L’Ecole Label Re-design and Upcoming Regional Tasting Events

Yes. The scuttlebutt is true. The world famous schoolhouse label that has graced the front of every bottle produced by the L’Ecole No. 41 winery since the 1980s is going away.

After much soul searching, and a complete redesign, owners Marty and Megan Clubb, made the change in the label in March of this year. The new design is a much more elegant and upscale drawing of the famous schoolhouse.

Although it was fun, the old, childlike drawing of the schoolhouse didn’t really lead the consumer to understand the quality and depth of the product in the bottle. This was definitely a problem as the winery has consistently produced high scoring wines that have attracted them to the world market.

L’Ecole produces wines from some of the best vineyards in the United States. With juice being sourced from Walla Walla’s Pepperbridge and 7-hills, and the Columbia Valley’s finest vineyards, the look on the outside of the bottle needed to match the exquisite quality and craftsmanship on the inside. This new label really brings the look and quality together.

The new label is being released currently, with this year’s spring released wines. You can view the new labels, which will be coming to stores and establishments in the area soon, or by going to the winery. For a special tasting and viewing opportunity in the Hermiston area, the winery will be a special guest at Farmer’s Kitchen on June 2nd from 5p.m. to 8p.m.. It would be great to see you there!

Speaking of tasting events, there are a number of events going on in the region over the next few weeks. Here is a short list of events soon to come:

If you’re “jonesing” for a great glass of wine, and you happen to be in the area, I suggest touring Baker city with Jones winery. They will be at Bella’s from 3 p.m. until 4:45, and at Earth and Vine from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. on the 12th of May.

Great Pacific in downtown Pendleton will be hosting my friends from Saviah Cellars on May 13th. If you haven’t had any of Rich Funk’s “Jack” lineup, I’m sure you’ll be in for a treat. Everywhere I go I’m finding this label as the hip new glass-pour wine in the Northwest. Hopefully he’ll also be showing off his other labels as well.

Something I definitely do not want you to miss is the opening of Graybeal Distributing’s new expansion. On May 19th, my friends and past employers, Maryl and Barry Featherstone, and the whole Graybeal clan will open the warehouse for tours and tastings. The staff of Ste. Michelle wine estates will be on hand pouring vintages from their extensive lineup, as well as my old buddy Lloyd from Full Sail Brewing who always has a new brew to taste or story to tell. Starting at 5:30 p.m. and running until 7 p.m., I highly suggest attending this event.
Just in case you are one of those people who enjoys beer a little more than wine, I want to invite you to Bellinger Farms on June 2nd, or to Great Pacific on June 3rd for their Laguintas Brewery tastings.

As with every time I tell you about tasting events in the region, I ask you to be safe, find a designated driver, or plan to stick around before driving home. I want to be able to see you at the next event!

Enjoy!

Drinking Alone Isn’t Near As Much Fun

One of my favorite songs from my college years still is George Thorohgood’s “I Drink Alone”. I can’t name the number of times I’ve driven down Interstate 84 with that song cranked up on my Sirius receiver. I think it is one of the best party tunes of all times.

The problem with drinking alone is that it isn’t as romantic or fun as old George makes it sound. As a wine writer there are a lot of nights that I have to open a bottle alone, take a few sips, and pour the half-finished bottle down the drain.

Honestly, with all of the wine that I smell, sip, and sample all over this region, my real preference is when I’m at a function or tasting room filled with other people doing the same thing as me. Truth is, drinking wine with others makes the wine tasting experience so much more fun and exciting.

All that was to tell you about some of the great wine tasting events that are coming up in our area in the next few days and weeks. I know that I’m going to be making the extra drive to come out to some of these events, and I hope that you’ll come join me so that I won’t have to drink alone.

The next big wine event in the region rolls into Echo on March 12th. The Red to Red Mountain Bike race will be held in Echo, with over 400 racers ready to hit the trails out at Lloyd Piercy’s vineyards. This is also the release party for his newest vintage of Red to Red blend. Along with the bicycle racing and the wine tasting there will be music and dancing until midnight, and prodigal son brew available as well. Sounds like nobody will be drinking alone in Echo next weekend!

If you are wanting a little quieter experience, and happen to be down in the Baker City region I suggest dropping into Bellas, or Earth and Vine on March 10th. L’Ecole Winery out of Touchet (Walla Walla) will be on site pouring their newest releases, as well as some old favorites.

Jumping ahead a couple of weeks, I really want to encourage you to go out to Wildhorse Resort on April 6th. Col Solare will be the winery of the month at the Plateau. The chefs and restaurant manager Jeff always pair up some amazing food to go with the monthly wine choices. With Col Solare being the pour of choice I know you can’t go wrong.

