2014 Helix Cabernet Franc

Happy Sunday!  I've spent the afternoon raking and blowing leaves and trying to get my leaf vac to run, but without luck today (more on that in another installment of "I'm not a mechanic, nor do I play one on TV").  At least the day is done and it's time for some dinner and a glass of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open another bottle of the recent wine club shipment from Reininger, the 2014 Helix Cabernet Franc from the Weinbau Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope in the Columbia Valley of Washington.  Unfortunately I lost my tech sheet on this wine, but I'm confident that it's mainly Cabernet Franc, with a bit of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to bring some added complexity, so let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a deep ruby in the glass, somewhat lighter in color than a Merlot.  The nose a fabulous array of aromas, from candied plums to fresh herbs to hints of violet.  The taste is a rush of black cherry, raspberry and plum that transitions nicely to some notes of cocoa and green herbs midpalate.  The tannins are a bit tightly wound, providing a bit of a snap on the finish, which is long and extraordinarily dry, with just a hint of funk at the very end.  This is a wine that reminds me of some of the best right bank Bordeaux, with lovely fruit, earthy undertones and a great finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's only the third vintage since 1997 and this one has the potential to develop nicely over time.  This wine would pair well with a wide array of dishes, from lamb to grilled pork tenderloin, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a alder planked wild Alaskan salmon filet over a bed of baby arugula and topped with fresh pineapple jalapeno salsa with some steamed asparagus.  Cheers!

2014 Helix Petit Verdot

Happy Friday!  I spend much of the day working in the yard as it's getting to be the heart of leaf season around my house (that's the price you pay for living in your own private forest).  But at least now it's time for a nice glass of wine with dinner, and tonight it's a recent wine club selection from Reininger, the 2014 Helix Petit Verdot, an extremely limited production available only to wine club members.  This 100% Petit Verdot is made from fruit from the Stone Tree Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope, so let's see how this interesting varietal stacks up!

The wine is a deep, inky color in the glass, somewhat like a nice Cabernet.  The nose is a blast of lovely floral notes, lavender, lilac, and rich black fruit. overlaying the mildest hints of mineral notes.  The taste is a rush of cool ripe fruit, blackberry, cherry, plum, all singing together before rushing into some subdued spice notes of black pepper midpalate.  The tannins are the most beautiful background singers for the star of the show, as this wine just croons with a voluptuous dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's one of my favorite pure examples of this varietal.  This wine would be great with a lot of fall dishes, from hearty stews to chili to Yankee pot roast, but tonight I am enjoying one last blast of summer as I was at the market today and they had spare ribs on sale, so I'm enjoying this wine with barbecued spare ribs, fried sweet potatoes with peppers and some rich baked beans.  This has to be one of the best wines with barbecue I've ever had!  Cheers!

2014 Forgeron Barbera

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a wonderful day today, though a little chilly, but at least it's stopped raining!  So tonight I've decided to open a recent wine club selection from Forgeron, a wonderful producer of some great wines out of Walla Walla.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of the 2014 Columbia Valley Barbera, so let's see what this wine has to offer.

The wine is a deep ruby color, almost inky at the center, very similar to the color on a nice Merlot.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, smoke, graphite and red fruit, raspberries, cherries and currant.  The taste is a lovely rush of cherry cola, blackberry and pipe tobacco that transitions effortlessly to some lovely notes of dark chocolate and dried Italian spices midpalate.  The finish is very smooth, with fine grained tannins supporting a long, dry finish with a reprice of spice at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's one of my favorite vintages of Barbera from Forgeron over the past several years.  This wine would be wonderful with steak, roasts or even barbecue, but in my eyes it practically begs to be paired with classic Italian pasta dishes, so tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a simple linguine with tomato basil marinara topped with shaved Parmesan.  Cheers!

2013 Helix Sangiovese

Happy Sunday!  So last night I invites some of the folks that went down to Houston for a bit of a reunion dinner and it was wonderful, lots of Italian appetizers and the main course was bucatini with mussels fra diavalo, a classic!  So all that Italian had me looking for some sort of Italian or Italian inspired wine to enjoy with tonight's round 2 of mussels.  I found it in the 2013 Helix Sanviovese from the Stillwater Creek Vineyard of the Columbia Valley of Washington.  So let's see how this wine stands up to some serious Italian food!

The wine is a light, garnet color with great clarity as you'd expect from a nice Sangiovese.  The nose is chock full of leather, anise, dried flowers and a bit of white pepper.  The taste is somewhat subdued with black fruit notes up front, plum, blackberry and currant that transitions nicely to some peppery spice notes and tart cherry midpalate.  The tannins are wonderfully structured, bringing some mild acidity to the long beautifully dry finish.  This is a departure from the typical Chianti, but a pleasant one that provides ample fruit, spice and complexity to lift the dish it accompanies.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as I think it's solid vintage and somewhat better than the past few vintages I've tried.  This wine would pair beautifully with a wide variety of classic Italian dishes, from pasta to risotto, but tonight I am going for round 2 of last night's dinner, with some modifications.  Tonight it's linguine with the remainder of my PEI mussels sauteed in garlic and olive oil and then simmered with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, red wine and a bit of hot pepper for the kick, all topped with a bit of shaved Parmesan.  Cheers!

