Pomum Cellars Wines

Is it me or is Woodinville getting to big for its bridges? There is a section in Woodinville Washington known as the “warehouse” district and anyone with some money and who likes wine seems to think they have an eye for wine making is doing just that…making wine.

I was tasted on Pomum wines and tried to get a little info on how long the wines have been around. They have been around for 7 years now and that’s about it. I first tasted the 2009 Idilico Tempranillo which is a sister winery of Pomum Cellars. Why does everyone have a second label? It was okay but not really structured well. Seemed to be a bit over-extracted and just was not where it should be. Only 125 cases made makes me think this is more of a trial run. It sits for $20 on the shelf so if you like wines that seem to be unbalanced, dark-stained fruit…you might like it.

Next up was the 2008 Pomum Cellars Syrah, which I thought was a nice wine till I heard the price…$32. I mean it is cheaper than a lot of others out there in the warehouse district but let be honest, why are wine in this area getting expensive? Maybe because this is the “it” place to be making wine or maybe people are just pricing wines for the area they make the wine in. I bet this wine in Napa would be about $50-60. I mean the juice was good but for a few dollars less I could pick up a bottle Syncline Syrah and be a lot happier. The wine either needs to sit for a bit or be decanted for a few hours but that still does not explain the over-extracted juice I keep getting. Call it depth or whatever. I want lower alcohol, better structure and less acids.

The final wine was the 2007 Pomum Cellars Shya Red. First think I noticed was the weight of the bottle. The bottle itself is a fucking weapon. C’mon, just use a normal bottle weight ans save some cash for either the pocket or put it back into the winery. Just my two cents though. Wine was actually pretty sound with a decent amount of black fruit. Wine is full-bodied but tends to have some serious spices going on. I like the wine but it does need to breathe an ass-load! I’d decant it for at least a few hours before serving. The price is about $38 and I’m not really happy about that. There are a lot of wines that are doing the same thing better for much cheaper.

2009 Closa Batllet ‘Black Slate’ Gratallops, Priorat

My wine rep brought me this wine a few days ago and asked if I wanted to try it. Being that I only wanted to start off with a dozen or so Spanish wines and I now have 33 on the shelf, why the hell not? This guy is a new rep to the wine world so he still sniffs the cork to see if the wine is good. I’ll tell him after the new year to stop. I still hear wine scores but he already knows how I feel about that. But the wines he brings me are great and he does have a track record with me of around 85% which is a shit-ton better than most in these parts.

So here we have a $20 Priorat which I was happy first off. On the nose there was some great red vine-fruit with minerals lingering around as well. Pretty juicy and a color that might make you want to start to invest in Oxyclean! On the palate it was more red fruit but some solid acidity and tannins. Minerals are there but not as much as they are on the nose. Sweet fruit with a pretty long finish. This made the shelf at 33 Spanish wines now. I think someone is going to be building shelves soon as Spain will be taking over Portugal and Madeira. So those two will be getting their own shelves.

2004 Chateau Fleur Haut Gaussens $14

This right-bank Bordeaux is amazing and even comes with some age on it. With a blend of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc you are getting a pretty full-bodied red at a fraction of the price. This wine is old world all the way. The vines are an average of 25 years old sitting on clay-limestone soil. I know that does not mean much to the rest of the world but to a wine nerd like myself it means..YUM! Oh and get this..grapes are harvested by hand.

This is truly one of finds that I'm glad I picked up. Great old-world style on the nose with tons of dark fruit and earth notes. On the palate this wine shows great structure and balance. More of the dark fruit and great acidity. The wine is already throwing off sediment and shows this on the inside of the shoulder when decanted and poured. The finish is smooth yet medium to full-bodied. All this for only $14

Bacalhôa Moscatel de Setúbal 2004 Colheita

So I was brought this little sticky on Thursday night and picked up 6 bottles. They were delivered to me by say around 2pm and after cracking a bottle for tasting to clients I was sold out in less than 20 minutes. Called my importer and told him I need another case. Got that about 2 hrs later and less than an hour later I'm down to 6 bottles. You think it's good?

