Day 7
Last full day in Woodinville… After a relaxing start to the day lying in bed, drinking our Starbuck’s, and reading the paper, we headed out for our morning walk down the Sammamish Trail 3.5 km and then back. Along the way we spotted a couple of interesting sights besides seeing the usual walkers, joggers, and cyclists. We saw four kids all around the ages of 5 to 7 running on the trail, being chased ? encouraged ?…by a woman speaking in loud, stern Spanish – both on our way down the trail and back again. We also saw a guy on his bike (not unusual) with a trailer (not unusual) …carrying his dog (funny!).
Our first winery to visit today was the renowned, Columbia Winery who are celebrating their 50th year anniversary. They and the Chateau St. Michelle, where we visited yesterday, were the first in the area and really brought wine to Woodinville. Columbia Winery was a huge disappointment. Although the tasting room is beautifully decorated and they sell a lot of different winery items, the service at the counter (or should I say lack of service), the cost for tastings ($15 for 5 scant tastings of premium wines regardless of a purchase or not), and the wines themselves (lacking in flavour, body, and complexity) made for a start we hoped would not signify how the day would go.
Our next stop was Pepper Bridge Winery. It is a small tasting room with wines from the Walla Walla Valley. The woman was very accommodating and social. Turns out she lived in Santiago, Chile for a while (immersing herself in the culture, so she could learn Spanish). She also was in Mendoza (a place we have been) and Salta (a place we are going this winter). While taking about the regions in Chile and Argentina, we sampled 7 different wines – Viognier, Syrah, an ’08 Merlot, an ’09 Merlot, a couple of Bordeaux Blends, and a ’08 Cabernet Sauvignon. We opted to retry the last one (both knowing ….this was the one with its full bodied, well-balanced, complex flavours of dark fruits). The bottle is now our fourth to bring across the border will be cellared for about 8 years.
Next to the above tasting room, is the tasting room for Mark Ryan Wines …..so while in the vicinity ! The woman serving was very bubbly as she chatted about the wines and the winemaker (his motor bike sits in the tasting room with only 5 miles on it from driving it in the parking lot …he bought it, but doesn’t yet have a license ). Wines come from the vineyards in a couple of different regions in the State and the winemaker is a Pearl Jam fan, so a lot of the wines are named after Pearl Jam songs. We sampled 5 different wines and both really enjoyed the 2009 Dead Horse, one of the few not named after a Pearl Jam song (a Cabernet Sauvignon blend hints of cocoa and vanilla beans with soft tannins . – to be cellared for another 6 years). Bottle 5 of the allowed 4 to bring across the border tomorrow !
For lunch, we went to the newly opened Station Pizzeria. We sat in a shaded area on the patio and were warmly greeted by the hostess and server. We split a Caesar salad which was brought out on two plates, lightly dressed and not too intensely flavoured with an ultra-thin crispy piece of bread on top , a perfect lunch salad. We enjoyed the Boedecker Pinot Noir Rosé (from Oregon) and split the Not So Classico Pizza – thin crust, perfectly baked in a wood-oven, topped with prosciutto, tomato confit, arugula, balsamic reduction, and chevre ..DELICIOUS!!!
After a short nap, Todd got on his bike and ventured out onto the Sammamish Trail. He was gone for about an hour, enjoying the peaceful serenity the trail offers. Then it was time to relax on the balcony before heading across the lot to the Barking Frog for dinner.