2013 Boyd Big Ranch Vineyard Syrah

Happy Sunday!  I have to admit this was a rather uneventful day.  After church I came home and started the laundry then went out to buy a leaf vacuum and then grocery shopping.  It was a crazy day as it seemed everyone was out of at least one thing I needed (I went to 4 stores to find leeks!), but finally made it home in time to finish laundry and start dinner.  And with dinner I've decided to open a bottle that my boss gave me, the 2013 Boyd Big Ranch Vineyard Syrah from the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley.

The wine has a classic look of Syrah, dark and brooding in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of earth, ripe black fruit and peppery spice.  The taste is just lovely, with a gradual building of fruit, blackberry, plum and cherry that reaches a crescendo as the fruit transitions to some lovely mineral and spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat youthful, but firm, lending a solid foundation for the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's a great example of the varietal with wonderful complexity.  It's also a beautiful wine for fall as the flavors just scream autumn harvest.  And it's a good thing as I'm enjoying this wine with a fall dinner of pan seared duck breast, along with roasted fingerling potatoes, golden beets and leeks.  Autumn on a plate and in the glass, cheers!

2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Merlot

Ok, tonight I fully admit I am about to pass out!  I started this morning stacking logs from the trees I had trimmed yesterday, then my neighbor was kind enough to let me try out his lawn vacuum for leaves (I'm getting one!) and the rest of the afternoon was spent raking and piling up leaves, so now I am so tired and sore it wouldn't surprise me if I was asleep by 9:00!  But before that happens, I've decided to open up a nice bottle of wine to celebrate the tail end of Merlot Month, the 2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Merlot, a blend of Merlot from the Seven Hills and Ferguson Vineyards.  So let's see how awesome this wine is!

The wine is a lovely garnet color in the glass.   The nose presents aromas of blackberry, cherry and leather, with a good bit of minerality.  The taste is just lovely, with a lovely combination of ripe red fruit up front, cherry, currant and raspberry that transition effortlessly to wonderful earthy notes of cedar, earth and dark chocolate midpalate.  The finish is divine, with the mineral complexity so prevalent with the Ferguson vineyard shining through as you savor the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, I am a big fan of Merlot, and this one really sings despite its youth.  This is a great fall wine that would pair with a variety of hearty dishes, from stews, to heart chili to roast beef or lamb.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime filet mignon, with a baked potato and grilled rainbow carrots.  Cheers!

2012 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve

Happy Saturday!  I have to admit, I didn't really do much today, and it feels kind of nice to spend a Saturday relaxing, watching football and of course opening a bottle of wine to enjoy.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle I bought a few weeks ago at Costco, the 2012 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve Columbia Valley red wine, a blend of Merlot (80%), Cabernet Sauvignon (8%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Malbec (6%).  So let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is an inky indigo at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, blackberry, cassis with just a hint of dusty limestone.  The taste is classic Columbia Valley Bordeaux-style blend, with a subtle buildup of black fruit at the outset, blackberry, plum and currant that transition almost imperceptibly to some winderful mineral notes of graphite and basalt midpalate.  The tannins are young but well structured to support the wonderfully long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a solid effort for a more mass produced wine (6,000 cases) but a great value at just $27.  This would be an ideal grilled meat wine, but it would also be great with firmer cheeses.  Tonight I am pairing this one with a rare grilled filet mignon with a baked potato and some wonderful grilled cauliflower.  Cheers!

2012 Bodega Norton Privada

Happy Friday evening!  I must admit it's seemed like a very short week since I've been on the road for much of it, but alas it's time to relax for the weekend!  And to get things started I've decided to open a bottle of surplus wine that my boss gave me, the 2012 Bodega Norton Privada, a blend of Malbec (40%), Merlot (30%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) from Mendoza Argentina.  So let's see it this is as good as it looks!

