Monday, May 29, 2017

2013 Forgeron Red Mountain Mourvedre

Happy Memorial Day!  So yesterday I was reading an article on Twitter, maybe it was in Food and Wine, or maybe Bon Appetit, but in the article it had all sorts of wine pairing suggestions for the summer cookout season, and the one that I found fascinating was Mourvedre with barbecued ribs!  Well, it just so happens that I was planning to make some baby back ribs today, and I also happen to have a bottle of 2013 Forgeron Red Mountain Mourvedre on hand!  So here we go!


The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass, classis for the varietal.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, violets, white pepper and red fruit.  The taste is remarkable, as the aromas set your expectation for a rush of fruit, but instead you have more subdued notes of fig and tart cherry at the outset that transition to some wonderful notes of black pepper spice and caramel midpalate.  The tannins are well thought out and very supportive of the velvety and very dry finish.  Yes, this wine would be perfect for barbecued ribs, as the tart acidity and spice make a perfect foil for sweet smoky ribs!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a really lovely example of the varietal and my new go to wine for pairing with barbecue!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic start to the summer barbecue season, with some slow cooked baby back ribs, grilled corn on the cob, potato salad and beet and red cabbage slaw.  Cheers!

Sunday, May 28, 2017

2011 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank

Happy Sunday!  I know with the long holiday weekend, everyone probably has some plans for gathering with friends and family and honoring those who have served and sacrificed in the military.  My Memorial Day weekend usually involved going home and planting flowers on my parents' and grandparents' graves and then trying to relax a bit, which is what I am doing today.  And what better way to relax than with a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight's wine is a bit of a departure for a Napa Valley wine, in that it's not a Cabernet, but rather an homage to the classic Right Bank Bordeaux, which typically rely more heavily on Merlot in blending.  The 2011 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank is a blend of Merlot (78%) and Cabernet Franc (22%), so this one is comparable to a Saint-Emilion.  So let's see how this one tastes!


The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with mild opacity.  The nose is a wonderful combination of green herbs, ripe red raspberry and currant, black licorice and a bit of rose petal, very similar to a nice right bank Bordeaux.  The taste is quite nice, with a nice bit of red fruit up front, raspberry, cherry and currant that transitions nicely to some wonderful mineral notes over some hints of tobacco midpalate.  The finish is elegant and subdued as the tannins are very well integrated such that the flavors just linger on the palate like a fine Bordeaux.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's certainly a great effort from a cool vintage that's just a pleasure to drink!  Of course, I have no idea where I got this bottle, it was just sitting in the wine rack, so I'll have to be thankful for such pleasant treasure finds!  This wine would be ideal with a variety of dishes, but as usually, I am enjoying this with a nice steak, in fact a big honkin' porterhouse grilled rare along with some nice grilled asparagus that just came in from Michigan.  Cheers!

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

2012 Krutz Family Cellars Stagecoach Vineyard Napa Valley CabernetSauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a busy week so far, so it's nice to celebrate hump day with a nice glass of wine!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2012 Krutz Family Cellars Stagecoach Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that I purchased a month or so ago during a Wines Till Sold Out Napa marathon.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (78%), Malbec (13%) and Petite Verdot (9%) from the Stagecoach Vineyard, which ranges from 1,200 to 1,850 feet in elevation, situated between the Pritchard Hill and Atlas Peak AVAs.  So let's see how this one stacks up!


The wine is a deep inky purple at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is lovely combination of leather, oak and some earthy notes of peat and sage, somewhat more Bordeaux than big Napa Cabernet.  The taste is white nice, with a rush of ripe black fruit up front, black cherry, blackberry and currant that transition to some lovely notes of mocha and tea leaves midpalate.  The tannins are silky smooth and well integrated for the lingering and very dry finish, that brings a reprise of a bit of Bordeaux style funk at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a wonderful example of an old world style Cabernet.  This wine would pair well with a nice steak or a variety of spicy Mediterranean dishes, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled Prime ribcap, along with some grilled leeks and Brussels sprouts and a bit of linguine tossed in garlic and olive oil on the side.  The earthy flavors and dark fruit really pair well with the richness of the steak.  Cheers!