April 7th and 8th brings an old friend back into town. Rich Marshall from Maryhill Winery will be at Bellinger farms on the 7th, and then pouring at the Great Pacific on the 8th. I always love catching up with Rich, and tasting the newest vintage of the best Zinfandel in the Pacific Northwest.

While Maryhill comes to Umatilla County on the 7th and 8th, further south on I-84 you will find some local heros pouring their wines down in LaGrande and Baker City. The folks from Reininger Winery, who’s Helix wines are such a hit in the Pendleton area, will be pouring at Bellas in LaGrande on April 7th. They will be back again the following week in Baker at Bellas and Earth and Vine on the 14th.

I only have one other admonishment if you are going out to any of these tastings: Please don’t drink and drive. Be safe and enjoy!

Wines I’m Thankful For

So, as I was looking through my past Thanksgiving articles I realized that they’ve all been about pairing wine with turkey. If you don’t know what to pair the turkey with, just buy the most expensive white wine you can find. Buy a bunch of it. If your guests don’t like your choice in wine hit them over the head with the bottle or a turkey leg. Whichever is handiest. That should pretty well cover the turkey pairing issue.

Now, on to what I want to talk about. After all, this article really is about me. Isn’t it?

I was thinking that in honor of Thanksgiving I would write this week on all the great wines that we have right here in our region. Wines that are top rated, and readily available for our consumption. Wines made right here in the Northwest, for Northwesterners. These are wines that you can walk right into the local stores and wine shops to purchase.

I’m not the only one to think that these wines are great. I’m going to reference scores posted by Wine Spectator that are 90 points or above. If you don’t agree with Wine Spectator I think they take your birthday away or something.

The first vintner that I want to recognize is our own home-grown giant Columbia Crest, and their sister Chateau Ste Michelle. The 2005 Columbia Crest Valley Reserve Merlot and the 2008 Ste. Michelle Indian Valley Cabernet Sauvignon have scores of 90. Their cousin wineries of Northstar, Erath, Spring Valley, and Col Solare also have fantastic ratings. Northstar’s 2006 Merlot earned a score of 91. The Erath 2006 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir earned a 91. Spring Valley had a score of 92 for their 2007 Uriah, and a 93 went to the Col Solare 2005 vintage.

Cougar Crest, from Walla Walla has earned a 90 or better score on three of their current vintages. Their 2006 Cabernet Franc and Aniversary Cuvee, as well as their 2005 Merlot all did very well in judging.

Amavi also has three current vintages scoring at 90 points each. Their 2006 Walla Walla Syrah, their 2007 Walla Walla Syrah, and their 2007 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon.

Another Walla Walla vintner that consistently offers up great wines is John Abbott at Abeja. His 2007 vintages of Chardonnay and Merlot offer up absolutely fantastic flavors worthy of great accolades.

L’Ecole No 41 continues to take the wine industry to school year after year with their wines. Currently they have five vintages on the market that have Wine Specator scores above 90. Their 2007 Apogee and Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon both scored 92s this year. Their Seven Hills Merlot and Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon both scored 91, and their 2006 Seven Hills Vineyard Syrah holds its own with a score of 90.

My friend Rich Funk at Saviah earned a very respectable 93 with his 2006 vintage of Une Vallee. This wine is truly amazing, and priced very, very well for the quality. Also, Chuck at Reininger proved his winemaking talents when he scored a respectable 92 on his 2007 Walla Walla Syrah.

This is not a complete list of amazing local wines. I really encourage you to go to our local wine shops and ask for the complete list.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How About A Glass Of Salmon Safe Wine?

I was standing in a winery tasting room the other day and I looked down at a pamphlet on “Salmon Safe” wines. My immediate reaction was that this was a joke. First, I thought what salmon is going to drink wine? Then I thought about the fact that pairing Salmon with some wines can be unsafe for your palate.

What I didn’t think about was that vineyards, and winemaking can be hard on salmon habitat. I’m a bit of a throwback from the ‘70s when we used to throw our chemical waste into the rivers because it would wash into the sea eventually. Nobody even thought that it would affect the fish.

So, armed with a little pamphlet, I went on line and started doing some research. Of course the concept of salmon safe vineyard management came right out of Oregon and has spread throughout the western United States. The first vineyards to be deemed salmon safe were in the Willamette valley of western Oregon.

Founded by the Pacific Rivers Council, Salmon Safe is now an official 501 (c) 3 organization based in Portland. Their mission is to transform land management practices so that salmon can thrive in these Pacific Coast watersheds. The organization has grown and paired up with several other like minded organizations throughout the United States and Canada.

