Dusted Valley-- 2010 Washington Winery of the Year!

When self-proclaimed Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"/winemakers Corey Braunel and Chad Johnson chucked it all and moved their families to Walla Walla in 2003, little did they know that seven years later their dream, Dusted Valley, would be named Washington Winery Of The Year by Wine Press Northwest. I had never heard of them until a few months ago when a general e-mail announcing the accolade graced my inbox. It must have been a good sign. I was curious and wanted to know more. Who were they and what were their wines like? A couple weeks and a couple sample bottles later, I am sitting here beside myself and extremely impressed with my finding! Thank goodness for e-mail!

Dusted ValIey is a small production winery located in Walla Walla, Washington. Most of you have probably never heard of them as they have limited distribution. However, I urge you to discover them through their website because their wines will woo you and find a special place in your hearts. As stated above, in seven short years they have become a force to be reckoned with! These are gutsy, edgy wines with emphasis on big taste. Something unbelievably great has evolved from such humble beginnings...

The vision for this winery is a combination of the winemakers' love of Washington wines, an agricultural background and education. Corey came from a farming background eventually moving into the sales and marketing area. Chad started in the hospitality industry and also studied food science and chemistry at school. Together, their love for the Pacific Northwest and the wines produced in this region was enough for them to uproot and move. They now have a 4000 case production, sustainable-practice winery dedicated to producing high quality wines in an affordable price range. Everything they do goes back to their roots, even the oak they use comes from Wisconsin! Their idea is that wine should be enjoyed as an experience with friends and family. These two make wines that they would want to be drinking and that is a great philosophy!


I recently had the chance to sample two of their wines and can't wait until next month when I get to sample more out in Washington! The two I tried are perfect examples of their dedication to taste and quality... (And the awards just keep coming!)


The 2008 Dusted Valley Yakima Valley Old Vine Chardonnay was clean, refreshing and flavorful. None of that overly-oaked nonsense as this one seems to be done in a very Burgundian style, keeping true to the flavor of the Chardonnay grape. What exactly is an "Old Vine Chardonnay"? The vines were planted in 1971. In Washington state terms, that is "old" because the industry there is so young. (It didn't begin hopping until shortly before that!) I really enjoyed this wine and unfortunately for my readers, so did everyone else! The winery is officially sold out of all 217 cases of this wine. Good for them, not good for us. Hopefully they will be releasing the 2009 sometime in the near future. $30.00.

The 2007 Columbia Valley Stained Tooth Syrah is amazing! (And yes, I can see why they named it "Stained Tooth"! You will have purple teeth after this one!) If I could use the word "Wow" in every sentence of this description, I'd certainly try to get away with it! I took this bottle over to a friend's wine shop and tasted it with him and we were blown away. This wine is a precision blending of Syrah and Viognier with some Grenache and rare varietal Counoise mixed in. There's absolutely none of that Rhône "funk" (although it's fashioned in the Rhône style). Just a lot of huge dark jammy fruit up front and firm tannins. Like I said, "Wow!" Fortunately for everyone they made over 1200 cases so you can still get some of this. $28.00 (yes, that's it--so much flavor and value!)

And as if this all wasn't enough, they have added a second "value" label, Boomtown, featuring other wines from the area. These wines are available in supermarkets and restaurants as well as their website. I haven't tried these yet but but hope to in the near future.

If you happen to live in Washington or are visiting Washington soon (2010 Wine Bloggers Conference attendees should look into this!), there are two places to enjoy these wines. In the Seattle area, they can be found at the Woodinville Wine Gallery and they also have a tasting room in Walla Walla. Please check them out on their website, dustedvalley.com, to learn about their other wines, all the awards and how you can obtain some of their wines for yourselves. I'd like to thank everyone at Dusted Valley for allowing me to sample such great wines! You are truly deserving of this accolade and I'm looking forward to meeting you in June!

An Inspiration Worth Having...

