Jens’ Holiday Dream Case

 Jens Strecker (Owner, Portalis Wines) picks his 12 favorite holiday wines

These are some of my current favorite picks from around the world.  If Santa got my wish list, these wines would be at the top! 

Domaine De La Meuliere 2008 Chablis 
Burgundy, France  ~ $25.99 | Sale $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39
Fine, flowery nose. Vibrant fruit with lots of weight & a long, stony, delicious finish.

Abeja 2009 Chardonnay
Washington State ~ $39.99 | Sale $35.99 | Mixed Case $28.79
Elegant, rich & full. Smoky, toasty aromas give way to fantastic apple & pear fruit with some peach notes. Butterscotch & hazelnut on the finish that lingers.

Evening Land 2009 Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley, Oregon ~ $29.99 | Sale $26.99 | Mixed Case $21.59
Spicy baked cherry pie, plum & wild berry aromas turn elegant & refined. Full-bodied, but not too heavy to allow the rich flavors to dance on the palate. Long finish.

Gary Ferrell 2007 Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley, California ~ $44.99 | Sale $40.99 | Mixed Case $32.79
Elegant & powerful, with lots of raspberry & cherry fruit, with notes of clove & anise. The aromas & the long finish leave you wanting more.

Château Pichecan 2003 Margaux
Left Bank, Bordeaux, France ~ $43.99 | Sale $39.99 | Mixed Case $31.99
Concentrated blackcurrants & blackberries on the nose. Super-elegant, with soft, velvety mouth feel, but firm structure. Wonderful concentrated cassis fruit with cocoa & herbal notes all the way through the finish.

Domaine Faury 2007 Saint Joseph
Northern Rhône, France ~ $41.99 | Sale $37.99 | Mixed Case $30.39
Dark but racy, with fantastic aromas of raspberries, olives & lavender. Flavors of cassis, ripe, dark plums, olive tapenade, with a dash of roasted sage on the finish. This wine is so interesting; it will keep you busy for a while.

Dessilani 2005 Caramino
Piedmont, Italy ~ $39.99 | Sale $35.99 | Mixed Case $28.79
This wine is a symphony! Super-complex & elegant with a violet bouquet. The vibrantly pure fruit quality of this fine red, with its flavors of black cherry & smooth, dark chocolate is irresistibly seductive & beautifully balanced. Out of this world.

Arzuaga 2005 Ribera Del Duero
Ribera Del Duero, Spain ~ $33.99 | Sale $30.99 | Mixed Case $24.79
Elegant, focused & well-balanced, with wonderful dark fruit, herbal & leather notes. Lovely depth & a smooth, long finish.

Mollydooker 2009 The Boxer Shiraz
McLaren Vale Valley, Australia ~ $28.99 | Sale $25.99 | Mixed Case $20.79
Ripe, fleshy & full-bodied, with gorgeous flavors of black cherries, blackberries & blueberries, with notes of bay leave & black olives, swirling all the way through the long finish.

Achaval Ferrer 2007 Quimera
Mendoza, Argentina ~ $40.99 | Sale $37.99 | Mixed Case $30.39
Powerful & complex, dark & brooding, with intense aromas of blackberries, black cherries & licorice. Full-bodied, with a velvety texture & polished tannins. Beautiful down the road.

Mark Ryan 2008 Dead Horse
Red Mountain, Washington ~ $49.99 | Sale $44.99 | Mixed Case $35.99
Full, dark & dense, but smooth, velvety texture with lots of blackberry, black cherry & raspberry flavors, combined with dark chocolate & coffee notes. Mark keeps his foot on the gas pedal all the way through the finish. Very impressive!

Sparkman 2008 Ruckus Syrah
Columbia Valley, Washington ~ $45.99 | Sale $41.99 | Mixed Case $33.59
Big, plush & dark, with layers of dark fruit, black cherries, blackberries & black olives. Supple, harmonious & expressive as the finish goes on & on. Amazing!

Happy holidays & cheers!
Jens

O’Shea Scarborough Winery (Seattle)

A cool label goes a long way in my book and these guys have some of the best labels in town. They range from edgy to mystical to beautiful with sort of a historic depth. (They also use the big, sturdy bottles that make the wine feel important in your hands. Nothing says big, worthy (gift) wine like this type of bottle.) But the label isn’t what’s important … it’s the wine, and these guys are producing some notably outstanding local wines.

O’Shea Scarborough Winery is a partnership between Travis Scarborough and Darryn O’Shea. Travis and Darryn both called on us at Portalis in their former lives as wine reps for local Seattle distributors. I remember when Travis stopped by with one of his first vintages – no label, no approvals, just a bottle of Washington Syrah for Jens and Gina to try. Jens said it was good, but I’m not sure at the time that I realized they were going to make a go of it.

Their winery started in a garage (for real), and for more on their garagiste roots, check out this interview from 2006. They have upped the ante since then, moving to a grown-up facility in Tukwila. As well, they are past just having a bottle of red, producing an impressive array of varietals, including reds, whites and a dessert wine.  I can tell Jens likes these wines and so I asked what makes them different.  He said that for their first vintage, they are “pretty darn impressive wines”.  He said that most of the time when he tastes first vintage Washington wines they are fine, but they all sort of taste the same.  These, though, ”have good acidity, balance and are pretty complex, with well-integrated oak.  It’s a promising beginning.”  Here’s Jens’ take on their lineup:

O’Shea Scarborough 2007 Semillon
Red Mountain, WA; $22
We currently serve this wine by the glass at the wine bar & people love it.  Wonderful pear and melon flavors with some citrus. Great acidity. A good sipper.

O’Shea Scarborough 2007 Proprietors Chardonnay
Horse Heaven Hills, WA; $34
Vibrant citrus fruit combined with toast and vanilla flavors. Excellent Chardonnay.

O’Shea 2007 Riesling “Cease & Desist”
Dineen Vineyard, Yakima Valley, WA
Bright & dry, German-style, good sipping acidity, good minerality.  Good future.  Store up to 2 years.

O’Shea Scarborough 2005 “The Immortal” Syrah
Columbia Valley, WA; Reg $38/Sale $34.50
Dark fruit, with espresso and coffee notes. Medium- to full-bodied, well-balanced and elegant.

O’Shea Scarborough 2006 Proprietors Cabernet Sauvignon
Yakima Valley, WA; $40
Black currant, cassis, dark fruit. Complex, elegant, with fine tannins on the finish.

O’Shea Scarborough 2007 Eiswein
Yakima Valley, WA; $34
One of the best WA “Eisweine” we have tasted. If you are interested in tasting this sweet dessert wine, grab it as we only have 1 bottle left.

Try these out if you get a chance.  They are excellent examples of what can come out of Washington State.

Contributor:  Julie Howe