I can’t say enough about the quality and breadth of the wines that David O’Reilly produces from Washington and Oregon Fruit. There is something for everyone, in every price range from $12 – $50. I struggle to think of a domestic wine producer we carry here at Avon Liquor that caters to all pocketbooks and has so much exciting and high quality vino for all of the aforementioned pocketbooks.
His flagship label, Owen Roe, features two delicious Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs around $45; a Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon for $45; two beautiful but rare Cabernet Francs for $45; Yakima Valley Red, a fantastic right bank Bordeaux styled wine for $45; Sinister Hand, a Southern Rhone styled blend for $28; the rich and full-bodied Ex-Umbris Syrah for $28; and a super tasty 10-varietal blend called Abbot’s Table for $28. I can confidently say that each of these wines, starting at nearly $30/bottle, are stiff competition for many bottles priced twice as much, and this fact continues right through to each and every wine he produces.
There are two wines in the popular Sharecroppers line, essentially a second label for Owen Roe. The Willamette Pinot Noir is a regular best seller in the store and does well as a by-the-glass pour for many of my fellow Sommelier’s in the Vail Valley. A Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon also delivers great value, with both of these wines priced in the low $20 range.
The O’Reilly tier features three wines of impressive value; a $19 Oregon Pinot Noir, $15 Columbia Valley Pinot Gris, and a great Yakima Valley Riesling for $13. These wines are unbeatable for the price, buy with confidence.
A new project for David is Corvidae, a winery that used to be a dairy plant in the Sunnyside, Washington area. The two wines I’ve had that are currently available from this exciting project are the Mirth Chardonnay at $12; which is a blend of Oregon & Washington Chardonnay that uses no malo-lactic conversion(the buttery character found in many domestic Chardonnays) and a scant 5% neutral oak aging(think Pacific Northwest style of Chablis), and a Cabernet-Syrah-Merlot called ‘Rook’; a super-smooth, easy-drinking blend for $14. These two wines are currently best sellers here at Avon Liquor, and David spoke of other wines to come in this range with me over dinner last month. I can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve! -Kevin Lawrence
