Covey Run, which began life 25 years ago as Quail Run in a spectacular winery with a four-star view from its Whiskey Canyon Vineyard overlooking the Yakima Valley, is now part of the world's largest beverage conglomerate, Constellation Brands. Sure, it's "sad" that you no longer have family ownership (even the founders company, Holtzinger Fruit, has been taken over by Intracorp Capital), but this is a good example of the advantages of corporate marketing.
Covey Run now concentrates on a specific segment: the market for wines priced under $10. And for all of the hyperbole about winemaker Kerry Norton "crafting" the wine, it's the quality of those Yakima Valley grapes that makes these wines possible.
A corporate marketing budget also lets the PR department send samples out for review. A box of Covey Run appeared on the doorstep this week, with technical notes and suggested food pairings. Time to go shopping and make dinner!
Menu, tasting notes and a recipe follow.
Chenin Blanc: our aperitif, bright, crisp, not too sweet, paired well with slivers of asiago cheese.
Sauvignon Blanc was something of a failure with freshly shucked Hamma Hamma oysters (too flabby), but a real delight with seafood linguine. Maybe it was because we deglazed the sauté pan with it?
On the other hand, we dind't find the Pinot Grigio particularly impressive, on its own or with the pasta.
To test the three reds, we broiled lamb chops in a coating of mustard, rosemary and garlic, accompanied by stuffed tomatoes and fresh asparagus.
Syrah was the standout, with its own flavors of black pepper complementing the lamb. Lemberger was soft and pleasant, while the Cabernet Sauvignon seemed overly tannic by comparison.
For dessert we whipped up a Sicilian cheese torte: equal parts ricotta and goat cheese, a couple of eggs, some sugar, a bit of lemon juice and orange zest, and baked it in a pie tin for about an hour at 300 degrees. It made a terrific foil for the final wine, Morio-Muskat, and allowed its flavors of tangerines and peaches to shine.
Consensus scored the Morio-Muskat highest, something of a surprise for a wine that retails for $8. The Syrah was second, at $13. All the other wines carry a suggested price of $9.
In theory, this means they should be about $20 on a restaurant wine list. Wouldn't hesitate to order any of them.
Thanks to Dr. Joe for hosting!
