Gorgeous, fine mousse, with green apple and toast points on the nose, a little yeasty quality. Has a delicious Granny Smith apple and bread dough quality on the palate, with a superb acid cut on the medium length, mineral infused finish. This Champagne is fabulous, what a nice wftm. Went so nicely with smoked salmon appetizer, as well as aged Cheddar and Blue cheeses on this perfect 65 degree Washington afternoon.

Very light straw color, similar to previous tasting note, off-dry with enough residual sugar to make you smile.

Light straw color, this highly perfumed nose is among the most floral I've experienced; like sticking your nose into a bouquet of fresh flowers, laced with pears and apricots. On the palate, slatey minerality with slightly sweet pears and peaches, a nice short+ finish, very nice Wash state Viognier.

Don't get me wrong- Ramey single vineyard Chards are among my favorite hi end Chards from Calif. I have come to expect great things from these wines. Enjoyed this particular wine with seared scallops at Russell's in Bothell, WA. It was really good, but did not have me in awe like I have become accustomed.
Medium yellow in color, sporting 14.5% abv. On the nose, a sweeter tropical fruit profile that seemed almost extracted and overdone on this bottle. Some nice wet rocks and very floral. On the palate, this dry wine came across almost slightly sweet, with notes of pineapple, peaches and guava. The finish is medium+, with very tart acid and a petroleum quality that is mildly distracting. Perhaps this bottle was a bit off?

Medium ruby in color. On the nose, there are ripe, dark fruits and a bit of tar and minerality. Slight heat on the nose, very ripe fruit profile. On the palate, medium bodied, black cherry liqueur and tar, ripe and full tannins, very tasty and representative of a stereotypical Cali Pinot...but a bit too ripe and masculine for what I look for nowadays in a Pinot. Paired quite nicely with leg of lamb at dinner this evening.

Tasting room pour, great rose, bone dry, strawberries and raspberries, crisp acid, yum.

Tasting room pour.
Dark ruby. 14.9% abv. Marvelous plum and red cherry on nose and palate. Med+ finish, mocha.

An elegant Syrah, 2.5% Viognier, plum and wet rocks on the nose, tart plum and bing cherry on the palate, licorice and pepper in the medium finish.

14.7% abv, gorgeous Bordeaux blend (DeLille's 2nd label), marvelous black currant and licorice nose echoed on the palate. Med+ finish

Tasting room pour. Black cherry and black currant on the nose, same on palate w/minerality, licorice, med+ finish, needs 3 years, drink for following 10. Nice juice!

Tasting room pour. Deep purple, 13.6% abv. Nose of tobacco leaf, black cherry, smoke. Palate of black cherry, currant, green pepper, comes across with a med+ body, nice acid, tart black fruit profile, medium minus finish, with smoke and pepper on the end.

Tasting room pour. Dark purple, 14.5% abv. Black currant and vanilla on the nose, hint of spice. Flavors of black currant, tobacco, moist earth, mocha, and a bit of spearmint on the long, mineral laden finish. Gorgeous stuff, hold 4-5 years, drink 10+.

Tasting room pour. Floral nose, pears and peaches, lightly sweet on the balanced palate, great acid, super value.

Tasting room pour. Dark purple, slightly shy nose of mostly red fruits, some light spice, elegant. Flavors of raspberry, plum, slightly tart, with great acid, lovely feminine fruit, mocha. Can drink now, but better in 2 years, will last 10+.

Tasting room pour. Nose of black currant, black cherry, fruit forward. Soft and pleasing on the palate, black currant and tobacco leaf, tight tannins that should open easily over the next year, drink for 7+. Nice wine.

Tasting room pour. Bordeaux style blend. Ripe, dark fruits on the nose and palate, chewy tannins, lively and lush mouthfeel, full bodied, great acid, yummy. Drink in 3 years, good for 12-15.

Tasting room pour. Dark purple. Scents of flavors consistent of plums and blueberries, some wet gravel, and a nice finish of mocha on the med+ finish. Drink in 3 years, over the following 10 or so.

