2010 Notarius Mendocino Heart Arrow Petite Sirah

Aaahhh, the polar vortex has subsided and we reached a high of 19 today!  To celebrate I've opened a bottle of wine of course. Tonight it's the 2010 Notarius Mendocino Heart Arrow Petite Sirah, which as I've said before is neither petite nor Syrah, but rather is a wine made from the Durif grape.

This wine is a classic example, with a deep brooding purple color in the glass. The nose is a lovely combination of rich leather, ripe plum, anise and a course minerality. The taste is quite nice with a good bit of green grass and spice up front along with some tart cherry and grass. These flavors transition to a lovely dusty limestone over white pepper and licorice. The finish is somewhat tightly wound as the tannins provide for a long and very dry finish. 

 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5 as it's a solid example of the varietal, but it was somewhat expensive at $22. Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a lovely dinner of roast chicken breast with oven roasted Brussels sprouts and some linguine with garlic and olive oil. Despite the boldness of the wine, it plays quite well against the spice of the dinner, but it would pair nicely with a grilled steak or many lamb dishes. Cheers!

2011 Wallace Brook Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Tonight I've decided to open up a lovely Oregon Pinot noir to accompany a classic Sunday dinner. Now when I lived in Portland from 1999-2002 I learned to appreciate a good Pinot, especially those from the Willamette Valley, so I've opened a bottle of 2011 Wallace Brook Cellars Oregon Pinot noir.

The wine is a lovely ruby color in the glass with great clarity, but not as light as many Pinots I've seen. The nose is quite lovely with aromas of strawberries, leather and spice that allude to the complexity that awaits. The taste us very fruit forward, with lovely plum, cherry and raspberry flavors harmonizing with a touch of green grass and tea mid palate. The finish is quite nice with well structured tannins supporting an unusually long and dry finish. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a lovely example of a Pinot noir from one of the premier growing regions and it was a good value at only $19.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic Sunday dinner or roast chicken with cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, just mike mom used to make!  Cheers!

2009 Chateau Guillou Montagne Saint-Emilion

So tonight I've decided to go on a bit of a culinary adventure, what with it being the start of the weekend and all.  In any case I've decided to try my hand at a bit of French cooking, and what better to go with French food than a nice French wine?  So tonight I've opened a bottle of the 2009 Chateau Guillou Montagne Saint-Emilion, from a great Bordeaux vintage.

The wine is a lovely ruby color in the glass with great clarity. The nose is very nice with a bit of ripe fruit, pomegranate, ripe plum, and a good bit of barnyard around a base of oak and smoke. The taste is very interesting with a bit of sweet cherry and a hint of cotton candy up front that effortlessly transitions to some oak, leather and dusty limestone mid palate. The finish is quite nice with a bit of pepper and lovely tannins supporting a long, dry finish. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8 as it's a great example of the wine and the vintage that I found at a value price of just $18!  Tonight I'm enjoying this with some Moules Marinieres, a delicious dish of mussels in a white wine sauce seasoned with shallots, tarragon and thyme, along with some wonderful croutons to maximize your enjoyment of the sauce!  So warm and delicious for such a bitter cold evening!

2010 Lupe-Cholet Nuits-Saint-Georges

Well in honor of the latest episode of the polar vortex, I've decided to open a bottle of wine that my aunt and uncle sent me for Christmas. They spend a wonderful vacation in the French countryside last summer and they brought back some great wines, the first one I've opened was the 2010 Lupe-Cholet Nuits-Saint-Georges, a lovely Pinot noir based wine produced not far from burgundy.

The wine is a lighter color of a classic Pinot noir. The nose is a lovely combination of tart cherry, green grass, mossy oak and fresh herbs that is so familiar to those who love Pinot and burgundy!  The taste is a wonderful explosion of tart cherry and blackberry that transitions gracefully to some fresh herbs smoke and mineral notes mid palate. The finish is really wonderful as the tannins support a long, exceptionally dry finish. 

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's a really fabulous example of the wine. Tonight I am enjoying this wine with an appetizer of some cerignola olives and then a dinner of some smoke ham, garlic mashed potatoes and green beans, as the minerality just meshes perfectly with the smokiness of the ham, a perfect choice.  Bon Appetit!

2010 Notarius Heart Arrow Cabernet Sauvignon

What a lovely Sunday afternoon, a perfect time for a lovely Sunday dinner and a bottle of wine!  Today it's the 2010 Notarius Heart Arrow Cabernet Sauvignon that I picked up at my local wine merchant on sale!

