A review of Woodhouse Wine Cellars
This past weekend we held a winemaker dinner and also a tasting with Woodhouse Wine Cellars and Jason Colyer. As retailers and as consumers we are always looking for a consistent producer of well priced and good wines that does a number of different things by meeting varying tastes and a desire for a range of varietals. Look no further, Woodhouse provides exactly that range of quality, variety and gentle pricing. After the events we were even more impressed than we were when we scheduled them.
The winemaker dinner was held at Scratch restaurant in Coeur d'Alene and chef owner Jason Rex delivered another blockbuster line up of food that enhanced the wine, as it should. My favorite course was a delicious pine nut/pancetta stuffed lamb loin that was a treat, especially when paired with the Dussek Syrah.
The wines of Woodhouse Cellars are priced from $10 on the low end to a high of $32, very compelling given the quality, old world sophistication and versatility. The labels produced by the winery include Kennedy Shah, Hudson Shah, Dussek and Maghee each named after family, friends or supporters in the winery venture. Varietally they produce several whites and nearly a dozen red blends and pure varietals.
Between the dinner and the tasting we sampled eight of the bottlings covering both ends of the Woodhouse price spectrum and much territory in between. All of the wines were delicious, and beyond what our opinion was as wine professionals perhaps the best testament is from our customer who tried them. All were purchased in substantial enough size to surmise that consumers loved the wines as well.
Our hands down favorite of the night during the dinner was the 2006 Maghee Merlot, which saved for that event and the orders from it, is running in short supply. We are hopeful though for the 2007 vintage as well given the quality of the 2006 and our experience with the epic 2007 vintage. This is one of the best Merlots we have tried in a long time, featuring very expressive aromatics of chocolate covered cherries, and a palate that is rich with the same flavors and amazingly firm but integrated structure for a Merlot. We paired the wine with rich chocolate truffles for dessert but the wine would also shine with steak or most any meat dish.
The Tempranillo also pleased all who attended the dinner and the tasting with its light body and bright cherry flavors, paired with a wild mushroom stuffed quail at dinner, this one provided one of those epiphenal moments that shows on the face of wine drinkers when a wine hits all the right notes. Priced in the middle of the range for Woodhouse at $20, the wine is a delightful and versatile change of pace that is worth purchasing.
Perhaps the most compelling red we tried was the 2008 Hudson Shah Cabernet. Priced at $13, this wine won the Cabernet category at the 2011 North Idaho Wine Rodeo where it was up against many Cabs priced at three and four times this amount. Retrying it now we are not surprised at its competitive success. Not just for the money, but for any amount it is a rich, full bodied Cab that folks who love the varietal will be very pleased with.
In whites we tried a couple, both very good, but the Riesling under the Hudson Shah label and priced at the low end of the range surprised all with its old world petrol aromatics, coupled with very slight sweetness and crisp acid. Riesling is always a challenge as many wine drinkers are reticent to embrace the varietal; however the quality ones always gain converts the best evidence of which is actual purchases. In short folks bought a lot of this one!
All of the wines from this great winery are readily available here in the North Idaho market and we encourage consumers of all tastes to give them a try. With a broad portfolio of varietals, price points and styles there is something to please all wine consumers and based on our experience this past weekend you will not be disappointed.
If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.
George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. His articles can also be found on the blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.