Deep purple, black cherry and vanilla on the nose (30 mos aged new oak). Black cherry and blueberry on the palate, so lush in the mouth, full bodied, vanilla and cherry pit on the finish. Drink in 3 years, over the next 10.

Deep purple. Meats and pepper on the nose, then plums, very complex on the nose. Flavors of plum and tar, black pepper spice, lovely and plush tannins already, a bit fat and jammy, but not too much. Finish goes on for 45+ seconds. Very nice.

One of the nicer Syrahs on the recent Washington wine trip. Not so cloying and jammy as so many are making today. More elegant, some tart black fruit, with a gorgeously long smokey, spicy finish and a super wftm.

Tasting room pour. Pears on the nose, with apricot on the palate. Some chalkiness on the short+ finish. Decent.

Tasting room pour. No formal notes, apples and lemon flavors, short finish.

Tasting room pour. Pears and green apples on the nose, weak on the palate, short finish, lacks complexity, uninteresting.

Tasting room pour. Red fruits on nose and palate, streak of too-noticeable vanilla down the middle.

Tasting room pour. Plum and lipstick on the nose, tight and a bit austere on the palate, green tannins, spice on med+ finish.

Tasting room pour. Pepper and blackberry on the nose, blackcurrant on the palate, weak in the mouth, finish med-, uninteresting.

Tasting room pour. Nice apples and pear on nose, green apple and peach on the palate, med finish, nice.

Tasting room pour. Deep purple color, nose of ripe dark fruit and vanilla, same on palate, drying tannins, very extracted and a bit overdone for my taste at present, but nicely done just the same.

Enjoyed on a picnic with friends, while overlooking the water from Seattle (Pike's Place). PnP, served maybe a little warm. Jostled around while walking to the picnic as well.
When opened, a bit closed on the nose, reticent black fruit, and asphalt. On the palate, initially noticed an off-putting spritz, which thankfully dissipated over 15 mins. On the palate, a more tart, red fruit profile came through, along with charcoal embers, and a nice acid level that made the wine fresh and precise on the palate. I've certainly never had a 7 year old Calif Nebbiolo before, but this wine could have gone another 4 years easily, and was quite tasty with meats and cheeses this warm and blustery afternoon.

Enjoyed this bottle over lunch at a local Woodinville, WA restaurant, the Barking Frog. PnP, deep garnet in color, 14.5% abv.
Deep dark fruits on the nose, ripe black cherry and plum, a bit of licorice and tobacco on the nose. Offers up black currant / cassis on the palate, a bit of a pruney quality, some tar and minerality on the palate. The tannins are softer and very soft at this point, and the wine is drinking beautifully. Should last another 5-7 years or so.

Deep purple in color, 15.0% abv. Nose of plums and blueberries, with notes of olives, charcoal and asphalt. On the palate, this wine is so huge, way bigger than I tend to like these days out of a Syrah. The fruit extraction is very big and in a way overdone, with blueberry compote and black cherry liqueur, followed by olive pit and charcoal, a bit of smoke, with a long finish full of chewy, teeth staining tannins, leading into a med+ mineral-driven finish.

An off-dry Sparkling Gewurtztraminer from WA state. Tiny bubbles on the quickly dissipating mousse, gorgeous medium-yellow in color. Aromatically, this wine explodes with all the spicy and floral characteristics that Gewürztraminer lovers know and love, but it was served with a leaf of fresh lemon verbena in the glass, so my glass had an intense citrusy quality as well. On the palate, refreshingly precise due to the bubbles and gorgeous acid profile, yet perfectly smile-inducing due to the bit of residual sugar, that pushes through into a tight and focused fruit-driven med+ finish. I would serve this sparkling wine in my home anytime an off-dry sparkler was called for, it is delicious. (The servers tell us it was recently served at the White House).
This was served with 3 tiny appetizers: marble onion risotto with Arctic Char roe; coriander-crusted Albacore tuna with beets and wild ginger vinaigrette; and caraway-soy caramel with wild Morel mushroom sabayon. Perfection.

