2012 Chateau Vrai Caillou Les Vignes de la Garene Bordeaux Superieur

Happy Tuesday!  It's just started to rain, so I've decided to open up a nice bottle of Bordeaux, in this case a wine club selection from last year, the 2012 Chateau Vrai Caillou Les Vignes de la Garene Bordeaux Superieur, a nice blend of Merlot (70%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%), so a typical right bank Bordeaux with a high Merlot concentration.  So let's see how she tastes!

The wine is a beautiful deep ruby color in the glass, classic for the varietals.  The nose is a lovely expression of ripe berry fruit, leather and graphite that so often characterizes the terroir of the right bank of the Gironde.  The taste brings me back to my time in France two decades ago, with a rush of dark fruit, blackberry, currant and black cherry that transition to some wonderful earthy notes of smoke, minerals and green cedar midpalate.  The finish is very smooth and quite dry, with fine tannins that are very well structured.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a very pleasant drinking Bordeaux and a terrific value as I found this one in Grand Rapids at G.B. Russo's for just $12.  The wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from stews to roast beef to steak, but tonight I'm enjoying it with a simple mid-week dinner of linguine with a bit of arrabiata sauce garnished with shaved Parmesan and frech basil.  Cheers!

2015 Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc

Happy Sunday!  It's been a somewhat more relaxing weekend, with the normal errand running and chores with a bit of work tossed in, but now it's time for a nice relaxing Sunday dinner.  Tonight I am doing something a little unusual, in that I've opened a bottle of white wine!  Tonight it's a bottle of 2015 Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough New Zealand.  To be fair, this is a bottle of wine that's been in my fridge since my Christmas party, and since no one ever drank it, I thought it would go very well with my dinner tonight.  So here goes nothing!

The wine is rather light in color, with a nose full of  tropical fruit, mango, Meyer lemon, and a bit of pineapple over some hints of green grass.  The taste is rather nice, with a good bit of fruit up front, but with a nice tart acidity throughout, leaving you quite refreshed by the time you enjoy the crisp, dry finish.

Overall, as a dry red wine lover, this wine is actually pretty nice, so I'd rate it a solid 7.5,  I'm sure I didn't pay anywhere near $10 for this wine, so it was also a good value.  The main reason I opened this bottle was to go with my dinner tonight, which is a classic Midwestern Sunday dinner of oven roasted chicken with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and some steamed asparagus.  The tart acidity in this wine is perfect to cut through the richness of my chicken dinner, cheers!

2014 Reininger Walla Walla Malbec

What a fantastic Sunday!  It was about 65 and sunny so I took advantage of the weather and spend the afternoon in the yard, catching up on a number of things, mainly cleaning up some leaves and branches, and although it was enjoyable, I sure am tired now!  And what's better when you need to relax than a nice glass of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of a recent wine club selection, the 2014 Reininger Malbec, a 100% Malbec from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  Now you'll recall that I'm not the biggest fan of Malbec, but for some reason I really have come to like Chuck Reininger's efforts with this varietal, so let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with garnet along the edges.  The nose is a rush of green grass, leather and ripe black fruit.  The taste just wonderful, with a rush of ripe fruit at the outset, blueberry, cherry, plum and currant that transition to some vanilla and black pepper spice notes.  The tannins are somewhat soft, but very well integrated for the long, velvety smooth and very dry finish.  This Malbec struck me as being very Cabernet like, which is probably why I like Reininger's interpretation!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's still very young and will no doubt improve with a bit of time in the cellar, but it's still drinking very nicely now.  This would be a great steak wine, but tonight I am enjoying this one with a classic Italian Sunday dinner of hot Italian sausage with onions and peppers and some spaghetti tossed with garlic and olive oil.  Such a great wine to balance the strong flavors of the sausage and peppers, Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

2013 Charles Krug Generations

Happy National Drink Wine Day!  Of course I usually think that every day is National Drink Wine Day,  but I suppose I'm biased.  In any case, I've decided to celebrate the official day with a wonderful Bordeaux style blend that I picked up on my visit to Napa last year, the 2013 Charles Krug Generations.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (88%), Malbec (6%), Merlot (4%) and Petit Verdot (2%), so legitimately it could still be labeled as a Cabernet.  I tried a bottle of this when I was in Napa in 2015 (see here: 2012 Charles Krug Generations), so let's see how this vintage tastes!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, classic for a Napa Cabernet.  The nose is a lovely combination of graphite, leather, black cherry and a hint of blueberry.  The taste is a lovely rush of black fruit, cherry cola and mocha that transition to some mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is wonderful, with firm, youthful tannins providing for a long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's drinking very nicely now, but is sure to develop with a bit of time in the cellar (lucky I bought an extra bottle!).  This wine would be perfect for a hearty meal, from pot roast to Italian pasta dishes, but since it feels like spring today, I've decided to grill out!  I'm enjoying this wine with a nice Thai chili rubbed New York strip with grilled asparagus and a big baked potato with all the trimmings.  Cheers!

2011 Grand Napa Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  You'll be happy to know that I once again have internet at my house, granted it's not the fastest, but it certainly works for wine blogging and checking e-mail (fortunately I'm not a teenager, so I don't play video games or do much streaming).  So let's get down to business, wine!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2011 Grand Napa Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (78%) and Merlot (22%) from a somewhat underrated vintage.

