2007 Neil Ellis Pinotage

*Bottle #54: 2007 Neil Ellis Stellenbosch Pinotage
*Price Tag: $23
*Running Tab: $652

Duh du du DUH! (That was my attempted trumpet horn simulation).

Announcing the second step to my new year blog approach: Guest bloggers! This week, for the inaugural guest blogger kick off, I persuaded another industry wino to consume something other than his boss' juice. Really twisted his arm with free wine. Please welcome N.J.

So here it is, my first guest blogging sesh and my first shot at Pinotage! Pino-wha, you might ask?

"Peeno-taj:" a successful hybridization of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Professor A South African professor decided to play Grape God in 1925 when he cross-bred this two varieties as "Hermitage" and eventually dubbing it Pinotage. Dionysus might have been a little threatened.

No locally-bred South African varietal is more planted in their soils but the grape itself only takes up around 7% of the available vineyard area. With 60 appellations and many other varietals planted nationwide, this region of Stellenbosch takes the title for Pinotage.

Now Pinotage can sometimes be a little whiney bitch. Although it's easy to farm and rear, major criticisms have been made about the hybrid wine to be containing volatile acids, causing there to be some funky smells coming out of the glass. And that stuff doesn't blow off over time in the glass, it's what you're getting for aromas.

Why it's a pain is because it's entirely up to the winemakers - the fate of this seemingly simplistic varietal lies in the hands of often times equally whiney and bitchy vintners... It is the battle of the divas.

Likewise, here we are faced again with the battle of the wine reviewing divas. In all actuality, N.J. and I agreed on this wine for the most part so there was no hair pulled or nails sharpened...

Both of us being South African virgins, please don't take advantage of us.

Color

NJ: I was struck by the color, an inky purple reminiscent of Syrah that I hadn’t expected.
E: Although we were drinking it together, I saw a ruby, almost brick red color. I also have a stigmatism in both eyes...

Nose

NJ: Coming out of the bottle the wine smelled grapey, one-note and not terribly good. After decanting, notes of lavender and violet were surprisingly forward, while subtle earthiness rounded out the nose.
E: I witnessed the wine post-decant, so I found it to have dark, ripened fruit with a tarry, inky, leather-like aroma. That soil/dirty fruit smell that I thought a region known for minerality might add to the wine was definitely present and dark fruits like black currants and some steady plum notes were mixed in.

Palate

NJ: More soft floral and herbal tones filled the mouth and were well-balanced with the little hints of fresh dark fruit rolled over my tongue. The fruit was like a polite passenger in this wine, quiet, pleasant, kicking in for gas along the way, but never driving.

E: I found this wine to be very well-structured, especially in comparison to Bottle #2 that we consumed following this guy. The dark fruit was more present for me, with a rich and borderline semi-sweet mouth entrance. Soft supple tannins drifted in the mid-palate pushed by waves of the same semi-sweet finish that finalized with those dry, young tannins.

Everybody's a Critic

NJ: My only real complaint with this wine was that it was too young. Even after the hour it spent in the decanter, the pepper tones were just a bit strong, and the tannins a bit fine. The combination made for a zesty little finish that was more rustic than the refined nose and mid-palate deserved
E: What he said.

Last Thoughts

NJ: It was my first time with Pinotage and it was all I could have hoped for: gentle, soft, classy, not vulgar or crass. It knew I was nervous, confused, not sure what to expect. This Pinotage had a slow hand, and it left me wanting more.
E: Perv.

This was a nice bottle of wine, despite it's youth - which I've done some reading and found that Pinotages aren't necessarily known for their aging capabilities so this was actually a good call.

Drink it again? Always. Drink always? Of course.

Score: 8.

Some tasting notes.

Dear Washington Winos,

Check out the following events:

*February 28th-March 1st - Hollywood Hills Winery is opening a tasting room in Woodinville, WA, a local Pinot Noir grower and producer... www.hollywoodhillvineyards.com
*March 14th - The Sip of Snoqualmie, featuring Washington wineries and food from the Snoqualmie Casino... http://www.encompassnw.org/subcontent.aspx?SecID=73
*March 15th - Bags & Bottles, swapping new and used handbags for wine tastings... http://www.gildasclubseattle.org/fundraisers/Event.php?id=116

I think there will be many a spring barrel tastings coming up in the next two months too, which is exciting and would be awesome if I could actually make any of them. I'll keep you posted!

Cheers,
Erin

2006 Novelty Hill Stillwater Creek Viognier

*Bottle #53: 2006 Novelty Hill Stillwater Creek Viognier
*Price Tag: 22
*Running Tab: $639

Being the new year - my new year of the blog, not the Chinese - I have decided to take a no-holds-barred approach. No, I will not be posting topless photos, you won't find me making out with all of those Seattle celebrities at the club and I won't be shaving my head any time soon (RIP Crazy Britney).

