Walla Walla Wine Cellar

This month our tasting group did a blind tasting of four wines: all labeled syrah. There are more photos of the event on our Facebook page.

We carefully examined and compared our tasting notes, noting the varying tastes of those present. There was, however, a clear winner, and we had to dig into the library to supply the demand for it once we’d tasted it.

The winner was the Long Shadows Sequel Syrah 2004. Smoke and bacon fat, rubbery berry goodness. Blueberry, chocolate and anise, People kept going back to bag #3 for another taste. Not only was it the winner by an overwhelming majority, it also happened to be the oldest of the four wines tasted.

From L to R: Snoqualmie 2006 Columbia Valley Syrah; 2005 Black Tie Syrah, Napa Valley; Helix 2005 Columbia Valley Syrah; Sequel Syrah 2004.

Further tasting notes on the Sequel:

Wine Spectator 92 points. Smooth and velvety, this is a graceful, beautifully balanced Syrah that shows off its blueberry and plum fruit against shades of white pepper and cedar. The finish keeps welling up with haunting flavors. Drink now through 2014. 1,359 cases made. -HS

Sequel Syrah from Longshadows Vintners’ 2003 vintage received 92 points from Wine Spectator too. This second 2004 release is darkly-hued with cherry and cassis aromas to match. This is a focused Syrah loaded with black fruit, spice and a hint of vanilla across a supple frame. Give it time in the glass to fully reveal the wine’s layers of fruit and concentration.

Made by John Duval, the very famous winemaker who for fifteen years made Australia’s most celebrated wine, Penfold’s Grange.

Yakima Valley’s Boushey Vineyard (35%) gives the wine its elegance and balance; Alder Ridge (24%) and Wallula Vineyard (7%) in the Horse Heaven Hills combines with Red Mountain vineyards (32%) to add black fruit and richness. A small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon from Sagemoor’s Dionysus Vineyard on a southwest facing slope in Pasco adds complexity and more layers.

The Black Tie was said to be the most fruit forward, though several people couldn’t get past the nose. The Snoqualmie was the academics’ choice, a cheap red wine for frequent consumption–helps us get through all those papers while not breaking our budget. Not highly recommended for the connoisseurs. And the Helix easily ranked Second Place in the blind tasting.

It’s a bit unfair, perhaps, to taste a $5 bottle of mass produced California syrah next to a $65 bottle of Long Shadows proportions. But it was educational to say the least. What a lovely evening we had! Come by and see the collection of tasting notes. It’s endlessly fascinating.

Remember that every third Thursday we have a tasting group that meets from 7 - 9 p.m. at our shipping center. Come join us next. Wine category to be announced, so stay tuned.

Well, since I’ve been involved in more of the ‘hands on stuff’ with Wine Cellar, I’ve heard a lot about decanting. The first thing I found out was that it was originally used to help settle the sediment in older wines. Older wines that have been bottled for 10 years or more weren’t put through the vigorous filtration process as they are today. Therefore before serving the wine it was decanted to offer a more presentable and drinkable product.

The second thing I learned was that most of the wine on the shelves today doesn’t need to be decanted. The main reason for decanting today is to aerate the wine. This helps the oxygen tame and alter the wine for easy drinkability. This is used for less expensive wine or wines that are still considered young and haven’t reached their full potential. Decanting will also help investors know what the wine will taste like years to come.

There is also a lot of information on how to properly decant, which I will leave for another day. Yes, apparently there is the ‘proper way’ and my way. I did a test for myself using my large pancake batter bowl. Although there are hundreds of different types of wine decanters to choose from, this worked for me. I had a bottle of Charles Smith Holy Cow Merlot that I poured half into my decanter and left the other half in the bottle with the cork on. After about an hour I tasted the bottled wine, it was pretty good. I then tasted the wine in my decanter and was amazed by the difference. The merlot seemed so much smoother. The Holy Cow merlot is a good wine to start with, but with a little decanting, it was amazing.

So in conclusion if you have a young wine or a cheaper wine that you want to drink right away I would definitely recommend decanting. And now that I know I will be decanting all of my wines I think I will invest in an attractive decanter and leave the batter bowl to the pancakes.

Happy decanting!

Hey folks! For those of you nearby, don’t forget that we’re having our monthly Thirsty Third Thursday event on January 15th. 7:00 p.m.

We’ve decided to make Rootielicious jewelry a consistent part of our monthly event and have renamed the tongue twisting three Ts to the always popular “Bling & Wine.” In consultation with Rootielicious herself, we will be showcasing her jewelry at each monthly tasting and we will also have a weekend event at least once per quarter for those of us whose schedules are not conducive to weeknight events.

This month our feature is syrah. It’s a popular Washington wine, a favorite of many local winemakers, and undoubtedly a mover and a shaker in the Walla Walla wine industry. Check out my most recent blog post at amyrootvik.com for my thoughts on the Isenhower 2005 Wild Alfalfa Syrah.

If you have any questions about the event, please send us a comment or contact one of the Amys. You can also become a fan on Facebook and see more event details there.

For those of you who can’t make the event, send us your tasting notes or ideas for great syrahs to start 2009 on the right foot.

Happy New Year, everybody. Let’s make it even better than the last!

P.S. Anyone want a lamb dish on the 15th?