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Howard W. Hewitt

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Howard W. Hewitt

Tag Archives: Owen Roe

Summer BBQ Wine & Porch Pounders

10 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by Howard in Newspaper Column 2015

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Albarino, BBQ wines, Lenore, Owen Roe, Porch Pounders, Summer winess, Syrah, Zinfandel

Any regular wine column should include occasional education and certainly advice. Summer is a big time for cooking out, family outings, and friends sharing good times.

The first rule of wine is drink what you like when you want it with whatever food you enjoy. With that said, there are some pairings and ideas which work well during summer.

Grape Sense LogoSummer is a time for BBQ of all sorts. While a big Cabernet will always work with red meat, there are other choices for big flavor without the huge finish or bitterness of strong tannins.

If you are doing beef or pork on the grill, perhaps with a bold rub or red sauce, try a Zinfandel or Syrah. These wines are perfect for summer grilling and just might be old favorites you haven’t tried for awhile.

Zinfandel is particularly great for grilled meats because of the usual fruit-forward characteristic of most California Zins. The wines tend to be fruity, balanced, and a perfect match to bold flavored or spicy meats.

And for an inexpensive and easy to find Zin, try “Seven Deadly Zins’ from the Michael David Winery folks of Calfifornia. The wine is great and usually under $15 and a good representation of quality Zinfandel.

It’s also time for Amercians to give Syrah another chance. Syrah has become one of the most unfairly vilified grapes in Anmerican wine production but that is changing. The wine fell out of favor a number of years back, in part, because there was a lot of bad Syrah on the market.

Syrah is getting new respect made more refined, and often, in a lighter and easier to drink style. Syrah should deliver a nice spicy fruit forward characteristic with a peppery-like finish. Syrah and pork pair perfectly for summer dishes.

“Lenore” Columbia Valley Syrah from Washington state is an incredible QPR wine – quality to price ratio. The wine is the second label for Owen Roe, one of Washington’s most respected winemakers. The Lenore can be found at many Midwestern wine shops for $14-$16. It’s a great value. As a matter of fact, the Lenore rates as one of the top bottles I’ve found under $15 in several years.

Now how about those porch pounders? When friends gather on the patio or porch you want something delicious to offer your guests. There are so many great, and easy to find, options beyond the unoaked Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. I think Riesling is a bit sweet for summer heat but try a Kabinett level and that might work for your friends who like a bit sweeter wines.

More traditional recommendations would be a South African or California Chenin Blanc. Upper state Michigan is producing some really incredible dry Pinot Blanc. If you’re in a wine shop, look for Pinot Blanc from France’s Alsace region.

But don’t be afraid to experiment. Spain and Italy offer several different white wine grapes which will delight and surprise you. These whites are quite inexpensive and tasty. And your guests will be surprised with something different.

If seafood is on the deck menu look for a Albarino or “Vinho Verde” from Portugal. Good wine shops will have a bottle or two in their inventory. The wine is gaining popularity each year in the U.S. It’s dry, crisp with fairly bold acidity – a perfect seafood match. Who doesn’t like grilled shrimp and white wine?

All of these white wines can be found for under $20 a bottle and most under $15. Summer is a time to enjoy friends and good times.

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Catching Up (Again) on Reviews

12 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by Howard in California, South America

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Cesar Toxqui Cellars, Columbia Valley, Ex Umbris, Lenore, Mendocino, Mira 2010 Nappa Valley Cabernet, Mira Winery, Owen Roe, Syrah, Ventisquero Grey Pinot Noir, wine reviews, Zinfandel

My biggest downfall in maintaining a blog is getting wine reviews written. I prefer telling stories but the utility of at least quick thoughts on some good wines I’ve recently consumed seems like a part of the job I should NOT ignore..

I taste so much outstanding wine this summer the idea of reviewing some of the things I’ve sipped at home slips to the “I really need to do that” level and not get done.

So here we go! Some recent nice-drinking wines.

