tail trail: 8 seconds. Flavors: see Nose as flavors are true. 54.54% cab sau, 30.30% merlot, 9.09% malbec, 6.06% petit verdot. Alcohol: 14.9%....
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
1/31/2010 at 9:46 PM PST
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Cooper 2007 L'inizio
[94/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 94.0 based on 2 Tastings
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Cooper Wine Company Country: United States Region: Washington: Columbia Valley Varietal: Blend Click on this box to hide me
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One aspect of my appreciation for those who live in the Columbia Valley AVA is their farm-friendly personalities. While these folks would make for poor poker players, they all come across as true and honest, to the extent that their expressions to a question say more than the words they are about to reply with. These are the type of individuals who know what real physical work is, via working the land, and understand that it really does involve a village-mentality approach to teamwork to accomplish individual goals. My kind of people. Let me introduce to you, Mr. Neil Cooper. His friends call him 'Coop'. Born 39+ years ago in Hermiston, OR (pop. 15k and best known for the Umatilla Army Depot that Coop likely snuck into as a kid), he only knew farming as a way of life. Never worked at Nordstrom or the Aunty Anne's pretzel shop. Coop went to college at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo (best known as the 1st municipality in the world to ban smoking in public buildings, including bars... ... View Full Post >>
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GENERAL POST
(1 Member Vote)
Posted
1/31/2010 at 1:56 PM PST
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Tasting Room review: Alder Ridge Estates
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Long-awaited opening weekend for the big-box tasting room of Alder Ridge Estate Winery located in the strip mall anchored by Mazatlan Restaurant at the Hollywood Schoolhouse roundabout in Woodinville. Some background: Alder Ridge's origins lie in its vast 812-acre vineyard, planted in 1997, rolling 15 miles west of Paterson (in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA...thank you ChrisinSunnyside for pointing that out), a (careful--new word coming) preciping sentinel over the mighty Columbia River. As you can imagine, a vineyard of that size in central Washington is prone to varying soils and micro-climates, making this more a "collection" of smaller vineyards, each with its own identity. Alder Ridge is owned by the Baty family, which includes 65 year-old Daniel R. Baty, chairman and CEO of Emeritus Corporation (independent living facilities) and Chairman of the Board for Columbia Pacific Management. Both companies are fully owned by Mr. Baty. With those titles, yes, it's... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
1/30/2010 at 8:52 PM PST
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Adams Bench 2007 Red Willow Vineyard cabernet sauvignon
[100/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 100.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Adams Bench Country: United States Region: Washington: Yakima Valley Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon Click on this box to hide me
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Can't help myself. Caveat lector (reader beware). The following review will singe through to the outer reaches of your senses, as it did mine.
I did a rare, quick re-visit with a winery (Adams Bench) today for several reasons. One was..."97, are you weak?" Another was, "Maybe you're just trying to suck up to them high-falutin' professionals." What broke the camel's back was, "You don't know anything about terroir-driven wines. You're from Washington." Ok. All good. Is that all ya got?
Sadly, my visit didn't start off well for me as Erica (Dr. Blue) greeted me at the pouring table with a gamma-ray grin and a "I know you!", from reading my previous review of their par excellence 2007 "the V" cabernet sauvignon. Sacrebleu! After a humble admission and further questioning, I proceeded to dance (again!) through their wonderful lineup of wines that confirmed, to me, my initial impressions of the incredible quality of juice being produced by this fairly recent...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
1/29/2010 at 3:46 PM PST
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Woodinville Wine Cellars 2008 sauvignon blanc
[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: Woodinville Wine Cellars Country: United States Region: Washington: Columbia Valley Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc Click on this box to hide me
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What is up with these mongol-looking faces popping up in ads for lending or supplements?? Talk about fugly! Oh, I guess it's eye-catching but I still ain't a clicking on the ad. Lesson #2 on how not to do a web ad...try reading a Seattle Times online article; you get this annoying visually-blocking ad and I don't care if it's the Seattle Storm or Teatro Zinzanni, you are gone from my consciousness...<close!>. And, the ultimate...I received this in the mail yesterday: "limited to 1% of U.S. residents" (read: that's 3 million folks), a credit card made of carbon!, and VIP airport lounge access! Wow, you mean with my pristine 830-credit rating, I qualify for this? Sign me up! Oh, btw, it costs $495 a year, every year, for the privilege. Do I get a rebate like a Costco card? No. Do I get miles? No. Do I get a low APR? 13.24%...no. Do I get to piss on your application as I'm ripping it up and tossing it in the wastebasket? (click.) There are a few wineries that appear an... ... View Full Post >>
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GENERAL POST
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
1/29/2010 at 10:25 AM PST
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This Weekend! with Woodinville wineries/tasting rooms
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Lots of typing today for me...let's get it rolling in Woodinville! Roll 'em: Adams Bench wine tasting by appt. only, Sat. noon-4. $10 refundable tasting fee. The cabernet is a leading contender for 2010 Wine of the Year! Alexandria Nicole Cellars Happy Hour, Fri. 5-7:30pm. I sense they may have some of their club wines ready to taste. Try the syrah! Chateau Ste. Michelle VRC Happy Hour Fridays, 5-7pm. Columbia Winery Q&A with Ken Mansfield, North American manager for the Beatles, Sat. 2-4pm. $9.09 admission with proceeds going to cancer research. Includes complimentary tasting at the bar and autograph session. Special VIP parking available for yellow submarines. DeLille Cellars Reserve Tasting at the Chateau, Fri.-Sun. noon-3 (three sittings), $35 advance. DiStefano Winery The Art of Blending, Sat., $50. Now, I could have sworn I saw this on their website (or Facebook) but it is no longer posted, so go at your... ... View Full Post >>
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
1/29/2010 at 9:27 AM PST
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King Estate 2008 Signature pinot gris
[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: King Estate Winery Country: United States Region: Oregon: - Varietal: Pinot Gris / Grigio Click on this box to hide me
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Odd-news in food everywhere...in Australia, some mates warded off a hungry crocodile from eating their catch of...shark. In Argentina, land of the steak, the president suggested that eating pork outperformed that little blue pill behind closed doors. "Honey, is that a pig in the blanket?" And, close your eyes as we go to China, where jailing someone for eating dog meat for 15 straight days is being considered. Mmm, dog hot pot...a sure way to lose weight in my book. "Some people in China still can't afford meat. We should not blindly copy Western values" was the rebuttal. Well, if you did, then maybe you could afford real meat. Point!
