Tinazzi Vinum Italicum Opera No. 3 Red Wine

Happy Wine Wednesday!  Tonight I have a special treat, a bottle of wine that was a gift from a former boss, so I've been looking forward to trying it.  This one is a little different as well, as it's a non-vintage red blend from Italy, utilizing grapes from three distinct regions, Veneto, Puglia and Sicily, each with their own specialties when it comes to red wine.  From Veneto we typically see Corvina, Rondinella and Merlot, Puglia is known for Primitivo, Negroamaro and Black Malvasia and Sicily thrives with Nero D'Avola.  With such a blend of grapes, this wine should be a real treat!

The wine is a deep, inky purple in the glass, with bright ruby edges.  The nose is a rich combination of leather, black currant, kirsch, green herbs and black pepper spice.  The taste is just lovely, with a rush of ripe black fruit up front, blackberry, cherry and currant that transitions nicely to some mineral flavors midpalate.  On the finish you're treated to a reprise of spice box notes that bring you right into an Italian kitchen, while the well structured tannins provide for the long, smooth and very pleasing finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's a wonderfully pleasing and easy drinking red blend that would be quite versatile with a variety of dishes, from steaks to barbecue to hearty pasta dishes.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled Prime ribcap topped with bleue cheese, grilled corn and asparagus, a perfect end of summer dinner.  Cheers!

Taste My Vacation Dinner!

As you know, I spent a wonderful week of vacation in Walla Walla last month, and to help celebrate and share my experiences with my friends, I hosted a "Taste My Vacation" dinner with individual courses and wine pairings.  And now is my chance to share that with everyone else virtually!  So enjoy the photos and taste my Walla Walla vacation!

The first course was a classic summer Caprese salad, with fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella topped with 25-year balsamic, Tuscan herb olive oil and fresh basil.  This appetizer was paired with a lovely 2014 Maison Bleue Bourgeois Grenache, with lovely fruit and mineral notes that perfectly accented the sweetness of the balsamic and creaminess of the mozzarella.

The second course was wasabi seared sea scallops over a bed of baby arugula tossed with 25-year white balsamic.  This course was paired with a 2015 Helix rose, the dry rose was a nice contrast to the sweetness of the white balsamic.

The main course was a grilled price ribcap with roasted asparagus and butter braised Yukon gold potatoes.  This course was paired with a 2014 Seven Hills Clone 191 Cabernet Sauvignon which perfectly accented the robust flavors of the steak and the creaminess of the potatoes.

Ant to end the evening, we had a lovely summer dessert of vanilla ice cream topped with espresso balsamic, fresh raspberries and 86% dark chocolate.  A lovely finale to the taste of my vacation.  Cheers!

2012 Cougar Crest Dedication Ten Red Wine

Happy Wine Wednesday!  Tonight I am enjoying a lovely bottle of wine that I brought back from my vacation in Walla Walla a month ago, wow how time flies!  Anyway, the 2012 Cougar Crest Dedication 10 Red Wine is a blend of Syrah (55%), Cabernet Franc (20%), Merlot (17%) and Petit Verdot (8%) from the Walla Walla Valley.  This wine also has a special story, in that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the wine are donated to Doernbecker Children's Hospital in Portland, Ore. whose doctors and nurses were instrumental in the recovery of the winemakers' daughter from life threatening injuries.  So let's see how this wine tastes!

The wine is a deep purple color in the glass.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, lush ripe black fruit, tart cherry and a bit of fresh green herbs.  The taste is a rush of ripe black fruit with an overlay of tart cherry that transitions nicely to some notes of dark chocolate and mocha midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with well integrated tannins that provide for a long, smooth and very dry finish, with a reprise of vanilla bean as the Syrah makes its presence felt.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's an extremely pleasant and easy drinking wine, that not only supports a good cause, it's also arguably one of the best values in Walla Walla wine today, priced at just $20!  With this sort of blend, this wine would pair nicely with a variety of dishes, from salmon to grilled chicken to steaks and chops, but of course I opted for steak!  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime ribcap, baked Yukon gold potato and grilled asparagus.  Cheers!

2008 L'Ecole No. 41 Apogee

Happy Friday!  I trust you all has a wonderful week, mine was somewhat busy, particularly this afternoon as I was rushing around to get everything I need for my "Taste My Vacation" dinner party tomorrow night (more on that in another post!).  But at least during all that rushing around, I found a wonderful piece of meat for my dinner tonight and when I got home I found a lovely bottle of wine to have with it, the 2008 L'Ecole No. 41 Apogee, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (29%), Malbec (8%) and Cabernet Franc (3%) from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is that of a classic Bordeaux style blend, ripe blackberries, cherries and cassis with undertones of leather and basalt.  The taste is much less fruit forward than I was expecting, but really starting to sing beautifully, as an initial rush of cherries and black stone fruit give way to pleasing notes of cherry cola, dark chocolate and dusty limestone midpalate.  The finish is just lovely, as you have notes of fresh herbs and wonderfully integrated tannins that give this wine a wonderfully smooth, voluptuous and very dry finish that seems to last until your next sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as Walla Walla Bordeaux Style blends don't often come better than this one.  This wine would pair beautifully with hard aged cheeses, braised short ribs, or my choice tonight, a rare grilled USDA Prime tomahawk ribeye, with grilled asparagus and steamed red potatoes with butter and parsley.  The wonderful fruit and dry finish of this wine is perfect to accent a rich, prime ribeye, cheers!

