2013 Michel-Schlumberger La Revolution Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  I mowed the lawn and did some other chores around the house this afternoon, and now it's time to relax with Sunday dinner, which of course means I need to pick out a nice bottle of wine to enjoy with it.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2013 Michel-Schlumberger La Revolution Cabernet Sauvignon from the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Syrah (7%), Merlot (5%), Petit Verdot (5%) and Malbec (3%).

The wine is a deep inky purple color in the glass with a bit of garnet around the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, pipe tobacco, black cherry and a bit of black plum, just as you'd expect from a nice Cabernet.  The taste is just lovely, with a blast of fruit up front, blackberry, cherry and plum that transitions nicely to some wonderful spice notes of black pepper and anise with a bit of mocha and dark chocolate notes midpalate.  The finish is quite nice with supple tannins supporting the long, smooth and very dry finish that seems to go on for a minute or more.  This is a great example of some of the fine, yet underappreciated wines coming out of Sonoma today.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, I've become a fan of this producer, with very nice wines at a terrific value (I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $18!).  This wine would be ideal with almost any sort of beef dish, but tonight I've gone a familiar route, with a nice prime sirloin grilled rare served with a baked potato with sour cream and some grilled asparagus and organic rainbow carrots.  Cheers!

2015 Helix Columbia Valley Rose

Happy Sunday!  It's been unbelievably hot and humid here, today it's 91 and 69% humidity which makes it feel like 104!  I had to laugh last week when I was in California and a couple at the hotel were complaining about how humid it was that day and the humidity was only 31%!  They had no idea what heat and humidity were!  Although I immediately start sweating when I go outside, the only good thing is that we are smack dab in the heart of rose season, and tonight I've opened a bottle that's been sitting here for a couple months - I promised not to open it since it was shipped to me so close to bottling and it needed to settle, so I couldn't open it until at least the 4th of July, but you know how patient I can be!  This latest wine for the Summer of Rose is the 2015 Helix Columbia Valley Rose from the Reininger Winery in Walla Walla.

The wine is a deep pink color in the glass that makes it almost look like a red wine.  The nose presents aromas of watermelon, strawberry and cut grass, with just a hint of citrus along with some floral notes of rose petals.  The taste is lovely, with some fresh fruit notes up front, strawberry and some bright citrus that transitions to some wonderful mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is crisp and very dry, perfect for a warm summer evening on the patio.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a great summer rose with a lot of complexity and a great value at under $20!  This would be a great summer salad wine, perfect for fresh greens or a nice caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil.  But tonight I'm going a more traditional Pacific Northwest route and am enjoying this wine with an alder planked wild Alaska coho salmon filet with lemon and fresh dill along with some steamed basmati rice and oven roasted Brussels sprouts.  The crispness of the wine is a perfect accent to the richness of the salmon.  Cheers!

2012 Stella Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  Yes, this has been a crazy month with me traveling a lot and crazy and unpredictable schedule, but I've made some time to enjoy a nice dinner at home tonight, so what shall I do?  I know, I'll open a bottle of wine!  Tonight I've decided to open a recent purchase from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2012 Stella Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon!  And yes, I know it's unbearably hot out, but I'm in the air conditioning so a Cabernet seems like an ideal choice!

The wine is a lovely deep purple color at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents lovely aromas of ripe fruit, blueberries, cherries and blackberries, with an overlay of rich leather.  The taste is classic Napa Cabernet, with come lovely fruit up front that transitions to some wonderful notes of vanilla and green tea intermingled with some nice mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is exceptional, with some fine tannins supporting a long, dry and voluptuous finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as this is a wonderful Napa Cabernet from a strong vintage, and it was a great value at just $20!  Tonight I am enjoying this wonderful wine with a wonderful dinner of rare grilled prime filet mignon with grilled leeks, oven roasted fingerling potatoes and haricots verts almondine.  This is a great steak wine, with rich fruit and balanced mineral notes that are perfect for big meat!  Cheers!

2013 Spring Valley "Derby" Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  Well, it's been a long, busy week (have I mentioned July is the busiest travel month of my year?) and with flight cancellations and everything else going on, I could sure use a break.  So tonight I've decided to open a recent wine club selection from Spring Valley Vineyard, the 2013 "Derby" Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Spring Valley Vineyard in Walla Walla.  So when all else fails, open a good bottle of wine and enjoy!

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of leather, green grass and plum with just a hint of violet.  The taste is just wonderful, with a good bit of black fruit juxtaposted with some tart green notes up front that washes into soft, earthy mineral notes of basalt and mossy oak midpalate with just a bit of black pepper spice.  The tannins are youthful but nicely integrated for the long, elegant finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's drinking very nicely now, but will likely mature a bit with a few years in the cellar.  This is a nice food wine, perfect for big steaks, roasts or barbecue, but tonight I'm going off script and enjoying this with a bit of chicken Tikka Masala, who says Cabernet isn't for Indian food?  Cheers!

