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COLUMBIA WINERY MERLOT 2013 COLUMBIA VALLEY, WASHINGTON STATE



By:  Ed "The Wine Guy"



It doesn't come as a surprise to me that Wine Spectator has rated this wine so highly (89 points). Anyone who knows me, and reads my blog on a regular basis, is aware that I have maintained that the Merlot wines from Columbia Valley are among the best Merlots in the Wine World, equaled only by Merlots from Bordeaux, France, and from Tuscany, Italy. This Merlot (87% Merlot, 11% Syrah, 2% Malbec) has aromas and flavors of plum, dark berry fruit, oak, and vanilla, with hints of spice, and a long, lingering finish. If the weather is warm, the wine, as well as most red wines, can be refrigerated for 30-45 minutes so that the taste of alcohol will not be pronounced. The ideal temperature for red wine is 65-68 degrees.

Following is a list of wines that have been highly rated by Wine Spectator, and are available here at Harney's: Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2014 (93 points); Meiomi Pinot Noir 2013 (92); Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2014 (89); Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay 2013 (88); Acrobat Pinot Noir 2013 (88); A to Z Pinot Noir 2013 (88); Yellow Tail Moscato NV [non-vintage] (87). 

HIGH HOOK PINOT BLANC 2013 WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OREGON



By:  Ed "The Wine Guy"


Pinot Blanc is a white wine grape, grown extensively in Europe, especially in the Alsace region of France; it is not widely planted in the United States. The Pinot Blanc grape is a clone of the Pinot Gris (Grigio) grape, a white grape, which is a clone of the Pinot Noir grape, a red grape. Interesting. As an aside - perhaps I'm stating the obvious - the juice of all wine grapes is white; the juice takes on color when it is exposed to the skins, a short time for Rose' wines, a much longer time for red wines. High Hook is medium-bodied, dry (not sweet; fruity, not sweet), with aromas and flavors of flowers, apple, and citrus fruit, with a hint of minerality, and enough acidity to make it refreshing. Harney's also has Pinot Blanc wines from Alsace. It would be interesting to compare those from France with High Hook from Oregon. Has the difference of terroir (climate/soil) created a difference of taste?

ROSE' REVIEW



By:  Ed "The Wine Guy"


Once again, for the third straight year, Whispering Angel has been Harney's best-selling Rose' wine. Elegant, light, dry (not sweet), with hints of strawberry and peach, balancing delicious fruit with refreshing acidity. The next three best-selling Rose' wines: Chateau Montaud, Aime Roquesante, and Minuty, are all, not accidentally, from Provence, France, and they exhibit the Provence style. Gone are the days when a Rose' wine meant syrupy-sweet. (I still encounter people who refuse to even taste a Rose'; they shudder, remembering the syrupy-sweet experience.) The Wine World has embraced Provence as its role model in making Rose', and I'm glad that it has.

JOEL GOTT UNOAKED CHARDONNAY 2014 CALIFORNIA

JOEL GOTT UNOAKED CHARDONNAY 2014 CALIFORNIA





By:  Ed "The Wine Guy"


The debate goes on and on and on: Does oaked or unoaked wine taste better? There should be no debate at all; there is a definite difference of taste between the two, but . . . De gustibus non disputandum est (one should not argue when it comes to taste); it's a matter of preference. Oak adds flavors and aromas to a wine: butter, cream, vanilla, toast, smoke. Oak also adds weight; unoaked wine is lighter-bodied. A side by side tasting of an unoaked and an oaked Chardonnay would immediately show the difference. Joel Gott Unoaked Chardonnay is 100% stainless steel fermented, and aged in stainless steel vats, which preserves the freshness, purity, and flavors of the fruit. No oak is allowed to even look at it during the fermentation and the aging processes. It exhibits aromas and flavors of pear, honeydew melon, and citrus, with a long, satisfying finish.