William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

William Pollard Jr. “The way you speak, people want to believe what you say.” - A comment about me by Ryan Opaz, Catavino , European Wine Bloggers This is the first time in seven years of blogging about wine that I've attempted to re-cap my year of wine. 2013 was a wonderful year, packed full of wine experiences and deserving of reflection. What do you want to know? What were my favorite wines of 2013? There were many. What new insights do I have about wine? I confronted some prejudices and realized I can be wrong. Which wine events and wine country destinations do I recommend? Ah, I do have several on my list. Did anything else change in my world of wine? I will get to that too, let's get started.

Minstrel & Muse Audio Art Magazine. What could be finer than unwrapping the gift of wine? I was happy to be invited back to Minstrel and Muse  - Audio Art Magazine, to talk about wine gifts. With only 9 days until Christmas these are becoming last minute gift ideas. I've provided links to some of the products we discussed today. I'm coming off of a cold, so I apologize if I was a little fuzzy. We touched on many of the subjects listed. I hope this helps you in selecting the perfect gift. Here's the link to the audio program. Enjoy!

Regular readers of this wine blog and my East Coast wine friends, know that I have become a fan of Finger Lakes Riesling. They have a quality and flavor profile which I adore. It should be no surprise that I am always eager to expand my palate and experience more wines from New York. They do grow more than Riesling in the Finger Lakes. It was a delight to be asked by Damiani Wine Cellars to review four of their wines; a Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Damiani Wine Cellars is a winery located on the eastern shores of Seneca Lake, New York. They have 23 acres of vineyards which they hand-pick and ferment in small batches. Owners Glenn Allen (GM), Lou Damiani (Winemaker) and Phil Davis (Grower) produce a full line of distinctive red and white wines. I encourage you to seek these wines out. If you live on the East Coast they will be easier to find. Visit their website to check on shipping options and availability.

"Concordia" means "harmony" in Latin. "Luxurious and a little naughty." A Syrah dominant wine, Concordia delivered a "harmony" of flavors. I was duly impressed by this second vintage from the Mackey brothers. Philip and Roger Mackey launched their Walla Walla, Washington winery, Mackey Vineyards in 2010. The 2008 vintage was their first. This second exposure to Mackey Vineyards was provocative. Expect more great things from this winery.

2011 Estate Bottled Red Wine Blend Columbia Valley Goose Ridge Vineyards was founded by the Monson Family in 1999. Goose Ridge is an estate winery dedicated to handcrafting wines from grapes grown on their 1,400 acre vineyard. Veteran Columbia Valley winemaker Kendall Mix joined Goose Ridge Vineyard & Estate Winery as head winemaker in April of 2010. While I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Mix at tasting events, this is my first review of one of his Goose Ridge red wines. Visiting with him at the winery is on my list. Call me.

Columbia Valley, Washington This vintage has become popular at our home. My wife and I agree that it is a great table wine. We've been drinking Bookwalter wines together since 1990. I should note that I no longer see this wine listed on their website. Look for it at your local grocer and stock up while you can. This review is a re-visit, I originally reviewed this wine a year ago on 4 September 2012 . It has held up well.

Another Washington Syrah, this time from Walla Walla. The Mackey brothers, Philip and Roger, launched Mackey Vineyards in 2010. The 2008 vintage was their first. Their 2009 Syrah is therefore their second vintage. And it is a vintage worth aging in your wine cellar. A collectors wine. This initial exposure to Mackey Vineyards was interesting. Expect great things from this winery.

  Dreaming of summer. Bitter cold weather has descended on the valley. It's supposed to be even colder over the next few days. Joy. At least I have a good pair of warm boots for braving the outdoors. I even have a pair of warm wool boots for indoor wear too - they are definitely needed.   "...a wine for when you want to dream of warmer days..."

Okay fans of Washington Syrah, this one is for you. A notoriously difficult to find bottle of Syrah. I snagged the last bottle when I saw it at the local grocers. It's a little young today but drank well after an hour. I even made a couple of wallpaper images of the bottle for you to put on your desktop. "Good expression of varietal." -William Pollard, Wild 4 Washington Wine.

Guest post by Juli Crompe. Awww 20Something... I waited an entire year for this event to come around again, with such excitement. After an amazing time at  last years 20Something , I had been anxious for months about going back to Fremont Studios. I have to admit, my excitement turned to slight disappointment shortly into the event for a few reasons. Although there were a lot of things I liked about this years 20Something, there were things that I feel need improvement: Needs Improvement 1. I noticed there were almost no wineries pouring at tables. It took me a little while to realize they were walking around pouring. Last year it was a mix of both tables and pourers walking around (a huge plus; my glass was never empty). But this year I couldn't find some of the wineries I wanted to try, this caused me to miss some of the ones I'd been excited about. I ended up asking quite a few people pouring if they'd seen this wine, or that winery, but many had no idea wha