Château Calon Ségur

In most years, wines from Bordeaux, particularly the top level ones, either need to be drunk early with plenty of decant time or should be cellared for many years. On my birthday this year, we decanted and drank a great bottle of wine, 1995 Château Calon Ségur, a Third Growth in the 1855 classification, located in St. Estèphe in the northern Haut-Medoc. I thought that It would be interesting to describe the barrel tasting at the Château in September of 2009. Château Calon Ségur 2008 St. Estèphe Third Growth Calon Ségur has a label featuring a heart since a proprietor who also owned Lafite and Latour said that his heart was in Calon. We needed quite a bit of help to locate the winery. Our host was M Vincent Millet, a very reserved individual. After our return,

I just got word that due to the cuts in higher education funding, Lake Washington Technical College will be killing their 90 credit Wine Technology program. This is hard to accept, considering the fact that less than 5 miles away more than 90 wineries are represented in Woodinville wine country. Many of those wineries are small and marginally profitable, but there are more than a few big guns that might consider sponsoring this program.

Cupcake Vineyards, Pinot Noir, 2008 (Central Coast, CA.) $14 Blend: 96% Pinot Noir, 3% merlot, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon; Style: dry red; dark color; aromas and palate/flavors: the aroma of cherries carries through the palate with a touch of red currants and a hint of spices; medium body; cherry cupcake finish. Food Pairing: This wine pairs well with lamb kabobs, smoked sausage, or your favorite mushroom risotto. (Alc. by Volume: 13.8%)

Cool story from Reuters today about the discovery of a 6,000 year-old wine press in Armenia.  Follow this link for more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110111/lf_nm_life/us_wine_oldest.

This is a dangerous wine! With a deep purple hue, long and slow legs, and aromas of cassis-blackberry, dark cherry, chocolate and tumeric, this leads to flavors of blackberry and chocolate that finish soft and smooth. It is dangerous because there are no hard edges and very seamless, which make it taste like juice. What a value! Yum!

This dry red has a deep ruby red color, aromas of blueberry, strawberry, peppercorn and spice with hints of smoke. The palate shows flavors of plum, black pepper and cedar. This full bodied red has a smooth finish with lingering notes of fruit and round tannins. (Alc. by Volume: 13%)

Blend: 30% Riesling, 20% Gewurztraminer, 15% Viognier, 10% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Gris, 5% Muscat; Style: off-dry white; light straw color; aromas: apricots, honey and mint; palate/flavors: peach, watermelon and honey; medium body; clean finish with lingering fruit. Food Pairing: A fantastic match with shrimp sautéed in garlic and olive oil, and penne pasta in a cream and garlic sauce. (Alc. by Volume: 13.5%)

Kyle MacLachlan pours his wine at Dunham

Château Lynch Bages Pauillac 2006
This château dates back to 1691. Even though it was classified as a fifth growth, it is considered a “super second’ and sells at a higher price. Jean Michel Cazes is considered an icon in the wine business for improving the quality of this property and wine everywhere else as well. I had met him in Seattle in 1993. Even though he had stepped down as president, in September 2009, I asked if he was in the winery. He was in and graciously came downstairs and chatted with us for a few minutes. His son George Charles now runs the operation. The wine is made from about 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wine is always fragrant and is well balanced with excellent fruit and a lingering finish. Oak barrels are utilized but the wine is always harmoniously integrated. With decanting, this can be consumed early but the château has a proven track record for long cellaring. Recommended retail price is around $97.00.

By Nick Tomassi

When I decided to write about The Italian Influence on Washington Wine, I looked on it as just another story about wine. My wife, Kathy, and I traveled to Eastern Washington to meet with and interview the descendants of those early Italian pioneers. We visited the men and a number of the sites they told us about, especially in the Walla Walla area.