I've been really busy lately and sometimes I get so caught up in the whirlwind I call my every day life that I neglect to do what I love best--writing about my favorite wines and wineries. We bloggers all have our moments like this I'm sure! Sometimes all it takes is one special glass of wine to change all of that...

I've been an advocate of the small family winemaker for years! My fascination with their passion and hard work to handcraft special wines from the ground up just amazes me! One such winemaker is Jon Phillips, who along with his wife Barbara, owns Inspiration Vineyards, a small family winery in the Santa Rosa area of Sonoma County. Jon began his road to a career in wine during the 90s working at Mirassou Winery tasting room. He had always had an interest in wine as his great-grandparents were owners of a vineyard in San Martin in the early 1900s. Jon continued his journey by teaching wine appreciation classes and expanding his own education through UC Davis. In 1999, Jon and Barbara produced their first wine--a barrel of Contra Costa Zinfandel made with grapes they purchased from Rosenblum Cellars.

In just a few short years, they took their "home" winery, expanded it and turned it into something really special. In 2001, they were able to finally achieve their dream. They purchased a six-acre property in Sonoma County and began getting the permits to build their own winery. Since then, they've worked hard turning their vision into a thousand case production winery. Jon is such a nice, down to earth guy and the wines really speak for themselves. I truly believe more people out there should discover these wines. Jon had wanted me to sample the wines for quite awhile but somehow I just could not make a meeting work on my last visit out there. So, he was gracious and sent me a few bottles to sample. I'd like to share some words on some of my favorites...

2008 Zinspiration--I had the chance to try a style of wine one doesn't find a lot of and after trying it, I'm not really sure why. This wine is a dry Rosé made from Zinfandel grapes from Muzzin Vineyard in the Alexander Valley. Dry Rosé is not to be confused with White Zinfandel, which is the much taunted sweeter version. They are two different animals! The Zinspiration is fantastic, refreshing and the perfect beverage for sipping wine on the patio in the Summertime. It explodes with strawberry and citrus flavors and has a crisp dry finish! I love it! I want more...I wish more Zinfandel producers out there would make one. Get it while you can! $15.00.

2007 Viognier--Made with grapes sourced from Jacobs Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, this unfiltered Viognier has unique characteristics. Usually with Viognier you get the floral aromas and flavors, but this one is different. It is full of stone fruit--lush with apricots and peaches. Medium-bodied and delicious! The perfect accompaniment for Asian and Indian foods or anything spicy. It will cool your palate with its breezy flavors. Very nice. Viognier is starting to become a favorite of mine. $29.00.

2007 Pinot Noir--Ah, cool climate Carneros Pinot Noir! The grapes for this 2009 Sonoma County Harvest Fair gold medal winner came from Martin Ranch is Los Carneros, a region on the southern end of Sonoma County (also sharing area with Napa County). With this you get a lovely cranberry-strawberry flavor with hints of earth and tobacco. Aged in French Oak for a lovely, smooth and not overly-oaked finish. I really enjoyed this one! $30.00.

2007 Zinfandel Russian River Valley--I am a Zin fanatic but most of you already know this! I love Zinfandel for its rich, lush fruit flavors and sometimes high alcohol content making for a large, jammy, over the top wine. With this Russian River Zinfandel, Jon has introduced me to a different style of the beautiful varietal. With low alcohol and a ton of flavor, this wine came up and surprised me! I never knew I could enjoy a Zin with low alcohol. (Under 14%) It is refined, elegant, spicy and warm with blackberry, dark cherry and cinnamon spice but none of that familiar burn. It's not hot, just enjoyable. An added note, Jon also makes a killer Zinfandel from Alexander Valley! Check them both out! $23.00.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon--Jon even makes a Cabernet Sauvignon with grapes from the Callaway Vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley-area of northern Sonoma County. This is a very straight forward Cabernet with dark cherry, blackberry, cassis and toasted oaks. Soft tannins make this wine food friendly and drinkable alone. I enjoyed the big up front flavors and smooth finish. Another award winner! Bravo! $30.00.