The wine itself is a lovely only purple in the glass with great clarity. The nose is a lovely combination of rich leather, ripe plum and forest floor. The taste was quite nice, with some bright fruit up front, blueberries, plum and tart cherry, which transitions to some dusty limestone mid palate.  The finish a quite nice with very nicely structured tannins supporting a lovely long, smooth dry finish that seems to fast a minute or more. 

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a lovely Cabernet that tastes like a much more expensive bottle of wine than the $21 I spent on this one. Today I am enjoying this wine with a classic Sunday dinner starting with a lovely Caprese salad with fresh basil, Tuscan herb olive oil and 25-year balsamic, and the main course of shank ham, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, leeks and purple carrots and the Midwest classic green bean casserole!  Delicious!

2009 Chateau La Tour de Bessan Margaux

Well, a year or so ago I had a blog post on this wine, but it was just a tease, as when I took delivery of my futures order the wine was much too young to enjoy, but now that we are nearly five years along, it's time to open up a bottle and see how the wine as developed!  The 2009 Chateau La Tour de Bessan Margaux is a lovely blend of Cabernet Saivignon (54%) and Merlot (46%) by esteemed winemaker Marie Laure Lurton.

The wine is a lovely bright ruby color in the glass with great clarity. The nose is very earthy with great fruit, an array of cherries, blackberries and cassis envelope a base of oak, leather, Asian spice and just a hint of smokiness. The taste is still rather tightly wound, with a burst of tart cherry that transitions to some wonderful earthy mineral notes of dusty limestone and forest floor. The tannins are still a bit young, but supportive of a long, smooth, exceptionally dry finish. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8 with ample potential to improve with a little time in the cellar. I'm enjoying Thai first glass with a bit of aged Italian cheese and some olives as I prepared my dinner of wild Alaskan coho salmon baked with shallots and capers with a lemon dill cream sauce on the side, along with a baked potato and some steamed asparagus. Bon appetit!

2011 Shooting Star Canernet Sauvignon

You know, I can admit it, sometimes I'm a really shallow wine drinker.  Take tonight's wine for example, the 2011 Shooting Star Cabernet Sauvignon from Lake County California. Did I buy this wine based on recommendations? Reviews? Some technical specification?  Nope. I bought it because the label looked really cool with this retro sort of Art Deco look I love!  So there you have it, sometimes the marketing geniuses designing packaging win!

To the wine, it's a lit lighter in color than a typical big California Cabernet but it's still a lovely deep ruby color in the glass. The nose is very thick with ripe jammy fruit, raspberries, cherries, plum amid a background of oak. The taste is surprisingly not sweet or jammy as the nose would suggest but instead it's very austere.  You are greeted with a lovely combination of tart cherry, raspberries and fresh herbs that transitions to some stark minerality mid palate. The tannins are very nicely structured giving rise to a very smooth and dry finish.
 

 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a lovely food friendly wine at a descent price (I found this bottle for $17). The lightness a structure of this wine make it much more versatile than a standard big Cabernet, so you don't feel as bad enjoying it with a meal that's not a big steak!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic northwest dinner of alder planked Alaska sockeye with some fresh asparagus and oven roasted fingerling potatoes. Delicious!

2007 Eagles Trace Napa Valley Merlot

So today we had a blizzard, well I don't know if it actually makes the definition of a blizzard, but we have over a foot of snow and it's still coming down, so we're close enough!  And to celebrate the end of the world, or as least the end of global warming, I've decided to open a bottle of 2007 Eagles Trace Napa Valley Merlot.  Now you may recall a week or two or three ago I opened up a bottle of the 2006 vintage as I bought this in a 4-pack vertical from WTSO, so tonight is the key vintage for Napa, the '07!

The color on this one is a deep, inky purple edging towards some brighte ruby along the edges. The nose is absolutely lovely with aromas of leather, Asian spice, ripe plum and black cherry. The taste is really sublime, with lovely fruit up front that quickly transitions to some dusty limestone and rich cedar mid palate. The chalky tannins provide great structure and support for a long, snooth and exceptionally dry finish!

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's truly an excellent Merlot that brings back so many fond memories fo France! Tonight I am pairing this wine with some lobster ravioli topped with a creamy herb Alfredo sauce, the richness of the ravioli and sauce are the perfect counterbalance to the dryness and structure of this wine.  Cheers!

2008 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel

Well, we've been enjoying a wonderful winter storm to start the new year, with all the trimmings, foot and a half of snow, and highs in the single digits!  So it's only natural to want to curl up by the fire and enjoy a glass of wine!  Tonight I am working in finishing a magnum of 2008 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel, a nice everyday, easy drinking wine.