The wine is a deep purple color in the glass, classic for an Argentine Malbec.  The nose presents aromas of leather, green grass, dried herbs and black fruit.  The taste is really quite nice, with some lovely black fruit notes of plum and blackberry up front, intermingled with some vanilla bean notes.  Midpalate we have mineral notes of dusty limestone that fit will with the young, tightly wound tannins.  The finish brings a reprise of sweet blackberry amid the long, smooth and very dry finish that you want to keep going and going.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a pleasant drinking wine and a good value in the $25 price range.  This is a classic steak wine, which is a good thing since tonight I am pairing this one with a rare grilled New York strip, baked potato and haricots vert almondine.  Cheers!

2012 Raymond Napa Valley Merlot

Almost a year ago, I had the chance to visit Napa Valley for a weekend ahead of a business trip to San Francisco and one of the vineyards we visited on the Napa Valley Wine Train was Raymond.  It was a very trippy winery, what with the wild colors and blow up dolls, but I really liked the wine.  I haven't had a chance to enjoy it again until recently when I found that my local wine store carries their Merlot, so I picked up a bottle in honor of Merlot month and have opened it tonight.

The wine is a deep ruby along the edges with a darker, inky appearance at the center, just as you'd expect on a nice Merlot.  The nose presents aromas of tart cherry, mulberry and a faint bit of mint.  The taste is quite nice, with a rush of rich black fruit up front, cherry. plum and currant, that transition effortlessly to some black pepper spice and mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are firm, providing a nice foundation for the mocha and dark chocolate notes that swirl amid the smooth, and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's just a terrific example of the varietal and is such an easy drinking wine.  It would pair well with a variety of hearty fall dishes, but today was a reprise of summer so I'm enjoying this one with a rare grilled prime petit filet mignon with grilled asparagus and a baked potato.  Cheers!

2014 Helix Stone Tree SoRho

Happy Friday!  It's amazing how fast the time goes by, it seems like only weeks ago it was summer and now it's fall, with changing colors on the leaves and crisp air...wait a minute it was only weeks ago that it was summer!  Tell me again what's so tricky about this time passing thing?  Anyway, I woke up this morning to a seasonable 39 degrees and thought, man I need to start eating more hearty dinners or perhaps I'll soon need to turn the furnace on, but in any case I've decided to open a bottle of wine I received in a wine club shipment last week from one of my favorite Washington Wineries, Reininger!  In this case I've opened a bottle of 2014 Helix SoRho, a Southern Rhone style blend of Mourvedre (51%), Cinsault (29%) and Grenache (20%) from the Stone Tree Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope AVA of Washington.

The wine is a touch darker than what is common for Rhone style blends.  The nose presents aromas of blueberries, raspberries and lavender.  The flavors are quite nice, with a soft burst of red berry fruit up front, that transitions nicely to some strawberry compote and mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat soft, but they balance the more modest acidity of the fruit to set up the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I'd rate this wine a solid 8.5, as I think I like this one better than past vintages, with a much better balance of fruit and acidity to make this a pleasant sipping wine.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic Chicago Polish dinner of kielbasa, sweet kraut and sauteed pierogis with onions and sour cream.  The wine really complements the richness of the sausage and the acidity of the kraut.  Cheers!

2013 Markham Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot

Happy Sunday!  I think I may have mowed the lawn for the last time this season, particularly at the rate the leaves are now falling on it, but with the cool crispness in the air, it's finally feeling like Fall.  Good thing it's national Merlot month!  Perhaps the ideal wine for the autumn, a nicely structured Merlot, and tonight I've opened a bottle of 2013 Markham Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot that I picked up yesterday at Costco.  So let's see what she has to offer!

The wine is an inky color at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, black cherry and pipe tobacco, just what you'd expect from a nice Merlot.  The taste is quite nice, with a rush of ripe black fruit up front, with just a hint of sweetness.  The fruit transitions to some lovely pepper spice notes midpalate, with a hint of dark chocolate and cherry.  The tannins are still young, but nicely structured and well integrated, providing the base for the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I'd rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a lovely Merlot that's drinking quite nicely now, but could also improve with some time in the cellar.  It was also a good value at just $18, particularly since it compares well with other Merlot selling for twice that.  This is a great sipping wine, but would also pair well with a variety of dishes.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare prime ribcap steak, grilled leeks and broccoli rabe and a baked potato with sour cream and chives.  A nice, smooth wine like this is perfect with a big steak.  Cheers!