Jon and Barbara both have a lot to look forward to! With award-winning wines and a passion for their craft, I know they will do very well! The wines are very affordable and worth a lot more than their price tag reveals. I am looking forward to tasting more and visiting them on my next trip out to Sonoma County! They have what it takes and I hope you will take the time to discover their wines as well. The winery is located at 2040 Olivet Road in Santa Rosa. They welcome visitors by appointment which can be made through their website, inspirationvineyards.com. They don't distribute their wines nationwide yet but do ship to many states and have an online store. Please check the website for new vintages and current availability as these are very small production wines and they go fast! Thank you, Jon, for allowing me to get a glimpse of your world and your wines! You have truly been an "Inspiration" to me!

Say YES To Willamette Valley Vineyards!

I really wish I could say I was more up to speed on Oregon wines and wineries. But I'm not. I'm barely starting to tap into this wonderful area for wines. I'd like to learn more...A few months ago, after posting a note about the upcoming Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, I received a message from Christine Collier, the Social Marketing Coordinator at Willamette Valley Vineyards in Oregon! She was interested in having me sample some of their wines. A few weeks later, I received three samples and a nice set of information.


Willamette Valley Vineyards is a beautiful winery located in Turner, Oregon. The estate site was purchased in 1983 by founder Jim Bernau and he had a lot of work to do. The land was once the home of an old plum orchard laden with blackberry vines that needed to be cleared away before anything else could be planted. With some diligence and hard work, he began planting Pinot Noir (Pommard and Wadenswil) and Chardonnay clones (Dijon and Espiguette) along with Pinot Gris. The vineyard he had started to plant had no irrigation system, so Jim began by watering everything by hand using a garden hose! In 1989, the land finally was ready for Jim to begin realizing his dream! The vineyards are now tended to carefully and with much attention to detail. From using the highest quality fruit to responsible vineyard management, Jim and his team are committed to sustainable practices in their vineyards and all of their vineyards are certified sustainable. Their Estate Pinot Noir block is certified organic.

Seems Jim has a come a long way since those days and the winery slowly grew into one of the region's leading wineries earning many accolades along the way. The Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Willamette Valley Vineyards "One of America's Great Pinot Noir Producers." Rightly so. I understood this point immediately when I sampled the wines. Rich, balanced and handcrafted, these are very classy and elegant--- wines of distinction.

The first wine I sampled was the 2008 Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling. Now mind you, I am used to the almost bone-dry but still flavorful Rieslings so this one caught me off guard. It is stylistically similar to a lot of the semi-sweet German-style Rieslings out there. It had some tropical notes such as pineapple and peach and not so much of the apple flavor I notice in this varietal. It was really refreshing and had quite a long finish. I would pair it up with Asian dishes such as sushi and spicy stir-fry. I would also recommend this wine for novice white wine drinkers who are not quite ready to sample anything very dry. Delicious! $12.00.


There is a lot of Pinot Noir out there now and some of it is questionable. Sometimes, all it can take is a magazine article, word of mouth or even a movie to turn something into a cash cow. I have been shying away from Pinot Noir for this reason. Pinot Noir can be pricey and you must have your facts in line before spending the money these days or you may end up with something not so good. With Oregon wines, there is no need to panic! I sampled two of Willamette Valley Vineyards' Pinot Noirs and both were exquisite and great buys for the price point.

The first one was the 2007 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir. This one is what I call their "Entry-level" Pinot Noir. This was a light and very juicy wine--bursting with red fruit. Cranberries and tart cherries, spiciness and earth. Very nice long finish. Really enjoyable. I paired mine up with roasted salmon and it fared nicely. $25.00.


The next one I took with me to a restaurant one evening. The 2007 Willamette Valley Vineyards Tualatin Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir. What a beautiful wine this was! This was single vineyard Pinot Noir at its finest! I close my eyes and smile when I think of the experience! This was a full-bodied melange of raspberry, cranberry and pomegranates, smoky and spicy with toasted graham cracker and cinnamon flavors. So heavenly! Lush but tough enough to stand up to my grilled filet mignon. This wine will pair well with pork, lamb and gamey meats. So rich and powerful.$40.00.