Best part is thing is around $11 a bottle and will hold for months after being opened. The one I tried was opened for 8 months and was drinking like a champ.

Color is almost amber or a shade lighter. Rich notes of apricots, raisins and some light yet sweet herbs. On the palate the thing rocks out with its cock out! Has a zing to it with more ripe fruits and a little white pepper on the tip of the tongue but that dissipates pretty fast leaving a rich coating of love in the mouth. The finish lingers around like grandpa farting in the room.

It did pick up some press in that Decanter gave it a medal for something like best sweet wine under $10 or something. Being that I read Decanter and they actually know what is going on in the wine world, I'll say I agree.

This wine will sit around for months before it goes tits up. The bottle I was tasted on was open for 8 months and it was still tasting amazing. Cheers my friends.

2008 San Felice Campogiovanni Rosso di Montalcino

So you might not be able to see the bottle that well but it is in fact a Rosso di Montalcino Campogiovanni from San Felice. What can I say, I had a weak moment a few minutes ago and decided that being it is Sunday, I'm at the shop slinging vino and I've been busy so I thought I deserved a reward. I even had a few locals taste it as well, which in turn they bought a few bottles.

This Rosso is great and is already throwing off some sediment. Pretty bright in color with notes of spices, rich fruit and light pepper. On the palate it is more on the fruit side with very light hints of green stems. The finish is smooth and elegant with the tannins not bulling around. They are just kept in their place and slowly walk around when they need. For a $20 bottle this is amazing. I'm not fu*#ing around here! This really is a great bottle and I'm glad I took a hit in the shorts on my profits to pop this one open again. Just reminds me how much I love Italian wines.

Cheers

Santo

2009 Clos de Haute Combe Julienas

Julienas is an appellation within the sub-region of Beaujolais that stand in Burgundy. The grape varietal is Gamay in this case the '09 Clos de Haute Combe is amazing in color that looks more like grape juice from a juice box. On the nose this wine shows great structure with notes of black cherry and light spices. On the palate it is fresh and solid. On the finish it is juicy and smooth. Some light spices and light stone-fruit. I'm really glad my importer showed us this wine since we sold out of it this weekend. Imported by Cordon.

The wine shop is open!

So although this is a pretty shitty picture, you get the idea. We are open and although it has taken a bit to get here with some ups and downs...we are here. Come in anytime and taste some tawny port on the house! We are open from 11-7 but I feel I will be extending those hours till about 8pm or longer. Right now we are open on tuesday - sunday but again, call or email me and there is a chance I am there so that means...we are open.

More to come on the shop but for now I have to get back to tasting notes as I was told I have been slacking on my note taking.

www.raincitywines.com

santo@raincitywines.com

206-890-0535

Cheers,

santo

2010 Antucura Malbec

I'll by pass the color of the wine being that you might be able to take a shot in the dark at the color. Yup..red tones. The nose was pretty nice in that it was heading toward dried flowers and rich nutrients. Red vine fruit were also laying around as well. The finish was pretty decent in that it was smooth and balanced but wanted to lay around for a bit. Seemed to not want to go away. Good spices on the end as well. I like it and for only $15 per bottle she will be great to have with some nice meats or even a meat pizza. Imported by Unique.

2009 Vina Cobos Felino Cabernet Sauvignon

Pretty dark in color with hints of wet herbs, earth and light powdered chocolate. There seemed to be a bit of a bite in the middle then it went away. Pretty light in the finish as it was not a heavy wine but really really soft. Not bad. Carries a price tag of $18 Imported by Unique.

2010 Arido Malbec

This is one of those sleepers that should be kept on the down-low so we can have it around for a bit. Although after I introduce this to a few people I'm sure the word will spread and it will go fast. With a price tag of $10 this little betty is great. Soft on the nose and soft on the palate. Good earth notes with a hint of red fruit lingering around. Pretty good acidity and balance. It's funny that some people in the States charge $50 for a wine like this. Screw that shit! I'd buy this over those any day of the week!