2011 Helix Columbia Valley Merlot

Happy Friday!  I tell you, owning an older home can be a daunting experience...one moment you're contemplating what wine to have with dinner and the next your in a pit trying to turn off the water to the sprinkler system as the front zone won't turn off!  It's probably just something stuck in a valve, but I'll leave that to the sprinkler guy!  In the meantime, I've decided to get a late start to Merlot month and have opened up a bottle of 2011 Helix Columbia Valley Merlot, so let's see if my evening begins to improve!

This wine is a blend of Merlot (97%) and Cabernet Franc (3%) from the Bacchus, Stillwater Creek and Weinbau Vineyards.  The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass, classic Merlot.  The nose presents aromas of black raspberry, cherry and black currant, with just a hint of leather and Asian spice.  The taste is a blast of ripe black fruit up front, black cherry, plum and black raspberry that transition subtly to notes of cherry cola and a hint of dusty limestone midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with dusty tannins supporting a long, smooth and very dry finish with an embedded reprise of ripe fruit at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's really a pleasant example of the varietal and at an attractive price (this one was just $28 before wine club discount.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with tacos of all things!  It just goes to show that a nice Merlot can be incredibly versatile with food, from prime steaks to the lowly taco.  Cheers!

2014 Domaine Dupre-Morgon Vignes de 1935 Cru du Beaujolais

Happy Sunday!  Is it sad that after going wild at Costco yesterday and buying way too much food, I've now been thinking about dinner all day long?  Well, needless to say it was a very fine dinner and of course I picked out a nice wine to pair with it, in this case the 2014 Domaine Dupre-Morgon Vignes de 1935 Cru du Beaujolais!  This wine, made from 100% Gamay from vines dating back before World War II, so let's see what this wine has to offer.

The wine is a light ruby color in the glass with nice clarity, just as you'd expect from this type of wine.  The nose presents aromas of red plum, raspberry, cherry, kirsch and a hint of spice.  The taste is quite refreshing, with some rather subdued fruit notes up front that give way to some white pepper and herb notes intermingled with some fabulous mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is very well structured, with youthful tannins supporting the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very young and pleasant drinking wine that is very food friendly.  It was also a very nice value as I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $15!  As I mentioned, this wine is food friendly and would pair well with anything from burgers and pizza to lovely seafood dishes to just about anything from Provence.  But tonight I have paired this one with a rather eclectic dinner of sesame crusted seared tuna, with some pan roasted fingerling potatoes and broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic and olive oil.  The red fruit and minerals we a perfect complement to the many rich flavors on that plate.  Cheers!

2005 Chateau Potensac Medoc

Happy October!  You ever wonder what October is the 10th month, rather than the 8th month?  I wonder about crazy things sometimes, but today I am wondering about the first Saturday of the month, which of course is Cellar Saturday!  Today I've opened a bottle that's been in my cellar for less than a day, the 2005 Chateau Potensac Medoc, which I bought at Costco today!  The Chateau is one of the Cru Bourgeois estates producing Medoc, that lovely Cabernet Merlot combination from the left bank of the Gironde, so let's see how this one grabs me!

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, tar, blackberry and kirsch with just the faintest floral overtones.  The taste brings out the gravelly clay soils of the Garonne, but the fruit is still a major player with flavors of black cherry and plum, but the star is the minerality that expresses itself midpalate, really highlighting the terroir of the Chateau.  The finish is divine, with still vibrant tannins after more than a decade, supporting the long, smooth and exceptionally elegant and dry finish, with just a hint of funk at the end.

I am a big Bordeaux fan, and this is a gem that I would easily rate a 9!  This would be ideal with aromatic or hard cheeses, or with a variety of hearty Autumn dishes.  Tonight I am enjoying this with some additional Costco fare, a rare grilled Prime ribcap steak, with some grilled asparagus and oven roasted fingerling potatoes.  The minerality of this wine is a perfect foil to the rich fattiness of the ribcap, my new favorite cut of beef.  Salut!