Wines and Wineries Allan Shoup Helped Develop

Northstar Merlot 99 $55.99
The December 31, 2002 issue of Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate awarded Northstar 1999 Merlot a 91. Wine Spectator rated this wine 91 points (11/02).

Following on the heels of the superb 1998 Merlot (rated 92+ in Issue 137), Northstar has fashioned another outstanding wine. The 1999 Merlot is medium to dark ruby-colored and offers aromas reminiscent of chocolate-covered cherries. Medium to full-bodied, intense, and concentrated, it offers blackberries, sweet dark cherries, and jammy mocha-like flavors in its deep, powerful core of fruit as well as throughout its long, plush finish. This wine is extremely rich, packed with currant, blueberry, tar and spice flavors that linger on the firm finish and offer a few layers more than do most Washington Merlot.

Chateau Saint Michelle
Artist Series 99 $55.99
The artist series wines are packaged in beautiful boxes. The labels feature glass art from the NW. The first vintage featured the art of Dale Chihuly. Chateu Ste Michelle's collection of glass art has been the source for the Artist Series labels each year.

Chateau Saint Michelle
Cabernet Canoe Ridge 99 $24.99
90 pts. Wine Spectator
-- "Supple and elegant, a lush mouthful of spicy berry, nutmeg and sweet leather notes, adding a few extra layers of currant and plum as the finish lingers. Nicely built to age, but it’s delicious already."

Chateau Saint Michelle
Single Berry Select 00 375 ml $235.00
Wine Spectator rating 97 points!

Chateau Ste Michelle
Riesling "Eroica" 2001 $22.98
Wine Spectator rating for 2000 vintage
91 points.

Robert Parker Says of the 2000 vintage: "Produced in collaboration with Germany's Ernst Loosen, the 2000 Eroica Riesling offers rich pear and apple aromas in a medium to full-bodied, fat, plump format. This opulent, plush, mineral, tangerine, and sweet tea-flavored Riesling possesses excellent balance and a long, orange rind-flavored finish. Projected maturity: now-2012." P.R. rating 89 points

Col Solare 99 $74.99
“Move over Opus One, here comes Col Solare,” wrote New York Times winetoday.com on the introduction of Col Solare in 1999. A wine of global distinction that quickly earned a place in the critics' hearts, Col Solare is a unique partnership between Tuscany's Marchesi Antinori and Washington State's Chateau Ste. Michelle.

A blended red wine with great structure and character from the vineyards of the Columbia Valley, Col Solare means “shining hill,” a reference to the sunny growing conditions of the region. The wines are styled for aging elegantly over time. Quantities are extremely limited.

Columbia Crest
Cabernet Reserve 99 $32.99
"Our Reserve wines are made from the finest lots from the finest vineyards. The 1999 vintage had an exceptional growing season allowing extended hang time for intense fruit flavors. "Richly packed with black cherry, eucalyptus and spicy aromatics. Concentrated fruit, cocoa and clove are joined with fine, mouth-coating tannins to yield a complex, lingering finish." ...Doug Gore, Winemaker.

Columbia Crest
Chardonnay Reserve 99/00 $18.59
This is a complex wine that offers the best of a classic vintage from 20-year-old vines off our estate vineyard. Rich, ripe pineapple and coconut linger in the mouth. Ample vanilla and toast integrate well with the fruit to create a mouth-filling, velvety wine.

New and Sale Wines

Patricia Green 2002
Pinot Noir Futures $25.00 a bottle
I think this is the best deal for some of the best wine being made in the US today. These 2002's are drinking so well in barrel, and Patty's past vintages have each gotten better. The gal just has a knack, not the least part of which is her ability to motivate and pull together a cohesive team who have now worked together since 1993. I tasted the wines again this week, and they are stunners. There will be some higher priced Pinots from her that are not being offered as futures, but the wines being offered now, particularly the Shea and Anden are as good as anything she has made. PGC is only 3 vintages old. I truely believe that an investment now in her wines for your cellar will be generously rewarded over the next decade.
read more here....

Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir
"Shea Vineyard" 2001 $29.59
If you want some PGC wine to drink while you wait for the futures to arrive, this is the one to try. Patty gets the most out of this famouse vineyard and the price is one of the best for a Pinot from this site. The nose has violets and rich clean fruit, the flavors rane from blueberries to black cherries to blackberry, and there are definite hints of rose petals, wet stone and subtle spice. Patty's style has crafted this wine into something very special.

Sineann Pinot Gris $15.99
Just had this wine with the winemaker, Peter Rossback, and have to say, it was spectacular. We had it with sushi, of all things, and it was a wonderful complement to the cuisine. This is an unusually rich, oily, glycerin-y wine with intense fruit flavors and a clean clean finish that keeps the wine from the slightest hint of cloy.

Sineann Pinot Noir "All Oregon" 2001 $29.99
For those of you who follow Sineann, here is their newest red wine release. The usual over-the-top styling, a medium-bodied wine with lovely spicy fruit and well balanced, fine grained tannins. Drink now or over the next 3-4 years.

Owen Roe Pinot Gris
Cassablanca Vineyard 2002 $22.99
David O'Reilly's super premium label, very very limited amount made, very intense, very rich, deeply flavored, clean finish, David's usual masterly style.

Chateau Ste Michelle
Chardonnay Indian Wells Vineyard 2000
$16.99 regular $23
Wine Spectator rating 90 points
CSM has deeply discounted this wine. They say: "This elegant wine shows aromas of Golden Delicious apple, sweet lemon and a hint of mineral and baking spice. This wine is bright and lively and exhibits flavors of apple, lemon and vanilla cream. Serve with salmon, fresh crab, pork and poultry." We say- yupp, super value for stocking up your cellar. How do they so consistently offer such reasonably priced wines?

Elk Cove Syrah Del Rio Vineyard 2001
$28.00
A lush, creamy, deeply fruity dark red wine reminiscent of boutique Zinfandel, with an extra dose of gaminess. Great promise for the future.

Elk Cove Riesling Late Harvest 2002 750 ml
$15.99 highly recommended
Something special. Robert Parker (Wine Advocate) says: "Oregon's Elk Cove produces the state's best sweet Rieslings." -

Andrew Rich Syrah 2001
$23.99 highly recommended
IIt's out, and as usual it is a wonderful value. Sells out every year within a few weeks, let us know if you'd like some of this vintage.

Andrew Rich, what can you say- one of Oregon's wine treasures. His dog Romeo (a Vizsla, and we know what they are like) says he's the reason the wines are so good, but we think Andrew might have something to do with the winemaking also. This Syrah is just about the best foir the price that ou can find from the NW.

Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir "Tavola" 2001 $16.99
An everyday Pinot Noir from one of Oregon's oldest and most respected wineries.

Abacela Syrah 2000
$29.99
Southern Oregon fruit, Earl continues to make some of our favorite wines, working with Southern Rhone and Spanish varietals and producing exemplary wines at very reasonable prices. This is lovely juice, drink now with heary cheese, spicy paella, rack of lamb.

Canoe Ridge Merlot 2000
SALE $21.00 was $29.99
This Merlot reveals Bing cherry and sweet Willamette raspberry aromas, offset by a floral undertone reminiscent of orange blossoms. The mouth is supple and velvety, and exhibits a fairly large structure with an excellent fruit-to-acid ratio. Bright cranberry acidity, plush blueberry and briar fruit along the palate open up for a long, chocolatey finish. At this price, hard to go wrong. -JY