Winemaker Randy Bonaventura\u2019s dogs, Faye and Gordon lend their names to two outstanding red wine blends. With a base of syrah \u2013 along with malbec, tempranillo and just a dash of viognier for aroma \u2013 the delicious 2007 Faye <\/strong>(about $20) suggests subtle flavors of dark cherry and chocolate.<\/p>\n Filled with strawberry aromas, the 2006 Reserve Pinot Noir <\/strong>(about $36) is a remarkable release that transforms into a sultry, smoky red wine with a touch of pepper on the finish. Despite the fairly hefty price, this is a mandatory purchase for any true pinot noir fanatic.<\/p>\n To finish up, try the 2007 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc<\/strong> (about $20 for 375 ml). It displays an intoxicating nose of sweet alfalfa along with an 8 percent residual sugar content that yields a honey-like finish that\u2019s not overwhelmingly sweet.<\/p>\n Today I\u2019d like to offer a few recommendations from Challenger Ridge Vineyard & Cellars. The winery and tasting room are located near Concrete and you\u2019ll also find their wines at several Bellingham grocers and wine shops. One of the best things about Challenger Ridge wines is variety, with current releases that include a wide range […]<\/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-350","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\/350","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=350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"null\"](\"http:\/\/www.washingtonwine.org\/_assets\/managed\/members\/393\/images\/1965_ChallengerRidgewine.jpg\")
The 2006 Gordon<\/strong> (about $20) is a blend of five red varietals consisting of cabernet, cabernet franc, malbec, petit verdot, and merlot. It\u2019s a sturdy, herbaceous and savory wine that will pair well with a beef entr\u00e9e or can easily be cellared for future enjoyment.<\/p>\n