McKinley Springs Vineyard – Tasting Pour by Jade Helm

Call a Cab: Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon

tastingpour@gmail.com — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 06:33:39 +0000

Call a Cab: The theme for one of my birthday parties (I celebrate the whole month) was a tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux style blends from Horse Heaven Hills in Washington. Many of the wines tasted were from the founding farming families – the Mercers and the Andrews, as well as wines from Chateau St . Michelle. We have had some great tasting experiences in Horse Heaven Hills, not just due to the wine quality, but because of the hospitality of the area’s hard working people.

Samples were provided. Notes were taken blind and are unbiased. Our group consisted of wine writers, wine sale professionals, sommeliers, and their interested significant others. Let’s face it. The significant others always have more interesting notes.

Not everyone liked every wine because this is the real world. Since you too will be drinking in the real word take our comments into consideration and try some of theses wines for yourself. Click the links to see complete reviews. There are some lovely options.

Click for review. 2013 Mercer Estates Horse Heaven Hills Sharp Sisters Red Blend – 47% Merlot, 41% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Sangiovese, 1% Petit Verdot ~ $21

Click for review. 2012 Unbroken Horse Heaven Hills Blended Red – 43% Cab SAuv, 27% Merlot, 19% Malbec, 11% Cab Franc ~ $28

Click for review. 2010 H/H Estates Reserve Big John Cab, Coyote Canyon Vineyard – 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Mourvedre, 2.5% Cabernet Franc, 2.5% Malbec ~ $42

Click for review 2012 Chateau St. Michele Canoe Ridge Estate Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon ~ $36

Click for review 2013 Alexandria Nicole Quarry Butte Destiny Ridge Vineyards Estate Grown Horse Heaven Hills Red Wine 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec, 4% Syrah, 2% Petit Verdot ~$26

Click for review. 2013 Mercer Estates Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon ~$28

Click for review. 2012 Mercer Estates Horse Heaven Hills Cavalie Reserve – 52% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon 17% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot ~$42

Click for review 2012 Mercer Estates Horse Heave Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, 5% Syrah, 4% Petit Verdot ~$42

Horse Heaven Hills is a fascinating agricultural mecca producing record amounts of cherries, hops, and of course fine wine. See A Swag Bag of Potatoes for the real story on Costco’s baby carrots. To learn more about the founding families and the wine history of the area Discovering Treasure in Horse Heaven Hills. Information on wineries this line up – Mercer Estates, McKinley Springs, Alexandria Nicole Cellars, Coyote Canyon Winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle

The post Call a Cab: Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon appeared first on Tasting Pour by Jade Helm.

2012 Unbroken Blended Red Horse Heaven Hills

tastingpour@gmail.com — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 05:23:07 +0000

2012 Unbroken Horse Heaven Hills Blended Red – 43% Cab Sauv, 27% Merlot, 19% Malbec, 11% Cab Franc ~ $28

Produced by McKinley Springs this wine is a tribute to the pioneering spirit of families farming in Horse Heaven Hills. A fitting theme given that the owners are part of one of the oldest and most prolific farming families in the area – the Andrews.

A hit with our tasting group who found this wine to be just what Goldilocks would want if she drank “just right”. Delicate, light pretty and fruity we found bright red fruits like cherry and raspberry along with floral notes we described as “purple(y)”. Inviting warm clove spice and just enough acid, tannin, and oaky vanilla.

Click Call a Cab: Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon for the full story and more tasting notes.

Sample.

The post 2012 Unbroken Blended Red Horse Heaven Hills appeared first on Tasting Pour by Jade Helm.

Flavors to Fall for: Squash and Sausage Soup with Pumpkin Cornbread #winepw

tastingpour@gmail.com — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 17:17:00 +0000

The other day we were driving from Portland and were delighted to see a field of bright orange baby pumpkins. The new season is upon us and with it comes the flavors we reserve for cooler days. There is something about the colors, smells, and tastes of fall that get us revved up and ready to cook. Pumpkins, squash, apples and spice we have missed you. So were are excited that this month, we and our fellow wine pairing weekend bloggers ( #winepw ) are experimenting with fall flavors.

We are lucky that our CSA with Pitchfork and Crow continues until Thanksgiving. This week’s basket included a huge dark yellow spaghetti squash, collards, onion, and cherry tomatoes. We also just picked up our pork share. Following a brisk afternoon walk through crunchy leaves, it is time for a hearty soup and seasonal bread. A recipe is brewing.