2013 Waterbrook Icon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a bit of a rainy day here in Indiana as the remnants of Hurricane Irma make their way up to the Ohio Valley, but at least I got a few errands done and made it to the gym this evening, where I saw an older gentleman wearing a bandanna ties around his silver hair that just reminded me of Lloyd Bridges when he played Izzy Mandelbaum on Seinfeld...good times... Anyway, tonight I've decided to open a bottle of the last office wine club selection, the 2013 Waterbrook Icon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley of Washington.  You can see my review of the 2012 vintage here, so let's see what this vintage has to offer!

The wine is a deep indigo at the center, with nice garnet tones around the edges, very typical of a Columbia Valley Cabernet.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, oak and black fruit that's very appealing.  The taste is a rush of black cherry and blackberry up front that transitions to some modest notes of mocha and spice box midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with well structured tannins providing for the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I'd rate this wine a solid 8, as I do prefer this vintage over the 2012, since it's much more of a classic Cabernet.  This wine would pair well with a nice steak, hearty Italian dishes, or as autumn approaches rapidly, hearty roasts and stews.  But tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a Thai chili rubbed prime sirloin, grilled leeks and asparagus and a nice baked potato.  Cheers!

2015 Intrinsic Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Taco Tuesday!  Tonight I've decided to open a new bottle of Washington Cabernet that I picked up at the local Costco, the 2015 Intrinsic Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a second label from Columbia Crest.  From what I've read, the winemaker has been experimenting with some extended maceration on these particular wines, resulting in a remarkably different flavor profile and finish than Columbia Crest's traditional Cabernet.  So let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of black fruit, vanilla bean and cassis.  The taste is a somewhat subdued expression of fruit up front, with a bit of black cherry and some earthy mineral notes.  The fruit seems to linger as the somewhat youthful tannins pick of the pace, resulting in a long and very dry finish that's quite a departure from the warm finish that I usually associate with the parent label.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's different than many Columbia Valley Cabernets, but in a pleasant and approachable way.  It was also a solid value as I recall this one was under $20 at Costco.  I am enjoying this wine tonight with tacos of course, tonight it's carne asada steak tacos, with all the trimmings, as the fruit and dry finish of this wine really accentuates the rich spiciness of my dinner.  Cheers!

2016 Domaine La Sangliere Cotes de Provence Rose

Well, here it is, my last gasp of summer!  As the temperatures have been coming down, with highs only in the 60s and 70s and lows reaching into the 40s, I thought I needed one last bit of summer before the leaves start falling in earnest.  So today I've opened a bottle of 2016 Domaine La Sangliere Cotes de Provence Rose!  I saw this wine at Costco a few weeks ago and was fascinated by the blend of Cinsault (70%) and Grenache (30%) and the price was such that I couldn't resist getting a bottle even though it was late in the rose season, so let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a lovely peach color in the glass.  The nose is a lovely combination of peach, strawberry, white floral notes and some minerality.  The taste is somewhat mellow when compared to the nose, with subdued flavors of citrus, mango and strawberry that transitions to some warm mineral notes midpalate.  This wine displays the classic French stealth finish, with mild acidity and incredible dryness that is feels like there wasn't a finish at all.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's not a spectacular rose, but one that would be ideal with a variety of food on the patio during the summer.  It was also a wonderful value at just $8!  This wine would be ideal for summer salads, or a variety of seafood, which is handy since I'm enjoying this wine with my end of summer crab boil, featuring Alaskan king crab legs, corn on the cob and red potatoes with parsley and butter, the kind if dinner that you never notice you've just eaten a stick of butter!  Cheers!

2013 DaMa Wines Cowgirl Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  It's been a lovely, lazy day of just watching college football and really not accomplishing much of anything, which is what Saturdays are supposed to be!   So tonight I have decided to open a bottle of wine I brought back from my recent trip to Walla Walla, one that I only seem to get every few years, the 2013 DaMa Wines Cowgirl Cabernet Sauvignon (you can see my review of the 2009 vintage here).  This particular vintage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%) and Merlot (20%) from the Gamache and Stillwater Vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington.  So let's see what this girl has to offer!

