Is anyone familiar with Basel Cellars Estate Winery, in the Walla Walla
Valley of Washington state, USA?? A friend knows their winemaker well and
has recommended the wine, but I don't think it is available much outside the
winery. Before I make blind purchase, any info would be helpful?

Midlife,

You can find info on Basel Cellars @ AppellationAmerica.com. Their page
info is he
http://www.appellationamerica.com/wi...?wineryID=2829

Additional info on Walla Walla can be found he
http://www.appellationamerica.com/ap...=Walla%20Walla

Explore away!

Best,
Eric Quanstrom

Midlife wrote:
> Is anyone familiar with Basel Cellars Estate Winery, in the Walla Walla
> Valley of Washington state, USA?? A friend knows their winemaker well and
> has recommended the wine, but I don't think it is available much outside the
> winery. Before I make blind purchase, any info would be helpful?

I have visited the winery. It is in an opulent mansion on a hill
overlooking the migrant worker housing. The wines are very good IMO.

Incidentally, but most of the blurb about Walla Walla at
AppellationsAmerica.com is wrong. Not important for wine-tasting
purposes, but if you are interested in the geology/geography of the
area, please look elsewhere.

in article , AyTee at
wrote on 8/25/05 6:51 PM:

> I have visited the winery. It is in an opulent mansion on a hill
> overlooking the migrant worker housing. The wines are very good IMO.
>
> Incidentally, but most of the blurb about Walla Walla at
> AppellationsAmerica.com is wrong. Not important for wine-tasting
> purposes, but if you are interested in the geology/geography of the
> area, please look elsewhere.
>


Thanks for the response. Sounds like it's worth pursuing.

I haven't been around here all the much lately. Is AppellationsAmerica on
the "dangerously close to spammer" list? I tend to wonder when I get a
commercially oriented non-response to a question I post. I obviously didn't
need Basel's location nor web address nor, certainly, a come-on to a
commercial wine site.

A knowledgeable wine buddy who recently bought a house in WW forwards
this:

"Yessir, I have been there, know the winemaker, and have several new
releases sitting in my cellar at the moment. They are big, oaky,
somewhat Parkerized wines, and not cheap. So I would taste before
buying to make sure they ring your bell."

JJ

On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 10:18:35 -0700, Midlife > wrote:

>Is anyone familiar with Basel Cellars Estate Winery, in the Walla Walla
>Valley of Washington state, USA?? A friend knows their winemaker well and
>has recommended the wine, but I don't think it is available much outside the
>winery. Before I make blind purchase, any info would be helpful?

I have never heard of AppellationsAmerica.com before this thread, so I
don't want to accuse them of spamming. I lived in Walla Walla for 11
years and learned enough to know their description is suspect, at best.


As for Basel Cellars, they are worth checking out. I understand that
you have a personal connection with Basel, and that is fine. But if you
are actually going to Walla Walla, I hope you will explore other
wineries as well.

Andy

in article , AyTee at
wrote on 8/26/05 10:11 PM:

> I have never heard of AppellationsAmerica.com before this thread, so I
> don't want to accuse them of spamming. I lived in Walla Walla for 11
> years and learned enough to know their description is suspect, at best.
>
>
> As for Basel Cellars, they are worth checking out. I understand that
> you have a personal connection with Basel, and that is fine. But if you
> are actually going to Walla Walla, I hope you will explore other
> wineries as well.
>
> Andy
>


Thanks to you and other posters for the info on Basel. I don't know when
I'll be in the area, but likely within the next year, and I don't think I
would ever even consider visiting just one winery in any wine region. I
have family and another personal connection to a WA winery (Kalamar) and
they're over near Tacoma, so there's lots of space in between to cover, just
for openers.

In this case I was considering ordering a couple of bottles, based on my
friend's opinion, and the price caused me to look for a second or third
opinion before buying. Still may wait 'til I'm up there.