Photo and Veggie Credit to Pitchfork and Crow

Squash and Sausage Soup

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 15 mins

Author: Tasting Pour

Recipe type: Entree Soup

Serves: 4 bowls

Ingredients

1 large spaghetti squash (ours was 5 lbs)
1 lb. of ground sausage (ours was spicy)
1 medium onion
2 tsp. cinnamon, cumin, coriander
½ tsp. red pepper powder (We like it spicy! Reduce if you do not)
1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. black pepper – or to taste
1½ to 2 cups chicken stock
1 small bunch of collards
cherry tomatoes
olive oil

Instructions

Soup

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out squash guts and seeds. Bake cut side down on a lightly oiled aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes at 350 or until soft. When squash is cool enough to handle scoop out the baked flesh and puree in a blender with a little of the chicken stock. Brown sausage in a large soup pot. Add spices and onion. (If sausage has rendered too much fat, remove some before adding spice and onion. Our sausage was locally, humanely raised and was very lean.) Add pureed squash and rest of chicken stock to the soup pot. Bring to a high simmer, then lower heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Garnishes

We don’t like slimy greens. To keep our greens chewy and a little crunchy first we cut them into strips. To do this we remove the central steam, stack the leaves, roll them like a cigar, and slice thinly. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a cast iron skillet (enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.) Toss the collard strips in the hot pan until they turn a brighter green. You will need two hand fulls for each soup bowl as the greens will shrink. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add whole cherry tomatoes (4 – 6 per soup bowl). Cover the skillet with a lid and turn off the heat. The tomatoes will steam.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with garnishes.

We grow ’em big in Oregon

Our favorite soup side? Cornbread. We wanted a spicy fall twist and luckily had some pumpkin puree preserved from last year.

Savory Pumpkin Cornbread

Save Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

Author: Tasting Pour

Recipe type: Bread

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1½ cups corn meal
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 heaping Tbs. whole wheat flour
2 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 tsp. powdered ginger
½ tsp. powered all spice
1 egg
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 cup milk
1 Tbs. butter for skillet

Instructions

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add egg and pumpkin puree. Stir with spatula to combine. Stir in milk. Then preheat oven to 425 with a 12 inch cast iron skillet inside. The secret to making cornbread with a crusty outer layer is a hot cast iron skillet and batter that has rested about 15 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven. Put a tablespoon of butter and distribute to cover bottom of pan as it melts. Spoon in batter and bake approximately 20 minutes.

This menu full of flavor and spice called for a wine that offers the same. We chose McKinley Springs 2010 Bombing Range Red. We had recently visited with owners/winemakers Doug and Sandy Rowell in Washington state where they live, farm, and ferment. One of the pioneering wine families in Horse Heaven Hills, they are full of great stories. Bombing Range Red is a tribute to U.S. troops and tells an interesting story about the vineyard. During WWII their farmland was used as a training ground for U.S. fighter pilots. Notice the U.S. P-40 Hawk fighter plane on the label.

Overall we find the wines of Horse Heaven Hills to be well balanced with wonderfully integrated tannins and the perfect personality to play well with dinner. Bombing Range Red is no exception. A blend of 56% Syrah, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Mourvedre, this wine offered a bright blend of red, blue and purple fruits with baking spices and a little black pepper.

At the end of our meal we turned this:

Into this:

But we will save that for another post.

Wine Pairing Weekend #5 Bloggers
Here’s what all of the bloggers have created for the October Wine Pairing Weekend!

On the Menu…

Savories
Pumpkin Lasagna with Halter Ranch’s Côtes de Paso by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Linguine with Roasted Carnival Squash and a Garnacha by Cooking Chat
Pinot Vs. Syrah – Pork Tenderloin with Fig & Apple Sauce by Confessions of a Culinary Diva

Apple Cider Pork with Red Cabbage and Oak Aged Apple Cider by Curious Cuisiniere

Sweets

Harvest Fruits-Maple Crisp paired with a Riesling by Eliot’s Eats

Caramelized Almond Apple Upside Down Cake with a Late Harvest Riesling by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Forgotten Fire Late Harvest Riesling and Warm Apple Crisp by Grape Experiences

Peach and Ginger Cobbler and Tablas Creek Petit Manseng by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Surprise!
Wines for a Sweet & Savory Fall Harvest Meal by foodwineclick

Fall Fruit and Wine Pairing by Rockin Red Blog

Autumn Pumpkin Food Flair by Vino Travels — An Italian Wine Blog

Butternut Squash Risotto: White Wine or Rosé by Pull That Cork
Autumn Puff Pastry Tart and La Crema Chardonnay by It’s Okay to Eat the Cupcake

The post Flavors to Fall for: Squash and Sausage Soup with Pumpkin Cornbread #winepw appeared first on Tasting Pour by Jade Helm.

