{"id":1537,"date":"2014-05-27T10:26:26","date_gmt":"2014-05-27T17:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danthewineguy.com\/?p=1537"},"modified":"2014-06-01T10:31:17","modified_gmt":"2014-06-01T17:31:17","slug":"looking-for-solid-affordable-wines-try-thurston-wolfe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/?p=1537","title":{"rendered":"Looking for Solid, Affordable Wines? Try Thurston Wolfe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Occasionally I refer to a winery that produces \u201csolid\u201d wines. By solid, I mean dependable, reliable choices that you can always count on for good quality and good taste. And if you\u2019re able to add affordability to the mix, that\u2019s even better.<\/p>\n

For me, Thurston Wolfe<\/strong> winery is the epitome of a solid Washington wine producer.<\/p>\n

\"null\"I first met Dr. Wade Wolfe and his wife Becky Yeaman when their tasting room was located in downtown Yakima in the mid-1990\u2019s. Since then, they\u2019ve moved a couple of times within the town of Prosser to their current, contemporary venue just a stone\u2019s throw off of Interstate 82.<\/p>\n

During that nearly two decade span, I\u2019ve come to rely on the Thurston Wolfe label as one that will deliver true-to-the-varietal quality at very reasonable prices.<\/p>\n

I could go on and on about this old favorite, but let me cut to the chase with a few recommendations of current releases:<\/p>\n

2012 PGV<\/strong> (about $14) \u2013 This pinot gris\/viognier blend yields incredible aromatics and flavors year after year, and the 2012 vintage is no different. The viognier provides fragrant, juicy stone fruits while the pinot gris keeps everything in balance with crisp, steely acidity. It\u2019s an absolute gem of a wine that received a double platinum award from Wine Press Northwest.<\/p>\n

2011 D.R. Wolfe\u2019s Family Red<\/strong> (about $15) \u2013 While the PGV is my solid, go-to white wine of choice, the D.R. Wolfe\u2019s is equally reliable among the reds. Even with the problematic 2011 vintage, Wolfe weaves his magic with this combination of zinfandel, petite sirah, and lemberger that displays reserved flavors of black plum, caramel, cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e and a trailing hint of earthiness. Outstanding!<\/p>\n

\"null\"2011 Zephyr Ridge Petite Sirah <\/strong>(about $18) \u2013 After a slightly smoky opening note, this gorgeous red wine settles in with dark fruits of blueberry and black currant, along with a bit of a buttery quality. The touch of brighter red cherry near the end adds an exclamation point and complexity to the finish.<\/p>\n

2011 Tempranillo<\/strong> (about $25) \u2013 Here\u2019s another nicely complex red sourced from Crawford Vineyards in the Yakima Valley. The understated base of black cherry is framed with touches of dried herbs, caramel and licorice root. There\u2019s an almost elegant quality to this wine as it lingers on the palate.<\/p>\n

Non-Vintage Tawny Port<\/strong> (about $15 for 375 ml) \u2013 The color on this zinfandel is nearly ruby rather than tawny, but that\u2019s an extremely minor quibble \u2013 especially after a sip or two. Ultra-dark dried plum, fig, butterscotch, and toasted walnut flavors predominate on a seemingly endless finish. Try it with dessert or a good after-dinner cigar.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find Thurston Wolfe wines at Whatcom County wine shops and grocers or order them on line at thurstonwolfe.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Occasionally I refer to a winery that produces \u201csolid\u201d wines. By solid, I mean dependable, reliable choices that you can always count on for good quality and good taste. And if you\u2019re able to add affordability to the mix, that\u2019s even better. For me, Thurston Wolfe winery is the epitome of a solid Washington wine […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-washington-wines","category-from-the-bellingham-herald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1537"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1541,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1537\/revisions\/1541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}