2006 Eagles Trace Napa Valley Merlot

So tonight I just got back home from visiting my uncle just south of Chicago and now it's time to relax as I begin to cook my Sunday dinner.  And to accompany my cooking exploits I've decided to open a bottle of 2006 Eagles Trace Napa Valley Merlot. As you know by now, I am an ardent fan Merlot and Napa produces some very nice ones. 

This wine is a lovely bright ruby in the glass with great clarity. The nose is a lovely combination of black currant, dark chocolate and ripe plum.  The taste is wonderfully complex with blackberry, wild herbs, and oak swirling around a base of delicate minerality. The tannins are well integrated creating a wonderfully opulent mouthfeel and a long, smooth finish. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a great example of a lovely Merlot at a wonderful value as I bought a 4-pack vertical of the 2006 and 2007 vintages from Wines Till Sold Out for just $90!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine as I make one of my favorite winter dishes, seafood Newburg, with fresh clams, mussels, shrimp and bay scallops in a rich sherry cream sauce served over flaky pastry puffs.  The complex flavors of this wine really provide a nice counterbalance to the richness of the dish.  So yummy!!!

2010 Seven Hills Ciel du Cheval

Happy Boxing Day!  What fun there is to be had around the holidays, and for the day after Christmas, traditionally known as Boxing Day in the British Commonwealth I've decided to open a bottle of 2010 Seven Hills Ciel du Cheval!  The wine is one of my favorite blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from one of my favorite producers, Seven Hills out of Walla Walla. 

The wine is a lovely deep purple color in the glass with limited opacity. The nose is a lovely blend of green grass, balsamic, cedar and cocoa powder. The taste is quite lovely, with some subtle fruit up front that's enveloped with some complex flavors of anise, lavender and minerality. The finish is long, smooth and with a velvety mouthfeel that just lasts for a minute or more. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a great example of a classic Walla Walla Bordeaux style blend but at a terrific value, as I found three bottles of this at my local wine merchant for only $28 after my 15% case discount!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a lovely dinner of baked Christmas ham, baked potato, grilled Brussels sprouts and a Mediterranean salad. The wine is the perfect balance to the sweet smoky flavor of the ham and the richness of the grilled Brussels sprouts. Cheers!

2010 Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon

Merry Christmas!  It's always a great day when you're together with family and friends to enjoy the wonderful food and great fun!  So today I've opened up a bottle of 2010 Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy with Christmas dinner. 

The wine is a nice deep indigo in the glass while the nose is packed with ripe fruit, blueberries, cherries and ripe plums along with some lovely leather notes. The taste is wonderlully fruit forward with notes of blueberry, plum and cherry cola that transitions to some mineral notes mid palate. The finish is wonderfully dry, with a long, smooth, velvety mouthfeel. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a really nice example of a solid California Cabernet. Today I am enjoying this wine with a classic Christmas dinner of turkey and all the fixin's!  Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

2007 Cougar Crest Reserve Syrah

Well it's Christmas Eve, time to wrap those last presents and hopefully enjoy a lovely dinner while watching a favorite Christmas movie, a perfect way to end the holiday rush. And with my special dinner I've opened a bottle of 2007 Cougar Crest Reserve Syrah!

The wine is a beautiful ruby color in the glass with great clarity. The nose is full of rich dark fruit, blackberries, plum and cherry over some rich leather and oak. The taste is a classic Walla Walla Syrah, with rich fruit up front, blackberry, ripe plum that transitions to some cherry cola, dark chocolate and mineral notes mid palate. The long, dry finish is supple and inviting, practically begging you to take another sip. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a great example of a solid Walla Walla Syrah at a spectacular value as I bought half a case from WTSO for only $20 a bottle!  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a Christmas Eve dinner of steamed lobster, grilled Brussels sprouts and a baked potato with butter and sour cream, a perfect end to the holiday rush! Salut!

2010 Chateau Hyot Cotes de Bordeaux

So after my Christmas party last Saturday and getting all my Christmas shopping done today, I figure my theme for this evening is "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we wrap!"  And what am I drinking?  Tonight I am finishing a magnum from the party, the 2010 Chateau Hyot Cotes de Bordeaux, a magnum I bought from WTSO's magnum marathon a week or so ago!

The wine is a classic Bordeaux, with a nose of rich black fruit, anise, leather and tart cherry.  The taste is very Bordeaux, with very mellow fruit up front that quickly transitions to dusty limestone and complex minerality mid palate. The finish is long and extremely dry, classic Bordeaux. 

Tonight I am enjoying this as a before dinner aperatif before going out to the Chubby Trout for half price sushi! Cheers!