Sunday, May 21, 2017

2016 DaMa Wines Rose of Cabernet Franc

What a day!  It started by pouring down rain this morning when I am in a pinch to get my yard and garden ready for having some folks over for a cook out this week (you can't be ill prepared for the first yard gathering of the season!).  But alas, I was able to clean all the patio furniture, pick up branches that came down in the storm, pull weeks and mow in what seemed like a very compressed timeframe, though now that I look at the clock it's been seven hours!  Well with patio get together's and warm weather, it's definitely the start of rose season, and tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2016 DaMa Wines Rose of Cabernet Franc.  This is a 100% Cabernet Franc, the second vintage from the Chene de Mille Vineyard in the Columbia Valley, so let's see how this one stacks up!


The wine is a lovely, very pale peach color in the glass, such that you might even mistake it for a white wine if you weren't paying attention.  The nose presents aromas of grapefruit, melon, strawberry and a hint of lemongrass.  The taste is quite nice, very fresh, notes of citrus, mango, and a hint of pineapple that transitions to some wonderful white floral and lemongrass midpalate.  The finish has nice backbone, clear acidity and a bone dry finish.

Overall, I like this one better than the 2014 or 2015 vintages, so I'd rate this one a solid 8.  It's crisp and refreshing and this girl is ready for summer!  This wine would pair with a variety of summer dishes, from salmon to a caprese salad, but tonight I am going way off script and enjoying this wine with some chicken Tikka Masala!  What's better with Indian food than a nice dry rose?  Cheers!

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Snooth Murrieta's Well Virtual Tasting

Well, tonight is another wonderful Snooth.com virtual wine tasting featuring wines from Murrieta's Well Estate Vineyard located in the Livermore Valley of California.  The virtual tasting was curated by their winemaker, Robbie Meyer, who struck me as being very down to earth and truly connected to vineyards and someone that treat winemaking more as an art than a science.  In listening to him speak about the vineyards, vines and the wines, he reminded me of some of the wonderful wine craftsmen of the Northwest, like Chuck Reininger, who let their passion shine through their wines.  Overall a pleasure to listen and interact with such a wonderful artist!

We tasted through the wines is a somewhat quixotic order, but I've organized my tasting notes putting the white wines first, followed by the rose and then the reds.


2015 The Whip, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc (30%), Semillion (30%), Chardonnay (30%), Viognier (7%) and Muscat Canelli (3%) - Very nice aromas, notes of flowers, mild citrus and some marked mineral notes, very nice use of the Viognier and Semillion really come through on the nose.  Taste is a perfect summer food wine, I could easily sip this in the patio with some hummus or enjoy with a light summer dinner.

2016 Muscat Canelli (100%) - Pineapple, papaya, white floral, lovely crisp refreshing white, perfect for summer.

2016 Dry Rose, a blend of Grenache (55%) and Cournoise (45%) - Farmed to be a rose, canopy management, picking, to give a great fruit/floral expression.  Lovely floral notes on the nose, peach, apricot and some mineral notes.  Crisp acidity and a very nice, dry finish.  Would be great with cedar planked Coho Salmon filet.


2014 Spur, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), Petite Sirah (22%), Petit Verdot (14%), Merlot (10%) and Cabernet Franc (9%) - Some may group this wine with a Bordeaux style blend, but the addition of Petite Sirah really makes a difference and places it outside the traditional Bordeaux Blends (it also makes a big difference in the taste of the wine, bringing in more fruit.  Nose just makes me want to drink this wine immediately.  Aromas of leather, smoke, oak, warm spice, lovely black fruit, blackberries, cherries.and some notes of dried fig.  Lovely fruit up front, lovely mineral and smoke notes midpalate.  Wonderfully dry, velvety finish.  This was absolutely my favorite of the wines we tasted, and would pair well with a big grilled steak any day of the week!

2014 Cabernet Franc, a blend of Cabernet Franc (88%), Cabernet Sauvignon (6%) and Petit Verdot (6%) - Great earthy nose, white pepper spice, perfect for a chilly autumn evening in front of a fire.  Great with pasta, perhaps with a creamy white sauce, would also be wonderful with a more mellow fish dish, perhaps a halibut steak.

2014 Merlot, a blend of Merlot (90%), Cabernet Sauvignon (7%) and Petit Verdot (3%) - you know I love me some Merlot and this one was a standout!  Notes of cinnamon and ripe blackberry on the nose, wonderful black fruit and spice midpalate.  Midpalate some notes of cocoa, mocha and vanilla bean come through.  The finish is smooth and very dry, well structured tannins on the backbone, pure Merlot joy!

