2007 Shining Hill Columbia Valley Red Wine

So tonight is hopefully the last night without internet in my house, so the last of the mobile blog posts for a while!  To celebrate I've opened up a bottle of 2007 Shining Hill Columbia Valley Red Wine, a product of the Col Solare Winery - a collaboration between Marchesi Antinori of Tuscany and Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington state.

The wine is a lovely deep ruby in the glass with good clarity. The nose is a nice combination of leather, oak, ripe plum, and cocoa lower that washes over a base of fresh herbs and green grass. The taste is quite nice with a blast of ripe plum, blackberries and cassis up front that transitions to some mineral notes mid palate, iron, limestone and black pepper. The finish is quite nice, well structured tannins supporting a long smooth dry finish that lingers for 30 seconds or more. 

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a solid example of a nice Columbia Valley Bordeaux style blend at a good value as I found this one at G. B. Russo's  in Grand Rapids for only $19. Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a lovely tuna steak baked with Parmesan paprika crust, grilled asparagus and a baked potato. The mineral notes of the wine pairs so nicely with the flavor of the tuna and the spice. Cheers!