finishing this off finally
Back to the room, where there was work to be done, and in no
time I had to go downstairs and rendezvous with the winos,
er, oenophiles.
Present: Jackal [designated driver], Bob W, beckoa, lili,
lili+1 (Nick), nor4, moi.
Our destinations were Columbia and Ch. Ste. Michelle across
the street from it, an easy and jolly half-hour ride from
the hotel (with a quick stop in the north part of Seattle
to pick up nor4).
Columbia has gotten more tourist-friendly since I was there
last, with good food options - free munchies and reasonably
priced flatbread pizzas, impressive function areas, and a
briskly competent tasting room staff.
My scribbles:
Viognier 08 - pineapple, peach; some touch of spice; light
body; citrus on the palate; yeasty, almost bready finish.
Covey Run reserve Grenache (86 Grenache, 14 Malbec) -
blueberry/cherry, spicy nose, tannic but a little dumb or
empty on the palate; spicy finish [of course I can't find
the vintage date in my notes].
Breccia 06 (Sangiovese/Barbera) - this being the house's
Tuscan-style offering - a bit thin; acid - sort of like
unripe blackberries; didn't care for it (though others
among us liked this a ton).
Red Willow vineyard:
Cabernet 06 - a bit hot and green, stemmy, cherries,
strawberries, touch of mint. Not quite ready.
Peninsula 02 - lots of depth but still a little green;
plums; peppery.
Syrah 04 - odd animal smell that didn't ever quite blow
off; plums and spice, medicinal; long finish.
Of the lot, I think I preferred the Red Willow Cab, but
on the whole it seems they don't measure up to the
wines I used to buy here a couple decades ago.
=
Across the street to Ch. Ste. Michelle for the Reserve Room
Tasting, where we were treated to
Cold Creek Chardonnay 07 - theirs: Aromas of apple and lemon
with toast flavors on the finish. Foods: seafood risotto,
salmon, veal; 100% Chardonnay. Mine: pleasant spice and
citrus; too yeasty (the "toast" flavors).
Cold Creek Merlot 06 - theirs: Flavors of dark fruit with
hints of bittersweet chocolate. Foods: lamb, pasta, beef,
fowl; 78% Cold Creek Merlot 22% Cold Creek Cabernet
Sauvignon. Mine: coffee, plum, cherry. Tannic. Didn't
thrill me.
Cold Creek Cab S 06 - theirs: Concentrated black fruit with
aromas and flavors of blackberry jam. Foods: beef, hearty
pastas, veal; 98% Cabernet Sauvignon 2% Merlot. Mine:
beeswax and blackberry, a little tough. Anise in back. I
liked it. Check.
Col Solare Bx blend (Cab S, Merlot, Cab F) 05 - theirs:
Aromas of black cherry, berry and dark chocolate fuse with
smooth notes of vanilla and spice. Foods: beef, pasta,
lamb; 71% Cab S. 25% Merlot 4% Cab F. I found it full of
blackberry and vanilla with big tannin and a raisin vanilla
finish; quite fine. Others supposedly thought it Italianate.
Check.
Chenin Blanc ice wine 06 - theirs: Intensely rich with
ultra ripe melon aromas and flavors with a clean acidity.
Foods: fresh fruits, custards, soft cheeses; 100% Horse
Heaven Chenin Blanc. Mine: green tea, pineapple, apricot;
a little flat with lowish acidity. Less successful than
other stickies I've had from here - they used to make
terrific late-harvest Riesling and Semillon that I drank
a decade or two ago.
Off the tasting, but we were allowed (probably because of
Bob W) into the club area for a sneak preview of the
Canoe Ridge Cab S 06 - pleasant, spicy, black pepper, black
tea, blackberry, black everything. Quite nice. Not ready.
Ethos Merlot 06 - less fruit than I'd have expected; a
little open alcohol; spicy; blueberries and cherries with a
dried blackberry finish.
On the whole I liked these wines better than the ones across
the street - the reverse of my preferences in the '90s and
earlier '00s. Columbia really appears to have fallen
behind, and I'm not sure why.