2012 RouteStock Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

So, today I put up a wreath and some evergreen garland I bought at Costco, along with some lights, doing by best impersonation of Clark W. Griswold (even to the point that I put up lights by my front porch and plugged them in and only half lit up!), the earliest I've ever put up any Christmas decorations.  No worries, the trees won't come for a couple more weeks!  At any right, I'm ready to relax with a glass of wine, and tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2012 RouteStock Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, so let's see what cooks!

The wine is a deep, inky color in the glass with bright ruby along the edges, the classic look of a Cabernet.  The nose is rather pleasant, with some leather, black fruit and a hint of mint.  The taste is quite nice, with some ripe black fruit up front, blackberry and plum, that transition to some notes of cherry cola and green grass midpalate.  The finish is very nice, with well developed tannins that provide some backbone to the long, velvety dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very nice Cabernet that was also a good value (I think this one was under $20 at my local wine store).  It's a good wine for steak, which is a good thing since I have another bone-in ribeye to finish off tonight, along with some grilled veggies.  Cheers!

2012 Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain

Happy black Friday, I mean red Friday!  After all, I'm drinking red!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2012 Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%),  Merlot (26%), Syrah (8%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Malbec (2%) all from the Red Mountain AVA in Washington State.  So let's see what this one has to offer!

The wine is a deep inky indigo at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, oak, blackberry and mint, somewhat of an old school Bordeaux vibe.  The taste is much less intimidating than the nose might suggest, with a rush of cherry cola, licorice and dried herbs that transition nicely to some earthy notes of wild game and smoke midpalate.  The finish is somewhat subdued but very dry.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's actually a very nice Washington red blend and a fairly decent value in the $30 range.  Tonight I am enjoying this with another big dinner for Thanksgiving week, a shrimp cocktail appetizer, then a big bone-in ribeye grilled rare with some grilled leeks, rainbow carrots and asparagus and a baked potato.  Cheers!

2009 Scopone Brunello di Montalcino

Happy Sunday!  Today was another afternoon of raking leaves, but since they will be picked up this week, I'm almost done!  Just a few more scattered areas to address and then it's over till next year!  Who knew shade was so expensive?  So to celebrate, tonight I've decided to open a nice bottle of wine, the 2009 Scopone Brunello di Montalcino.  I bought this wine from Wines Till Sold Out and it's had some mixed professional reviews, so let's see what it has to offer.

The wine is a nice deep ruby red color in the glass, perhaps a little darker than I was expecting.  The nose presents aromas of ripe black fruit, oak and baking spice, with a hint of smoke.  The taste is interestng, as it starts out with a bit of cherry cola, mocha and dark chocolate, that transition to a bit of anise and dried herbs.  The tannins are big and in your face, and as Wine Enthusiast noted, it has "an excruciatingly dry finish" and I couldn't agree more, this is perhaps the driest wine I've ever tasted.  The saving grace is that the finish is rather short.

Overall, I would rate this wine a 7.5, it's nice but nothing spectacular and it definitely needs food as drinking this by itself might cause headaches!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a more traditional southern Italian dish of linguine with mussels, tomatoes and basil.  Thankfully the acidity of the San Marzano tomatoes really cuts through the tannins and dryness of the wine.  Cheers!

2013 DaMa Wines Columbia Valley Grenache

Happy Friday!  I'm so glad it's the weekend!  It's been a long week and tonight I got to leave work a little after 4:00 so I had an hour and a half of daylight to blow leaves before the thunderstorms started.  I made progress and got the patio and deck done, so I'm seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, I just hope it's not an oncoming train!  So once it got dark I had to go to Mishawaka to get a gift for my friend's son who's third birthday party is tomorrow, and since I was out there I decided to stop at Costco (oh what fun!).  More on that later, but since I picked up something good for dinner I've decided to open a bottle of a recent wine club shipment, the 2013 DaMa Wines Columbia Valley Grenache, a 100% Grenache from the Lonesome Spring Vineyard in the Columbia Valley appellation!

The wine is very light, with a bright ruby color in the glass, classic Grenache. The nose presents aromas of dried cherries and raspberries along with hints of leather and tobacco. The taste is just wonderful with subdued red fruit notes at the outset, raspberry and cherry that transition easily to some lovely mineral notes along with some vanilla bean midpalate.  The finish is wonderfully dry and long, with a level of smoothness in the tannins that belies the youth of this wine.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's just a gorgeous example of the varietal.  And of course, since I visited Costco on a Friday evening, the seafood booth was ready for me and I picked up a big bag of fresh mussels, which of course means moules frites for dinner!  I simmered the mussels with some olive oil, garlic and shallots and a bit of dry white wine and then served them with some classic fries seasoned with sea salt, pepper and parmesan.  What a way to end the week!

