This blog is being written while on a ski vacation in Bend, Oregon, so this posting will be brief.

 

Marcus Whitman Tasting Rooms now Open

 

We missed the Grand Opening on February 11 of the Tero Estates/Flying Trout, Don Carlo Vineyards, and Locati Cellars tasting rooms in the Marcus Whitman Hotel. See the Tero Estates/Flying Trout Facebook Wall for great pictures of this event. I dropped by last week, and they are wonderful facilities and great additions to the Second Avenue winery scene. I sampled the Don Carlo wines with Tim Kennedy (of Tim's Cascade Style Potato Chips fame). There will be a report in the April issue of the Review of Washington Wines.

 

Visits from Prosser to the Columbia Gorge

 

On the way to Bend, we stopped in Prosser to meet Jon Martinez at Maison Bleue. His 2009 reds are sensational, his best to date. Look for reviews in April. Then we stopped at McKinley Springs on Alderdale Road in the Horse Heaven Hills to taste new releases with Sandy Rowell. In Hood River, we visited Phelps Creek Vineyards and sampled some tasty Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. On the way back, we will be visiting Domain Pouillon and Syncline Cellars on the north side of the Columbia Gorge. There will be a lot to report in the April issue.