2015 Mark Ryan "Little Sister" Columbia Valley Merlot

Happy Wine Wednesday!  Tonight I have multiple special treats from what I'm drinking to what I'm eating, but let's start with the important business of what I'm drinking, after all, this is a wine blog!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle that came with a recent wine club shipment from Mark Ryan Winery, the 2015 "Little Sister" Columbia Valley Merlot, a blend of Merlot (97%) with just a touch of Cabernet Franc (3%) to mellow things out.  You know how I love me some Merlot, so let's check out the Little Sister!

The wine is a deep, inky purple with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is an intriguing blend of leather, tart cherry, cardamom and baking spice.  The taste is classic, old school Merlot with a rush of ripe fruit up front, cherry, currant and plum, that transitions to some interesting notes of buttered popcorn jelly belly midpalate.  The finish is smooth, with young tannins providing a bit of punch to the long, smooth and dry finish.  This wine is such a pleasure to drink!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's one of the nicest Merlots I've had in quite some time.  Although I'm happy as a clam just sipping this wine, it would be ideal with a variety of dishes, from lobster bisque, to steak, to hearty pasta.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a 28-day dry aged Prime New York strip, with grilled asparagus and a baked potato.  The sweet to dry fruit of this wine is ideal for a hearty steak, cheers!

2011 Reininger Cima

Happy Monday!  Today I spent the afternoon trimming branches from some of the smaller trees around the house.  These are what I consider the annoying trees, like the thornapples and other trees that can never have straight branches, but only branches that naturally grow into bird nest like monstrosities, but I digress.  So after trimming a pile of branches, I am definitely in the mood for a nice glass of wine.  Tonight it's a recent wine club selection from Reininger that I've been anxious to try, the 2011 Cima, a blend of Sangiovese (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Petit Verdot (17%) and Merlot (8%) from the Seven Hills and Pepper Bridge Vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA.  So let's see what I've been waiting for!

The wine is a lovely bright ruby in the glass, typical of the Sangiovese in this Washington Super Tuscan.  The nose is a symphony of soft leather, graphite and spice box with emerging hints of ripe cherries and rose petals.  The taste is surprisingly youthful despite the more than five years this wine spent in barrel, with lovely notes of strawberry, cherry and red plums bursting forth at the outset, only to give way to some lovely notes of black pepper spice and tart cherry midpalate, no doubt a testament to the wonder of Sangiovese.  The finish was velvety smooth, as the tannins were mature and expertly integrated to provide a lasting dry finish that begs you to take another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's just s fantastic and fun wine that speaks volumes to the creativity, passion and talent that Chuck Reininger pours into every bottle.  This wine would be great with almost anything, from smoked brisket to roast chicken with fire roasted root vegetables, but tonight it an average day at my house which means I'm enjoying this wine with a wonderful Angus porterhouse, grilled veggies and a baked potato with all the trimmings.  Cheers!

2015 Board Track Racer "The Chief"

Happy Sunday!  It's been a light weekend for blog posts as I was in Chicago on Friday visiting the Art Institute and didn't get back until late, and last night I had a wedding to attend, so that leaves just tonight.  But at least I have a nice bottle of wine to open, the 2015 Board Track Racer "The Chief" a second label of Mark Ryan Winery out of Washington.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (85%), Malbec (11%) and Petit Verdot (4%) from the Columbia Valley of Washington, so let's see how she tastes!

The wine is a deep purple color, classic for a Cabernet.  The nose is a lovely combination of oak, overlaying some lovely black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum with hints of mint and graphite over the top.  The taste is just wonderful, with a rush of black cherry up front that transitions effortlessly to some lovely mineral notes midpalate, only to treat you to a further evolution to dark chocolate and tobacco on the finish.  The tannins are young, but very smooth, leading to a lovely long, velvety and very dry finish.

A little Grant Wood painting I saw on Friday that prevented me from posting!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a lovely Cabernet and a great value, as I ordered this from the tasting room in Walla Walla back in August and I'm sure it was under $30.  This wine would be great with steaks, lamb or hearty Italian dishes, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a Thai Chili rubbed Tagliata steak, with grilled leeks and asparagus and a big baked potato with sour cream and chives.  Cheers!

