2011 Alamos Malbec Seleccion

Happy Tuesday!  Today I had a most pleasant surprise when I arrived at the office, as my boss left me a case of wine!  Now granted it was his "reject" wines, various bottles that he's purchased and didn't really like, so I will happily be his waste bin!  Tonight I've opened one of the bottles he gave me, the 2011 Alamos Malbec Seleccion, a 100% Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina, so let's see how this reject wine does!

The wine has a classic Malbec look, with a deep inky center and bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents pleasant aromas of black plum and accents of leather and tar.  The taste is a rather subdued Argentine Malbec with just a bit if black fruit up front that transitions to some earthy mineral notes midpalate, only to have a reprise of ripe black fruit at the finish.  The wine expresses some bright acidity and relatively mellow tannins supporting a long, smooth, dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a pleasant drinking wine that would be ideal for a hearty steak.  And it just so happens I have one of those lying around, so tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled filet mignon with some grilled corn and steamed sugar snap peas that I picked up at a farmers market last week.  Cheers!

2013 Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  I  got a few things done today, including mowing the lawn and doing a load of laundry, so now I'm ready to relax a bit.  I've decided to treat myself today and open a nice bottle of 2013 Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon. Now I remember tasting this at the winery last year (I think?) and it was pretty good, so let's see how it is now!

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, blueberry and plum accented by some leather and graphite with just a hint of lavender.  The taste is classic Walla Walla cabernet, with a blast of ripe black fruit up front that transitions to some wonderful notes of dark chocolate and blueberry midpalate.  There is a good bit of limestone minerality on the finish, as the wonderfully structured tannins provide for the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a favorite wine from one of my favorite producers in one of my favorite regions.  This wine would be ideal with hearty meat dishes or southern Italian dishes.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a classic Midwest summer dinner of a rare grilled Angus bone-in ribeye, along with some grilled sweet corn (I bought yesterday from a farmer in Beecher, Illinois) and some grilled Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2009 Viansa Reserve Red Wine

Happy Tuesday!  We had an immense amount of rain yesterday (anywhere from 7 to 10 inches!) and tonight I want to celebrate since I can grill again.  So I've decided to open a bottle I recently received from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2009 Viansa Reserve Red Wine from Sonoma County.  This wine is a blend of Merlot (47%), Sangiovese (29%), Cabernet Franc (14%), Dolcetto (8%), Tinta Cao (1%) and Tempranillo (1%), so let's see how this blend stacks up!

The wine is a somewhat lighter, ruby color in the glass with great clarity, reflecting the impact of the Sangiovese and Dolcetto.  The nose presents aromas of leather, blackberry, fig and earthy minerals with just a hint of red floral notes over the top.  The taste is quite nice, with a rush of cherry and plum up front that transitions nicely to some notes of anise, leather and dusty limestone midpalate.  Although my first impression was that this is a remarkably Tuscan style blend, I was surprised that each of the varietals add their own imprint to the complexity of the wine, pepper spice from the Sangiovese, ripe red fruit from the Merlot, wonderful minerality from the Cabernet Franc and a bit of sweet black fruit from the Dolcetto.  The tannins are nicely integrated, forming the backbone of the long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a pleasant drinking wine and a terrific value at just $14!  Despite the complexity, it's also a food friendly wine that would pair well with anything from pizza and pasta to roasts and steaks.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime ribcap along with roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

Cogdal Vineyards Cabernet Franc

So yesterday I took a little drive to South Haven, Michigan and on the advice of my boss, I decided to do a little wine tasting at Cogdal Vineyards.  He mentioned they had some reasonable red wines that were actually dry (usually Michigan "dry" red wines are a cross between blackberry jam and Welch's concord grape juice), so I decided to give them a try.  He also mentioned that their Cabernet Franc was pretty good, hence this post! I was particularly interested in this wine as the owner, Jack, who was guiding me through the tasting, informed me that they grow the Cabernet Franc at the vineyard, so this wine is truly a product of the vineyard I visited (which was very picturesque, see the photos below!).  The wine is actually a blend of the Cabernet Franc along with some local hybrids, but unfortunately there wasn't a technical sheet available with the details, so it will remain a mystery for now.  So let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is somewhat lighter in color and body than some other Cabernet Francs that I've tried.  The nose presents a pleasant combination of blackberry, warm spice, green grass and smoke.  The taste is a rush of fruit up front, blackberry and tart cherry that transition to some lovely pepper spice notes and smoke midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat subdued, but still provide some nice backbone for what actually is a pleasant, smooth dry finish!

The tasting room at Cogdal Vineyards, a very nice place to try some wines!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's one of the first Michigan red wines that I've enjoyed!  It was also a good value at just $19, and one that would be pleasant to sip on the patio of the tasting room (if only it wasn't so hot yesterday!).  This would be a good wine for some lighter fare, particularly some of those tough to pair pork or barbecue dishes.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a teriyaki glazed grilled pork tenderloin along with some farm fresh corn on the cob and steamed green beans, a perfect Midwest summer Sunday dinner!  Cheers!

A view of the vineyard at Cogdal Vineyards in South Haven, Mich.

Some of the grapes as we approach harvest time!

