For those of you who are not familiar with a vertical tasting, it is a tasting in which you taste different vintages of the same wine from the same winery. We were first “wow”-ed by Fielding Hills in the summer of 2008. Since then, we have visited the winery, tasted all of their new releases, [...]

Malbec was originally one of the six varieties used in red Bordeaux blends along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and occasionally Carmenère. Today, it is only used sparingly in Bordeaux but has really come into its own as a stand-alone varietal in Argentina. In my opinion, Washington State is producing some excellent [...]

Cabernet Franc is generally thought of as the quiet little brother of Cabernet Sauvignon. Some people even refer to it as the “other” Cabernet. However, Cabernet Franc is actually one of the genealogical parents of Cabernet Sauvignon. Originating in Bordeaux, France, Cabernet Sauvignon is a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Well-known as a [...]

Washington Syrah compares favorably with the best in the world. Washington Syrah generally falls somewhere in between the jammy Shiraz of Australia and the more austere Syrah of the northern Rhone. It generally has good acidity and tannins. The common denominators of our favorite Syrahs from Washington have been deep, dark purple color and luscious [...]

As I’ve said many times before, I absolutely love sparkling wine but do not drink it often enough. However this time of year, I make sure to celebrate with friends and family and enjoy some sparkling wine. We’ve made it a tradition to feature sparkling wine in our December wine tasting dinner. Each December, we [...]

Washington State Cabernet Sauvignons are among the best in the world, and they are much better values (higher QPR) than most Cabs in other wine regions of the world. Last Friday evening, we tasted six Cabernet Sauvignons from the 2006 vintage from Washington State in our monthly wine tasting dinner. It was another fabulous evening [...]

On Friday evening, we hosted our 88th wine tasting dinner. This month’s dinner featured Washington Merlot from the 2006 vintage. For those of you still avoiding Merlot as a result of watching Sideways, it’s time to give this noble grape another chance. Merlot is a wonderful varietal, and Washington State makes outstanding Merlot. Washington Merlot [...]

Well, it seems that fall has already arrived here in Seattle. Even though the official end of summer has not passed, the overcast skies and cooler temperatures tell us that summer is indeed over. Nevertheless, we wanted to have another tasting dinner featuring refreshing white wines before we turn the page on the summer of [...]

Sauvignon Blanc has been one of our favorite white varieties for years. Our trip to New Zealand in 2005 solidified that love, and we have a soft spot for Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Since that trip, we have made it a point to try Sauvignon Blanc from other countries/regions when [...]

More than a few times I’ve had someone ask me, which is the ideal setting in which to review a wine, with food or without food? My standard reply is: when do you normally drink wine, with food or without it? For most people, the answer is with food. So the best evaluations of wine [...]