Dynasty Cellars Comes Up With Another Winning Pair of New Wines
Peter Osvaldik, owner/winemaker from Bellingham’s Dynasty Cellars has done it again.
The first wine he produced, the DC3 2006 Meritage, was an under priced, overachiever’s dream of a red wine blend that would make even a well-seasoned winemaker envious. If you were fortunate enough to snag a bottle or two earlier this year and tuck it away you’ll find that it’s still drinking beautifully.
But Osvaldik’s latest efforts, which are just being released, are equally as promising as their predecessor, and they’ve been produced in quantities that should keep them in stock for the next several months.
First up is the DCZ 2007 Zinfandel (about $26). Sourced from Walla Walla’s Les Collines Vineyard and blended with a bit of malbec and petit verdot, this wine embraces you like a long, lost friend.
There are no brash, brambly features you might find in more than a few California zins, just some very subtle blackberry and boysenberry flavors with a touch of white pepper and spice on an elegant, polished finish.
Also now available is the DC3 2007 Meritage (about $24), a proprietary Bordeaux blend with a base of merlot along with malbec, cabernet franc and petit verdot. In addition to Les Collines, Osvaldik also used grapes from Walla Walla’s Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills Vineyards to comprise this spectacular red wine.
Dark and inky, with understated flavors of black cherry, licorice, and anise, it’s a well made, well balanced blend that is ready to drink now on its own, complemented with anything beef, or simply cellared for future enjoyment.
Dynasty Cellars wines are available at a number of local retailers and wine shops including Purple Smile Wines, The Market at Fairhaven, Blaine Cost Cutter, Whatcom County Haggen stores and Compass Wines in Anacortes.
You’ll also find them on the menu at Giuseppe’s, the Harborside Bistro, Nimbus, the Cliff House and the Rhododendron Café.
Although it’s still a distant third behind cabernet sauvignon and merlot, syrah continues to gain ground here. Last year, it comprised nearly 15 percent of the red-wine varietals produced in the state. Here are a few locally available Washington syrahs I have recently enjoyed:
Shameless Hussy 2007 Barbera ($20) – A lip-smacking wine so bright you might need to wear sunglasses while tasting it. Dazzling flavors of cranberry and red currant with a generous splash of acidity. A natural to pair with creamy cheeses or turkey with sage dressing.
His initial release, the DC3 2006 Meritage Red Wine, is a blend of 65 percent cabernet, 30 percent merlot and 5 percent syrah. The wine is just hitting the market, and it’s a superb first effort.