2012 Seven Hills Carmenere

Happy Friday!  I am done with the first week of the two busiest weeks of my year, so I think it's time for a little celebration and what better way than with a bottle of nice red wine from the Walla Walla Valley?  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2012 Seven Hills Carmenere, their fourth release of the varietal in the past decade.

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass, rich and vibrant.  The nose is quite nice, with a nice presence of ripe red fruit, raspberries and red currant intermingled with some nice herb notes and a hint of earthiness.  The taste is quite nice, with some ripe berries up front than linger for a bit, transitioning to some nice spice notes of white pepper and just a hint of Provencal herbs.  The finish is vibrant, with somewhat mellow tannins offering a lovely bridge between the fruit and herb notes amid the smooth, dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, a very food friendly offering at a good value, this one was $30 before my wine club discount.  Tonight I'm pairing this with a rather unorthodox dinner of king crab legs, with some herb roasted purple fingerling potatoes and steamed Brussels sprouts.  The pronounced fruit and spice in this wine is a perfect balance to the richness of the crab.  Salut!