Grey PinoVentisquero Grey 2012 Pinot Noir – This was a nice surprise from Chile. Much of the Chilean Pinot Noir I’ve previously consumed had that nagging vegetal or green pepper hint that was not predominant in this wine. I liked its earthiness and sort of a damp wood quality. That make sense?

It’s so hard to find drinkable good Pinot under $20-$25 but this fits the category. It has a little spice, nice acidity and ultimately a very drinkable glass of wine.

Ventisquero Grey 2012 Pinot Noir, average price around $20, Recommended.

MiraMira 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet – Wow, this is good wine. I tasted a lot of bottles at a higher price point during my 10 days in Calfornia last month but only a few were better than this one.

The nifty blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Syrah worked well. That Cab Franc and Syrah gave the wine a nice rich and round mouth feel.

This wine had great balance and a perfect Cab finish – I got the tannins, sensed the oak but it was in balance with the nice Cabernet flavor.

Mira 2010 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, SRP $52 – but found online as low as $39, Highly Recommended.

Owen Roe 2010 Ex Umbris Syrah – This Columbia Valley Syrah, from one of the grape’s best producers, was extraordinary wine. It should be noted the ’09 vintage of this wine made Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 list.

owen_roe_ex_umbris_label__13161_stdI had tasted Roe’s value label Syrah – Lenore – around $17 so had to step up to this bottle at about twice the price. I wasn’t blown away but thought it was so much better than many West Coast Syrah offerings. It was tad thinner than I expected but did have lovely fruit and nice balance.

It had a very identifiable richness or velvety feel in the mouth. I’m a sucker for that type of experience every time. It’s just very well made wine. This wine got 90 points from Wine Spectator and Stephen Tanzer.

Owen Roe 2010 Ex Umbris Syrah, $29, Highly Recommended.

Cesar Toxqui 2005 Mendocino Zinfandel – I had the pleasure of sitting with Cesar Toxqui at a dinner in Mendocino, Ca., in 2011. He has a fascinating story of growing up in the wine business and worked his way up to his own label.

CesarLabelHe was working still then with a member of the Fetzer family at Jeriko Estate wines but aching to do more with his own label. We tasted a couple of his wines at dinner and I really was taken with his Zinfandel. Zin is a bit of a calling card for Mendocino producers.

I thought the wine had great fruit, depth, and finish. I had held onto this one since that trip and it was worth the wait. He is a very small production winery so finding it would be a big challenge. Still, it continues to reinforce my continuing theme of look for the small producers to find big surprises and great wine.

Cesar Toxqui 2005 Mendocino Zinfandel, around $25 (from memory), Very Highly Recommended – if you can find it.

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Plenty of Great Wine Under $20

20 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by Howard in Newspaper Column 2014

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Lenore, Owen Roe, Syrah, Washington State

The seven years this column has focused mostly on great wines under $20 that you won’t find on the grocery shelf. Every time it seems like the list is exhausted, another wine comes along to make even the wine cynic say ‘wow!’

Grape Sense LogoFor regular wine drinkers finding such a wine is the thrill of the hunt. Always on the lookout for a wine that rocks for a low, low price, the real enthusiast treasures the unexpected find.

Lenore Syrah, from Washington State, might be the best value wine I’ve tasted in years. First a little necessary background is in order. Washington is really turning the heads of value wine drinkers. The wines tend to be full, rich, less tannic, value priced, and imminently drinkable.

One of the biggest names in Washington wine is Owen Roe. Owen Roe was a 1600s Irish patriot who was known for his dedication to principle and not compromise when seeking the best of any pursuit.

It’s that dedication modern-day winemaker David O’Reilly and vineyard manager Jerry Owen bring to their Washington wines. The Owen Roe label – which includes Syrah and a number of red wine blends – sells mostly in the affordable $20-$30 range.

But like many wineries Owen Roe has a ‘second-tier’ or value label. That is more common in the wine industry worldwide than some wine drinkers may realize. The value label is Corvidae-Lenore. Corvidae is Latin for the family of birds including ravens, magpies, and crows. “Their reputation as crafty, adaptable, and somewhat dubious characters is a fitting icon for our suspiciously terrific value wines,” the winery website suggests.