2010 Liquid Sky Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  Today I had a wonderful adventure to South Haven, Michigan where I stopped at the Dutch Farm Market to get a very berry pie, then I was able to do some wine tasting (more on that in a future post) and restock my olive oil and balsamic supply from my favorite oil retailer, the Olive Cart and I got a quart of ice cream from Captain Nemo's (I clearly didn't think that one through with an hour and a half drive home!  And to make matters worse for the poor ice cream I stopped at Costco on the way home and they happened to have something spectacular for dinner tonight (more on that in a bit).  So to match the fantastic dinner, I've decided to open a bottle of 2010 Liquid Sky Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from the Moon Mountain AVA in Sonoma, so let's see how it is!

The wine is an inky black color at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, just what you'd expect from a nice Cabernet.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, blueberry, kirsch and smoke that really gets you prepared for something good.  The taste is a rush of jammy black fruit up front that transitions nicely to some warm spice notes, leather and smoke midpalate.  The tannins are firm and well integrated into the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.  This is a big Cabernet for folks who really enjoy the big wines from California.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it really is a delicious Cabernet and it was a good value at just $25 from Wines Till Sold Out.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime ribeye cap steak (yes, Costco had ribcaps!!!) along with a baked potato and some grilled Brussels sprouts, and of course a nice piece of very berry pie for dessert.  This is a perfect wine for a big, rich steak like a ribcap.  Cheers!

2013 Gravel Bar Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Hump Day!  I have to admit since I'm on staycation this week, I hardly noticed hump day at all.  But at the very least I've decided to open a nice bottle of wine to celebrate the middle of the week and tonight it's the 2013 Gravel Bar Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (91%) and Malbec (9%) primarily from the Wahluke Slope in the Columbia Valley.  So let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is a deep, inky black color at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, just as you would expect from a nice Cabernet.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, currant, leather and some mineral notes of graphite and limestone.  The taste is quite nice, with a rush of ripe black fruit up front, that transitions nicely to some notes of mocha, dark chocolate and cassis midpalate.  The tannins are smooth and well integrated for a long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very nicely drinking wine right now, and it was a terrific bargain as I found this at my local wine store for just $16!  This wine would pair nicely with some hearty grilled steaks, braised short ribs or rustic Italian dishes.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled farm to table sirloin steak that came from one of the cows at the recent Elkhart County 4-H Fair, some garlic mashed potatoes and steamed Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2005 Bodegas Estefania Tilenus Mencia

Happy Saturday!  Of course, this being the first Saturday of August, it's also Cellar Saturday, that one day per month where I raid the cellar for a bottle that's attained an appropriate level of maturity.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2005 Bodegas Estefania Tilenus Mencia that I recently bought from Wines Till Sold Out.  The wine is made from 100% Mencia grapes, which have experienced a bit of a revival with winemakers utilizing grapes from higher elevations and older vines, yielding much more age worthy wines.  This bottle was somewhat disappointing as the cork disintegrated when I tried to open it, so I decanted and then had to run the wine through some filter paper to get rid of the cork fragments (not sure what impact that will have on the wine).  So after a rough start, let's see what this wine has to offer.

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents pleasant aromas of blackberry, cherry, anise, green grass and tar, that suggests this will be a serious wine.  The taste is surprising as there is a rush of ripe fruit up front, blackberry, cherry and ripe plum that just overwhelm your senses.  The rich fruit transitions to some lovely mineral notes midpalate, with dusty limestone and granite that persist into the finish.  The tannins are nicely structured for a velvety mouthfeel and a long, supple dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's a very pleasant drinking wine that is just starting to reach its prime.  I would recommend decanting for at least an hour and letting the wine breathe as well, as this one definitely opens up to reveal even more complexity among the fruit.  This wine would pair well with a nice grilled steak, paella of some more robust Mediterranean dishes, but tonight I am going a bit off script and enjoying this one with a grilled swordfish steak along with some oven roasted fingerling potatoes and some grilled organic rainbow carrots.  The fruit in the wine really offers a nice contrast for the flavor of the swordfish.  Cheers!

2012 DaMa Walla Walla Valley Merlot

Happy Hump Day!  I know last month was a bit of a bust for my wine blog, as I was traveling a lot for work, but now I have some time at home for a little while so expect more blog posts in August!  Tonight I've decided to open a wine club selection that's been waiting around for a few months, the 2012 DaMa Walla Walla Valley Merlot,  You know I love me some Merlot and what could be better on Wine Wednesday?

The wine is a lovely, deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, currant, leather and smoke, a very inviting combination.  The taste is really quite interesting, with a blast of ripe red fruit up front, cherry, raspberry and currant intermingled with red licorice that transitions nicely to some mineral notes of dusty limestone and a bit of green cedar midpalate.  The description of this wine on the DaMa website notes, "This lovely new wine is like that treasured sweater: classic, comforting and warm from the inside out," and that is especially true for this wine, it has a particularly warm presence.  The finish is quite pleasant, with moderately chewy tannins supporting the smooth, warm dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's just such a pleasant wine to sip and a classic expression of Merlot, which is so seldom seen today.  This would be a great wine for grilled meats, barbecue or rustic Italian dishes, but tonight I am enjoying this with a lovely mid-week dinner of a rare grilled prime petit filet mignon along with a baked potato and steamed broccoli.  Cheers!