The 2010 version of the always-non-vintage Black Dot is another unusual blend. This one is composed of 35% grenache/30% zinfandel/25% syrah/10% cabernet sauvignon from two vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA (the cab is from the 2008 vintage; the others from the 2009 vintage). The '09 version had primitivo in it; this "year's" has zin instead.
But before you experts out there say zin and primitivo are genetically the same, don't bet the house on it. Google the subject and you will find lots of disagreement and equivocation out there. I'm not a plant geneticist, but I do know that at least according to the TTB (the arbiters of what may and may not be placed on a bottle of wine produced in this great country of ours or brought into it), the two are not considered synonymous.
I can also assure you that while this version of BD (as I call it) is similar in texture and style, it's not synoymous with the 2009 version either.
Thisone shows off its grenache and zin with concentrated red fruit compote notes, rounded out by a syrah-like vivacity. It pairs well with grilled fare and pizza.
334-case production; each variety vinted separately in neutral French oak.
14% alcohol
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Beacon for $24.99/bottle
First & Vine for $29.99/bottle
Maslow 6 for $24/bottle
P.D. O'Hurley's @ West End for $13/glass; $33/bottle
Dovetail for $55/bottle
Kennedy's for $15/glass; $45/bottle
The 2008 Katydid is what is referred to as a GSM. That is, it's a blend of three grapes that are particularly important in the Southern Rhône. And thanks to our friends in Australia, it is a category that has caught on in may parts of the wine-making world. The '08 Katydid is a blend of 60% grenache/30% syrah/10% mourvèdre from two vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.
Concentrated and kirsch-like in the Southern Rhône style (Alexis trained at Château Beaucastel), the ’08 Katydid shows expressive violet, cherry, licorice and dried tobacco notes. Pair it with grilled meats, the more char on them, the better.
277-case production; each variety vinted separately in neutral oak
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New York Vintners for $31/bottle
This is the second vintage of this wine for me. The first (the '07) was wildly successful. Which both did and didn't surprise me. Didn't: Because, very simply, it was a great wine, well made, reflecting the grape varieties used in it and the place it came from. Did: Many of us, whether we realize it or not, prefer our whites on the insipid side, leaving the complexity and power for the reds in our drinking lives.The '07 Blanc du Moulin, like the 2008, is a BIG wine. Big in the sense that Rhône-style whites just are. The 2007 clocked in at a healthy 14.4% alcohol level. And it could have been higher, but Alexis Pouillon put the brakes on.
The 2008 is a tick more at 14.5%. Crazy. But not really. Alcohol, like any other piece of a wine's puzzle, is a releative measurement. When the wine is in balance, the alcohol, like the acidity, like the tannins, like the oak employed (if there is any), nothing sticks out. The 2008 actually came across to me as showing less alcohol than the '07. Go figure.
The cèpage (a fancy-sounding French word—in fairness, all French words sound fancy—for the grape mix) is noticeably different in the '08. It is 80% roussanne with the balance being viognier. Last year's was 60% roussanne/40% viognier. Why the change? Just because that's the way the Pouillons thought they needed to go based on the growing season in '08.
The '08, like the '07, is rich and redolent of all sorts of flowers and stone fruit. When it's a bit chilled, it's all roussanne, showing honeysuckle, apple blossom and paraffin. As it warms, the viognier emerges in texture and honeyed apricot notes. But don't call it sweet. It's simply very, very ripe.
200 cases produced; 10 months aging in 5-year-old neutral Burgundian oak.
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Frankly Wines for $21/bottle
Martin Brothers for $17.99/bottle
Suburban for $19.99/bottle
Winesby.com for $20/bottle
Annisa for $45/bottle
West Side Steakhouse for $38/bottle
NOTE: The 2010 version of Black Dot is available in New York City as of November 2010. Please refer to the separate entry for information about it and where to find it.
An unusual non-vintage blend of 33% syrah/25% primitivo/25% cabernet sauvignon/17% grenache from two vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA (the cab is from the 2007 vintage; the others from the 2008 vintage).
I could tell the story behind this odd, little wine, but instead, click on this link: Black Dot story.