LenoreThe Lenore 2011 Columbia Valley Syrah features a Raven and embraces the legacy of Edgar Allen Poe. The wine is a real thriller.

It has wonderful fruit without being over-powering, wonderful spice, and a mouth feel that will have you headed back to the shop for more. I found this wine to be such a bang-for-the-buck I would have bet it was a $30-$40 bottle if I had tasted it blindly.

The suggested retail is $16.95 and I found it online cheaper than that.

This wine is a wonderful pairing for winter stews, roasted meat, or even chili.

Other Washington Syrah value labels include: Sparkman,  Southard, Fausse Piste, Trust, Betz Family, Abacela, Spring Valley, Saviah Cellars, Dusted Valley, and many, many more.

Paso Robles on California’s Central Coast is another region known for its outstanding Syrah. The fruit is bigger and so is the finish but the value at a slightly higher price than Washington is still there in the next price tier.

Look for labels like Eberle (the Godfather of California Syrah), Tablas Creek, Saxum, Calcareous, L’Aventure, and many more. But one of the great ways to enjoy Syrah is from Paso Robles’ great Syrah blends using traditional Rhone grapes like Grenache and Mourvedre.

If you want something simple, cheap, and very easy to drink and find – then try the French Les Jamelles Syrah. It’s certainly not as well-defined wines as any mentioned here but it’s very drinkable and almost always under $10.

Syrah has been a much maligned grape in recent years but try it with hearty winter meals and you just might become a fan.

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Incredible Syrah for Well Under $20

13 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by Howard in Washington State

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Avalon Wine & Northwest Wine, Columbia Valley Syrah, Corvidae, Edgar Allen Poe, Lenore, Lenore Syrah, Owen Roe, Syrah, The Wine Monster, Washington State, WinePeeps

zpoeimgi   For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore – Nameless here for ever more.
                                       – The Raven, Edgar Allen Poe.

Each year the perfunctory task of a year-end or best-of list is compiled here and elsewhere. It’s hard to think that I might taste the best value wine of the year on Jan. 13 .. but maybe; it might have happened tonight!

Corvidae Lenore 2011 Columbia Valley Syrah – The Owen Roe wine is crazy, incredible, and just plain stupidly good for the mid-teen price range.

The Corvidae label is the value or second-tier label for much-respected Owen Roe Winery in Washington state.  I googled the wine and enjoyed the various reviews. I usually do that after writing my own comments. But I was curious if other writers thought it was kick-ass as I found it.

So here are some other thoughts:

LenoreFrom Wine Peeps: Deep, dark purple. Oak and dark fruits come through on the nose; more dark fruits and spice on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium tannins, and a long finish. A good weeknight wine.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5) QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)

Corvidae Lenore Syrah, grown in the Columbia Valley has great spice, bright fruit, deep purple hues, and gorgeous texture and is really a steal for the quality it delivers. Pair Corvidae Syrah, a juicy, boisterous wine, with barbecued babyback ribs, a hearty lamb stew, your favorite burger or just on it’s own.

Avalon Wine & Northwest Wine: “Corvidae” is named for the family of birds that includes crows and ravens. Crows have a long history in folklore and mythology. David was inspired to name the label Corvidae by the many crows that circle the sky over his winery in Yakima.

And my favorite:

The Wine Monster:” The black raven on the label says it all. This is a big full bodied Syrah that makes you feel like you just got mugged by Edgar Allen Poe.”

This is one of the best value wines I’ve tasted in several years. Tasted blindly, I’d have guessed it was a $30-$40 wine. Big fruit and spice without being jammy and beautifully balanced.

Oh, it would be a failure not to note Coridae wines are named after a fairy tale or fable. The winemakers were inspired to name this wine by the number of crows around the vineyard!

Corvidae Lenore 2011 Columbia Valley Syrah, SRP $16.95, Very Highly Recommended

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Panko, breaded, shrimp and Michigan, Leelanau, peninsula, Shady Lane cellars” Chardonnay. Pretty great small dinner after a night at the Wine Shop. #shadylanecellars

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