Let’s just say I’m a vineyard owner and I want to make my little piece of paradise Salmon Safe. What would I do? The answer appears to actually be quite easy. There are several organizations who are offering support in becoming Salmon Safe. In Oregon and Washington the organization to reach out to is called LIVE, or Low Impact Viticulture and Enology. Their website address is www.liveinc.org .

The next question I have as a consumer is how do I know if I’m drinking a Salmon Safe wine? The best way to find out is by going to www.salmonsafe.org and finding out for yourself.

Several of my favorite vintners from the Willamette Valley to Walla Walla, and everywhere in between are becoming Salmon Safe. Some are almost completely Salmon Safe because of their vineyard management practices, and many are on their way. Over 200 vintners from the region currently participate in the program.

A great example of a winery that produces almost exclusively Salmon Safe Wines is L’Ecole in Walla Walla. All of their estate vintages are listed with this designation. On the other hand, wineries such as Chateau Ste. Michelle have a harder time due to the number of wines they produce. Currently Ste. Michelle offers only their Cold Creek and Canoe Ridge labels with the designation.

My opinion on this whole concept remains pretty simple. I’m not much of an environmentalist. I’m not very good at recycling and I don’t see myself ever driving a Toyota Prius. However, if I know that I’m pulling the cork on a bottle of wine that didn’t impact the salmon habitat I figure that will be one more salmon I get to eat later.

For those who are environmentalists in this region I still wouldn’t admit it openly. However, if you can help make a really good bottle of wine that saves the habitat I’m all for it.

Enjoy!

More New Wines For 2009

I can not tell a lie…This week I am seriously cheating on this article by continuing with more wines from the Graybeal trade tasting last week.

To begin, I wanted to mention L’Ecole No 41. Their table offered some real long-time favorites for me. The First being the Apogee. The 2005 vintage is back to being one of my favorite Walla Walla blends. It is boldly aromatic with aromas of cooking spices, leather, and tobacco. The dark stone fruit and chocolate make this wine absolutely delicious.

L’Ecole also tasted us on their 2005 Walla Walla Cabernet, 7 Hills Merlot, 2006 7 Hills Syrah, and several of their Columbia Valley Vintages. One of their other wines that I thoroughly enjoy every time I try it, is their “Walla Viola” Chenin Blanc. The 2007 Vintage continues in the Vouvray style which provides wonderful floral aromas and flavors.

Last week I didn’t mention Sineann. Paul, from Sineann (pronounced Shin-A-un) offered some wonderful glimpses at their newest vintages. One thing that I do have to say about Sineann is that they have some of the most elegant bottles I’ve ever encountered. If you want to be the life of the party bring one of these. The glass stoppers are an attractive alternative to screw caps, and protect the wines much better than cork.

Sineann’s 2006 Abondante was another brilliant flavored red blend made of Zinfandel, Cab Sauv, Syrah, Grenache, and Merlot. It could pass as a high-end old vine Zin, with it’s bright raspberry flavors and spices. Their 2006 Baby Poux Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely a keeper. One of my favorite wines from one of my favorite vineyards.

Mike from Coyote Canyon Winery also showed some very nice wines at the tasting. His Tres Cruces is full of flavors of black current and blackberries. There is also a wonderful essence of cinnamon throughout. His 2006 Robert Andrews Blend is a robust Rhone blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier. I love Grenache, and this wine presents with the richness of the Grenache from beginning to end.

Ste Michelle Wine Estates was present with a collection of twelve different wines, from the ever amazing 2005 Col Solare red blend, and Spring Valley’s 2006 Uriah, to their 2007 Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling. They even poured one of my newer favorites…A 2004 Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico. The Marchese is not easy to find, but available at a few outlets in the area. It is an intense Chianti, with ruby color, and bright flavors of fruit and spices throughout.

Last, but not least, was an incredible lineup of wines from E.J. Gallo. They spared no expense in offering up wines from their Barefoot, Whitehaven, Frei Brothers, Gallo Reserve, and Mirassou lines. The Barefoot brand even had their “Barefooter” representative in town to hand out cute purple lays to guests.

Now, If you think Gallo makes cheap wines, you are 100% correct. But, if you haven’t had Whitehaven Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc, then you are seriously missing out. I consider the Whitehaven Pinot to be one of the best Pinots on the market. And, the Sauvignon Blanc has received several Wine Spectator scores well into the 90s.

I hope you get out to your favorite wine shop, grocery, or restaurant this week and pick up some of these wines that I’ve suggested. If they don’t have them, then insist they bring them in for you. They owe you that much.

Enjoy!