As I dug through research on King Estate Winery, I continued to be fascinated with my “discoveries.” First off, King Estate was founded in 1991 between the hamlets of Gillespie Corners (a road junction) and Lorane (pop. 389), both about a short country drive southwest of Eugene, in Lane County. There, the land was historically...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
1/26/2010 at 8:15 PM PST
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Turning Leaf Vineyards 2007 Reserve merlot
[65/100] Score Info
Avg. Member Score of 65.0 based on 1 Tasting
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View Wine Details Click the link to view full details.Winery: Turning Leaf Vineyards Country: United States Region: California: Central Valley Varietal: Merlot Click on this box to hide me
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Pope JP 2 used to whip himself with a belt, even on vacation, to bring him closer to perfection is the admission of a forthcoming book, "Why He's a Saint" to advocate his sainthood. Somebody tell that numbnut there's 53 already-Saints somewhere in N'Orleans who will be getting a Peyton Manning-whippin' in a couple Sundays, so it never ends for them zealots. An Appleton, WI woman was arrested for planting a microwaved-rat in her lunch at an upscale restaurant. She tried to extort half a mil from the owners, who don't have a microwave in the restaurant. Is this why the folks at Dusted Valley Vintners chose to vinify here in Washington State? Good choice, if so. Good ol' Holiday Innnnn...in London, they're trying human bed warmers in order to help their guests get to sleep. The fine print is that it's not the warming that gets the guests to sleep, but the bedwarmers' passing of gas while under the sheets!
Turning Leaf...a Gallo outpost. Do I really need to say...
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WINE RATING
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
1/24/2010 at 9:19 PM PST
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Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Tempestade
[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: Chateau Ste. Michelle Country: United States Region: Washington: Central Valley Varietal: Blend Click on this box to hide me
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I have no choice but to cancel my British Airways ticket to visit the dentist. Tough new rules designed to curb the heavy drinking culture have banned games like the "dentist's chair" where drinks are poured directly into the mouth by others, and the pub buffet promotion where it was "all you can drink for 10 pounds ($16)." Back to Yorkshire pudding and spotted dick for them blokes. A 31-year old Fairbanks man got a year of probation for chucking a taco at the local Taco Bell manager, after he claimed his original order contained spit. Dude, it's Taco Bell...what were you expecting? An executive at the company that makes Bubble Wrap received a wedding invitation from an Ohio woman. No big deal, right? Well, the woman walked to the altar in a gown made from Bubble Wrap! Invite me, hon, and I woulda brought my Winchester Centerfire for the shotgun wedding! Yeee-harrr! Oh Midwesterners. If the Seattle Mariners baseball club is looking for a bonafide player in left field, call... ... View Full Post >>
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GENERAL POST
(0 Member Votes)
Posted
1/22/2010 at 11:02 AM PST
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This Weekend! with Woodinville wineries/tasting rooms
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Lineup is heavy! Let's get this weekend started...roll 'em!: Alexandria Nicole Cellars Happy Hour, Fri. 5-7:30pm. Try the Wine of the Month 2007 Estate cabernet sauvignon! Then, Sat. 1-5pm at the Seattle Wine Company in Bellevue, Jarrod will be onhand for wine tasting! Meet the winemaker! And, their second tasting room will be located in the Hollywood Schoolhouse, opening April 1! Big O Wines is now on Twitter! @OWines just started yesterday (btw, I am follower number 12) and they are about to pass 100 followers by the end of today. Now, that's a loyal base of followers! The wines have funded 29 Washington scholarships so far! Stacy and Kathy, you gals rock! Their chardonnays are everywhere, but the best price is at Costco, $10.99! Chateau Ste. Michelle VRC Happy Hour Fridays, 5-7pm. Columbia Valley chardonnay is the latest to receive good vibes...check it out! Also, at 7pm in the Lobby, Chef Scott Harberts creates a memorable 'comfort foods'... ... View Full Post >>
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