With such handcrafted wines and careful attention and commitment to excellence, this winery has it all! They will continue to strive to be the Best of the Best! I have to say, I am pretty excited and impressed by them and am really looking forward to meeting with Christine at the conference. I hope to sample some more of their wines and maybe actually visit the winery in the near future. Thanks to Christine Collier and the winery team for bringing such nice wines to my attention!

For those of you who are interested in purchasing these wines, the first two are generally available in fine wine shops and markets nationwide. The single vineyard Pinot Noir is currently available for order. www.willamettevalleyvineyards.com. Please check them out!

Barrel Tasting To Combat Children's Illiteracy

Now here's something fantastic! I found out that Twitter has teamed up with Crushpad, the world-reknowned custom crush facility now located in Napa Valley, and guess what? They are putting together a great event to help combat children's illiteracy in poor countries. The charity this benefits is called "Room To Read."

On Friday May 7th at 7 PM Pacific time, Noah Dorrance of Crushpad will be broadcasting a live barrel tasting and anyone in the world can take part in it by tuning in! To really take part in it and do your good deed for mankind, there are barrel tasting kits available through BRIXR. The kits are $14.00 each. $5.00 from each kit will go toward the benefit of "Room To Read."

This is a fantastic opportunity to do some preview barrel tastings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that will be released under the label "Fledgling". These releases will further benefit the charity and bring attention to children's illiteracy around the world. What a great thing! So, with all this in mind, how will you celebrate this event? Here in Des Moines, a friend of mine is hosting a party at a local coffee shop downtown, Amici Espresso. They have agreed to broadcast the live feed while we barrel taste! With a little effort, you can do this too! It's not too late! (To find out more about our local tasting here in Des Moines, please contact Pamela Henkel at pamela@joyful-words.com.) It's going to be GREAT!

To watch a short video and learn more on how you can obtain a barrel tasting kit and participate, please go to this link: http://www.brixr.com/tastings/upcoming/34 or view below:

I urge everyone to take part in this worldwide event and spread the word! For more information on "Room To Read" and Crushpad, please go to the websites below! Enjoy your evening and stay tuned for a future post on the event!

www.fledglingwine.com
www.crushpadwine.com

Duck...Duck...Goose?

Sometimes I fall for every gimmick in existence, because I'm gullible that way. (Now that I've said this, please don't play any tricks on me because I'll be on the look out! Ha!) Case in point, yesterday I received an e-mail from Cost Plus/World Market, a favorite shop of mine. I've been known to peruse the wine aisles there looking for bargain wine deals. They're famous for selling close-out wines and alternate label fun stuff. I wasn't prepared for what I found yesterday. The ad pointed to a Sauvignon Blanc made by a famous producer in the Rutherford area of Napa Valley. The story behind this wine was interesting. The winemaker wanted to move on to the next vintage and had a surplus of the 2008 vintage leftover. So why not bottle it under a different label and sell it to an unsuspecting public at a fraction of the cost??? This could be really good or really bad depending on how this vintage turned out for them. Now, I am not sure whether this producer was being funny and teasing us with this label or if they really just can't keep a secret. (Ahem, see below...)


I told you! So I paid my $9.97 to find out what all the hype was about. I'm happy that I did. If this is supposed to be a secret, it won't be for long because I'm letting the "duck" out of the bag, so to speak. Nobody is fooling anybody here. One sip of this wine and you will probably be able to decipher who may have made it. I've tasted this wine before. In fact, it wasn't too long ago and yes, I paid $28 for it. It tastes awfully familiar... You know what I'm talking about and don't pretend you don't. If I am way off, you can just shoot me because the quality of this wine says otherwise.

