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Hermann J Wiemer Magdalena 2018 Review – A High End Riesling

What we are about to say should have no ambiguity- if you are a Riesling lover you’ll want to make your way to Hermann J Wiemer. This Finger Lakes winery is truly one of the best in the area, especially for this delicious white grape, and blows us away time and time again with every bottle that we open.

Naturally, we stop every time we are in the area, and our shopping haul from here is among our largest purchases every trip as well.

So when we opened the Hermann J Wiemer Magdalena Vineyard Riesling, we were excited to see what it was like after spending a bit of time in our cellar and it certainly did not disappoint.

When visiting Tri-Cities, Washington, to go wine tasting, you may struggle with deciding where to stay in Richland, Pasco, or Kennewick.

Do you stay near the wineries themselves (with sparse infrastructure and amenities outside of the vineyards) or do you stay in the heart of one of the cities to be closer to the area restaurants and other non-wine based attractions?

If you want something that is a hybrid of both of the above, we have the answer for you- The Lodge at Columbia Point on the outskirts of Richland!

I was fortunate enough to stay at this one during a media trip during a conference in Tri-Cities and absolutely adored the property through and through.

Whenever we visit wine regions, we often look to see if biking to wineries is an option. Ever since enjoying this activity in Mendoza, Argentina, it has been something we wanted to find more of as it is one of the most enjoyable ways to get out into the vineyards.

In many cases it is not available- many wine regions cover vast distances that often make this mode of transit unfeasible. But when it is we jump on it as hopping on a set of wheels to explore wineries makes for a great outing.

In Red Mountain, Washington, one tour company, the aptly named Red Mountain Trails, offers an organized ride to check out three wineries in the area.

I was fortunate enough to check this one out as part of a conference I was attending and loved the outing from start to finish.

*Note: I was on this tour as part of a hosted media trip for a conference. Our itinerary was reflective of standard tours offered by the Red Mountain Trails but there may have been some minor differences due to our larger group setup.

Every so often you stumble upon a bottle that is surprising. Sometimes it is because of the flavor profile. Sometimes it is because of the price. Sometimes because it is, well, produced a little differently than you anticipated.

The white Mourvedre from Eleven Winery in Washington was most certainly the latter.

Why? They managed to produce this traditionally intense red grape as a nearly perfect white (with only slight, slight pink hints)!

I have to admit that Cabernet Franc isn’t my favorite varietal out there. But there is one winery I’ll buy bottles from again and again, and that is Heron Hill in the Finger Lakes.

This one has everything I look for in this grape, and even though I open every bottle with a bit of apprehension, I always walk away pleased.

When we visited many wineries in Seattle, we quickly realized how great the wine regions are for Syrah. As Syrah happens to be one of our favorite grapes, we truly were in heaven and brought back many bottles to enjoy over the subsequent months and years.

One such bottle was from Amavi Cellars, and their 2018 Syrah was a bit unique in that it had some interesting jammy fruit characteristics!

It only took a while after arriving in Washington that we realize this state produces some pretty incredible grapes. Not only that, but Washington wineries tend to produce similar to two renowned Old World styles- namely Bordeaux and Rhone blends.

As we are fans of all things Rhone wine (less so Bordeaux, if we are being honest), we were drawn to sampling as much Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre as we could in Washington.

So when we were visiting Latta Vineyards outside of Seattle (after trying a bottle of their amazing Grenache), we found ourselves heading next door to Rotie Cellars immediately thereafter. As the name comes from one of the best wine regions in the Rhone (making arguably some of the finest Syrah in the world), we knew we had to give them a try.

As it turns out, their Southern Rhone Blend was a winner!

Before discussing Cave Ridge’s Pet Nat, Le Bon Minou, we should take a step back and make a special note of the winery itself.

I was fortunate enough to visit Cave Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia on a trip and found it to be one of the most beautiful wineries in Shenandoah. The ambiance was so nice, in fact, that I stuck around for an extra glass of wine after my flight simply to soak up the view, which, as luck would have it, ended up being the Le Bon Minou Pet Nat- of which I naturally bought a bottle.

So while this winery is indeed quite remote, even by Shenandoah standards (I later sent my brother, particularly for another Pet Nat bottle, and his only reply once there was “how did you find this place?!”). Yes, it is that remote.

But those making the trek to this particular vineyard will love it for the views, but you’ll want to stay for another to try the Le Bon Minou if it is not available in a flight.

We have becoming bigger fans of Grenache the more we drink it, especially Grenaches grown in Washington and Oregon in particular.

When we had a chance to try out Willamette Valley Vineyards Griffin Creek Grenache courtesy of wine service Divvy-Up, we jumped on it and opened the bottle for Thanksgiving dinner just a short while after it was delivered.

When we decided to visit friends in Seattle, we knew we wanted to get out to experience several Washington wineries.

At first, we had our hearts set on hitting a proper wine region like those found in the Columbia Valley towards the eastern side of the state. But we quickly scrapped that plan when we found out that many wineries in Washington are not estate operated- that is to say, wine producers typically do not grow their own grapes.

While this is not always the case, we found that tasting rooms in proper wine regions are few and far between- so much so that planning a visit seemed a bit too daunting. There are fields upon fields of grapes, naturally, but when it comes to trying the final products at proper tasting rooms, we weren’t quite sure if it made sense for us given how far of a drive the region is from Seattle.

As it turns out, many of the most well-known wineries in the state are actually based in the greater Seattle metro area! These wineries typically buy their grapes directly from vineyards all over the state but ferment, package, bottle, sell, and pour samples at their tasting rooms much closer to the city.

So we decided to stick close to Seattle and hit up a dozen wineries in nearby Woodinville, Bainbridge Island, and even within the city limits of Seattle proper and we quickly found out how much the region loves Rhone and Bordeaux varietals outright!

Hermann J Wiemer Magdalena 2018 Review – A High End Riesling

The Lodge at Columbia Point – A Must Stay Hotel in Richland

Red Mountain Trails Review – Bike Washington Wine Country

Eleven Winery White Mourvedre 2020 Review – Unique Approach

Heron Hill Cabernet Franc Reserve 2017 Review – Ideal Wine

Amavi Syrah 2018 Review – A Jammy Syrah from Washington

Rotie Cellars Southern Red 2019 Review – A Rhone Blend in Washington

Cave Ridge Le Bon Minou NV Review – A Perfect Thirst Quencher

Willamette Valley Vineyards Griffin Creek Grenache 2017 Review

12 Washington Wineries Near Seattle for a Great Day Trip