Imported by Unique.

2009 Vina Cobos Felino Chardonnay

Straw in color with some good light almond and citrus notes. Acidity seemed a bit high and on the palate there was a light dry grass note. Acidity did creep up on the finish while the alcohol packed a punch. It was nice but nothing I would drink for my daily use. Decent price at $16. Imported by Unique.

Should we post wine scores in the store?

I often talk about people chasing wine scores in order to get the so-called best wine they can find. While many of these wines have been rated by a critic who will give them a point between 1 and 100, I have come to the conclusion that my shop will not have these points posted. Just this weekend, I overheard a wine shop owner (yes, I visit a lot of different wine shops and a few are even owned by friends) saying that this certain wine was great cause it got 94 points! I wanted to ask: "Why is it that great?" and "If they had tasted it yet?" I did happen to know that particular wine and its quality, but I was curious if that was the only reason it was on the shelf?

I used to work in a wine shop years ago where the manager would walk around with her Parker book like it was the Bible and tell people that this wine got this score, and that this wine over here got this, but I always wanted to know what she (the manager) thought of it.

I have always followed this rule since I got into the wine world that you should never lie to your customers, and if they know more than you, pick their brain. Just because I own a wine shop does not mean I know everything. God do I wish, but there is so much to learn and it will take a lifetime for me to learn it. While visiting other wine shops I have been called on to answer a question from a customer and if I know the answer, I'll do it but if I have no clue...I'll tell them or take my best educated guess!

Next time you walk into a wine shop, look around and take note of the scores that are on the shelves. Is that wine merchant selling his own personal wine thoughts or is he using another's? Do you walk in and say, "Hey, I'm looking for a nice 94 pointer?" or do you say "I'm looking for a nice wine that will go with fried SPAM?". Yes, Spam...I can pair it with an amazing wine that will taste great.

When you go into a wine shop, would you rather see a point score near a wine or a personal tasting note from the staff, owner or even a customer of the shop?

15 days and counting.

Santo

2009 Owen Roe Abbot's Table

This is one of my favorite wines from Owen Roe. Always has and I'm pretty sure it always will be. Nicole and I picked up a skirt steak that was over a yard long so I had to cut it in half just so it would fit on the BBQ. Cracked open Abbot's about 40 mins before we needed it in order to let her breathe a bit. As for the blend...9 different grapes and on that note I'll let you break down the percentages as it rages from 25% down to 1%. Have fun with that.

Wine is very well balanced and smooth on the mouth-feel. Rich notes of dark-tree fruit and overripe cherries. Tannins are very soft but has a slight spice at the end. It's not a bad spice but just something that kinda creeps up on you. Wine only see's around 6 months of oak. Went great with grilled meat. Would go great with pretty much anything in the house if I must say so.

The wine rolls on the shelf for about $20 which for the quality of the wine I would think it could hang around $28, glad it's not though. I'll have a stacker of this gem in the shop for the daily drinker wine around $20. Love it.

Wine From Arizona?

I'll admit it...Nicole and I were pretty curious about trying wines from Arizona Stronghold since it is a collaboration between Maynard (lead singer from Tool) who seems to be the vineyard/soil slut of the whole project and Eric Glomski who has been in the wine world for some time working with such producers as David Bruce. Most of us saw the movie "Blood into wine" and I'm sure a lot of us thought "here is another rock star trying to do something different". Well kinda, Maynard is doing something different but by the means of having Eric teach and coach him through the ways of wine. Really though it seems like they just want to make good wine and here we have a bottle of really really good juice!

Honestly...I will take this blend over any California wine any day of the week! If this is a taste of the soil that Eric, Maynard and Tim White (winemaker) are playing with...They will be around for the long haul.
With a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot this wine is what I would call the "daily drinker" if you are looking for a good wine around $20 per bottle.