The wine is a deep inky black color at the center with bright ruby along the edges, just what you'd expect for a nice Napa Cabernet coming into its prime.  The nose presents aromas of ripe black plum, cocoa powder and a hint of anise.  The wine is a lovely rush of fruit up front, with some tart cherry and plum that ease into some notes of fresh herbs and minerals midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated, supporting the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's just about reaching it's prime.  And although it's likely not as stellar as the 2012 vintage, this one is drinking very nicely for just $25 from Wines Till Sold Out.  This would be an ideal steak wine, but tonight I am enjoying it with pizza, because why not?  Cheers!

2012 Helix Columbia Valley Syrah

So so here is the big news this week I disconnected from Comcast! I became very tired of paying so much money for such little service which means now I have no Internet at home.  So until my Internet is installed on Tuesday, I will be blogging in from my phone.  So please excuse any typos. Now for today's wine the most important thing!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle that I recently got from my wine clubs selection at Reininger the 2012 Helix Columbia Valley Syrah!  So let's see how this one tastes. 

The wind is a deep inky purple in the glass. The nose presents aromas of leather, blackberry green grass and smoke. The taste is a rush of ripe fruit upfront with blueberries, current and a hint of boysenberry that transitions to some white pepper notes midpalate. The fine grain tannins provide a great foundation for the long smooth and exceptionally dry finish, that leaves you wanting more. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid eight as it's a great red wine for a variety of dishes, from lamb to pasta to barbecue. Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a little different pairing, some seared sea scallops over a bed of spring greens along with some linguine tossed with garlic and olive oil topped with shaved Parmesan. Cheers!

2014 Stonehedge Grand Reserve Napa Valley Meritage

Happy Sunday!  I won't say which "Sunday" it is since I don't want to pay a royalty, but rumor has it there's some sort of big game on tonight!  Well in honor of the big game, I've decided to open up a big wine, the 2014 Stonehedge Grand Reserve Napa Valley Meritage, a Bordeaux style blend of Merlot (50%), Cabernet Franc (20%), Petit Verdot (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%).  This wine was our office wine club selection last month, and I got it from Wines Till Sold Out, so you know it was a good value, so let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, classic for a blend that is heavy on Merlot.  The nose is a breath of smoky, mineral goodness, with hints of leather, blackberry and toasted oak.  The taste is really nice, with a rush of ripe fruit up front, cherry, red currant and raspberry that transition nicely to some cherry cola and black pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are young, but surprisingly mellow, perfect to support the long, supple and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's drinking very nicely now but will likely improve with a few years in the cellar, and it was a solid value for just $20.  This wine would be great with a variety of meaty dishes, from hearty Italian pasta to Yankee pot roast, but tonight I'm enjoying it with a grilled prime sirloin steak with some roasted Brussels sprouts and a baked potato with all the trimmings, classic Sunday dinner...you might even call it super!

2006 Hendry Napa Valley Pinot Noir

Happy Saturday!  Well it's the first Saturday of February, which of course means it's "Cellar Saturday" when I get to raid the cellar for a bottle of wine that's had a bit more time to mature, a decade at least.  So tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2006 Hendry Napa Valley Pinot Noir that my boss gave me last year.  Now Napa is known more for Cabernet than Pinot, so let's see what this wine has to offer.

The wine is a lighter garnet color, somewhat darker and with a bit more of a brownish tint than your typical Pinot,  The nose is classic Pinot, with a rush of ripe strawberries and plums overlaid with some mineral notes and a bit of smoke.  The taste is actually quite nice, with a rush of ripe fruit up front, strawberries, cherries, and currant, that transition to some notes of green cedar and basalt midpalate.  The finish was quite nice, with smooth tannins and a very nice, long dry finish that has nice acidity but doesn't have the harshness that some Pinots can exhibit.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very enjoyable Pinot Noir from a region that's really not known for the varietal.  This wine would pair with a variety of dishes, from lamb to seafood, but tonight I'm enjoying it with an old school seafood Newberg, a wonderful combination of scallops, shrimp, mussels and crab in a decadent sherry cream sauce served over puff pastry.  The acidity in this wine is perfect to counter the richness of the sauce.  Cheers!

2013 Edge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Ahh...Hump Day,,,what a beautiful day!  We're on the downward slope toward the weekend, so let's enjoy a nice glass of wine.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of wine that some friends bought me for Christmas, the 2013 Edge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  The wine is a blend of grapes from a number of vineyards with the goal of being a more value priced Napa offering, so let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is classic Napa Cabernet, with aromas of leather, cedar and anise with wonderful notes of ripe black fruit.  The taste is wonderfully fruit forward with a rush of blackberry, cherry and plum that transitions nicely to some spice notes of cinnamon and mocha midpalate.  The tannins are firm but well stuctured, an ideal foundation to the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, for a value priced Napa Cabernet (online I found this for under $20) this could be a very nice everyday wine.  It would be great with a variety of red meat and tonight I'm enjoying this one with a rare grilled prime sirloin with some linguine tossed with broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic and olive oil.  Cheers!