A Line From Chinook Kay Simon & Clay Mackey, proprietors Tel. 509-786-2725 Summertime in Prosser Our barbecue grill is warmed up for outdoor dining. Warm summer evenings with friends and family, good fresh food from the local farms and markets and a bottle of wine to share while watching a colorful Yakima Valley sunset...that's our idea of "perfect"! Our 1995 Merlot is being released over the July 4th holiday weekend. A new corker (used, but new to us!) took a bit longer than expected to incorporate into our bottling line. When we finally rolled bottles of 1995 Merlot off the line, we knew we wanted to bottle age it longer than its typical Memorial Day release. So here it is just in time for a Fourth of July picnic. Everybody loves it... The combination of Yakima Valley Merlot and lamb on the grill may seem overdone, but there's no escaping that the wine and food match always works! The following delicious recipe for grilled lamb chops is from Kay's aunt Ellen: Season the chops with salt and pepper; grill to your doneness preference over coals (Clay likes to top the coals with a little grape or cherry wood for smokiness). Remove the chops to a warm platter and immediately top with the following: Blue Cheese Sauce 2 oz. Blue cheese (such as Oregon blue or gorgonzola) 2 Tbsp. Butter 2 green onions, chopped 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice Soften butter in a small bowl; crumble blue cheese into bowl and blend with onions and lemon juice until smooth (cheese will be chunky). Spoon onto still-hot chops and serve immediately with Chinook 1995 Yakima Valley Merlot. Makes enough for 8-10 chops. The wine Chinook's 1995 Merlot was aged for 30 months in oak barrels to achieve that expected softness you can enjoy upon its release. This vintage has the classic flavors of our Merlot. Berry-like flavors from the Boushey vineyard are complemented by herbal tones typical for Merlot from the Carter family vineyard. Vineyard blend: 38% Boushey Merlot 48% Carter Merlot 13% Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Total production: 704 cases Price: $26.00 including local sales tax A special dinner in Seattle Tulio Ristorante, in the Vintage Park Hotel in downtown Seattle, has invited us and an array of our wines to participate in a winemaker dinner on Monday July 20th. Chef Walter Pisano is developing a five-course "family style" tasting menu around the flavors of Chinook's wines. Cost for the evening is $85.00 per person, all inclusive. Call Marjorie Childress at 206-623-1066 for information and reservations. Limited to 40 guests. Also available for summer sipping: Are two white wines from the 1996 vintage. Our 1996 Semillon is very refreshing and our pick with several Latin and Asian dishes. The delicious 1996 Chardonnay has a heightened fruitiness from our newest grape source, the DuBrul vineyard in Outlook (the middle of the Yakima Valley). A little of the 1995 Cabernet Franc is still available at the winery, and the 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon is displaying some of the soft, aged qualities which make Cabernet Sauvignon a perennial favorite among wine lovers. Come and visit us! We're open from the first weekend in May until mid-December; Saturdays and Sundays from 12 noon until 5pm. Golden retrievers on duty to welcome you. July 1998 Chinook Wines PO Box 387 Prosser WA 99350