Random Musings

Washington Wine Landscape Circa 1990

Sometime in the early 90’s my late mother gave me this poster designed by Andy Anderson that represented the state of the Washington Wine Industry. The poster has a treasured spot above the toilet in my current master bath. The other day as I glanced at it yet again it occurred to me just how much things have changed in…

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Cellar Management

Pick My Next Bottle – 2011 Syrah

The September Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on iconic Syrah from the 2011 vintage. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened this weekend and a Bottle Note will be published the following…

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Random Musings

The 2018 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings

Welcome to the 6th, annual installment, of the Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings. The intent behind the list is to rank wineries based on the buzz and excitement they create in the wine collecting crowd. The rankings are entirely subjective based on my observations on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Wine Spectator, WineBerserkers, WineBid and Cellartracker. Factors such as demand for…

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Random Musings

Devastating News from Cayuse

Official email from Cayuse about not releasing most of their 2015 vintage is below. Dear Tom Since 1997, we at Cayuse Vineyards have been dedicated to creating world-class wines. We are committed to biodynamic farming and our mission is to produce wine that is the best possible representation of our unique terroir. We simply will not release a wine that doesn’t…

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Cellar Management

Pick My Next Bottle – Grenache Showdown

The September Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on great bottles of Grenache. The idea for this installment was crowd sourced from some of my favorite followers on Twitter. It is timely as well, considering International Grenache Day was just a week ago. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight…

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Bottle Notes, Syrah

2011 No Girls Syrah La Paciencia Vineyard – Bottle Notes

The 2011 No Girls Syrah was the winning bottle in the September Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was opened and served immediately. No Girls Wines is a partnership between famed Cayuse vigneron Christophe Baron and longtime friend and Cayuse general manager, Trevor Dorland. The fruit comes from the Cayuse La Paciencia vineyard, which means patience—appropriate as the…

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Bottle Notes, Syrah

2009 Cayuse Syrah Armada Vineyard – Bottle Notes

The 2009 Cayuse Syrah Armada Vineyard was the winning bottle in the July Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was opened and served shortly thereafter. Cayuse was founded in 1997 by Christophe Baron, a native of France who grew up in family of winemakers in Champagne. Baron studied viticulture in Burgundy and Champagne, and had ambitions to make…

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