Even though Delille Cellars is known for their Cabernet and Bordeaux blends. They have a sister label called Doyenne. A great new release from them is the 2006 Metier Rouge. At a recent Washington tasting this wine stole the show. Though it has not yet been reviewed by the critics, it surely will not be available once any score is documented. This wine is very limited, only four cases came to the state.

This is there attempt at making a Chateauneuf du Pape blend, coming in at 40% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre, and 20% Syrah.

Below you will find the winery’s notes.

“This wine, our version of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape-styled blend, has dark-hued red fruits, herbes de provence, blackberry leaf, and peppercorns on its perfumed nose. The palate is balanced, juicy, and rather hedonistic, like a fresh black raspberry pie. Fleshy and delicious, this is a great wine for a great meal, but would be equally at home at a picnic with roasted chicken and rosemary potatoes.”

Betz Family Winery probably is best known for their Bordeaux-style blends. I love them also for their Rhone blend. But many people also love them for their Syrah. In 2006 they made two ringers and they are very allocated and hard to come by. There are 3 bottles of each wine available.

2006 Betz Family Winery Syrah La Cote Rousse $60

WA 95 points “The 2006 Syrah La Cote Rousse is 100% varietal sourced from two vineyards, Purple/black in color, it offers up am array of aromas including bacon, sausage, spice box, smoke, pepper, and tar reminiscent of a Guigal La Landonne. Dense, layered, and opulent, this powerful effort should hit its peak by 2015 and provide pleasure through 2030.” (3 bottles) 2006 Betz Family Winery Syrah La Serenne $58

WA 94“The 2006 Syrah La Serenne is the Betz interpretation of Hermitage. The wine is 100% varietal from the Boushey Vineyard located in Yakima Valley. Opaque purple-colored, it offers enticing aromas of mineral, earth, crushed stone, pepper, and blueberry jam. This is followed by a massive but seamless wine with superb blue fruit and blackberry preserve flavors. This well-balanced effort has a finish which seems to go on and on.” (3 bottles)

This Friday will be an outstanding line up of new Oregon Pinot Noir releases. In addition to pouring these fine wines they will be offered by the case at 20% off until the end of the month.

2006 Cameron Arley’s Leap Pinot Noir

2007 Biggio Hamina Deux Vert Pinot Noir

2006 Matello Souris

2006 Evesham Wood Le Puits Sec

2007 Scott Paul Martha Pirrie

Bonus Pour

2006 Dukes Family Vineyards Alyssa Pinot Noir

Every Saturday we pour a series of wines that fit perfectly in to the weekend. Usually costing less than $25 a bottle, though there are times we are known to pour something a little more fancy.

Saturday September 27^th 1-4PM

French Connection (Free)

2005 Domaine de Couron Cotes du Rhone

2005 Domaine de Couron Cotes du Rhone Villages

2006 Domaine des Rozets Coteaux du Tricastin

2005 Domaine de Couron Cuvee Marie DuBois

+ one more

Even though the name of the tasting might have brought a smile to your face, this is a serious tasting. Petite Sirah is a serious varietal shows a tremendous richness, best enjoyed in the fall and winter. This Friday we are going to explore the world of Petite Sirah and taste through a vast representation of this varietal.

October 3^rd 5-8PM

P.S. I Love YouThe Petite Sirah Tasting $16 A Short History of Petite Sirah(Adapted from www.psiloveyou.org )In 1880 a nurseryman named Dr. Francois Durif released a new varietal named after himself. It was a result of the cross pollination of Peloursin and the Syrah Varietal. This resulted in a grape that produced dense clusters and had a saturated color. In the 1960s Petite Sirah made up 60% of the vineyard plantings in the Napa Valley. In the mid-1970s there were over 14,000 acres planted to Petite Sirah in California. In 1990, this was believed to be reduced to 10% of its high, having only 1400 acres. Petite Sirah is known for being a dark, inky, and chewy. This tasting will be a great opportunity to try the different styles that are being made.

2004 San Simeon Petite Sirah

2005 Peltier Station Petite Sirah

2006 Carpenter Hill Vineyard Petite Sirah (Oregon)

2005 Seghesio Home Ranch Petite Sirah

2005 Robert Foley Petite Sirah

Bonus Pour $5

2006 Robert Foley Petite Sirah ‘Pepperland’

Saturday October 4^th1-4PM

FREE

Everyday Oregon Pinot Noir Tasting

2007 Broadley Pinot Noir WV

2007 Biggio Hamina Pinot Noir WV

2007 Grochau Cellars

2007 Westrey Pinot Noir WV

Some time during the week of September 8th a small allocation of Robert Foley wines will arrive. When I use the word small, I refer to the fact that only 3 cases of each Petite Sirah and Merlot came to the state. Then there is the fact that 6 cases total came to the state of Claret and Charbono. I have made requests for all of these wines, yet I do not know how much I will actually get until it arrives. Who knows how long these wines will be around, but I can tell you that when the WA is publish at the end of December that you will wish that you went long on these wines.

I have copied the winemaker’s release notes below.

($110) The Cabernet Sauvignon which we have bottled as 2006 Claret (100% Cabernet) rivals the stellar 2001 vintage, thoroughly ripe, intensely extracted and evenly balanced.

($62) 2006 Petite Sirah — We bottled two! The mountain-grown fruit and the Calistoga fruit produced such remarkable wines we had to share their individual character with you and we have given them each proprietary names:

Pepperland displays a mountain personality with a marked white pepper and briar element married with ripe berry flavors and a little higher acidity. Muscle Man is a name that speaks for itself, massive viscous layers of super ripe berry pie flavors that developed in the warmer Calistoga vineyards. This one is BIG!

($38) 2007 Charbono combines intensity and elegance. Its dark purple hue, and candied berry and vanilla flavors lead into a big mid-palate with lingering flavors clad in soft fine tannins.

Year in and year out, Russ Raney’s Pinot Noir wines come and go quickly. This wine arrived on Friday and probably won’t make it a week. Though I am known for hiding bottles in the back and randomly placing them on the shelf over the year, I can’t imagine that these will hang around at $17.75.

This is his first 2007 Pinot Noir. I have been allocated 2 cases for the time being, so there is not enough to sample currently. Please don’t miss out on this chance at a great value in a Burgundian style Oregon Pinot Noir.

19 bottles left at 1:13 on Saturday.

Friday Night Flight

September 5^th 5-8 PM

The Super-Duper Red Blend Wine Tasting Extravaganza

I apologize for the title, but I thought that “Red Blends” seemed a little general and lacked excitement. If you take a moment to review the wines below you will see that it is not a general red blend tasting, but super-duper red blend tasting.

Tasting Fee: $14

2000 Quinta dos Roques riserva (Alfrocheiro Preto, Tinta Cao, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Nacional)

2006 Waters Interlude (53% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cab Franc)

2005 Betz ‘Clos de Betz’ (56% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% malbec, 9% Cab Franc)

2004 Marotti Campi Dondere (50% Petit Verdot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Montepulciano)

2005 Chateau De Lugagnac Bordeaux(50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot)

Bonus Pour: $4

2006 Doyenne (Delille Cellars) Metier Rouge (50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 25% Mourvedre)

Every Saturday we pour a series of wines that fit perfectly in to the weekend. Usually costing less than $25 a bottle, though there are times we are known to pour something a little more fancy.