2012 La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir

Here we are at the second wine of the Snooth virtual tasting of the wines of La Crema, a quality producer of wine from Santa Rosa, Calif.  The next wine is the 2012 Monterey Pinot Noir, now of course having lived for a while in Portland, you know my bias towards Oregon Pinot Noir, particularly those from the Willamette Valley, but I'll still keep an open mind on this effort from California!

The wine is a lighter color in the glass, quite typical of pinot noir.  The nose is classic pinot, tart fruit notes, cherry and blackberry, and a hint of leather and tar.  The taste is warm and pleasant, makes me feel like I'm enjoying a nice summer evening on the patio.  Very nice fruit, blueberry and strawberry notes with some nice minerality midpalate.  The finish is quite nice with some tartness but very smooth and dry, very creamy and quite reminiscent of many Oregon pinots. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a really nice example of a fine pinot noir, very light, warm and smooth.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some oven roasted pork loin chops, mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts, but I could see this one being lovely with some poached salmon with wild mushroom risotto as well.  Cheers!

 

2012 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

So tonight I am enjoying another wonderful Snooth virtual tasting, this time featuring the wines of La Crema, a wonderful producer out of California.  Now this is a bit unusual as I am doing this virtual tasting from my office of all places as my home internet is still not up and running (moving to a new home can be such a joy!) So the first wine of the virtual tasting that I am trying is the 2012 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

Now as a complete novice to white wines, I can only say what I've heard in the past, particularly that Chardonnay may be a more popular wine, perhaps a bit overdone, but heck I'll try anything once!  The wine itself has lovely aromas of green grass, ample citrus, honey and just a hint of caramel.  The taste is ripe and crisp, with very little of the tart fruit I so often encounter when I venture into the world of white wine.  I would characterize this wine as a classic, buttery sort of Chardonnay, with many rich flavors that would be perfect with a varierty of fall and winter dishes.  The finish is somewhat soft with some metallic notes, but ultimately a very nice wine.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a very nice example of a very food friendly white wine, particularly for fall and winter dishes.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some thick cut oven roasted pork loin chops, mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts, a perfect dish on a cold winter evening!

2009 Bergevin Lane Vineyards Moonspell Cabernet Sauvignon

So once again I am blogging from my phone since I still don't have my phone or Internet installed, but such are the joys of new home ownership!  But tonight I have a new favorite Washington wine that I discovered right here in Elkhart, Indiana!  I had dinner at a local restaurant in town about a month or so ago and discovered this wine, the 2009 Bergevin Lane Moonspell Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley.  I really liked the wine so I asked the manager where I could find this wine and he hooked me up with a case!

The wine is a deep ruby in the glass and the nose is a rich combination of ripe red fruit, black cherry, plum and cassis along with a pleasant aroma of rich leather and forest floor.  The taste is rich and complex with some modest fruit up front, that transitions to some dusty limestone and tart cherry mid palate. The finish is smooth and exceptionally dry, and seems to last for 30 seconds or more!  

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a great drinking wine and a prime example of a great Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a lovely dinner of linguine and spicy marinara with a nice Mediterranean salad, a perfect combination!

 

2002 L'Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Merlot

It's another Cellar Saturday and I am still blogging from my phone!  Maybe someday I'll have internet at my house but until then I have a nice bottle of 2002 L'Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Merlot!

The wine is a lovely bright ruby color in the glass, with a nose of rich fruit, blackberries, cherries and plum accented by some Asian spice and vanilla. The taste is wonderfully fruit forward with rich berries plum and cherry flavors that transitions to wonderful flavors of black tea, dried herbs and chalk mid palate. The finish is wonderfully dry and mineral, with a last wisp of smokey black fruit at the end, with flavors reminiscent of the classic Bordeaux "funk" that we all know and love.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a classic Columbia Valley Merlot that reminds me so much of a nice Bordeaux. Tonight I am enjoying this with a classic northwest dinner of Mediterranean crusted salmon fillet with some steamed Brussels sprouts and sundried tomato risotto. A lovely meal all around!  

2012 The Prisoner

Well it's December already and I am now moved into my new house, but there are still some open items like my internet access!  But never one to sweat the details, I decided to put in my first blog post via mobile device!  And for tonight's selection I've opened up a bottle of 2012 The Prisoner, a red blend from Napa Valley. 

The nose is a pleasant blend of red fruit, strawberries, plum, green grass and tar. The taste is very jammy up front, with rich fruit, plum, blackberry and strawberry that transitioned to some dusty limestone and smoke midpalate.  The finish was smooth and very dry, with a smoky accent that lingered for a good while. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a solid Napa Valley blend but it's a little pricey for an everyday wine at $41. Tonight I'm enjoying this one with some slow cooked beef ribs, mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus tips. The fruit of the wine really plays well against the flavors of the beef ribs and the smooth starch of the taters, delicious!