Mannina Cellars - Up and Coming!

Mannina Cellars is a brand new winery located in the heart of the Walla Walla Valley in Eastern Washington State, home to one of the most acclaimed winemaking regions in the world. I actually have a personal connection to this winery: I received a call several months back from a family friend telling me about a great guy, Don Redman, who just released his first offerings at a new winery in Walla Walla. I asked for his number, and the next time we were in town I called Don and stopped by his tasting room.

Don had just opened the new tasting room and we had a chat. He is an environmental engineer by trade, who fell in love with the wines and wine country of Walla Walla so much that he put his background in chemistry to work making wine. I had a great time talking with Don. He spoke in careful detail about hand selecting and hand separating the dense clusters of his Sangiovese before crush. I could tell this is a winemaker who will stop at nothing to achieve perfection!

We tasted his 2004 Merlot (88 points in Wine and Spirits), it was incredible. I was absolutely blown away by his first releases! Next we tasted the 2004 Sangiovese. I enjoyed it so much I bought a case on the spot. Unfortunately, he is now sold out of the 2004 Sangiovese. I did not get the opportunity to taste his 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, but if his other offerings are any indication, I really need to find some! You can visit Don’s website at http://www.manninacellars.com/ and can buy his 2004 Merlot (which I highly recommend) at http://www.lovewashingtonwine.com/ .

Cave B Estate Winery, Inn and Resort

The Cave B Estate winery is something extraordinary. The winery is considered Eastern Washington’s first destination winery resort. Located at a place known as SageCliff, high above the Columbia River near Vantage, Cave B is a place surrounded by natural beauty. If you are going to visit Cave B plan to stay a while…literally! The property includes an Inn where you can stay in a private cliff house, in the inn or in a cavern loft. A stay at Cave B is quite memorable. My parents visit Cave B often (it's about an hour from where they live) because they are literally transported to world of terrific food and wine that becomes an experience to remember. The Inn at Cave B even received a four star rating from Luxury Travel magazine and was featured in last month's Alaska Air magazine.

Cave B also features a growing resort and spa. Acclaimed Executive Chef Fernando Divina’s world famous cuisine pared with Cave B wines is the perfect dining experience. You must really find time to get to Cave B!

Rusty Figgins is their award winning winemaker. First honing his skills as an apprentice at Leonetti Cellars in Walla Walla, Figgins then created Glen Fiona and was a winemaker at Northstar and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Viticulture and Enology from Charles Sturt University in Australia.

Jeff Cleveringa, Cave B’s viticulturist, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Plant Science from Dordt College in Northwest Iowa. He is currently an advisory board member for the Good Fruit Grower magazine and past president of the Columbia Basin Tree Fruit Society and former session chair for the Washington State Horticultural Association’s annual meeting.

Together, Cleveringa and Figgins are taking Columbia Valley wine to the next level!

All of Cave B’s fruit is hand-selected and estate grown and made into terrific wine. I enjoy the many offerings of Cave B but have a particular affinity for their 2004 Blanc de Blanc sparking wine, the 2002 Merlot and 2004 Sagecliffe Semillon. They also make a fantastic 2005 Semillon Ice wine that you really need to experience. These are a few of the selections I enjoy. Please visit http://www.lovewashingtonwine.com to view all of their offerings!

Come back Monday and I'll introduce you to another unique winemaker and winery: Rob Newsom of Boudreaux Cellars.

New winery Stemilt Creek!

The Stemilt Creek winery is our newest winery. Stemilt Creek is located in central Washington State on 4785 Stemilt Hill Road in Wenatchee, WA and just opened a tasting room in downtown Wenatchee.

Jan Mathison, the winemaker for Stemilt Creek, put forth some very strong first releases in 2006. Their 2003 Cabernet Franc even received an 89 point rating in the October, 2006 issue of the Wine Spectator Magazine.

My personal favorites are the 2002 Merlot and the 2003 Cabernet Franc. With such strong first releases, this is an up and coming winery to watch! Visit http://www.lovewashingtonwine.com sample their offerings and come back to see what is next!

Visit our blog tomorrow where I will introduce you to Cave B Estate Winery.

C.R. Sandidge Wines

C.R. Sandidge wines are ultra-premium and special. Winemaker Ray Sandidge is one of the state of Washington’s most accomplished winemakers. With 50 plus 90 point wine ratings in the Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast and numerous other accomplishments Sandidge wines are amongst the best you will find anywhere!.

I will get straight to the point! With accolades like Best New World Wine Blend at the Jerry D. Mead International Wine Competition for the 2002 Tri*Umph, C.R. Sandidge wines are amongst the best in the state!

The winery is located in the Lake Chelan Valley in Washington State. If you are visiting beautiful Lake Chelan, you can stop in at their Bistro at 137 East Woodin Avenue
Chelan, WA 98816. They have terrific food, performers and they of course offer great wine.

My favorites from Sandidge are the 2002 Tri*Umph, the 2005 Great Legs Rosé and the 2004 KISS. The 2004 KISS is really something to look at and drink! It is a unique raisened Pinot Noir desert wine that will simply blow you away.