2015 Flying B Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Monday!  I had a rather unremarkable day, but at least it's time to make some dinner and have a glass of wine!  Tonight I've decided to open another bottle of my recent wine club shipment from the Bledsoe Family Winery, the 2015 Flying B Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon (94%) with a bit of Malbec (6%) from the Bob Healy and and Seven Hills Vineyards, in southwest edge of the Walla Walla AVA.  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a deep, brooding purple color in the glass, with bright garnet along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, cedar, blackberry and smoke, perfect for a big Cabernet.  The taste is lush, with ripe black fruit bursting from the outset, but quickly settling in for some lovely notes of tart cherry, sage and black pepper midpalate.  The finish is warm, but very big, with still youthful tannins providing nice backbone for the long, smooth and voluptuous finish that urges you to take another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's really a lovely example of a great Walla Walla Cabernet, but it's still young with a lot of potential to get even better over the next decade.  This is the type of wine that as wine maker Josh McDaniels said, "begs for a T-bone or ribeye steak" and wouldn't you know it, I stopped on the way home tonight and picked up an extra thick Hereford T-bone which I grilled Pittsburgh rare along with some grilled leeks and asparagus and some butter braised red potatoes with chives.  Cheers!

2015 Stolen Horse Walla Walla Valley Syrah

Happy Friday!  For those who've had a long week, the weekend is here, for others, it's still a reason to celebrate.  Today I have a special reason to celebrate as the Fedex man delivered my Fall wine club shipment from the Bledsoe Family Winery, the first such shipment from this new, more approachable spin-off from Doubleback, Drew Bledsoe's first effort in Walla Walla.  So tonight I've decided to open a bottle of the 2015 Stolen Horse Walla Walla Valley Syrah, a blend of fruit from the Loess (60%) and Les Collines Vineyards (40%) made from Syrah (95%) co-fermented with Viognier (5%).  The wine is from an interesting vintage, 2015 being quite warm, and as I recall from my vacation to Walla Walla that year, quite smoky from the many forest fires that were going on around the state.  So I'm interested to see how these wines developed.

The wine is a lovely, deep purple color in the glass.  The nose is a wonderful combination of green grass, with hints of smoke, mint and red berries.  The taste is just lovely with a subdued array of raspberry, cherry and red currant up front that transitions to some some heart smoked meat and tobacco notes midpalate.  The finish is marked by youth, with the lush tannins providing for a lovely and long, dry finish that's countered by a bit of bright acidity to bring some balance.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as I think it will mature a bit with some age to be more in line with the 2013 vintage I've tried in the past (see here).  This is one of those very versatile, food friendly red wines that I could see pairing with anything from barbecue to hearty steaks, to roasted beet salad, but tonight I am enoying it with some classic comfort food of stuffed peppers topped with aged parmesan and asiago cheese.  Cheers!

2013 Cadaretta Springboard Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  Tonight I've decided to have a special treat, since it's been somewhat cloudy and rainy all day, I figured I should open a nice bottle of wine to make up for the dreary weather.  So I've opened a bottle that I brought back from my vacation to Walla Walla in August, the 2013 Cadaretta Springboard Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (71%), Malbec (23%), Petit Verdot (5%) and Merlot (1%) from the Columbia Valley of Washington.  I tasted this wine at the Cadaretta tasting room in Walla Walla and I liked it, so now I have a chance to share it with you.

The wine is a classic looking Cabernet in the glass, deep inky purple with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, cassis and white pepper spice, a tribute to the heavy blend of Malbec.  The taste is a rush of black cherry and blueberry that transitions to some lovely mineral notes of dusty limestone, white pepper and hints of vanilla bean midpalate.  The finish is warm and voluptuous as the beautifully integrated tannins provide the necessary backbone for the long, dry and seamless finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a wonderful example of the great quality of Washington varietals and how an inspired blending can further elevate a wine.  With the heavy Malbec presence in the blend, this is a perfect big steak wine, which is a good thing, since tonight I am enjoying this wine with a big Angus porterhouse grilled rare with some grilled asparagus.  Cheers!

2013 Helix Bacchus Vineyard Merlot

Happy Tuesday!  It's been a while since I've posted because last week I was actually in Houston all week helping with the relief efforts down there.  It was quite a bit of hot, sweaty, backbreaking work, but it was really worth it to see the appreciation of the folks down there that were in such desperate need of a helping hand.  In any case, I'm back now and ready for some wine!  Tonight I've decided to open a recent wine club wine from Reininger's Helix brand, the 2013 Helix Columbia Valley Merlot from the Bacchus Vineyard.  So let's see what this one has to offer.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, the ideal representation of the varietal.  The nose presents lovely aromas of strawberry, red currant, leather and oak that just make you want to dive right into the glass.  The taste is as smooth as can be, with lovely flavors of ripe red fruit, cherry, currant, marionberry that transitions to some lovely earthy mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is quite smooth, despite the tightly wound tannins, which provide a bit of tartness right at the end of the smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's drinking nicely now, but will likely improve with a few years in the cellar.  This wine would pair well with hearty fall dishes from stew to chili to lovely Italian pasta, but as always I am going against the herd.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with seared sesame crusted Ahi tuna on a bed of baby arugula with some wild rice.  I know red wine and fish may not make sense to some, but after all, Tuna is the steak of the sea!  Cheers!