Snoqualmie Naked Chardonnay

Name: Snoqualmie Naked Chardonnay
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Washington
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $12
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


We enjoyed the Snoqualmie Naked Chardonnay with appetizers on Thanksgiving Day. It was delicious, with flavors of pear, green apple, and citrus. It was very well balanced and was excellent with and without food. It had a fuller body than I expected, which I really enjoy in a Chardonnay. At the same time, it was juicy, crisp, and clean. I will definitely seek out other wines from this Washington winery in the near future.

Columbia Crest Two Vines Red

Name: Columbia Crest Two Vines Red
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Syrah/Cab Franc/Sangiovese)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Washington
Region: Various
Price: $6
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

We had this red blend from Columbia Crest on Wednesday night with pizza. It featured juicy red fruits and blackberries on the nose and in the mouth. It's a very easy drinking, medium bodied, smooth weekday wine. Nothing too complex, but for $6, it's a great value.

Chateau St. Michelle Pinot Gris

Name: Chateau St. Michelle
Color: White
Varietal: Pinot Gris
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Washington
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We had this Pinot Gris from Chateau Ste Michelle with crab and scallops. Both were outstanding...The wine was fruity with crisp acidity and bright, juicy flavors. I picked up on primarily pear, apple, and melon flavors and aromas. It had a nice, medium body with a long, smooth finish.

Kung Fu Girl Riesling

Name: Kung Fu Girl
Color: White
Varietal: Riesling
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: Washington
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $15
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

We've been trying to buy the Kung Fu Girl Riesling for many weeks, but it's been sold out due to high demand. I can see why. Krista and I both loved this wine...We drank it last night with grilled fish and pasta. This wine is extremely tasty, with bright citrus notes, a nice peach/pear aroma and taste, and excellent acidity. It had a touch of sweetness, but not the over the top sugar that some Rieslings are known for.

I can't imagine someone not liking this wine. (The picture is from the 2008 vintage, but we had the 2009).

This wine was scored 89 points by Wine Enthusiast, for those that care.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot

Name: Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot
Color: Red
Varietal: Merlot
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Washington
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $8
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

The Columbia Crest Grand Estates line of wines is often mentioned as a great source for value. Their Merlot, in particular, consistently receives great press. The nose is dominated by blueberry and chocolate. The taste is mostly dark berry, cherry, and cocoa. It has a medium body and a lingering finish. The chocolate notes were really nice. We had this wine last night with pizza and finished the bottle after dinner. It went well with the food and on its own.

The 2006 version is 85% Merlot, with Syrah, Cab Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon providing the remaining 15%. I can't remember the last time we drank Merlot, but this one was very impressive.

Eroica Riesling

Name: Eroica Riesling
Color: White
Varietal: Riesling
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Washington
Region: Various
Price: $16 (on sale)
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


The Eroica Riesling is the result of a collaboration between Washington's Chateau St. Michelle and Germany's Dr. Loosen and is apparently named for a Beethoven symphony. Grapes from all over Washington state were used in the 2006 blend.

I had read terrific things about this wine and had been meaning to try it for some time. When I saw it on sale at Leuken's, I picked up a bottle. I think it normally sells for just over $20, but I bought this one for about $16.

The wine was a light straw color in the glass, with a nose of melon, pineapple, and honey. It had a nice, medium body weight in the mouth and was really well balanced with good acidity. The taste was pretty fruit forward, tasting primarily of green apple, pineapple, and citrus. It had some slight sweetness to it, but was still bright and fresh. The finish was exceptionally long. The taste lingered quite nicely after each sip.

We drank this wine tonight with dinner (pork and pasta) and quickly finished the bottle after the kids were in bed. Krista and I both highly recommend the Eroica Riesling.

Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 White

Name: Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Color: White
Varietal: Blend (Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Washington
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $9
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We enjoyed this juicy, refreshing white blend last night after dinner and after the kids went to bed. We spent a fun day at the beach (Honeymoon Island) today and this wine was one that would really go well with a picnic at the beach...I bought this wine a few weeks ago after having seen it recommended by several different people online, including our local paper, which featured it as the wine of the week recently. Back in April, we had the red blend by Columbia Crest Two Vines and really enjoyed it as well.

The aroma of the white blend was mostly pear and apple, but I also smelled a little banana. The taste was similar, primarily apple, pear, and melon...Very tasty and easy drinking. This wine is a great value at $9, but I've seen it priced even lower making it an excellent value. It compared very nicely to the Mark Davidson white blend that we have enjoyed recently. If you are just getting into wines, like me, you can't go wrong with the wines from Columbia Crest.

Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red

Name: Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Syrah, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon)
Vintage: 2005
Country/State: Washington
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $8
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


This was another delicious red blend that I picked up based on several online recommendations and reviews. It was spicy, but smooth with a nice finish. We had a couple of glasses tonight after dinner. The nose and taste were both similar -- raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, plum, with some spice. I've always read good things about Columbia Crest, especially their Grand Estates wines, as being excellent sources for quality and value. This effort from the Two Vines brand definitely fit those descriptions.

Hogue Riesling

Name: Hogue
Color: White
Varietal: Riesling
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Washington
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


Another winner from Hogue! The 2007 Riesling was very crisp, clean, and refreshing. The color was a pale yellow with a hint of a green tint. On the nose, I picked up pear, green apple, dried apricot, and a little bit of banana. The taste was very similar to the nose, expect that I didn't get any hint of banana taste. We bought this wine at Total Wines and enjoyed it with a grilled chicken salad (ironically, this was one of the suggested pairings on the back of the bottle). We loved the Hogue Pinot Grigio on a couple of previous occasions, so I was not surprised at all by the quality of their Riesling. I definitely will try other wines by Hogue in the future.

As far as a comparison to a UK basketball player is concerned, I really wanted to go with Mark Pope here because of the connection to Hogue. Pope came to Kentucky via Bellevue, Washington and Hogue is a Washington winery. However, I didn't want to reuse Pope so soon after I used him to describe the La Vieille Ferme red. I like the guy, but let's not get carried away....So, I'm going with Scott Padgett, if for no other reason than his clutch shot in the 1998 Elite Eight comback victory over Duke. I was at that game in St. Pete with my wife and parents. When UK was down 17 with 10 minutes to play, I never would have thought that we would come back to win. But then Wayne Turner completely abused Wojo, Heshimu Evans and Cameron Mills nailed some huge shots, and Padgett iced it with his clutch 3 from the top of the key. I'll never forget that game. The next weekend UK won its 7th National Championship.