Finally, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to Snooth.com and Murrieta's Well for sponsoring this wonderful tasting, it was a real treat!

Sunday, May 14, 2017

2016 Healy Rose

Happy Sunday and Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!  So today, was a day of modest accomplishments, after church I went grocery shopping then did laundry and then decided to try my hand at assembling the bike that I recently exchanged United miles for.  Needless to say, I'm not super mechanically talented, and I've gotten as far as it looking a lot like a bike, but I still need to attend to the details, like the brake assemblies!  So perhaps next weekend I'll have my chance to finish it. At any rate, it's time for wine!  And tonight it's a nice 2016 Healy Rose, from Drew Bledsoe's Doubleback winery in Walla Walla, after all, it's now rose season, and what mom doesn't like a good rose?


The wine is a pleasant pink color in the glass, with hints of orange.  The nose is layered with rose petals, honeydew and a hint of grapefruit, a perfect affirmation of rose.  The taste is just summer in a glass, with some nice sweet fruit notes up front, strawberry and melon that transitions nicely to some lovely mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is loaded with bright acidity and ephemeral dryness, perfect for sipping on a summer evening.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's a perennial favorite for rose season, and it's a good value at $28 for the limited production of just 411 cases.  This wine would be perfect for the patio, as well as pairing with a wide variety of summer dishes, from caprese salad to burgers and barbecue.  Tonight I am enjoying this one with a Santa Fe marinaded grilled chicken breast, with some grilled baby bok choy and some wild rice.  Cheers!

Saturday, May 13, 2017

2012 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Holy Moly!  I just came inside and realized it was 6:30 and I've just spend 7 hours working out in the yard!  At least I accomplished quite a bit: I planted 8 flats of impatiens, pulled up a forest of maple sapling that had sprouted this spring, mowed the lawn and helped a friend take one of my 7 ginko saplings that I've been trying to find homes for.


 And although I know my back is going to remind me of all this work tomorrow, tonight it's time to relax with a nice glass of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2012 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that I picked up at Costco a few weeks ago.  I've reviewed the 2009 vintage (you can see here) and the 2010 vintage (you can see here), so let's see how this one stacks up!


The wine is an inky black color with just a hint of garnet along the edges, just what you'd expect from a big Napa Cabernet from a stellar vintage.  The nose is layered with leather, blackberry and oak that just dares you to take a sip.  The taste is just lovely, with a rush of blackberry and currant that gives way to cherry cola and dark chocolate.  The finish is classic Napa Cabernet, but somewhat softer than the many overpowering Cabernets coming out of Napa today.  This one has some well structured and integrated tannins that provide nice balance for the long, smooth and voluptuous finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's just a classic Napa Valley Cabernet from a terrific vintage and for $32 at Costco, this wine was worth every penny.  This wine would pair well with a variety of bold flavors, from steak to roast lamb to braised short ribs, but tonight I'm going with the tried and true, a rare grilled bone in ribeye with roasted Brussels sprouts and some linguine tossed in garlic and olive oil.  Cheers!

Friday, May 12, 2017

2012 Tobias Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  It's been a busy week and I am so ready for the weekend!  And since we are starting the weekend, it may as well be with a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet that I got in the Wines Till Sold Out Napa Valley marathon a month or two ago, the 2012  Tobias Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Cabernet from the Howell Mountain AVA.  So let's see how this one tastes!


The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, classic for a Napa Cabernet.  The nose presents aromas of cherry, oak and a bit of dried fig.  The taste is a rush of ripe cherry up front that blankets your palate.  The cherry transitions nicely to some notes of vanilla and a bit of oak midpalate.  The finish is rather subdued, with some nicely structured tannins providing for a very smooth, dry finish that's a refreshing departure from many of the in-your-face Cabernets on the market today.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's very nice quality, but not a terrific value at $29.  This is a classic big steak wine, though I think it would pair quite nicely with a variety of pasta dishes, smoked brisket or classic barbecue as well.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a Thai chili rubbed New York strip along with some grilled baby bok choy and couscous.  Cheers!