This is juicy Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc at its finest! Lush with passion fruit and guava flavors. None of the grassy, grapefruity stuff. And there's a wonderful honey-vanilla component that could only come from the addition of some Semillon. Since I'm unable to find any kind of information for this wine online, I will say that I'm pretty positive there's Semillon in it. I just love blind tastings, don't you? It's crisp, cool and flavorful and look at that price tag! I'm going back for another today. You should too, while supplies last.

Who cares if there's a big question mark on this wine? It's here to be enjoyed while it's available and that's all she wrote...Cheers!

Sbragia Family Vineyards: Family Unity and Great Winemaking

It seems that lately, we folks here in Iowa have been getting a lot of California winemakers visiting us. Iowa is a hot bed for fans of California wines and when winemakers visit us, we just eat it up! I've met five in the past several months and nothing impressed me more than meeting Adam Sbragia of Sbragia Family Vineyards this past week. When I found out he was coming here to visit, I got really excited because 1) I'd never tried their wines before. 2) I'd never had the chance to visit the winery on my previous trips to Dry Creek and 3) I'd heard great things about the family and hoped that everything I'd heard was true! Well, it was and so much more!

For those not familiar with the Sbragia Family, here is a great story. You've all heard of Beringer Vineyards. Who hasn't? For many, many years, Beringer has been a staple in a lot of households, not to mention grocery stores, wine stores etc. Adam's father is Ed Sbragia, who was Beringer's winemaker for 35 years. He still does consulting for Beringer. Adam even joked that the income generated from all the years Beringer sold (and still sells) their infamous "White Zinfandel" helped put him through school! (Everyone in the room chuckled...) Ed has a new project now---his own winery in Geyserville, which is located in Sonoma County at the northern end of Dry Creek. New to us here in Iowa maybe, but not new in California as it has been around for a few years. And I must say, we are happy to finally have the wines available here!

Sbragia Family Vineyards is truly a family affair. Just listening to Adam speak about his family gave me a warm feeling as there seems to be such unity between them and every family member is involved in the everyday business of the winery. The wines we sampled were exceptional and a real value for what they have put into them. As I sat there and listened, I smiled because his enthusiasm was genuine!



I belong to a couple groups that get together once a month at some of our Hy-Vee grocery stores and sample great wines, great food and occasionally mingle with the best of the best--winemakers from California! It was at one of these meetings that Adam arrived bearing great wines! We sampled six that evening and I'd like to share my thoughts on a few of them:

2009 Sbragia Family Home Ranch Sauvignon Blanc: Beautiful, handcrafted Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Creek Valley. A plethora of citrus flavor, a little bit of guava and pineapple and crisp finish. The closure on this bottle is very interesting. It's made of glass! Adam says with this wine, he didn't want any air getting in or out of it, making it drink now and perfect! He was right! $17.00.

2007 Sbragia Family Home Ranch Chardonnay: This is what I call cooler climate Chardonnay. Closer to the Sonoma Coast, giving it a cool pear flavor and lots of flinty minerality. I believe you may also find the 2008 vintage out available now.
$26.00.

2007 Sbragia Family Home Ranch Merlot: I loved this wine. Brimming with cherry and plum flavors. I would drink this wine a million times over! Rich, delicious and a no-brainer. $25.00.

2006 Sbragia Family Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon: Ah, this is the motherlode. Nearly everyone into wine has heard of the famed Monte Rosso Vineyard. Well, they're very choosy about who they contract their grapes to and they only stick with family wineries. I would call this wine a bargain at $50.00. It was very rich and intense and a keeper for the next few years!

I'm really grateful for this experience. Sharing these wines with Adam was a lot of fun and I simply cannot wait to visit the winery and sit down and have lunch with Adam and his Dad. What a nice family! They really care about what they do. Visit them and you shall see! For those of you who aren't able to make it to Dry Creek soon, please visit their website, www.sbragia.com or visit your local wine shops to purchase these wines. They are worth it!

An Iowa Boy Does Great In Walla Walla!