Discovering Treasure in Horse Heaven Hills

tastingpour@gmail.com — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 22:35:00 +0000

A Southeastern Washington legend tells of runaway horses discovering a remote treasure trove of native grasses to graze upon – giving name to the Washington region of Horse Heaven Hills. Pioneering farmers followed, raising sheep and dryland wheat. Then they struck gold – white gold – in the form of cool clear water. In a miracle of Biblical proportion they turned that water into wine.

It’s all Relative

The story of Horse Heaven Hills wine grape growing begins with two main pioneering families – the Mercers and the Andrews.

Five generations of Mercers have farmed in Horse Heaven Hills since 1882, owning and managing the same land since 1940. They began as sheep herders and eventually added row crops becoming the first to supply bags of baby carrots to Costco. Still in the business of diversified agriculture – carrot, onion and many other crops grow between vineyard plots.

The story of the Andrews family began with George Smith and his son-in-law Bob Andrews. Smith busted out 100,000 acres of scrubland himself before 1940. Like the Mercers, the Andrews family worked mainly with livestock in the beginning and today owns and farms about 14,000 acres with 3100 planted to vine.

Much of the vineyard land is owned and operated by the Mercer and Andrews descendants or was purchased from them. Riding around on the broad plateau of Horse Heaven Hills with Linda Mercer is a series of, “Yes, that is Mercer property. “Oh yes, and that is too.” It feels as though everyone is a cousin or uncle or at least went to high school together. In this scrubland, the alder trees are spindly but the family trees are strong.

Wells Run Deep

In the 1950’s the first well was dug and as water spouted from the ground the future of Horse Heaven Hills changed course. Doug Rowell, Owner/Winemaker at McKinley Springs (the son-in-law of Bob Andrews), tells a story of his Uncle, Byron. Byron was a well-witcher, and reasonably renowned for his skill. He could not only predict where the water was, but how much, and whether or not it would be a “gusher.” Apparently, he was also easily bored. At one family reunion in the 1950’s, he grabbed his willow branches and started wandering around. Uncle Byron said, “There’s water here.” He predicted that it was a lot of water and that WHEN they dug the well they needed to be ready to cap it. It was going to be an artesian well. Andrews believed Byron, even if the thought seemed crazy to others, and the photos in the McKinley Springs tasting room show that Byron knew his craft. Soon, other farmers began applying for water rights and dipping into the sweet water that lay deep in the ground. Irrigation transformed the dryland wheat farms into green oases dotting the desert landscape.

Turning Water into Wine

In 1972 Don and Linda Mercer were the first in Horse Heaven Hills to transition from commercial row crops and fruit orchards into wine grapes. Irrigation, sourced from the Columbia River, was added in 1968. The Mercers began with Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscat Canelli and Orange Muscat. Many of the Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted throughout the Horse Heaven Hills have been sourced as cuttings from “Block 1,” the first Mercer vines.

Linda Mercer and the first grapevines planted in Horse Heaven Hills

The Andrews planted their first vineyard in 1980. Washington wine icon, Dr. Walter Clore encouraged the Mercer and Andrews families. Doug Rowell explains that Dr. Clore said, “I think we can do this if we do it right.” Rob Andrews, Louise and Bob’s son, wanted to give it a try. Bob told Rob he could have some land, but not the best land. Rowell chuckles, “Turns out that was better for the grapes anyway.” In 1986 three of the Andrews children (Rob, Sandy, and Scott) along with their spouses founded Andrews and Rowell, continuing the family farming tradition.

“The wine trade was different in the 1980’s,” explains Doug Rowell. “We grew the grapes and then had to find someone who wanted them.” Enter Columbia Crest, Chateau St. Michelle, and the wine boom of the mid 1990’s and these grape growers were in business.