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

2014 House of Cards Napa Valley Red Wine

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a busy travel week, being in Toronto on Monday and Montreal yesterday, but now I'm home!  I went to the gym after work and now I feel like the entire evening has slipped away, but at least there's wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a recent Costco purchase, the 2014 House of Cards Napa Valley Red Wine, which is so appropriate as lately I feel like my entire life is a house of cards!  So let's see how this one tastes.


The wine is a deep inky purple at the center, more reminiscent of a nice Napa Cabernet as opposed to a blend.  The nose is a pleasant array of leather, smoke, tobacco and dried herbs over some more subtle fruit notes.  The taste is more classic red blend, with some lovely ripe berries at the outset that transition to some wonderful notes of cocoa and Italian spice midpalate.  The finish is very nice, with rather mellow tannins supporting a nice, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a pleasant drinking everyday table wine and a very good value for just $15!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a simple midweek dinner of Kielbasa with kraut and pierogis, a throwback to my childhood on the south side of Chicago, where every grandma force fed you smoked sausage, cured cabbage and giant pasta pockets every Sunday!  Cheers!

Friday, May 5, 2017

2014 Forgeron Primitivo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  I'm not sure I've ever posted on this most famous Mexican holiday, so here goes nothing!  Tonight I've decided to open a wine that I really liked when it came to the 2013 Vintage (see here) and since the 2014 recently arrived in a wine club shipment I couldn't wait to try it, the 2014 Forgeron Primitivo.  The wine is primary Primitivo (92%) from the Stone Tree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, but this year, they added a bit of Zinfandel (8%) from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA to mellow the wine a bit, so let's see how this vintage stacks up!


The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, blackberry and anise, soft and velvety.  The taste is a rush of rich black fruit up front, blackberry, black cherry and plum that transition nicely to some notes of black pepper spice and a reprise of anise midpalate.  The finish is quite smooth and luxurious, the tannins are rounded making for a less abrupt finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a great effort, but I have to admit I really enjoyed the 2013 vintage more.  This wine would pair well with a nice spicy pasta or pizza, but since it's a Mexican holiday, I'm enjoying it tonight with some wonderful tacos filled with pork chorizo and refried beans, topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and chipotle pepper sauce, the wine complements the spiciness so well!  Cheers!

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

2014 Forgeron Facon Rouge

Happy Wine Wednesday!  I just got back from the gym and am ready for a nice dinner and a glass of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a recent wine club selection from Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla, the 2014 Facon Rouge.  This wine is a GSM blend of Syrah (58%), Mourvedre (26%) and Grenache (16%) from the Columbia Valley of Washington, so let's see how this one stacks up!


The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose is a lovely cascade of fresh herbs, peppercorn, berries and a bit of smoke.  The taste is a lovely combination of ripe berries up front along with some wonderful spice notes that transitions nicely to some notes of bergamot and tea leaves.  The tannins are young but nicely structured for the long, smooth and voluptuous finish that simply beckons you for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8, as it's a very young GSM blend with some good potential to improve with a bit of time in the cellar.  This would pair well with a variety of dishes from summer barbecue to hearty pasta.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some Trader Joe's lobster ravioli with some pesto cream sauce topped with shaved parmesan and a baby arugula salad.  Cheers!

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

2013 V. Sattui Family Red Wine

Happy Tuesday!  Man how the weather can change, it has been hot and dry and we desperately needed rain (my grass and bushes were suffering severely!) but now it's rained the last three days and turned markedly cooler, the high today was only 48 and it was down in the 30s last night!  Oh well, that means it's a good time to open a nice bottle of red wine, and tonight it's the 2013 V. Sattui Family Red wine from Napa Valley, a blend of mainly Zinfandel with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  So let's see how it tastes!


The wine is a nice deep garnet color in the glass,  The nose is chock full of green grass, ripe berries and some earthy peat and oak.  The taste is quite nice, with a rush of black fruit up front, blackberry, cherry and plum that transitions nicely to some notes of spice box and pepper.  The tannins are somewhat subdued, but the wine still has a nice, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a 7.5, it's a nice everyday wine that's a decent value at about $20.  With the Zinfandel component, this wine would pair well with many summer dinners, from barbecue to burgers to pizza, but tonight I'm enjoying it with a rare grilled New York Strip with grilled leeks, haricots verts almondine and some couscous.  Cheers!