Nothing excites me more than when I hear about winemakers who have firmly-planted roots in my home state of Iowa. The more I study wine, the more I am finding this out. Last Summer, a local wine store in Des Moines hosted Dave Merfield, winemaker for Walla Walla, Washington-based winery, Northstar. Dave, originally from Greene, Iowa, was famous for bringing the winery's Merlot into the spotlight. Merlot has gotten a bad rap ever since the movie "Sideways" came along. A lot of people became snobs after that and refused to drink it. But not me... I had heard great things about Merlots coming from Washington. I couldn't wait to meet Dave and sample these wines. But, alas, it was not meant to be... I don't really remember why I couldn't arrive at the event any earlier than I did, but by the time I did, he had already left. I must've been having a bad day because as I stood there sampling the wines by myself, it just wasn't the same. I knew I'd missed out on a great opportunity to meet one of the best! And although I never got to meet Dave that day, the wines have always stood out in the back of my mind.

So, you must be wondering how a boy from Iowa, of all places, ended up making wine in Walla Walla? I asked myself this too and started researching...Back in the 90s, Dave or "Merf" as he is affectionately known as, became interested in the crafting of beer (not wine). Microbreweries were popping up all over, especially in the state of Washington. So he moved there to make beer. His interest and knowledge in beer-making came in handy years later when an opportunity popped up to learn the craft of winemaking. Dave began his winemaking journey as an enologist then moved on to become an assistant winemaker. Since 2007, he has been head winemaker at Northstar and leads a great team that includes legendary California winemaker, Jed Steele. (Jed is a consulting winemaker at Northstar.) Merf has been known to say he loves his job! That is so refreshing to hear!

Fast forward to a few months ago when I began my quest to learn more about Washington wines. Dave Merfield and Northstar Winery were the first things that popped into my head. I decided to contact Dave and he was gracious enough to write back almost immediately and coordinate something with Chateau Ste. Michelle's communications manager, Grace Doyle. She sent me a couple samples of the latest vintages of Northstar's fine Merlot. (Northstar is part of the Ste. Michelle Estates family. ). The two I received were the 2006 Northstar Columbia Valley Merlot and the 2005 Northstar Walla Walla Merlot. Both are unique in their own ways and have that special stellar "Merf" touch that the winery is best-known for. He is a master of handcrafting and blending-- so much so that these wines have received rave reviews from some of the leading wine publications and experts. Bravo!



The 2006 Columbia Valley Merlot is composed of fruit sourced from 17 different vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA! (76% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot). Aged for 18 months is 70% French oak/30% American oak barrels, this smooth and velvety red boasts very ripe and concentrated flavors of raspberries, dark cherries and blackberries with a nutty vanilla finish. It is extremely elegant and worth every penny of its $41.00 price tag. This is a very food-friendly wine and I tasted it with a medium rare steak and the rich flavor paired nicely. One taste of this and you will throw away your "Sideways" DVD forever!



The 2005 Walla Walla Merlot came to me all wrapped in beautiful white tissue paper with the name of the wine printed all over it. A very special touch for a very special wine! Indeed! The grapes for this one were chosen from some of Walla Walla's best vineyards. This is considered Northstar's flagship wine. (80% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot) This one is a completely different animal. It overflows with bright cherry and plum flavor yet is a bit more earthy and structured. More so than the Columbia Valley Merlot. No vanilla finish but lingering and smooth. Aged 17 months in 80% French oak/20% American oak. $50.00. (Please note that since I sampled this wine, they have released the 2006 vintage to the public. It is currently available on their website.)

These may seem like special occasion wines but please don't wait for a special occasion. With these Merlots, anytime is the special occasion. I have to say Dave Merfield has done Iowa proud with these wines! I will certainly be proud to shake his hand and hopefully I will have that opportunity when I come out to Walla Walla in June! To purchase these and other great Northstar wines, please visit the website at www.northstarwinery.com. You may also be able to find these in fine wine stores in your neighborhood. Let's bring MERLOT back in a big way! Northstar is a great place to begin!