A Taste of X

I had an incredible opportunity to taste through some serious knock-out wines from ExCellars distribution. The tasting was friendly and intimate, hosted at the fashionable MetroVino, which is known for a mind-boggling list of 80+ wines by the glass (a feat impossible without the use of the stylish Enomatic wine preservation system). Present wineries included Owen Roe, Sineann, El Corazon, Côte Bonneville, Fausse Piste, and Pomum.

On the table we found the latest releases by Owen Roe. With each vintage comes variant percentages in blended grape varieties, and I was eager to try the '09 Sinister Hand after adoring the 2008 creation. The soft and supple spice and well rounded candied pecans on the palate were less warm and decadent than the previous year, and while I enjoyed this wine, it was not as sexy as its preceding installment. I loved, however, the magical forest-like 2008 Yakima Valley Red, and especially the 2008 Cabernet Franc "Rosa Mystica." The wine was so smooth that it coated my tongue as if it were milk, reminding me of sipping a decadent Hot Toddy in the blizzarding mayhem of Winter. In pouring our tastes, the winery's own Darius Price beamed, "this Cab Franc stole my heart;" just as it did mine.

Winemaker Kerry Sheils poured a selection of her 94+pts creations from Côte Bonneville. Fabulous aromas and complex aromas, yet for $120 I'll pass on the 2004 DuBrul Vineyard Cab/Merlot.

The charming and animated Spencer Sievers appropriately entitled his lively wine El Corazon, meaning "heart." I didn't believe his Syrah could be bested until the Malbec was poured. The deep beet colored juice was so smooth and dreamy with the slightest dash of ink that, in a daze, I scribbled ♥ ♥ ♥.

Jesse Skiles, the creative mind behind Fausse Piste, had several kick-ass wines to share. One of my favorites was Skiles' 2008 Syrah Ce Lieu Apres (not yet released), an unreal blend which exhibited amusing barnyardy corn meal and Spray Millet complexities. The line-up also features Skiles' lovingly created treasures, "lOrtolan" Roussanne, a 2009 Viognier, and an '09 Syrah titled "Levier de Cuisine." Keep an eye on this talented winemaker!

And then there was Sineann, with adorably chic glass stoppers and an irresistible 2007 Yates-Conwill Pinot Noir (90pts Wine Enthusiast, $35), which combined elegant opalescence with cleanliness and a side bowl of animal crackers and vanilla wafers. If I could pair this wine with a film, I would leisurely enjoy it with The Fall (a gorgeous and heart warming action/fantasy by Tarsem, 2006.) Sineann's Sugar Hill had me thinking, "holy frosted cupcake, Batman!" and the 2009 Oak Ridge Pinot Noir tasted of wonderful warm and chewy, rubbery earth.

Ruling: the ExCellars tasting brought awesome small production, artisan wines on each front. Don't miss out on these wines, they are worth the hunt!