2013 Auction of Washington Wines Gala

On August 19, 2013October 22, 2013 By Bob WattIn WashingtonLeave a comment

We were delighted to be the guests of Kris Middleton and Tony Lupino of Caderetta Wines on Saturday night for the Gala Auction. Before heading to the auction festivities, we got together with friends for a quick drink and photo opp. Here’s the crew in action:

Pam Harrington, Chris Figgins, Maura and Drew Bledsoe, Greg Harrington, Kris Middleton, Tony Lupino, Christina and Bob Watt.

The auction vibe was great this year – there was a pervasive sense of community and camaraderie in the room. An impressive $2,000,000 was raised, a testament to the very well-run auction. We very much enjoyed the company of the guests at our table, along with their great wines. Unfortunately, we were having too much fun with our hosts to remember to take notes on the vintages, but we loved getting to taste the crisp SBS white, as well as the Caderetta Cabernet. Springboard and Windthrow. Next time we’ll have to do less talking and more note-taking!

2013 Gramercy Cellars and Doubleback Winemaker Dinner

On August 19, 2013November 27, 2013 By Bob WattIn WashingtonLeave a comment

We had a beautiful night on Friday at our winemaker dinner for the Auction of Washington Wines. We very much enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with our friends Pam and Greg Harrington of Gramercy Cellars, and Drew and Maura Bledsoe of Doubleback. Not only do they have great taste in wine, but as my wife says, they also have great taste in wives – we had a blast catching up with all of them this weekend.

Joey’s provided the food for the evening, and created some very inventive pairings, such as the crab with curry sauce that played perfectly off the flavors of Gramercy Cellar’s limited release rose. Greg’s rose is a nice, dry wine in the provincial French style – it was a treat to be able to enjoy it, as he typically only makes it available to his wine list members.

Pam and Greg Harrrington of Gramercy Cellars with Christina and Bob Watt.

Our highlights from the evening, besides seeing great friends, was the Gramercy Cellars ’06 Tempranillo, which was a nicely complex wine with good acidity, that makes it such a great food wine. It’s still drinking young and appears to have a long life ahead of it. We also enjoyed the Gramercy Cellars ’08 Lagniappe Syrah. This wine was rich in fruit with spices, and paired well with the lamb course.

Greg Harrington of Gramercy Cellars with Drew Bledsoe from Doubleback.

As always, the ’09 and ’10 Doubleback wines were full and lush, with dark berries and chocolate. These tend to be big wines that will take years to mature and truly realize the complexity. While drinking well now and a perfect pairing with any meat dish, aging these wines will definitely pay off.

Big thanks to Brian and Laurie Flynn for opening up their beautiful home, and to Greg and Drew for the great wines!

Cellar Gems: Doubleback and Gramercy Cellars

On August 15, 2013February 4, 2014 By Bob WattIn WashingtonLeave a comment

We are very much looking forward to our weekend. It’s the annual Auction of Washington Wines – several days of good wines and our winemaking friends from all over the state come in to celebrate.

For the past few years, good friends Brian and Laurie Flynn have hosted a Friday night winemaker dinner at their beautiful Capitol Hill home. There are usually one-three winemakers in attendance, and a fantastic local chef who puts together the food pairings. This year, the wines will be Doubleback and Gramercy Cellars, two of our favorites from Washington State, and arguably my wife’s absolute favorites.
Not only are the wines great, but Drew Bledsoe of Doubleback and Greg Harrington of Gramercy Cellars are also just great guys who clearly love what they do – it should be a good night!

Here are two recent write-ups from tastings of their wines:

2010 Doubleback (Walla Walla – Washington, USA) – Nice dark reddish purple color. Nose of sweet black fruit and a hint of charred oak. On the palate, sweet ripe blackberry/blueberry fruit and a touch of vanilla oak. Very nice persistence in the mouth. A big wine with a long sweet fruit filled finish, but with enough tannin to age gracefully for 10-20 years. There are good things to come for those able to wait another 5 years before opening. (95pts.)

2007 Gramercy Cabernet Sauvignon (Walla Walla – Washington, USA) – Nice dark reddish color. The nose had sweet blackberry and red currants, with a hint of oak. In the mouth, the sweet black and red fruits came through with a lively tang of acid that electrified the taste buds. This wine really got the salivary glands going. The slightly higher acid made this wine a great wine to go with food. The wine had a nice long fruit filled finish, with an acid zip at the end, that makes you want to come back for more. Great wine for the money (94pts.)

Cellar Gems are reviews of bottles aged in our cellar.