The Melting Teapot

This past weekend, Jeff and I attended the DeLille Spring Barrel Tasting in Woodinville.  This is the second time we’ve attended, and I think this year’s was even better than the last.   DeLille Cellars is one of my favorite Washington wineries, and I really enjoy getting a chance to taste a few of their wines before they get bottled.  It’s a great way to learn about the process that wine goes through, and I always take notes to compare later once the wine is bottled and ready to drink (and years later, after its been in the cellar for a while).

I took many photos with my iPhone, sipped wonderful wine, and enjoyed spending time with my husband on a beautiful afternoon. The two wines being sampled from the barrel Sunday were the upcoming releases of the DeLille Cellars D2 (Bordeaux-style red blend) and the Doyenne AIX (syrah, cab sauv, mourvedre).

The Aix was very nice, but the mourvedre seemed less pronounced this year and the wine was greener and a bit raw. It didn’t have the complex layers that I noted from last year’s barrel tasting, but it was quite easy to sip.  It still has some time to develop in the bottle, and it will be interesting to see where it ends up.

The D2 was really wonderful. It was lighter on the oak flavors than last year, which is a good thing in my book, and it had an interesting and complex profile.  We’ve been lucky enough to have tried D2s from just about every vintage they’ve had, and I can vouch for how well it ages.  It’s also a nice wine to drink early, if you want bigger fruit and and a wide awake style.

In addition to having the opportunity to taste wine from the barrel, we were also poured glasses of four other wines from their cellar:  Chaleur Estate Blanc, Chaleur Estate Red, Doyenne Syrah, and the last release of AIX.  We were happy to find that these wines were discounted for purchase that day, so we made sure to grab a few bottles to take home.

This year, instead of the standard cheese, crackers, and a few appetizers, we had a tasty lunch provided by Skillet Street Food.

People from the Seattle area are familiar with the popular street food purveyor, which changes locations each day (check their web site or follow them on twitter).  We had a choice between a pork sandwich or vegetarian risotto, plus handcut fries.  Jeff loved the sandwich, and I was very happy with the Spring Risotto loaded with golden beets and asparagus.  The risotto went perfectly with the Chaleur Estate Blanc I was sipping, but then I already knew the Chaleur Blanc always pairs well with food.  It is one of those go-to wines we select at restaurants or bring to dinners, always secure in knowing it will turn out beautifully.

There was also a fun local band, Four.  We’ve listened to them at previous DeLille tastings, and they were part of the reason I wanted to attend this event.  Four is made up of 4 very talented musicians who do great justice to classic rock.  They said they’ll be releasing a CD soon, and I’m really looking forward to hearing it.

Great band, nice wine, good food, and discounts on wines purchased.  All this, on a beautiful spring afternoon -- doesn't get much better than that!