The wine is a lovely deep purple color, classic of a Cabernet.  The nose is a rush of ripe purple fruit, cherries and plums overlaying some lovely notes of green grass and spice box.  The taste is classic Columbia Valley Cabernet, with a rusk of ripe plum and cherry that just dances around your palate before transitioning to some dark chocolate and mineral notes midpalate.   The finish is just wonderful, with firm tannins and just the right amount of acidity to support the long, supple and very dry finish, with just the faintest hint of Bordeaux-style funk at the very end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a really wonderful everyday Cabernet and a spectacular bargain at just $19 from the winery!  This wine would pair well with anything from pizza and pasta to baby back ribs, but tonight I am going with a Cowgirl classis of a cajun reasoned grilled Angus porterhouse, big baked potato with sour cream and chives and some grilled leeks and broccoli rabe.  Cheers!

2015 Mark Ryan Wild Eyed Syrah

Happy Thursday!  I've been running around a bit this week, but today it was rainy most of the day, so a good day to open up a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a more recent vintage of wine from Mark Ryan Winery, the 2015 Wild Eyed Syrah.  This 100% Red Mountain Syrah is a blend of fruit from the Ciel du Cheval and Olsen vineyards in the Red Mountain AVA in the Yakima Valley of Washington.  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a deep, brooding inky red at the center that almost looks like a Cabernet.  The nose is a pleasant combination of black fruit, green grass and bay leaf that practically screams this wine is a great food wine.  The taste is a rush of ripe fruit, blueberries, plum and currant that transition nicely to some notes of black pepper and pipe tobacco midpalate.  The tannins are wonderfully structured, to provide great body and a voluptuous mouthfeel that supports the long, smooth and very dry finish.

I realize I've been neglecting the food part of "Wine, Food and Fun" so let me try to correct that!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's still a quite young and could do with a few years in the cellar, but it's still drinking quite nicely right now.  This wine is also an ideal food wine, as I could easily drink this with a variety of dishes, from robust pasta dishes and paella, to barbecue and burritos, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a mango marinaded grilled pork tenderloin, roasted cauliflower and pesto linguine.  Cheers!

2013 Carel Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Taco Tuesday!  And what's better to enjoy with some nice beef tacos than some wine?  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of Cabernet that I bought a few months ago from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2013 Carel Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, so let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is a deep, inky purple color at the center, with brighter garnet along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, smoke and blackberry over a hint of black pepper spice.  The taste somewhat of a classic, big bold Napa Cab, with a rush of ripe black fruit up front that transitions nicely to some notes of black cherry cola and dark chocolate midpalate.  The finish is pleasant, with youthful tannins and bright acidity accenting the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a good everyday red wine and it was a good value at just $20 from Wines Till Sold Out.  This wine would be good with steak, beef brisket, or tacos, which I'm enjoying on this Taco Tuesday.  The fruit and acidity pair nicely with the spice and richness of the beef in the tacos.  Cheers!

2014 Doubleback Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  I just came back from Niles, Michigan where I loaded up my pickup with watermelons to hand out to folks at the Labor Day Parade tomorrow, this is what happens when they ask for volunteers at church and you say yes!  In any case, now I need to have me some wonderful Sunday dinner, and I've got a good one on deck tonight!  And of course I need a good wine to go with it, and tonight it's a special one, the 2014 Doubleback Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, a product from Drew Bledsoe's retirement project when he moved back to his roots in Walla Walla.  So let's see how this one is tasting!

The wine is a deep, inky color at the center, with nice bright garnet along the edges.  The nose is a rich combination of blackberry, currant, oak and a bit of kirsch.  The taste is a velvelty burst of ripe black fruit, plum, blackberry and cherry that envelops your mouth as the flavors transition to some wonderful earthy, mineral notes of dusty limestone overlaid with mocha and dark chocolate midpalate.  The tannins are still youthful, leading to a bit of acidity on the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's a super effort from Doubleback and although this wine is drinking well now, but I can imagine it's going to improve a lot by the early 2020s!  This wine would pair beautifully with braised short ribs, or a big steak, which of course is lucky that I went to Costco yesterday and they had a case full of prime cowboy cut ribeyes!  So I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled cowboy cut ribeye, grilled leeks and broccoli rabe and a big old baked potato.  Cheers!

2002 Kelham Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Cellar Saturday!  The first Saturday of the month, when I raid the cellar and find a bottle that's at least a decade old to open just for fun.  Today I've decided to open a bottle that's only been in my cellar for a few weeks, the 2002 Kelham Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from the Oakville region of Napa Valley.  I've let this one decant for about an hour now, so let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with a bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, currant, cured meat and a bit of earth, very intriguing!  The taste is a rush of ripe berries, blackberry, currant and rapsberry that transitions nicely to some notes of mocha and dark chocolate midpalate.  The finish is quite interesting, as the tannins are smooth and well integrated, but you are revisited with a rush of acidity on the finish that brings notes of tart cherry at the end, which is certainly unexpected.

Overall, I would rate this a solid 8.5, it's a very nice Cabernet, but it certainly didn't knock my socks off.  This is a big, board-to-the-face sort of Napa Cabernet, so it would work well with a big grilled steak, or as I'm having tonight some steak fajitas!  Cheers!