This "vintage" of the Black Dot is as supple as it is sassy with floral notes of strawberry preserves, earth and licorice with a touch of smoke. It pairs well with grilled fare and even pizza.
292 cases produced
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Beacon Wine & Spirits for $19.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!!
Ehrlich's Wines & Liquors for $21/bottle
Martin Brothers Wines & Spirits for $18.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!!
Suburban Wines & Spirits for $19.99/bottle
Blue Hill Restaurant (price to be determined)
Dovetail for $52/bottle SOLD OUT!!!
P.D. O'Hurley's @ West End for $13/glass; $33/bottle SOLD OUT!!!
Pierre is blend of 52% syrah and 48% cabernet sauvignon from the McKinley Springs Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills, an up-and-coming appellation recently carved out of the huge Columbia Valley AVA. Named for Alexis’ father, Pierre is also a tribute to a humble vin de pays they shared on their first date.
The combination of cab and syrah has never been one that I've been fond of, though the Australians certainly do a good job with it. To me, syrah and cab are so themselves that it doesn't work to put them in the same bottle. It's like telling two Type As to defer to each other. And when I got a sample of Pierre from the Pouillons, I thought that it would probably be well made, but I didn't anticipate telling them I loved it. So much for assumptions made by former wine writers!
The 2007 Pierre seamlessly integrates a bold kirsch-like texture with notes of cherry, tobacco and dusty earth. Pair it with burgers and other grilled fare.
375 cases produced
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Beacon Wine & Spirits for $24.99/bottle SOLD OUT!!!!!!
Penn Wine & Spirits for $25/bottle
Vestry Wines for $25/bottle
West Side Steakhouse for $13/glass; $42/bottle
Their estate windmill (moulin in French) lends its name to this blend of 60% roussanne/40% viognier from the blustery Coyote Canyon Vineyard in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills appellation.
This is the wine that made it perfectly clear to me how talented the Pouillons are as winemakers. Typically, we save our adulation for trophy wines, wines that cost per bottle what this little beauty does a case. Or at the very least, we worship at the alter of the "big" grapes, most of which are reds.
When was the last time you heard of someone raving about a roussanne/viognier blend? Never. Because not only are these very important Rhône whites not chardonnay, they aren't often put together in a two-grape blend to begin with. (Creating odd couples appears to be a Domaine Pouillon pattern, however.) Viognier is a freak. It is unbelievably expressive, yet it, like gewürztraminer perhaps, is also capable of being so flabby and acidity challenged that it can result in wines that have the consistency of syrup.
Roussanne tempers the viognier's baser qualities in this wine. It lends some backbone to the lovely floral and ripe notes offered up by the viognier. It's mind boggling to me how these two opposites could even be grown in the same vineyard. The Pouillons, in a neat counter-intuitive way, seem to focus on what might work between two disparate grapes (Pierre is an example, as well) rather than what might not, which is what most winemakers would do.
The 2007 Moulin shows rich stone fruit, honey and dewy floral notes. Finishing with a citrusy flourish, it’s an apt match for fruity or tangy white meat and fish dishes.
While I'm not usually one to tell people what temperature to serve any wine (though I certainly have my opinions), in the case of the Blanc du Moulin, I feel I must. Because of the serious ripeness of the fruit (Alexis said that his analysis indicated that the potential alcohol for this wine was a whopping 14.9%), this wine shouldn't be served right out of the fridge. If you do, you'll get a lot of the alcohol and none of the nuance. That said, once you take it out of the fridge, you won't need an ice bucket to keep it cool. I've had bottles open during tastings for the better part of an hour, and the Moulin just gets better and better as it slowly warms up. So, don't treat it like a white and don't treat it like a red. It's somewhere in the middle.
352 cases produced
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Martin Brothers for $17.99/bottle Sold out!!!! But Martin Brothers has the 2008 and it's the same price.
Penn Wine & Spirits for $19/bottle Sold out!!!!
Surburban Wines & Spirits $19.99/bottle Sold out!!!!
Telepan for $54/bottle Sold out!!!!
The Columbia River's impact on Eastern Washington winemaking is no more dramatic than in the Columbia Gorge. This relatively young appellation is situated on the left of the river; Oregon is to the right.
THE WASHINGTON INTRO WILL COME SHORTLY!