March Pair Are Union Square Grill,
Barnard Griffin Mainly Merlot
By Kathy Ward
Tasting Card
"Merlot, I've always had a passion for it," declares Barnard
Griffin winemaker Rob Griffin. You'll share this ardor
at a tasting of his new releases and winery-only specialties. Paired
with prime-grade selections from Union Square Grill, this
program will make your pulse race with culinary joy.
Tasting
Card
Barnard Griffin Wines
Food by Union Square Grill
Chef Ron Arbour
1998 Pinot Gris
Wild Mushroom Crostini
with Vegetable Demi-Glacé
topped with Crème Fraîche
1998 Columbia Valley Merlot
1997 Vineyard Select Merlot, Conner/Lee
1997 Vineyard Select Merlot,
Wahluke Slope
1997 Vineyard Select Merlot,
Hells Canyon
Roasted Prime Sirloin with Merlot Glaze and Cherries on
Rustic Bread
1996 Mercer Vineyard Reserve
Cabernet Sauvignon
Stilton Cheese Pear and Endive Tarts with Roasted Hazelnuts
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Considered among the best Washington winemakers, Rob made
his mark in the industry early on. He was born, bred and schooled
in California, graduated with honors in enology from U.
C. Davis in the summer of 1975, and started his career at Buena
Vista Winery in Sonoma.
Ambitious and seeking bigger opportunities, Rob soon found a job
as winemaker at Preston here in Washington. Working his first
vintage with this Tri Cities winery, he produced a 1977 Chardonnay
that won the prestigious Best of Show award at the 1979 Enological
Society Northwest Wine & Food Festival.
The awards kept coming, with Preston for seven years and at Hogue
Cellars for another seven, and simultaneously under his own
Barnard Griffin label starting in 1983. This enterprise with his
wife, Deborah Barnard, reached full fruition with the opening
of a newly built winery and tasting room in Richland in May
1997. (If you forget they're on Tulip Road, check the label
for a floral reminder.)
The program is a rare opportunity to taste limited distribution
wines. The Columbia Valley Merlot is blended from six vineyards;
the vineyard selects are from Conner/Lee and the sub-appellation
Wahluke Slope in Washington and Hells Canyon in Idaho.
The reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is from the distinguished
Mercer Ranch Vineyards on Horse Heaven Hills in the
Red Mountains.
"These wines are rarities not widely available, so this is the
other side of Barnard Griffin that people don't often get to sample,"
Rob notes.
Perfect Union
Also always special is the Union Square Grill in downtown
Seattle. Adjacent to the Convention Center, it's a favorite with
the business crowd for lunch and happy hour at the high-ceiling
bar. It's also a big draw for upscale dining in art deco ambiance
with impeccable service by tuxedoed staff. Theatergoers get special
attention so they don't miss curtain up, a good reason to return
for dessert and nightcaps after the performance.
Union Square Grill's classic entrées cry out for robust reds,
and their wine list features many not found outside Washington
State. Matched with Barnard Griffin, Chef Ron Arbour's
selections will be a marriage made in culinary heaven. Attend the
ceremony and witness the union at this tasting event.
Click here to
see a list of past Seattle Programs
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