Mark Ryan Winery

Did You Know that March is Taste Washington Wine Month?

March is Taste Washington Wine Month so I thought that I’d join in the festivities!

I’m not able to get to the fine state of Washington this month, so I did the next best thing! I cracked open a bottle of Washington wine!

A few years ago my husband and I made a really fun wine trip to Washington State. We flew into Seattle and started the wine journey in nearby Woodinville, a delightful little town full of fun tasting rooms and restaurants. From there we headed to the Cascade Mountains and spent a few days in the adorable and wine friendly Bavarian town of Leavenworth. We hit the road again and hung out in Yakama Valley for two days and then on to Walla Walla, where we spent the majority of our time. We ended our trip in Spokane and flew home from there!

It was in Woodinville that we discovered Mark Ryan Winery. When we were there six years ago this was a small, quiet tasting room with a friendly and knowledgeable gal named Kyra pouring their fabulous wines. Considering the quality of the wine my guess is that this tasting room is no longer small or quiet, but I’d put my money on the fact that the wines are still fabulous!

Sadly, the bottle I pulled from our cellar last night was the last of the Mark Ryan wines we bought on that trip. It sure was lovely, though! The 2008 Mark Ryan Winery Water Witch is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 2% Malbec. All of the fruit is from the Klipsun Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA, a warm sub-appellation of the Yakima Valley.

Dark ruby in color, this Bordeaux blend has cherry, currant, some vanilla and baking spices on the nose. There’s some violet there too! The palate is cherry cola, cherry cola, and cherry cola!!!!! The vanilla and baking spices are there as well, along with some chocolate and sweet tannins. How can you go wrong with chocolate covered cherry cola???? The finish is long and graceful!

The ’08 Water Witch is drinking absolutely beautifully right now. Do you have a case of this wine in your cellar? If you do … I’ll be over ASAP! If you don’t, but you are curious, you can check out Mark Ryan Winery here: https://www.markryanwinery.com/index.php

Cheers!

 

2009 Mark Ryan Winery Black Love Pinot Noir

November always reminds me of Pinot Noir.  I’m not sure exactly why, but I have a feeling that there are a couple of reasons.  One thing is the change of seasons.  Now here in Florida the change is slight, but it’s still noticeable.  The heat and humidity slowly start to diminish, and the sweet hope of chilly evenings tease us to open red instead of white!  The usual lightness of Pinot Noir is a nice gradual transition to the winter reds!  Another reason I think of Pinot Noir at this time of the year is because I love this varietal for many of my Thanksgiving wines.  Pinot Noir pairs so well with the traditional dishes of the festive November holiday.

The other night my husband and I opened a 2009 Mark Ryan Winery Black Love Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley.   We purchased this bottle at the winery’s tasting room located in Woodinville, Washington. The fruit itself is sourced from Mark Ryan-designated rows in the Lachini Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

The wine is a medium red in color and wonderfully aromatic.  On the nose are strawberry, cinnamon and some smoke.  On the palate are candied apple, strawberry candy, cola and lots of pepper.  There is some heat on the end, but otherwise has a nice, long finish!

Overall this wine is a winner and well worth the $50 price tag.

Mark Ryan Winery is doing some very nice wines.  Check out my visit to the winery here: http://www.timetounwine-d.com/tag/woodinville/

If you’d like even more info, go to their website here: http://markryanwinery.com/

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