Wine News & Articles

The Vin De Tabula Rasa, made by Oregon winemaker, Andrew Rich from Washington State grapes, is indeed a “blank slate.” Even though it is a blend of 50% Syrah, 26% Counoise, 13% Mourvedre and 11% Grenache, you can fill in the blank with whatever you want to call this more than adequate red, but you would never guess it is a “Rhone” style wine. Why Counoise has become an “in” grape with Northwest winemakers is beyond me. It seems like a mean, tart little grape that only adds an odd tangy twist.

Bob Tovey reports he tasted a 1978 Jordan Cabernet that was just about dead.

The 1999 Maiden from Harlan Estate had all the attributes of a Bordeaux - good black fruit and and some backbone but lacked greatness.

The 2003 Gloria Ferrar Chardonnay from Carneros was clean with light fruit and not overoaked, but not too exciting either.

The 2005 Valley of the Moon Chardonnay from Sonoma was very light, almost like a Pinot Gris. Nowhere near as good as the Zinfandel.

The 2005 Springbock Nelson Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand had a very strong aroma of straw and grapefruit. Aromatically correct, but not to my taste.

The most recent vintage of Girard Chardonnay was elegant, French tasting with lots of cool minerality - my kind of wine.

The 1996 Mazzolla “Matrix” showed relatively little complexity considering the blend of grapes and it tasted old.

The 2005 Searidge Merlot tasted fresh with good fruit, better than two buck chuck.