The wine is a nice ruby color in the glass with great clarity. The nose is classic Zinfandel, with rich sweet fruit notes of blackberry, cassis and prune accented by just a hint of fresh cut grass. The taste is a lovely combination of black fruit, green tea and black licorice transitioning to come lovely mineral notes mid palate. The tannins are very well structured supporting a long, smooth and very dry finish. 

 Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5 as it's nothing spectacular, but a solid everyday wine and a terrific value, I think I bought this magnum from WTSO for only $10!  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a simple dinner of butternut squash ravioli topped with some Parma rosa sauce and a nice arugula salad with Tuscan olive oil and 25-year white balsamic, yum!

2000 Tenuta Greppone Mazzi Brunello di Montalcino

Well, it's the first "Cellar Saturday" of 2014 and tonight we are going back 14 years to a wonderful wine from Tuscany, the king of Italian wines, the 2000 Tenuta Greppone Mazzi Brunello do Montalcino! This particular wine hasn't been in my cellar very long, as I bought it from my new local wine merchant a month or two ago. And as an added bonus, today I bought a new aerator and decantor set that I got to try out on this wine!

The wine is a lovely ruby color in the glass with a tinge of brown around the edges, as is typical of mature Brunello. The nose is a lovely combination of floral notes, lavender, and spice along with rich leather and black licorice so typical of a nice Brunello. The taste brings me right back to Florence, with great fruit flavors up front, blackberry, currant and cherry cola that transitions to some lovely mineral notes of dusty limestone and a sweetness that goes beyond the fruit. The tannins are elegant and well structured leading to a long, smooth dry finish. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's simply delicious and although it was $51 it wasn't much more that a newly released Brunello, but it's ready to drink today!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with my own version of Bistecca Florentine, with a big cowboy cut ribeye grilled rare along with some asparagus, leeks and Brussels sprouts grilled in olive oil and a simple arugula salad. So yummy!  

2011 Ca' Momi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

So, this afternoon I was talking to some friends at work and they were complaining to me about how my Facebook posts with photos of my dinners was making them hungry, (really? I can't say I was heartbroken for them).  So tonight I decided to make a simple pasta dinner that almost anyone could replicate in an effort to boost their culinary egos!  So I made some bucatini (if you don't have that try linguine) with some Italian sausage and Trader Joe's Arrabiata sauce (if there isn't a Trader Joe's near you Barilla makes a nice version as does Classico with their spicy tomato and basil) along with an arugula salad (they have bunch arugula at the local market for $1.69) tossed with EVO and balsamic.  So of course with a simple meal full of flavor you need a nice wine, like the 2011 Ca' Momi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The wine is a deep purple in the glass, typical of a nice NV Cabernet. The nose is spectacular, with rich dark fruit, blackberries, cassis and plum over a rich base of leather and Asian spice. The taste is lovely, with a quick blast of fruit followed by some earthy notes of green herbs, leather, cedar and forest floor. The tannins are nicely structured leading to a very long, lush and dry finish. 

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it has a taste and structure of a wine costing twice as much, as I found this at a local wine store for only $21!  The wine matches perfectly with the Italian meal with the dryness, structure and fruit as the perfect foil to the spice in my dinner.  Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

2012 Good Vines Breganze Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy New Year!  Well at least it's a snowy and cold one around here, but spring is just a few months away!  So to ring in 2014 and to enjoy a lovely meal before returning to work tomorrow, I've decided to open a bottle of 2012 Good Vines Breganze Cabernet Sauvignon. Now I picked this one up at Whole Foods last Saturday, as they were doing a tasting and pitched the story of their wines and how they donate a portion of every bottle sold to local children's charities, so I decided to follow their directions on the bottle, "Do Good, Drink Me!"

The wine is a bright ruby in the glass, with a somewhat lighter appearance than is typical of a bigger Cabernet, but this wine was produced in Italy, which isn't exactly known for big Napa style cabs!  The nose is somewhat subdued, with mild floral notes and earth tones, over a bet of ripe red fruit, cherries, currant and plums. The taste is quite mild and fruit forward, with taste of red fruit, leather, dried herbs and earthy flavors of cedar and forest floor. The tannins are subtle and supportive of a modest, very dry finish. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7, it's bit the type of wine that would knock your socks off, but it's a pleasant and easy drinking wine that's a decent value at only $12. Given the lighter nature of this wine, tonight I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared tuna steak with some Sriracha mayo and a nice salad with sesame ginger dressing. The ripe fruit and lighter flavor really matches well with the tuna and Asian flavors. Cheers!