If you are looking to give a gift of Washington Wine, order some C.R. Sandidge wines you will not be disappointed. Elegant wines with elegant labels are sincerely hand crafted works of art. If you have not tried their wine visit us at http://www.lovewashingtonwine.com click on C.R. Sandidge wines and order with confidents.

Please check back tomorrow when I post an introduction of a brand new upcoming winery Stemilt Creek.

Introducing Chateau Faire Le Pont

Doug and Debe Brazil created something very special with their winery. I really love their wine and their winery. The winery is located inside a renovated 1920’s warehouse previously used to load trains. The renovations the couple has made are extensive! They kept most of the original wood and wood floors of the warehouse while turning it into a state of the art winery. This winery has charm! From hand painted murals and brick walls inside (which are actually thousands of individual hand painted bricks by an artist) to the tasting and barrel room, everything about their creation is charming.

The winery has a magnificent kitchen and restaurant inside where their great wines are paired with great food. If you are in the Wenatchee area, turn off at Olds Station and visit! Their address is literally 1 Vineyard Way in Wenatchee, WA. Easy access, plenty of parking, vines on the property with manicured gardens and an outdoor gazebo make this winery perfect any time of the year.

Doug Brazil, the winemaker at Chateau Faire Le Pont, has a true passion for making wine. He has achieved an amazing depth working with many different varietals and blends some of the best wine in the Columbia Valley. Go to http://www.lovewashingtonwine.com/ and click on Chateau Faire Le Pont to find 15 of their wines!

With the diversity of varietals and number of wines offered by Chateau Faire Le Pont, the charm of the winery and having Doug or Debe themselves pour for you, this winery is ideal for tasting and sampling their broad selection. You should stay awhile, take your time and simply enjoy what they have to offer. This is one of my favorite wineries to visit and I am always looking for any excuse to do so.

With such a diverse book of wines, you will find yourself returning to see what is released next. This is an exciting winery because they are always doing something new. That being said, it always comes down to personal taste, so here are the wines I enjoy most: the 2004 Riesling per the tasting notes has an amazing finish, I enjoy it often. If you want something special, I highly recommend their 2004 Vin De Glace 100% Semillon Ice Wine. It is an amazing dessert wine! My personal favorite, however, is their 2003 Provence. Doug makes a great blend of 41% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot that earned 88 points in Wine Spectator.

Come back and visit us tomorrow, and I’ll introduce you to C.R. Sandidge wines in Chelan, WA!

Greetings from Love Washington Wine

Greetings wine lovers! This is my first post to our new wine blog at http://www.lovewashingtonwine.com/. I am Mark Bolz, the CEO of Confluent Data, the company that helped our wineries come together to offer you their unique wines online.

I want to welcome you to our wineries’ website. Love Washington Wine is the product of 18 months of diligence and development. It’s truly a labor of love – of Washington wines.

We are excited to be able to bring you Washington wineries and award-winning wines that you might not be able to find easily near you.

I don't know how much you know about Washington wines, but our terroir is unique because of all of the volcanic activity in the Northwest. And we have more sunny days than other winegrowing regions, giving our grapes full flavor and making our wines some of the best in the world. And we have the honors and medals to prove it.

I guess that’s why we’re noted as having “The Perfect Climate for Wine.”

Let me introduce you to the wineries on our site one-by-one each day, starting with the first winery to join us: Ryan Patrick Vineyards.

Ryan Patrick Vineyards is a family-owned and operated winery located in Rock Island, Washington, a very small, sun-drenched town located in central Washington along the Columbia River.

Ryan Patrick has three vineyards Bishops, Homestead and Vivian’s. Terry and Vivian Flanagan own and run the winery with their family, including sons, Ryan and Patrick, the namesakes of the winery. Check out their website at http://www.ryanpatrickvineyards.com/ .

Ryan Patrick’s award wining winemaker, Craig Mitrakul, is making some fantastic wine! The Ryan Patrick 2003 Red Reserve received a 91 point rating in the Wine Spectator. And they still have some 1999 Red Reserve, which is a wonderful vintage. It’s hard to decide which is better - but the 2003 release is my favorite.

If you like Chardonnay, the Ryan Patrick 2004 Estate Chardonnay is one to try. And the Rock Island Red is a constant in my cellar. You really can’t go wrong with either choice.

Terry has a special offer for you. He is offering select releases from 1998 to 2004, in a six-bottle wooden gift box. It’s a wine lover’s must-have. Call (509) 667-9861 PST or email mailto:terry@ryanpatrickvineyards.com?subject= to order your select releases box. You can only get this from the winery.

If you plan to visit Leavenworth, Washington, Terry and Vivian opened a new tasting room in October 2006. Drop in any time to sample Ryan Patrick’s wine, M – F, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.


We are very excited to work with leading wineries like Ryan Patrick, and great people like Terry and Vivian.

Check back Monday for a profile of Saint Laurent winery.
We hope you visit LoveWashingtonWine.com often. And, if you have questions, post them or email us at support@lovewashingtonwine.com