2012 Havens Black and Blue Napa Valley Red Wine

Well, the week is winding down, and I just need to open a descent bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner tonight.  I just picked up tonight's offering from Wines Till Sold Out as I saw a notice and couldn't pass of up nice red blend from the stellar 2012 vintage in Napa Valley, so let's see what we have!

The wine is a very deep ruby color in the glass, almost black at the center.  The nose is a pleasant combination of oak, leather, tobacco and a bit of cassis that is typical of modern Napa Valley red wine offerings.  The taste was quite nice, with tart cherry and blackberry exploding at the outset, with a smooth transition to some dried herb notes midpalate.  The tannins have some room to develop, yet they still provide a nice foundation to the long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's very pleasant drinking now, but will likely evolve a bit with a few years in the cellar.  This was also a very nice bargain at $18, making it a candidate for everyday drinking.  Tonight I am enjoying this with a classic Napa red wine pairing of a rare grilled bone-in Angus ribeye, baked potato and grilled heirloom beets and carrots.  The fruit really balances the heartiness of the steak, while the acidity is a nice complement to the sweetness of the root vegetables.  Cheers!

2013 Greystone Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

It's Tuesday night and the week is progressing well!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of next month's office wine club selection, the 2013 Greystone Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon that I bought a while ago in a case deal from wineshopper.com. This one is a little interesting as it was joint effort between the Culinary Institute of America and Markham Vineyards to make a nice everyday, food friendly wine.  The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah from Lodi, the Sacramento Delta and San Joaquin Valleys of California.

The wine is a rich ruby color in the glass, with a somewhat lighter body than the typical California Cabernet.  The nose is rather subdued with a bit of blackberry, vanilla and oak.  The taste is quite pleasant, with a rush of ripe fruit up front, blackberry, raspberry and a bit of vanilla bean that transitions to some green herb flavors midpalate.  The young tannins really grab you as they form a solid foundation for the bright, fruit driven finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's a very nice everyday red wine and a terrific value at just $9!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic comfort food meal of meatloaf with some steamed Brussels sprouts.  Not anything fancy, but a good mid-week meal that really pairs well with this wine as the heartiness of the beef and zing of tomato sauce really balance the rich, ripe fruit of this wine.  Salut!

2010 Spalletti Chianti Classico Riserva

Happy Monday!  I just got back from the gym and now I'm cooking dinner, and what goes better with cooking than a nice glass of wine?  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2010 Spalletti Chianti Classico Riserva that I bought recently during the Wines Till Sold Out "Cheapskate Marathon" which is always a favorite event!

The wine is a bright garnet color in the glass with great clarity as is typical with a nice Chianti.  The nose is pure Tuscan Sangiovese, with earthy aromas of leather, smoke and peat over a fruit foundation of ripe plum and blackberry.  The taste takes be back to a lunch of Tuscan Toast I had in Florence back in 1995, with some ripe blackberry and plum at the outset that transitions effortlessly to some notes of peat and nearly Bordeaux style funk midpalate.  The finish is very nice, as many mass produced Chianti have a very lackluster finish, but the tannins on this wine are well developed, providing for a long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very nice example of a quality Chianti at a value price of just $15!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some Parmesan crusted walleye with lemon garlic butter, wild rice and some haricots verts almondine!  What could be better with a nice Tuscan red than a mild fish married with butter, garlic and Parmesan?  Cheers!

2011 Oakville East Exposure Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  Like most of mine, this Saturday has been busy with errands but there's always time for wine, and tonight it's the 2011 Oakville East Exposure Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon which I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out.  Despite the heat today, I just felt like it was a good Cabernet day!