I'm talking a new blog me. First step: honor my virtues. In the case of this review, I have to be upfront, honest and admit that I am a former staff-member of the Novelty Hill-Januik Wineries.

That being said, I did not work the harvest or aid in any of the production processes of the 2006 vintage and I am no longer a tasting room employee. So I was worthless!

The point: I no longer harbor any bias for their wine other than my own opinion.

And in the grand scheme of this blog, that's the only thing that matters and you remember that!

I do like to tell Mike Januik's story, winemaker for Novelty Hill and Januik wineries. Because I am a fan. Me and everyone else in the greater Seattle area.

A straight descendent of Chateau Ste. Michelle, he left his 10-year position as head winemaker at Washington state's greatest beverage monopoly to embark on a solo mission. Having 15 years as a winemaker in the bag, Januik already had a cult following and took a chunk of Ste. Michelle change with him.

For having an excessive, concrete and steal-constructed winery compound reminiscent of the downtown Seattle REI complex (cough same contractor cough), Mike Januik the man is miles away from extravagant. Mustache-clad and smile-resistant, the man's public commentary is far and few between. He has one set head shot he uses instead of unique photo shoots for each of the articles written on him and quotes from him are often a few years old. Behind the safe bomb-shelter-esque walls of his winery's production facility, Januik is notorious for his quick wit, his sincere humility and horrible shockjock one-liner jokes.

Mike heads up both operations as well as helps to run NH's estate vineyard, Stillwater Creek.

Now who's been paying attention? Aw yes, Stillwater Creek - one of Washington's most highly sourced vineyards. But you remembered that.

Mike's 2006 Viognier is quintessential for the varietal and the man.

A light, straw yellow pigment shines translucently through the case with aromatically stimulating bright fruit of citrus and nectarine crossed with flowers. Barrel-fermented in 100% French oak, this classically trained winemaker brings out the butter in the 100% Rhone variety.

The most interesting aroma, which completely profiles the Stillwater Creek Vineyard and the Rhone Valley, is the minerality in the wine. The soils are high in basalt from when Mt. St. Helens blew in the early 80s. That lava rock salt really does it for me.

The palate packs a punch of refreshing acidity with a full-body of big green apple (but not sour) and that same lemon-lime citrus from the nose (but not like a 7-Up). That grainy minerality courtesy of St. Helens. comes through in the finish.

Wine Enthusiast seemed to like it too: "...it's just got that indefinable mix of flower, perfume, citrus and stone fruit that typifies the finest Washington Viogniers..." 93 points later...

Not a bad thing to say about Mike Januik's small-scale 196-cased wine.

I'm typically more of a stainless steal or concrete white wines person, but this is oaked Viognier is easily one of my favorite of this varietal from Washington. I know those people over at Enthusiast have something called "credentials" that give their stance some more status but you should probably take my word for it.

Score: 9.

Pendulum 2006 Red Wine

*Bottle #52: Pendulum 2006 Columbia Valley Red Wine
*Price Tag: $18
*Running Tab: $617

This right here is my 52nd review and I just happened to inadvertently post it on the exact one-year date. Yay, subconsciously brilliant me!

But why this wine for such an epic and cardinal affair?

Since I seem to be the only one celebrating (I am, however, awaiting my huge success that is to come after joining Twitter, according to my tech-infused PR friends), I went with a bottle to satisfy me. Just like a woman and damn proud of it.

Reasons why the 2006 Pendulum Red Wine from Columbia Valley pleases moi:

1) It was incredibly hard to figure out anything about this wine via the "Internets" but it was done. The enigma itself was tantalizing enough...

2) Great Washington wine names to back it up: Allen Shoup of Long Shadows in Walla Walla ($) and Andrew Browne of Precept Brands in Seattle (think the black and white labeled "House Wine" red blend).

3) Great story behind those names: Former arch nemeses turned business partners. Shoup used to head up Ste. Michelle labels and Browne was the leader of Corus Brands (which was owned at the time by Columbia Winery). These two giants stare at each other from across the street in the big city of Woodinville, WA. In those days, it was the constant battle of who can sell more, buy up more, exploit more, move through brilliant-over-produced winemakers faster...

4) Mystery blend exposed: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Sangiovese, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Syrah. Predominatly Cab, it should take on a good majority of those characteristics...

5) Mystery vineyards exposed: A little bit of Alder Ridge in my life, a little bit of Candy Mountain by my side, a little bit of Pepper Bridge is all I need, a little bit of Conner Lee in the sun and a little bit of Weinbau all night long. The "Mambo No. 5" of Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope and Walla Walla and that's not even all the vineyards used, I just got overwhelmed.

