Last fall we traveled to the Pacific Northwest to see first-hand the great wines being produced. Many of the wineries sold their products only locally, but the wines of Owen Roe have been getting huge press and, so, are available back East. (Owen Roe O’Neill was a 17th Century Irish patriot from County Cavan, Ulster. Today, David O’Reilly serves as winemaker for these Washington and Oregon offerings.) While finishing breakfast at our B & B in Sunnyside, Washington, the proprietor asked us if we wanted to go to the winery. He made a call and we were there in less than a half hour. The winery is a former Carnation Dairy plant (you can still make out the name on the building). Although still a work in progress, with some staff members rotated from Portland, the team showed us a wide range of products: Owen Roe, O’Reilly and something I had not seen before: Corvidae. After tasting the Corvidae Rook – a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend - we called home to place an order. When only fifteen cases were available, we asked our broker to try to secure some more wines from this down-home winery. Today, we present Corvidae Lenore Syrah: ninety-five percent Syrah and five percent Grenache, sourced from Erickson Vineyard in Columbia Valley and Six Prong Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills. This is a ripe smooth wine with depth and balance. We loved the brightness of the fruit juxtaposed by rich tannins and clean acidity that we rarely see. This is a hand-made wine by a young staff at a cult winery in the making. Try this wine with duck, roast chicken or pork dishes.