The wine is a lovely, dark, brooding indigo in the glass with bright ruby around the edges.  The nose is classic Oakville Cabernet, with notes of oak, leather and violet over just a hint of blackberry.  The taste is just awesome, with a blast of ripe fruit up front, blackberry, cherry and raspberry that wash over you.  The ripe fruit transitions seamlessly to some rustic mineral notes midpalate before the young tannins set up the long, luscious and exceptionally dry finish.  This is just a classic Napa Valley Cabernet that you could sip all evening and wonder where the time went!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's just such a pleasant drinking Cabernet and it was very reasonably priced at just $29!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a completely random dinner of classic stuffed peppers, using my mom's recipe.  The ripe fruit and great backbone of this wine make it a perfect complement to the sweet and spicy sauce and rich goodness of Italian sausage and ground beef that make the stuffing.  Yum!  And now that dinner is over it's time for me to head to the theater, as I have tickets for tonight's production of Zombie Prom by the Elkhart Civic Theater!  Cheers!

2008 Heritance Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

What a weekend this was, full of ups and downs!  On Friday evening I drove to Chicago to visit my uncle and fly in a 1928 Ford Tri-Motor airplane on Saturday morning.  That was fantastic in every way.  Here's a photo of the plane we flew on:

Then I returned home Saturday evening, stopped at the store to pick up some steaks and had every intention of grilling and making a blog post when a storm rolled through town and knocked out the power!  So then I was scrambling to get Chinese food and had to put the blog post on hold until tonight.  The power was restored this morning, I spent a good portion of the day cleaning up the yard and now it's time for that good dinner from yesterday!  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2008 Heritance Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that I received on Friday from the Wines Till Sold Out Cheapskate Tuesday marathon.

The wine is a somewhat lighter ruby color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose is a rich combination of blackberry, leather and smoke that awaken your senses,  The taste is a blast of ripe fruit up front, with blackberry and blueberry, that transition nicely to some notes of creme brulee midpalate.  The finish is delightful, as the still firm tannins provide great structure and backbone for the long, voluptuous dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a classic Napa Cabernet that's reached a nice level of maturity.  It was also a great value from WTSO for only $18!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a nice rare grilled and marinaded Angus New York Strip, some truffled mac and cheese and grilled Brussels sprouts.  The richness of flavor in this wine makes it perfect for steak, but it would be great with a wide variety of dishes, from rich Italian fare to barbecue.  Cheers!

2014 Lindeman's Bin 85 Pinot Grigio

Happy Tuesday!  We have a truly rare occasion tonight in that I am reviewing a white wine!  Yes, I am a super red wine fan, but I happened to have this wine in the house and opened it for a friend who was visiting last week and decided to taste it myself, the 2014 Lindeman's Bin 85 Pinot Grigio from southeastern Australia.  So here goes nothing!

The wine is a classic, very light coloration so typical of a Pinot Grigio.  The nose exhibits lovely aromas of pear, rose petals and a bit of apple blossom.  The taste is quite refreshing, with lovely crisp fruit up front, pear, apple and white grapefruit that transition to some nice earthy elements of iron, peat and granite.  The finish is quite refreshing, with a crispness of fresh citrus that's not sweet but rather dry, perfect for a red wine guy like me.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's not perfect, but really what white wine could be?  In any case, it's easy drinking and food friendly and a terrific value at about $6!  Tonight I am enjoying this with a classic dinner that begs for a white wine, a gunflint walleye (I got the recipe from a Minnesota fishing website here, but needless to say, garlic lemon butter combined with a bread crumb and romano crust makes this a fish to make your midweek, perfect with a crisp refreshing Pinot Grigio!), some pesto linguine and steamed Brussels sprouts.  What a fantastic combination!

2012 Ryan Patrick Vineyards Rock Island Red

It's time for Sunday dinner, perhaps my favorite meal of the week and of course that means I need to open a nice bottle of wine to enjoy with the meal I've worked so hard to make!  Tonight it's the 2012 Ryan Patrick Vineyards Rock Island Red from the Wahluke Slope of the Columbia Valley AVA.  This blend is a nice combination of Merlot (58%), Syrah (36%), Petite Sirah (5%) and Primitivo (1%).  I've reviewed the 2010 vintage earlier this year, and you can compare notes here.