6) It's easy to drink, it's red, it uses all of the varietals Washington should be proud of and cost me $18. Done and doner.

The juice in the wine supposedly is the left-overs from Long Shadow's Feather, a beautiful and noble red wine that triple this one's price. And just like food left-overs, the original dish is so much better than what you have the next day, even after attempting to salvage it by heating it in microwave.

Nose: There's some berries in there, you just have to search for them. This wine is young and tight in aromas but they're there. Subtle mocha with milk chocolate - distinctly milk chocolate because it almost gives off the impression of creaminess. Nice, actually. Black olives come into play later.

Palate: Bright red fruit, spice and good acidity with a war on the front of the mouth with tannins. However, being medium-bodied and second-rate, it strains out a little in the end and is almost thin.

This wine's like a current war we're in: there's a lot of words, weapons and names being claimed and thrown around but none of them are really making an impact in the overall situation... Pendulum might have a hefty arsenal guarded by Shoup and Browne and filled with prominent AVA's fruit but the wine is still a disappointment.

Here's some more unnecessary sensationalism I found on the back side of this bottle. And I quote...

"A MOMENT IN TIME.
The fluidity of the seasons.
The perfect reflection
of elements in balance."

Sip on that for a while.

Score: 5.

CoughTwitterCough.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm finally on Twitter. "Follow" me or "tweet" me or "update" me or "add" me... I seriously have no idea what I'm doing on this site except for it's that greatest thing since Justin brought "Sexy Back" and we all know how long that lasted.

Help.

Pssst.

Next week is my one-year anniversary of this purple-soiled rubbish of a wine blog.

I'm pretty excited.

If you have any comments, concerns, compliments (please?) or recommendations you'd like me to cover in that entry or within the new year, do share!

Cheers!

Facelli Winery 2003 Private Reserve Syrah

*Bottle #51: Facelli Winery 2003 Private Reserve Bacchus Vineyard Syrah
*Price Tag: $28
*Running Tab: $599

Things you should know by now:
1) I have a weak spot for artisan winemakers.
2) I have another one for Italian wine.

Take a small-town, 3,000-case producing, Italian winemaker and now you're getting somewhere - Lou Facelli of Facelli Winery in Woodinville, WA.

The general experience of Facelli Winery is a little ordinary compared to some of its neighbors (see all that is the chateau of Ste. Michelle Estates and the REI-modeled new Novelty-Hill/Januik Wineries building). The tasting room looks like an office kitchen with a 6-foot bar shoved in it, complete with an easy-access sink, a simple dual-rack dishwasher and personalized coffee mugs.

Getting into the tasting room while you can during their 8-hour open-to-the-public weekly cycle is a must. You will be crammed in the corner, bumping up against someone who either smells or has been tasting a lot that day and your wine glass will empty rather quickly as they do not pour hefty loads of their half French, half Italian wines.

However, you will have a full-on Lou Facelli encounter.

Button-up shirt (often times flannel), fastened to his belly with faux silver-clipped suspenders, a black beret that may or may not match, all accompanied by his mustache which may or may not have a smile under it. He's constantly hustling from one glass to the next, pouring wine for you while explaining it to the guy next to you. And he signs every single bottle that is purchased from that register, even ones that are ordered and shipped over the phone.

Facelli has been in the biz since 1981, releasing his first vintage in 1988 and has kept his nose to the grindstone ever since - wife Sandy and two daughters, Lisa and Lori, are usually present in the tasting room, in the cellar and slaving during harvest. It's a family affair from grapes that are hand-picked, hand-sorted and made into wine with love, dedication and relationships.

That is an artisan winemaker.

This is an artisan wine: the 2003 Private Reserve Syrah was the first of its kind. The fruit was sourced from specific rows of grapes in the Bacchus Vineyard (think back to Cuillin Hills' Weinbau Vineyard Cab Franc - same grapegrowing company). These specific Syrah grapes are cropped at a lower tonnage per acre = smaller grapes = more concentrated fruit. 100% Syrah, 100% French oak barrels and 100% Bacchus. An equation for some good ish.

The boldness and the beauty of this wine is embodied in its rich purple dye of the glass. Small dark berries (think blackberries and blueberries), vibrant spices and an awesome game note (meaty bacon!) fill up the nose. Extremely aromatic and mouthwatering.

The same aromas transfer over to the attack of the wine, that inital sip, but seem to dampen over the midpalate. Fortuntely, the finish saves the impression of the wine, almost baking the tastebuds and leaving them plump with flavor from well-rounded tannins and dark fruit.

Drink this bottle now. If that midpalate is even slightly dwindling now, I can't imagine this Syrah lasting much longer. As for today, it's pretty appetizing. Lou should be proud.

Score: 7.5.