Here are the beautiful new wines by Kevin White. A great way to spend a Friday, I walked into the French-inspired tasting room in Woodinville. I was excited to taste the latest by Kevin White, who founded his namesake winery fourteen years ago back in 2010. Inspired by the wines of the Rhone Valley, Kevin sought to learn more and more about wine, taking classes in chemistry, microbiology and enology. Kevin started making his wines at nearby Baer before opening his tasting room in the warehouse district of Woodinville. Kevin is very bullish on the new vintage coming from 2022. This vintage cou ..read more

Here are the beautiful new 2021 releases by Corison. A beautiful, historic winery in the Napa Valley, Corison is known for producing great wines in tough vintages. I fondly remember Cathy Corison’s 2011 wines which was arguably the toughest vintage in the past 20 years. Her wines in 2020 were without a doubt some of the finest made in Napa. For those not familiar with Cathy Corison, she is one of the famed women in California winemaking. Corison is a master’s degree graduate of the Enology program at UC Davis and has previously served as Chappellet winemaker prior to starting her own winery ..read more

Here is the historic entrance to Marques de Murrieta. A fantastic tale of Rioja, Marqués de Murrieta was initially founded under the Marqués de Murrieta, who brought production techniques to Spain from Bordeaux. It was back in 1852 that the Marques produced his first wine in Logroño, moving into the Ygay Estate in the late 1870s. Located at the heart of La Rioja, the Estate is home to Ygay Castle, headquarters of the Marqués de Murrieta wineries. A sight to be seen, this historic castle is set on 300 hectares of vineyards as the Castillo Ygay accommodates the whole of Marqués de Mur ..read more

Here are the beautiful grounds at Merryvale. One of the great stops in Napa, Merryvale's historic building was the first winery built in the Napa Valley after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 and has become a favorite destination for visitors to the valley. This is a beautiful wine country setting, surrounded by French oak barrels and casks. I’ve enjoyed visiting this beautiful property many times and the surrounding serene vineyards. The property is owned by the Schlatter family. Winemaker Andrew Wright has crafted a beautiful range of wines. I love. The 2021 Merryvale ‘Carneros’ Chardonnay ..read more

Here are the stunning new wines by WeatherEye Vineyard and winemaker Todd Alexander. One of Washington State’s great wine brands, WeatherEye Vineyard is the brainchild of Cameron Myhrvold, longtime advocate for the Washington Wine Industry. It was 20 years ago back in 2004 that Cam purchased this property based on an idea to grow grapes where no one had attempted before — on the top and north face of Red Mountain. Today most of the fruit is sold to 10 different wineries and a small portion is held back for WeatherEye Vineyard. The site is farmed by Ryan Johnson former vineyard manager at Ciel ..read more

Here is the stunning new Hors Categorie. It is my pleasure to present to you today one of the great wines of the word. Translated to ‘beyond categorization’ Hors Catégorie is an ultra-pure expression of terroir in a bottle. Sourced from a very hilly, 2-acre vineyard hidden in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, the Hors Catégorie Vineyard is a sight to be seen. This is is without a doubt one of the most scenic spots you will find in the Walla Walla Valley.  The vineyard has incredibly tight spacing and Syrah clusters are cropped at less than a ton an acre. The terroir is largely stony w ..read more

Here are two of the beautiful new bottlings by Cuvaison. I think most would consider Cuvaison one of the top spots in Carneros to visit. For many years now Steve Rogstad has made these wines and has a beautiful style of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that focuses on poise and texture. I have long admired these wines and fondly recall tasting some impressive early 2000s Chardonnay when I was in graduate school. It is hard to believe that this winery was first founded back in 1969. Then in 1979 they acquired 400 acres of highly prized land north of San Pablo Bay in the Los Carneros district of Napa ..read more

Here is the quirky and fun ‘Miscreant Project’ winery label. TruthTeller is a fun, vibrant brand out of Walla Walla that was founded by Chris and Dawn Loeliger. They make a beautiful range of wines from crisp Rose and Albarino to ink Cabernet. The Loeligers have a tasting room in downtown Walla Walla that I have visited before, and they make roughly 1,800 cases of wine a year. Chris is a Northwest Wine Academy graduate. The wines that he makes are seriously good. I think they are getting better and better. I love the new 2023 TruthTeller ‘Frolic’ Viognier (OB, 92) which has plenty push/pull i ..read more

I encountered some really good service for my Business Class flight from Seattle to London Heathrow. A very polished business class product, my experience in the Club Suites from Seattle to London Heathrow was really good. Of course there are some snags, but the overall flying experience that they delivered was excellent. Starting my journey I made my way to the lounge at Sea-Tac airport. I was able to use the very tiny First lounge due to my One World Emerald Status. The lounge has changed a bit since my last visit as there is a better array of foods and champagnes than last time. More food ..read more

Here are the beautiful new wines by Dunham Cellars. I have such fond memories of visiting Dunham Cellars in the early 2000s. This location was a seminal wine memory I have tasting with my father and trying the consistently great lineup. Founded by the Dunham family in 1995 these are wines that tend to completely over-deliver for the price. They have a range of wines starting with their entry level ‘Three Legged Red’ up to their top Artist Series wines that are truly beautiful. Dunham relies on the talented hands of winemaker Rob Campisi, who was formerly assistant winemaker at Dunham. Rob tra ..read more