Dinner in Seattle

Met up with a small group at Bin on the Lake for a dinner showcasing the wines of the Pacific Northwest. It was great group to have dinner with and the team at Bin did a great job accomodating our group. Would recommend this place to others in the future.

• 2010 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Lots of grass and herbs on the nose with a dense white floral tone. The palate is plush with exuberant flavors of grapefruit, meyer lemon, and fresh spring flavors. The mouthfeel is undeniably Californian Sauvignon, with a distinct freshness more characteristic of Loire Valley Sancerre. Very nice.

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• 2002 Thomas Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 94 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  A real treat. This had been opened for a bit before my first taste and it was showing a very beautiful ruby color in the glass. The soft red floral aromas paired nicely with dried leaves, subtle mushroom, and an elegant red berry note. The palate was medium-weight and had great complex tones of red fruit, florals, earthiness and minerals. A true American Grand Cru.

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• 1995 DeLille Cellars D2 91 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Impressive showing for a bottle that wasn't expected to have much left in the tank. This had elegant cedar, cherry tobacco and roasted rosemary tones that shaped the medium-weight palate. The finish was robust and had really beautiful red floral tones.

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• 2000 Cadence Spring Valley Vineyard

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  The nose of this wine was pretty bad with paint thinner/acetone over some plum and smoke notes. The palate was far more inviting with peppery red fruit and charcoal. The aroma of a wine is such a critical part for me, so despite the palate being relatively nice, it's hard for me to be overly excited about the complete package.

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• 1997 Andrew Will Merlot Pepper Bridge Vineyard 84 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  This one was showing its age. Had some simple red fruit, spice and chocolate on the palate. I think most of us at dinner agreed that this was on the downslope.

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• 2008 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Lagniappe 92 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  This was my first chance trying a Gramercy syrah and I hope it's not my last. This was slow-ox'd for 2 hours before dinner, and then decanted once we got to the restaurant for about 45 minutes. It had an exquisite black fruit nose with some pepper smoked meats, and gorgeous violets. The wine has a very nice density to it with restrained black fruit, spice and a great meatiness. Will be interesting to see how this wine ages!

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• 2008 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 88 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Palate was pretty dense with some cassis, charcoal and subtle blueberry. I thought the oak was a bit clumsy at this point in its evolution, but guessing that will slowly resolve itself over time. Nice mouthfeel and finish...thought this needed a fair amount of time to really develop secondary complexity.

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• 2003 Long Shadows Wineries Cabernet Sauvignon Feather 85 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Intensely candied nose of blackberry liqueur, blueberry compote and charcoal. Palate had rich black and blue fruit with a distinct toasted brown sugar flavor. A modern expression of Cabernet that was a bit too big and fruity for my tastes.

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• 2008 Grand Rêve Vintners Collaboration Series II Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  This bottle was slow-ox'd for 2 hours before dinner, then decanted for 45 minutes before service. A very dark wine with brooding blackberry, charcoal, some pain grille, and subtle bacon/sausage tones. The palate doesn't shift much from the nose but adds subtle herbal and floral tones. A pretty nice wine that needs incredible amounts of paitence.

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• 2004 Cadence Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 87 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  Bright red fruit on the nose gave this a pretty modern feel to it. Palate was not overly dense, but did feature ripe red berries, some cedar, pipe tobacco and subtle meat. Wasn't overly complex, but had nice minerality on the finish.

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• 2003 Northstar Merlot Columbia Valley 86 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Warm nose of chocolate, red cherry, raspberry and some smokey minerals. I don't know much about this producer, but the wine seemed to be lacking acid and structure...maybe due to age?

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• 2007 Pepper Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 88 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  Had some nice currant, subtle cedar and rich red fruit. The wine had some nice spiciness to it and had a really silky mouthfeel. It's a shame this was drank alongside some heavy weights, because it got a bit lost in the mix.

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• 2004 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  This was my first QC that didn't taste backwards when I tasted it. It had really nice baking spices, dark fruit and roasted herbs. Overall, this was a GREAT wine that had incredible balance and structure. Wish more QC's were like this one.

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• 2008 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Plush wine with ripe flavors of cherry, cassis, charcoal and cedar. Was drank alongside a 2004 QC, and this didn't have that wines elegance, but I'm guessing that has more to do with age than quality. The balance on the finish was a bit off for me with the heat coming through...but again, more a sign of its age than poor wine making. Will be a great bottle in a couple years.

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• 2006 Waters Syrah Loess Vineyard 85 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  A bit too dense for my tastes. Notes of blueberry cream, smokey minerals, and some spice. Not enough acidity on the finish made this a bit flabby to me.

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