Very light straw in color, showing precise yet open aromatics of a steel-fermented Riesling, including citrus and light tropical nuances. A bit of wet gravel lurks playfully in the background. Flavors closely follow the nose, with the tension I found in the bouquet being slightly muted on the palate, to the point I thought this wine may have been matured in some neutral oak (the Sommelier said it had not). beautifully delineated lemon-lime and perhaps pineapple flavors are tart, focused and bright, leading into a medium length finish that allows this wine to pair so nicely with a wide variety of food. Should drink well for 2-3 years to come, although the bright fruit is so tasty right now.
Paired this evening with a gorgeous slow-smoked Salmon with a sorrel aioli, alongside nori potatoes rolled in sea-grass, adorned with radish and dill. Absolutely perfect pairing.

A deeper amber color, looks more like honey than wine (in both color and consistency). Has a quite floral bouquet of lillies, laid across a freshly cut apricot and peach dish, drizzled in honey. Rich, rich, rich. On the palate, the wine has a full mouthfeel, yet the acid is such that the wine is never cloying or out of balance, as the pear, peach and apricot fruit flavors are followed by a hint of rocks or chalk on the sweet, med+ finish. A delightful sweet wine that should drink well for several more years to come.
Paired this evening with an equally rich dish of roasted Boletus mushrooms alongside handmade cheese dumplings, all covered in a sauce made of Sea Spot Prawns. Over the top in every way, yet a perfect match of wine and food this evening.

Medium garnet in color, offering a Rhone-like nose of rock-infused dark blueberry and blackberry fruit, with a very noticeable cigar-box spiciness and a hint of garrigue. Mmmmm. On the palate, flavors are tightly knit and fresh, showing off blackberry and raspberry notes, alongside a firm spicy profile that reminds me of Indian curry (perhaps nutmeg or cardamom), that is simply delicious, leading into a medium length, nicely balanced finish that pairs quite nicely with flavorful or moderately spicy foods. This wine will drink well for another 5-7 years, in my opinion.
Paired this evening with an incredibly flavorful preparation of pork belly, adorned with carmelized fennel, snap peas, fresh mint and mustard seeds. Oooh laa laaah.

Decanted for approximately 6 hours by our servers, prior to dinner. My first experience with a properly cellared and aged Washington state Cabernet blend. Shows a beautifully mature deep garnet color, which lightens to medium brown at the rim. The nose of this wine is one of sweet fig, ripe black currant, and plum, all drizzled in balsamic vinegar, and just the slightest hint of clove and licorice in the upper register. On the palate, this wine is expansive and complex, showing off ripe dark fruit characteristics that have now been reigned in by the bottle age, allowing the licorice and clove component to play alongside the prune and cassis flavors, all supported by a perfectly balanced acidity and velvety, well-integrated tannins that lead into a long, mineral-infused, ripe cassis finish. On a perfect drinking plateau now, I hesitate to guess how long this wine will continue to drink so well (maybe 8-10 more years?), but it is so gorgeous now, it would be hard not to drink these up.
Paired this evening alongside 2 different preparations of lamb (braised shoulder vs wood-grilled loin) with oregano-cumin panisse, grilled garlic, young carrots, buttered favas, and saffron jus. The flavors and background spice of this dish were matched so perfectly with that of the wine, I would say it was the most stunning wine and food pairing I have ever experienced. The pinnacle course of a perfect meal.

Tasting room pour. This Chard is sourced from Chateau St Michelle's estate vineyard. Pear and green apple on the nose. Steely notes of pear and green apple are echoed on the palate, with bright mineral notes and light toasty notes noticeable on the med finish. Very nice.

Tasting room pour. From the H3 AVA. Blueberry, black currant, tar and rocks on the nose. Rich, ripe blueberries on the palate (a bit jammy), along with charcoal and chocolate. Full bodied, long finish, drying tannins.

Tasting room pour. Black in color. Blackberry fruit, tart dark fruits on the nose, with smoke and a black pepper nuance in the upper register. On the palate, blackberry fruit leads into black cherry pit, with a wonderful tense tartness, meat, and charcoal. Huge mouthfeel, tightly wound tannins, med+ finish. Very nice. Drink in 2 years, over the next 8+.

Tasting room pour. Medium garnet color. Plums and black currant fruit on the nose, with a tense spiciness and minerality. Blueberry and spice/garrigue flavors, with a more tart fruit profile, superb minerality, and a long, earthy finish. Very nice.

