2005 Bethel Heights Pinot Blanc
Opened to serve with some home smoked salmon and crackers. Should be a no-brainer for almost any white wine to show well with that, but the 14.3% alcohol threw off too much heat and ruined the match.
2005 Tyrrell's Verdelho, Hunter Valley
Has all the intensity you'd hope for from Tyrrell's and Hunter Valley in spite of the vapid reputation of the grape. Bold, assertive and structural, with lime and white nectarine notes. Plenty of acid to age 5-10 years, in fact I hope to get more for that purpose.
At a small dinner party hosted by friends Jim and Pat:
2004 Ash Hollow Merlot, Columbia Valley
So Steve Clifton of Brewer-Clifton fame has decided to start his own venture in Walla Walla, and here's a bottle. Blind, I'd have never guessed in a million years this was a Washington wine, for it has none of the saturated blueberry and chocolate stuff. Rather, it's very European, St. Emilion-like with restrained red fruit, minerals and tobacco notes. Yes! It can be done! Last wine of the night and everybody's favorite of the modern wines. *
2003 Alexandra Nicole Syrah, Columbia Valley
Another wine that defies Washington state typecasting with a lot of savoury notes and less than 14% alcohol. A well crafted wine of restraint and style. *
2004 Van Duzer Pinot Noir Dijon Blocks, Willamette
Comparing this wine mentally to the 2002 Estate I fondly remember, it
came across as more extracted. But pleasantly so, with rich and nervy pinot noir fruit and an elegant finish. One of those crossover wines that will please geeks and newbies alike--there's something here for everyone. *
1984 D'Issan, Margaux
Every time I mention this wine I know Dale W shakes his head in disbelief, but not only is this wine good, this last bottle of a lot of five I bought was by far the best of all. I regret having drunk the others before now--they showed well, but they hadn't reached the station I now realize. This one was completely settled; it poured very clear and showed sweet dusty cherry fruit with dried roses and a little caramel. The tannins were completely resolved but it had enough acidity to hold the wine in the glass, no fading. Wish I had more.
* These wines were all purchased by our host at a new wine shop at SeaTac airport, and were all reccomended to him by the proprietor. They are technically a store, not a restaurant, so the prices are retail, and yet you can purchase wines by the glass like a wine bar. There is also comfortable furniture--so you can do as poor Jim who missed his Bellingham connection by minutes and had to wait four hours for the next flight did, get some food, order a glass, and set up your laptop to get a little extra work done, all while discussing wines during lulls with a guy who really knows what he's doing and isn't promoting the populist wines you'd tend to expeect in that setting.
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