2011 Muga Rioja Riserva

So I'm at Boston' Logan airport and the last words you ever want to hear when you arrive are, "your flight's wicked delayed!"  So here I am at Legal Seafoods for dinner (I have 4 hours to kill) so why not enjoy some wine?  Now keep in mind I'm doing this on my phone so please forgive the typos!  I just got a half bottle of 2011 Muga Rioja Riserva so let's see what this one has to offer!

The color is a nice deep ruby. The nose presents aromas of plum, currant, limestone and a bit of Bordeaux style funk. The taste is quite nice with a rush of black fruit up front followed by some smooth mineral notes of dusty likestone and basalt. The tannins are nicely structured lending to the long, smooth dry finish. 

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a nice Rioja from a producer I like. It would be great with a variety of Mediterranean dishes, but tonight I'm at Legal Seafoods enjoying this with some blackened tuna sashimi and a Bostob baked scrod for dinner. Cheers!

2013 Forgeron Facon Rouge

Happy Sunday!  I'll admit it, I've been way too busy lately, with what seems to be a constant parade of work and family obligations that I've been neglecting my blog.  Well, I can't say that's all about to change, since this month is going to continue to be the busiest of the year, but I'll at least try to post a little more!  Tonight I have a lovely wine I've been waiting to try from the wine club at Forgeron Cellers, the 2013 Facon Rouge, a GSM blend of Grenache (25%), Syrah (48%) and Mourvedre (27%) from the Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley (Maison Bleue makes some fine wines from this vineyard too!).  So let's see what this one has to offer.

The wine is a deep inky color at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, belying the heavy hand of Syrah in the blend.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, leather and smoke.  The taste is a blast of fruit, with blueberries and blackberries that transition to some lovely black pepper spice notes and a bit of smoky oak and mineral notes midpalate.  There is a reprise of fruit at the finish, with some blackberry jam amid the firm, integrated tannins that support the long, velvety and smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a new favorite of the southern Rhone style blends inspired by the Gigondas.  This wine would be ideal for a variety of spicy Mediterranean dishes, or some more adventurous Moroccan spice dishes, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with some red curry chicken and vegetables over basmati rice.  Cheers!

2011 Andrew Will Ciel du Cheval

Happy Tuesday!  Well, this continues to be a busy time for me, so I'll try to make blog posts when I can, and tonight is one such time!  I've opened a bottle of 2011 Andrew Will Ciel du Cheval, a blend of Cabernet Franc (52%) and Merlot (48%) from the Columbia Valley of Washington. I happened to get this wine from Wines Till Sold Out at a decent price below retail, but not necessarily cheap!  I've often seen Andrew Will wines, but this may be the first that I've tried one, so here goes nothing!

The wine is an inky indigo at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents tantalizing aromas of ripe berries, blackberry, blueberry intermingled with leather and tobacco.  The taste is very nice, with subtle fruit that gives way quickly to vanilla spice and cocoa powder, with a bit of cardamom and the faintest hint of cinnamon.  The tannins are very mellow, leading to a softer, more complex but very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it was much more complex than your standard Cabernet Sauvignon based blend, so it would take some effort to truly appreciate.  The wine was a relative bargain at $35 compared to the usual $45-plus I've seen locally, but not the least expensive.  I think this would be a more food friendly wine, a little more versatile, with the flexibility to be Zin-like with barbecue or Merlot-like with steak.  Of course, tonight I'm enjoying this bottle with a rare grilled Angus ribeye along with grilled corn and Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2006 Franciscan Napa Valley Merlot

Happy Saturday!  And of course since this is the first Saturday of July, it's Cellar Saturday!  At day where I raid the stash to find a bottle that's been maturing for at least a decade or more, and tonight it's the 2006 Franciscan Estate Napa Valley Merlot.  You know I like my Merlot, and the folks in Napa can produce some nice ones, particularly some small production ones like this one.  So let's see what she has to offer!

The wine has an inky black color at the center leading to some bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, prune, leather and toasted oak that seem a bit old world.  The taste is much less fruit forward than I was expecting, with a bit of cassis and black licorice up front that transition nicely to some notes of dark chocolate and mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is smooth and velvety as the tannins are mature and subdued leading to a bit of that old world Bordeaux style funk on the smooth, exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very nice Merlot that's certainly matured very well.  This wine would be ideal for hearty meals, steaks, braised short ribs or a hearty Italian dinner with lots of red sauce.  Tonight I've gone simple with a grilled prime sirloin from Costco, baked potato and some grilled Brussels sprouts.  This one will be a pleasure to sip on the patio tonight, cheers!