On Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:19:28 -0700 (PDT), DaleW >
wrote:

> I wanted a wine with a bit of sweetness to counter, and
>went with the 2005 Andrew's Vat "Alder Ridge*" Syrah (Columbia
>Valley). This is a Zachys "exclusive" that I got as part of a blowout
>recently.

If you want to get into Alder Ridge you need to get ahold of some
2004 Lowden Hills cab. They make an Alder Ridge (Horse Heaven Hills
AVA) cab that is unlike any cab I've ever tasted. I broke out a bottle
for my musician/wine geek pal Sonny Landreth when he was in town a few
weeks ago, and it outshined five other bottles of top end stuff I
brought backstage after the show. One of his friends was so knocked
out by it she phoned up the winery and ordered a case sent to her home
in North Carolina.

The punch line is that the cab was gifted to me by the winemaker's
wife a few months earlier, after I raved about their 2004 Syrah. I
discovered the syrah by accident, in a box of wine I won at an
auction. Me and a pal subsequently orderd a case to split. The syrah
grapes are sourced from Boushey Vineyards. Last weekend at Taste
Washington I was able to sample a number of Boushey-sourced wines, and
every one of them was stunning. So now I know two things -- 1) Boushey
is doing something exceptional with their grapes; 2) Lowden Hills is
doing something exceptional with pretty much everything they touch.

The wines are not expensive. The Syrah was recently on sale from the
winery for around $20. It's back up to $25, but the usual discounts
apply. The cab is $24. www.lowdenhillswinery.com

As for Passover: I'm always the Designated Wine Guy/Sommelier for my
sister's Seder. If I know there will be attendees who need kosher wine
I'll go out and pick up a bottle or two. But we're rather "new world"
about our Seders. This year I showed up with a mixed case. The group
was rather intimate compared to most years, so not that much was
consumed. We went through a very nice 2005 Sterling Merlot, 2003
Travignoli Chianti Reserva, 2004 Ch. Les Quartiers Rochegude CDR and a
2001 Cigare Volant.

The clear winner was the Cigare Volante. I was afraid it might be OTH,
since a bottle of '96 I opened recently was DOA. But this one was
world class. And screw top! (With an alien's face imprinted on the
cap.That Randall is a funny guy!)

My grades:

2005 Sterling Merlot A-
2003 Travignoli Chianti Reserva B-
2004 Ch. Les Quartiers Rochegude B-
2001 Cigare Volant A.

JJ