Sandy and Doug Rowell at McKinley Springs Vineyard

A Taste of Heaven

Raymon McKee, Red Winemaker for Chateau Ste. Michelle remembers, “The first time I made Merlot from Canoe Ridge I said ‘oh, yeah!’” He goes on to explain that Horse Heaven Hills is a warm growing region with cool site expression. McKee believes the winds and soils contribute to pure red fruits, like cranberries, without under ripe vegetal notes. The heat produces rich luxurious tannins. “Horse Heaven Hills is magical.” McKee beams. “The tannins are fine but have weight like a silk sheet.” This is notable because without careful winemaking, the windy Horse Heaven Hills have the potential to lead to mouth-leathering tannins.

Raymon McKee sampling Merlot from Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Horse Heaven Hills fruit

Paul Champoux, Champoux Vineyard, credits the incredible balance of alcohol, tannins and acid found in Horse Heaven Hills wines to the diurnal temperature range experienced there. He compares Horse Heaven Hills to some warmer regions. Days may be 95 degrees but night time temperatures drop. This shift helps grapes ripen fully while maintaining balanced acidity. Jessica Munnell, winemaker for Mercer Estates, describes the fruit as elegant. “In Horse Heaven Hills reds I always get a high note of cherry and dusty feminine tannins.” She describes the structure of Horse Heaven Hills Merlot as “graceful power.”

Overall the profile tends to be purity of fruit, judicious use of oak, balanced acid, and integrated tannins. Most wineries are aging reds 2-3 years and releasing bottles that are ready to drink, with some reserve wines requiring 5-6 years to show best. These are wines that play well with food. Cabernet Sauvignon is king, followed closely by blends of Bordeaux varietals. An array of varietals, from Albarino to Zinfandel are available.

Discover Your Own Treasure

Horse Heaven Hills supplies 25% of Washington’s wine grapes and the majority is purchased by Chateau Ste. Michelle. So that is a good place to start. Look for the Columbia Crest H3 line or Chateau Ste. Michelle labels that say “Horse Heaven Vineyard” or “Canoe Ridge Vineyard.”

In addition to selling fruit, most Horse Heaven Hills growers devote a small percentage of their crop to producing wine under their own labels. In 2002 McKinley Springs was opened by the Andrews and Rowell families. In 2005 Rob and Brenda Mercer founded Mercer Wine Estates, which includes three tiers of estate wines plus a single label dedicated solely to charity: Mercer Estates, Mercer Estates Reserve, Mercer Canyon and Eagle & Plow. In 2006 Mike Andrews began making wine under the Coyote Canyon Winery label and also produces wine as H/H Estates. Fine wines are made by Alexandria Nicole Cellars whose vineyard neighbors Mercer’s.

A handful of vineyard/winemakers work independently of the Ste. Michelle labels. Martinez and Martinez is a small family-run operation of second generation wine folks (cousins to the Mercers). They use hand-picked fruit from Martinez and Alder Ridge Vineyards to make small lots of well structured wines. Champoux Vineyards superb fruit, including some of those original vines in Horse Heaven Hills planted by Bob and Linda Mercer, falls into the hands of an elite and lucky group of associate winemakers. Look for labels from Quilceda Creek, Powers Winery, Andrew Will Winery and Woodward Canyon Winery.

Value Appraisal

How much is Horse Heaven Hills treasure worth? Expect to pay half or less for a Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon compared to one of comparable quality from Napa. Quite the deal when you consider the many awards that Horse Heaven Hills wines have received. The 2005 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was Wine Spectator’s number one wine of the year. This wine included a substantial amount of fruit from Horse Heaven Hills.

Visually, the Horse Heaven Hills does not fit the stereotypical image of “wine country.” The landscape is brown and vast. There are long stretches of nothing but barren, windblown hillside and shallow canyons, with only a few tenacious, scrubby trees and shrubs. Even the evocative name is a bit misleading. This “Horse Heaven” is more of a broad, gently sloping plateau between the Yakima and Columbia Rivers. Still today one can travel for miles without seeing another car, a gas station or even anything green. Many would have supposed the whole area to be too difficult to farm. Fortunately these growers discovered the treasure of Horse Heaven Hills.

For more stories about Horse Heaven Hills see articles from our colleagues Jameson Fink at Wine Without Worry and Mary Cressler at Vindulge.

The post Discovering Treasure in Horse Heaven Hills appeared first on Tasting Pour by Jade Helm.