Tasting room pour. Medium garnet in color. Restrained black currant and cassis fruit on the nose, you have to work for it at this point. A nice minerality noted as well, but the bouquet is reserved and held tight to the chest, anticipating what will come in years ahead. In the mouth, there is a tart black cherry fruit profile, with gorgeous licorice and minerality, wonderful length and balance, leading into a long finish showing mocha notes, supported by already supple tannins that will further round out in 1-2 years, and drink well for another 7-10 years+. Super wine, with great potential.

Tasting room pour. The 2011 Viognier was already open, and the winemaker came in and popped the 2010 to compare (thanks Mark!). Less intensely floral nose than the 2011, showing peach and apricot fruit flavors and a hint of chalk in the upper register. Flavorful expression of gorgeous stone fruits, very lush and deeper on the palate than the 2011, putting on significant weight with another year of bottle age. Drink over the next 2 years.

Tasting room pour. This blend includes 22% Petit Verdot, 30-40% new oak. Light blackberry and black cherry notes on the nose. Flavors of black cherry, smoke, and charcoal on the medium length finish.

Tasting room pour. Approx 50% new oak on this Malbec. Blueberry and wet stones on the nose, also some smokey notes. On the palate, black cherry pit and charcoal notes initially, leading into a higher acid, fresher Malbec than I am used to from the limited Washington producers who even bottle this varietal. The tannins are very tight at this point, delivering a precise and mineral-infused med+ finish. Very nice, and I assume this will improve over the next 1-2 years and drink well for 4-6+ years thereafter. Bravo.

Tasting room pour. Syrah from 3 different sites, blended and fermented in 30-35% new oak. Meaty/bacon characteristic initially on the nose, black cherry fruit, anise. Yum yum. Flavors of red cherry pit, plum, garrigue/spice, flinty medium+ finish, nice!

Tasting room pour. I think it was opened accidentally (tasting sheet said 2008), but I wasn't complaining. 50% new oak, 60% Syrah, 40% Cab. Raspberry and bing cherry on the nose, seems bright and fresh. This leads into flavors of blueberry and black currant fruit, with tense tannins that may not fully resolve (a bit green?), showing notes of mocha on the medium finish. Drink now for 4-5 more years.

Tasting room pour. Approx 70% Syrah, 30% Cab. Bouquet offers up deep, dark plum and red cherry fruit, with a bit of minerality. Then flavorful notes of beautiful red cherry fruit, spice/black pepper, with a tense and tight tannic mouthfeel. Currently 89 points, potential 92. Drink in 1-2 years, over the next 5-8yrs.

Tasting room pour (Ha! There is no tasting room, but we scored a personal visit). Stood around with Steve Griessel (current owner, nicest guy ever), Bob Betz (previous owner, current consultant), and Tyson (asst winemaker), and tasted a teeth-staining barrel sample from the lovely 2011 Syrahs. We then chatted about this newly released wine (they served it blind and asked us to guess). I was thinking this was a Bordeaux blend, but I wasn't getting enough from the Cab Sauv to make me sure, and I was afraid to "guess wrong outloud" in front of all these wine gurus. My pal, Chris, steps into the middle of the tasting circle and boldly says, "It is a Bordeaux blend, mostly Merlot." After getting high-fives from all the Masters, they unveiled the 2009 Clos de Betz, their Merlot-heavy Bordeaux blend. At the end of this awesome tasting experience, Chris walked to the car humming "I'm sexy and I know it.". Damn him.

Deep purple/garnet in color. On the nose, black cherry fruit and notes of mocha and licorice come through, with a flint/mineral characteristic in the upper register. The wine is full bodied yet restrained on the palate, showing black cherry pit, plum, and black currant flavors, very controlled and precise, so fresh and brilliant due to laborious fruit selection and proper ripeness at harvest. Interesting to hear from Bob Betz how much thought and effort goes into getting this end result, but so worth it when you taste the final product. Not in the least bit overdone, this wine will drink well in two more years, and should go for 10-15+ years with no problem whatsoever. Brilliant.