Live Wine Blogging from WBC in Walla Walla – Red Wines



By Kori ~ June 26th, 2010.

5:00pm
It’s Day 2 here at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, Washington. We are just about to begin the Live Wine Blogging – Red Wines segment featuring wines poured for us by the winemakers themselves. Just like yesterday, we will update this post as we go.

5:05pm
2007 Sequel Syrah [Long Shadows] (Columbia Valley, Washington): Always a favorite. Made by John Duval from Australia. Black fruits, smoke, chocolate, lots of layers. Well-balanced.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $55

5:11pm
2008 Solena Estate Pinot Noir (Hyland Vineyard, McMinnville, Willamette Valley, Oregon): Luscious red fruits, strawberry, raspberry, spice. Smooth, crisp. Well-balanced.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $50

5:17pm
2007 Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah (Livermore Valley, California): Inky purple. Blackberry, black plum, baker’s chocolate. Big yet smooth.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $15

5:22pm
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5:26pm
2006 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley, California): 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. Black fruits, oak. Drying tannins. Long, lingering finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $52

5:32pm
2007 Maryhill Zinfandel (Columbia Valley, Washington): Black cherries, raspberry, pepper, hint of cocoa. Fruit-forward, jammy. Long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $15

5:37pm
2007 Dry Creek Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, California): Gorgeous nose, good fruit. Red and black fruits, black pepper, spice. Drying tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $28

5:42pm
2006 Hogue Cellars Genesis Merlot (Columbia Valley, Washington): Black plums, spice box. Medium to full-bodied, medium tannins. Long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $16

5:47pm
2006 Buty Columbia Rediviva (Phinny Hill Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills, Washington): 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Syrah. Black fruits, smoked meats,  black pepper. Extremely well-balanced, smooth, velvety tannins, long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $48

5:52pm
2007 Boomtown [Dusted Valley] Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington): Black plum, blackberry. Medium, dry tannins. Long finish. A great weeknight wine.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $15

5:57pm
2007 Gordon Brothers Merlot (Columbia Valley, Washington): 93% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Syrah. Black fruits, cinnamon, hint of earth. Medium-bodied and smooth.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $20

6:02pm
2005 Nicholas Cole Cellars Camille Red Wine (Walla Walla Valley, Washington): 45% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Petit Verdot. A lot of bacon on the nose. Black fruits, smoke, bacon. Big and bold. High, drying tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $35

6:06pm
This concludes the Live Wine Blogging – Red Wines segment.

Cheers!


Filed under: American Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Wine, Five-Bangs For Your Buck Wines, Merlot, Oregon Wine, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Shiraz/Syrah, Washington State Wine, Wine Activities/Events, Wines Over $25, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25, Zinfandel

Reader's Comments

  1. Michael Good | June 26th, 2010 at 9:27 pm

    Kori, why 2 out of 5 bangs for 2007 Sequel? Elaborate, please on the Concannon Petit Sirah as I love the grape and it is so hard to find a great one and you’re giving some big bangs. A pretty nice line up. I wish I’d been there!

  2. Kori | July 6th, 2010 at 12:14 pm

    Michael,
    To clarify our ratings system, when I taste a wine, I “give” it a Quality rating. Then a QPR rating is calculated based on its price as compared to its peers at the same Quality level. For a complete explanation, please visit our Wine Ratings page, http://winepeeps.com/wine-ratings/. Just based on Quality, the Sequel is excellent (4 stars) and the Concannon Petite Sirah is very good (3.5 stars). Overall, we were fortunate to have a very nice lineup of wines in the Live Blogging. Cheers!

  3. Jill | March 11th, 2011 at 4:57 pm

    Pete’s has some 2005 Nicholas Cole Camille on sale for under $20. We jumped on it and bought 3 bottles. We’re curious to see if we get the “bacon” on the nose too.

  4. Kori | March 12th, 2011 at 9:00 pm

    Jill,
    Great deal on that Nicholas Cole. Hope you enjoy it! I’d love to hear what you think. Cheers!