2013 Are You Game? Shiraz

Happy Sunday, another day another million leaves gathered from the lawn (this makes me thankful that it gets dark so early!) but at least there's wine.  Tonight I've opened another bottle that came from my boss' excess wine club selections, the 2013 Are You Game Shiraz!  This interesting wine was blended with a bit of viognier for a bit of enhanced fruit, and comes from the Strathbogie Ranges region of Victoria, the southernmost state in mainland Australia.  So let's see what this "real wine for real food" has to offer.

The wine is an inky indigo at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is a pleasant combination of green grass, earth and sweet blackberry.  The taste is a sweet jammy rush of fruit up front, with flavors of blackberry and black currant that transition gradually to a brief moment of black pepper spice midpalate.  The finish is smooth and very dry, but a bit to brief in my view.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very fruit forward and food friendly wine that's also easy to sip on a Sunday afternoon.  And it's definitely food friendly, as it would pair nicely with a variety of dishes, from steaks to lamb to roasts, but tonight I've taken a different route and am enjoying this wine with some barbecued chicken, made with a dry rub from Jack Stack Barbecue in Kansas City, along with some cajun roasted fingerling potatoes and steamed broccoli.  Cheers!

2013 DaMa Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

I can't even describe how tires I am after 8 hours of leaves!  I guess this is my punishment for living in my own private forest.  But at least there is wine, and tonight I've opened a recent wine club shipment from DaMa wines in Walla Walla, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Walla Walla Cabernet from the Golden Ridge Vineyard.  I've been a fan of DaMa for a while, and I must say I really like the redesign of the label for the 2013 vintage, though I will miss the curves of the previous label.  So let's see what she has to offer.

The wine is a wonderful deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of tart cherry, green grass and a bit of smoke.  The taste is classic Walla Walla cabernet, with a wonderful hint of sweet bing cherry on the front end that transitions nicely to some mineral notes and bit of vanilla midpalate.  The tannins are young but well integrated, providing a foundation for the finish, which is dry and sultry, with a reprise of dried herbs at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a great example of a Walla Walla cabernet with plenty of fruit and savory notes that make it a perfect steak wine.  Which is a good thing, since I'm enjoying this one with a rare prime black pepper bacon wrapped filet mignon, with a baked potato with sour cream and chives and some grilled Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

1999 Teldeschi Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah

Happy Saturday!  Well, it's the first Saturday of November which means it's time to raid the stash for something a bit more mature to celebrate "Cellar Saturday"!  Tonight I've opened a bottle that I bought a little while ago that I've really been looking forward to, the 1999 Teldeschi Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah.  I love Petite Sirah, because it's neither petite nor syrah, so I'm anxious to taste this one.  I'm also fascinated by the history of this winery, founded by Frank Teldeschi who emigrated to California from Italy, like so many other great California wine makers.  Frank's 70 acres in the Dry Creek Valley were planted primarily with Zinfandel (another favorite) and through that connection, he had a hand in helping Ravenswood (another favorite winery) establish itself as a premier Zin producer back in the 1980s.  But enough history, let's get to the wine!

I opened the bottle carefully (cork and age can be fickle friends) and then decanted it for about an hour.  The wine is a rich, inky black at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, plum and kisch, that just reminds me of many of the wonderful local Italian places in New York.  The wine is an explosion of rich fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum that exhibits a bit of sweetness, only to transition nicely to some mocha and black pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are wonderfully integrated, leading to a wonderfully smooth and long dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a great example of the varietal and it was a terrific value from Wines Til Sold Out at just $18!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a last gasp of summer before the time change tonight, with a rare grilled prime porterhouse, baked potato and grilled Brussels sprouts.  The fruit in this wine is a perfect foil for a nice grilled steak.  Salute!

2013 Masterpiece Vineyards Russian River Valley Zinfandel

Do you know what day it is?  That's right, it's hump day, a perfect time to open a nice bottle of wine to celebrate the week being half over,  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of this month's office wine selection that I bought last month from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2013 Masterpiece Vineyards Russian River Valley Zinfandel!  You know I love Zin, and I'm a sucker for classic paintings on wine labels (this one is Manet's The Plum) so let's see what this one has to offer.

The wine is a lighter ruby color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose presents aromas of of leather, oak, blackberry and a hint of white floral notes.  The flavor is somewhat more elevated for a typical Zinfandel, with some lovely red fruit notes, blackberry, strawberry and plum that transition to some lovely mineral notes and black pepper spice midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with young but firm tannins supporting the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's still a little young but drinking quite nicely, and it was a great bargain at just $13.  This wine would pair well with a variety of dishes, from steaks and chops, to barbecue and pasta.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a panko crusted baked chicken breast along with some broccoli tossed with linguine, garlic and olive oil.  Cheers!