The 2009 Arizona Stronghold Tuscan Blend named "Mangus" is something I wish everyone could try. Great notes of rich red tree fruit with light hints of black pepper, vanilla and soft oak. On the palate this thing is pretty smooth yet still has a little bite at the end. Kinda like when you were a young buck and you got stroke your girls leg for the first time then realized she only shaved to the knee. Just enough to let you know that it is still lingering around. Tannins are firm yet smooth and some great black vine fruit sits on top of the cooked brown sugar and light nail polish. Normally nail polish is something that people turn away from but trust me you want it as you just want to keep sniffing. Dehydrated strawberry and prunes on the final end. I can't wait to taste their other wines. I will be bringing these wines into the shop!

Will have to blind taste with a bunch of people then let them know. This will really fuck with their minds!!

2007 Arnoux et Fils Jean-Marie Vacqueyras

I really need to stop bringing Rhone wines home for Nicole. As I thought, she loved it and it paired perfect with our Sunday night fillet mignon, which we had on Monday night due to us staying at the cabin till Monday afternoon.

So some have been asking me how I pronounce some of the french wine regions so here I'll toss out a bone. OK, not really since I'm the worst at pronouncing regions than anyone. This region is the lovely region of Vacqueyras AOC [vah-kay-hras]. This wine holds a helping amount of 70% Grenache.

Almost purple in color with a nice hue of dark red on the rim. Loads of blackberry fruit and some good spices like pepper on the nose. On the palate this sucker is pretty nice with more black fruit and now the wet leather. Spices and tannins were there but seemed to mellow a bit after we let her breathe for about an hr.

The finish was more or less the same on the palate except it seemed to want to linger around as if it was walking away over the hill but still waving to say goodbye. At only $15 or so a bottle this is a beauty of a bottle that I plan to have in the shop and in the cellar. Goes great with grilled meat or just for that lazy afternoon while reading the latest Bill Bryson book.

North American Release of the 2010 Molly Dooker Wines

Nicole and I got the chance to taste the current (2010/2011) vintage from Molly Dooker. We tasted 9 wines and 1 wine from 2009 which I did not include. We were the first to tasted them in the Seattle area so it was pretty great to get on the front line. Wines were priced between $24 to $182. We even got to taste the 2010 Velvet Glove. This was the one where they just broke over $1 million worth when a so-called fork lift dropped the crate that is was being shipped in.

2011 Molly Dooker Violinist Verdelho $24 (2010 Vintage North American Molly Dooker Release)

This wine was amazing! Very smooth on the nose and palate. Tropical fruit and white peach on the nose. Great acidity and balance. I never tasted the 2010 but love the 2011.

2010 Molly Dooker Scooter Merlot $24 (2010 Vintage North American Molly Dooker Release)

A pretty nice purple when it comes to color. On the nose it had some fumes of red fruit, bing cherries and tree fruit. Nice cocoa and some wet herbs followed. Wine in pretty balanced in that the acidity and fruit match very well. I really liked this wine as did Nicole. We picked up a few but not after Nicole made Sparky sign them.

2010 Molly Dooker Boxer Shiraz $24 (2010 Vintage North American Molly Dooker Release)

Pretty dark in color. VERY dark in color with a nice purple rim. You can really tell that this is layered. Pretty decent with some plums, black cherry and spices. Pretty jammy on the palate with some great oak and light coffee notes. This is pretty full-bodied and could use a lot of time but damn it was nice. I did pick up a little mint on the nose and palate. Came to me after a few minutes.

2010 Molly Dooker Two Left Fet Shiraz Cabernet $24 (2010 Vintage North American Molly Dooker Release)

This was a pretty big fruit bomb. A nose of red fruit, currents and dark-tree fruit. Pretty serious on the palate with notes of vanilla, oak and medium plus tannins. The finish was a bit rough at first but then started to mellow out. Will need some time in the bottle but still good.