I tasted six wines at their tasting room in Woodinville.
First, I tasted one of their white wines– 2013 Roussanne Blanc. From the notes that I took, I felt that this it was a little too sweet for me (granted I generally have this reaction with this varietal). I find that whenever I buy southern Rhone whites in Washington, they need time in the bottle to mellow out (for my taste). This wine also lacked some acidity so as it stood in my glass, I would argue that it had a lack of balance. On the nose, I got some stone fruit (mostly peaches), some slight floral notes, and maybe some almond. On the palate, the wine had some honeysuckle and peaches as well as a slight minerality. The taste of this was mostly sweet which made it hard to determine anything other than the sweetness.
Second wine tasted was what they called their “orange wine.” I had never seen/tasted “orange wine” before. It is Gewürztraminer wine from Olsen Vineyard. Apparently, it is quite popular on the east coast. The nose on this was quite odd. It had a very strong smell of citrus rind. A little too much for my taste. I felt like this wine had a mostly bitter taste (something I associate with citrus rind). Not much else. Good acidity. Overall, I was curious about it but not overly enthusiastic in the end. Also, this wine had a good amount of tannins.
The third wine was a “mystery” wine (the varietal changes every year). It was called Make Haste (2012). In 2012, it was made entirely from Cinsault. I had never had a 100% Cinsault wine. The color was quite light. The lighting in the tasting room was bad but it seemed to be in between a light Gamay and a Pinot Noir (seems to be unusual because I have a feeling like this varietal should technically be darker than this). My original reaction was that the nose smelt of feet (?). I did not get a lot of fruit (maybe because of the alcohol?). There was a slight taste of nuts (hazelnut?). In other words, I had a very hard time getting a good read on this wine. It was descent but not something that I would go back to purchase.
Fourth wine at this tasting room was the 2009 Oliver. It seemed to be over the hill. However, since I am not a fan of Syrah in the first place, I will refrain from personal comments on this wine. The nose had a slight bacon fat, some blue fruits (I would argue mostly blackcurrants on this one) and a peppery element. On the palate, the blue fruits came through although they seemed to be fading. There was also some meaty and espresso notes.
The fifth wine was the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Legit. This was my favorite wine of the tasting. This wine had quite a bit of vanilla on the palate (reflection of the use of new oak). I also got some sweetness from this wine. This is odd since the people at the tasting room seemed to emphasize the savory aspect of this wine, which I personally did not get. You definitely get some spice on the nose, some cassis, as well as some good minerality. On the palate, you get similar tastes to what you got on the nose. There is some cassis, some minerality, and a good amount of spice (some anise maybe?). Overall, I thought that this wine was great and I would not hesitate to purchase it for myself. I do not believe that this wine will have the longevity of other great WA Cabernets but I think that this wine can be enjoyed for the short-medium term (say over the next 3-4 years).
The sixth and final wine was the Zinfandel. Similar to the Syrah, I am not a fan of Zinfandel. Unfortunately, I did not write any notes on this wine so I will refrain from making any comments.
Overall, what did I think about Two Vintners? I thought that their wines were very interesting (i.e. different). They had blends that I had never had before in WA state. Moreover, I liked that they let me guess what the varietals were (it got my brain thinking). Overall, I think that their wines are different and interesting. I would not personally purchase theirs wines regularly but I think that they can be interesting to through into the mix of an evening of tastings.Gewürztraminer
First, I tasted one of their white wines– 2013 Roussanne Blanc. From the notes that I took, I felt that this it was a little too sweet for me (granted I generally have this reaction with this varietal). I find that whenever I buy southern Rhone whites in Washington, they need time in the bottle to mellow out (for my taste). This wine also lacked some acidity so as it stood in my glass, I would argue that it had a lack of balance. On the nose, I got some stone fruit (mostly peaches), some slight floral notes, and maybe some almond. On the palate, the wine had some honeysuckle and peaches as well as a slight minerality. The taste of this was mostly sweet which made it hard to determine anything other than the sweetness.
Second wine tasted was what they called their “orange wine.” I had never seen/tasted “orange wine” before. It is Gewürztraminer wine from Olsen Vineyard. Apparently, it is quite popular on the east coast. The nose on this was quite odd. It had a very strong smell of citrus rind. A little too much for my taste. I felt like this wine had a mostly bitter taste (something I associate with citrus rind). Not much else. Good acidity. Overall, I was curious about it but not overly enthusiastic in the end. Also, this wine had a good amount of tannins.
The third wine was a “mystery” wine (the varietal changes every year). It was called Make Haste (2012). In 2012, it was made entirely from Cinsault. I had never had a 100% Cinsault wine. The color was quite light. The lighting in the tasting room was bad but it seemed to be in between a light Gamay and a Pinot Noir (seems to be unusual because I have a feeling like this varietal should technically be darker than this). My original reaction was that the nose smelt of feet (?). I did not get a lot of fruit (maybe because of the alcohol?). There was a slight taste of nuts (hazelnut?). In other words, I had a very hard time getting a good read on this wine. It was descent but not something that I would go back to purchase.
Fourth wine at this tasting room was the 2009 Oliver. It seemed to be over the hill. However, since I am not a fan of Syrah in the first place, I will refrain from personal comments on this wine. The nose had a slight bacon fat, some blue fruits (I would argue mostly blackcurrants on this one) and a peppery element. On the palate, the blue fruits came through although they seemed to be fading. There was also some meaty and espresso notes.
The fifth wine was the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Legit. This was my favorite wine of the tasting. This wine had quite a bit of vanilla on the palate (reflection of the use of new oak). I also got some sweetness from this wine. This is odd since the people at the tasting room seemed to emphasize the savory aspect of this wine, which I personally did not get. You definitely get some spice on the nose, some cassis, as well as some good minerality. On the palate, you get similar tastes to what you got on the nose. There is some cassis, some minerality, and a good amount of spice (some anise maybe?). Overall, I thought that this wine was great and I would not hesitate to purchase it for myself. I do not believe that this wine will have the longevity of other great WA Cabernets but I think that this wine can be enjoyed for the short-medium term (say over the next 3-4 years).
The sixth and final wine was the Zinfandel. Similar to the Syrah, I am not a fan of Zinfandel. Unfortunately, I did not write any notes on this wine so I will refrain from making any comments.
Overall, what did I think about Two Vintners? I thought that their wines were very interesting (i.e. different). They had blends that I had never had before in WA state. Moreover, I liked that they let me guess what the varietals were (it got my brain thinking). Overall, I think that their wines are different and interesting. I would not personally purchase theirs wines regularly but I think that they can be interesting to through into the mix of an evening of tastings.Gewürztraminer