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of rich black fruit, blackberries, plum and black cherry with a bit of oak intermixed.  The taste isn't nearly as fruit forward as the nose would suggest, with lovely flavors of dark cherry and cassis that give way to some notes of cocoa and baking spice midpalate.  The supple tannins provide the most ideal backbone for the earthy flavors that grace the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it has great structure and is drinking quite well even at this early age.  It was also a good value at about $20.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic Pacific Northwest summer meal of cedar planked wild Alaskan sockeye from the Copper River along with some grilled golden beets and heirloom carrots and some pesto linguine.  Cheers!

2012 Mount Veeder Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, it's Friday evening and I've been to the gym and had my first martini of the weekend, so now it's time to get serious!  It's time to crack open a nice bottle of wine!  Tonight I've decided to open up a recent purchase from Wineshopper.com, the 2012 Mount Veeder Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the latest from that stellar vintage!

The wine is a deep brooding, inky color that's so classic of a great Napa Cabernet.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, cassis, baking spice and just a hint of mint.  The taste is just classic, a rush of ripe black fruit, blackberry, plum and a bit of coriander that transition effortlessly to some spice notes of vanilla bean and anise midpalate.  The finish is ideal, with some young tannins providing nice backbone for the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.  Just a classic Napa Cabernet!

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 with room for definite improvement with some time in the cellar.  This is a vintage that will continue to evolve over time and it's still so new I'm anxious to see how it will progress over the next decade.  The wine was also a solid value for about $27 at Wineshopper.com.  Tonight I am enjoying this with a classic pairing of a rare grilled Hereford beef porterhouse along with a big baked potato and some grilled Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2012 Dietro LaPorta Blu

Well, it's Sunday night after a long holiday weekend, so I've decided to open up something a little different tonight, a bottle of wine that was produced by my Aunt Jan and Uncle Rick out in Las Vegas, the 2012 Dietro LaPorta Blu.  Now before you start thinking they drip irrigate a vineyard in the desert, they source the grapes from California, in this case Cabernet Sauvignon (43%), Nebbiolo (19%), Cabernet Franc (19%) and Black Malvasia (19%).

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose is rather subdued, with notes of blackberry, plum, leather and a bit of lavender.  The taste is surprisingly good for home brew, some mellow notes of blackberry and cassis up front transition to some nice warm spice notes midpalate.  There is a bit of cherry on the finish, with some rather subdued tannins supporting a pleasant but brief dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7, it's a very good effort for folks who are not winemakers by trade.  I don't know whether it would improve with age, particularly since my aunt told me about a year ago that I should drink this wine soon!  Tonight I am enjoying this casual wine with a nice piece of cedar planked wild Alaskan sockeye, some steamed Brussels sprouts and a big baked potato, yum!

2005 Saddleback Cellars Napa Valley Merlot

TWell, it's the first Saturday of the month, so you know what that means, it's Cellar Saturday!  And not only that, it's also the 4th of July which makes opening up a well matured wine even more fun!  Tonight I've opened up a bottle of 2005 Saddleback Cellars Napa Valley Merlot, one that I've been looking forward to, as a nice quality Merlot tends to hit its stride at about the 10-year mark.  Keep in mind I've let this one breathe a bit, but I didn't decant it, so we'll see how it goes!

The color in the glass is a nice garnet with very nice clarity despite its maturity.  The nose is a lovely combination of ripe berries, red plum and macerated cherries, overlaid with a bit of leather and moss, reminiscent of some wonderful French Bordeaux.  The taste is a rush of ripe fruit up front, raspberries, blackberries and plum that transitions flawlessly to some flavors of cherry cola and mocha midpalate.  The finish is just lovely, with silky tannins and mild oak on the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as I love Merlot and this is a prime example of an expertly produced bottle that highlights the varietal.  Although this would be an ideal wine for a juicy porterhouse, tonight is the 4th of July!  How could I enjoy this with anything other than barbecued ribs, grilled corn on the cob, creamy cucumber salad and a nice grape tomato caprese salad!  The wine has such great flavors it really complements the variety of great tastes we get on holidays like these.  Cheers!