Wednesday, January 31, 2018

2012 Seven Hills Klipsun Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  You'll have to forgive me for not having many posts over the past week as I've been fighting a cold, and who wants to review wines when their sinuses are acting up?  In any case, I'm feeling better now, as evidenced by my continuing lack of organization (though I did recently buy a filing cabinet and organized my home office!) but recently I was looking through wine and found a cache of 2012 Seven Hills Klipsun Cabernet Sauvignon!  Keep in mind that I've already reviewed the 2013 vintage (you can see that here) and the 2014 vintage (you can see that here), but somehow skipped the 2012!  So at long last (and it's been a while as I recall bringing this back on my Walla Walla RV road trip back in 2015!) here is my review of the 2012 vintage!


The wine is a wonderfully dark and brooding color in the glass, classic for a Red Mountain Cabernet.  The nose presents lovely notes of mint, blackberry and cassis over earthy notes of leather and barnyard.  The taste is just beautiful, with a rush of ripe black fruit, blackberry, plum and cherry that transitions effortlessly to some notes of vanilla bean and white pepper spice midpalate.  The finish is that of a wine just coming into its own, with wonderfully integrated but chalky tannins providing the backbone for a voluptuous and smooth, but very dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

I have to admit, I think this is my favorite vintage of the three Klipsun Cabernets I've tried from Seven Hills, so I'd rate this one a solid 9.5.  I could see myself enjoying this wine with a variety of hard cheeses, prime steaks and chops, or even a lovely Pacific salmon, but tonight it a Wednesday of what's been a busy week, so I'm enjoying this beautiful wine with some take out sushi!  Spicy tuna roll, dynamite roll and a wasabi crunch roll, all playing wonderfully with the dark fruit and earthy goodness of this wine!  Cheers!

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

2013 Lander Jenkins Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of wine I found on clearance at my local wine store, the 2013 Lander Jenkins California Cabernet Sauvignon.  The producer takes great pains to point out that this winery is family owned and family farmed, and it's part of the Rutherford Wine Company, which has properties from Napa to the Central Coast AVAs in California.  This particular vintage is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (83%) with the balance of other varietals from a number of California AVAs.  So let's see how this one tastes!


The wine is a bright ruby color in the glass, a bit lighter than your typical Napa Cabernet.  The nose is a breath of earthy notes, oak, leather, smoke and dried herbs.  The taste is surprisingly nice, with a rush of blackberry and black cherry up front that transitions to some vanilla and mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured, with a reprice of red fruit and spice on the long, smooth dry finish.


Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very pleasant drinking Cabernet that's ideal for every day.  This was a great bargain at the normal price of $11, but with this one on sale 30% off, it was an irresistible bargain at just over $7!  This wine would pair well with steaks, pasta, roasts and a variety of winter comfort food.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with braised short ribs over creamy mashed potatoes, it doesn't get more comfortable than that!

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

2015 Mercer Canyons Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Tuesday!  I've been a long day and I feel a cold coming on, so I may be somewhat curt in this post.  In any case I'm sure some wine will help with my mood, and tonight I've opened a bottle that I found at my local market last week, the 2015 Mercer Canyons Cabernet Sauvignon.  I wasn't familiar with Mercer,  but learned that they operate their vineyards and winery in the Horse Heaven Hills in the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State.  This vintage of Cabernet under their Mercer Canyons brand is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), Merlot (17%) and Syrah (7%).  So let's see how this one tastes!


The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect for a Cabernet.  The nose is full of black cherry, mint and green grass, somewhat different than your average Cabernet.  The taste is a full rush of black cherry and plum up front that transitions nicely to hints of vanilla and dried herbs midpalate.  The finish is somewhat warm and subdued, with soft tannins, but still pleasant and very dry.


Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very pleasant drinking everyday Cabernet, and a wonderful value as I found this at my local Meijer for just $11!  This wine would be great with a lot of simple weekday dinners, like pizza, tacos (hello taco Tuesday!) or burgers, but you know me, tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled tagliata steak, oven roasted potatoes and some steamed broccoli.  Cheers!

Sunday, January 21, 2018

2015 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon

When I first visited Napa Valley on the Napa Valley Wine Train back in 2015, I met some folks on the train that shared a bottle of Justin Isosceles with me and I've been a fan of Justin ever since.  It was just about two years ago that I reviewed the 2013 vintage of the Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon (you can see that post here) and tonight I've opened a bottle of the 2015 vintage that I recently picked up at my local Meijer store.  So let's see how this one is shaping up.


The wine is a deep, ruby color in the glass, classic Cabernet.  The nose is a rush of leather, black stone fruit and a hint of mint that just call out to you to take a sip.  The taste is a rush of ripe black fruit, plum, cherry and currant with undertones of smoke and dried flowers that transitions to some mild notes of pipe tobacco and a hint of black pepper.  The tannins are firm and well integrated, creating a wonderfully long, smooth dry finish.


Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a very pleasant drinking Cabernet and a terrific value at just $22.  This wine would pair well with steaks, braised short ribs or pasta, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared veal loin chop along with some roasted baby bok choy and a baked potato with sour cream and chives.  Cheers!

Saturday, January 20, 2018

2010 L'Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  Today was a fun day as I went to Chicago for a board meeting and then stopped at Eataly to get some steaks and pasta and other sundry items, before heading home.  When I got back to Elkhart, I stopped at the local wine store and found a nice bottle of 2010 L'Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon which I decided to open with dinner tonight.  So let's see how this one tastes!


The wine is a lovely deep, inky indigo, just what you'd expect from a nice Cabernet.  The nose is full of ripe aromas of blackberry and plum, over some earthy notes of leather.  The taste is a rush of cherry cola along with some floral notes which transition nicely to some earthy mineral notes as well as tobacco leaf midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with robust tannins lending nice structure to the long, smooth and velvety dry finish.


Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a very pleasant drinking Cabernet.  This wine would be ideal with a number of the steaks and chops I bought today, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic Pacific Northwest dinner of cedar planked steelhead along with some couscous and steamed broccoli and cauliflower.  Cabernet just always seems right with a nice piece of salmon, cheers!

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

2010 Esprit de Pavie Bordeaux

What a chilly day!  I woke up this morning and it was 0 degrees outside, and despite working and shoveling snow and going to the gym, I'm happy to be home in the warmth with a nice glass of wine.  Tonight's wine was a gift from an old boss, who shares similar tastes in wine with me, the 2010 Esprit de Pavie Bordeaux.  Now this is a real Bordeaux as I had to exercise my high school French to read the label, which the easiest part to read was that this wine contains mainly Merlot (65%) along with Cabernet Franc (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%), so this is clearly a right bank Bordeaux.  So let's see how this one tastes!


The wine is a deep, inky indigo with bright ruby along the edges as you'd expect from a Merlot dominant blend.  The nose is not so much a classic Bordeaux, but chock full of leather, light floral notes, blackberry and some lovely mineral notes.  The taste is somewhat subdued fruit up front, with some cherry and plum with a hint of mint that transition to some earthy notes of dusty limestone, iron and a classic hint of barnyard at the end.  The tannins are robust, providing for a wonderfully smooth and very dry finish that lasts a minute or more.


Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a wonderfully drinking Bordeaux from a very strong vintage.  This wine would pair well with classic steaks and chops, but would also do well with aged cheeses and Mediterranean fare.  Tonight I am taking a bit of a departure and enjoying this wine with some seared sea scallops, couscous and some haricots verts almondine.  Cheers!

Saturday, January 13, 2018

2014 Charles Krug Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

What a chilly day here today, thankfully I have some good food and wine to warm me up a bit!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of wine from one of my favorite producers in Napa Valley, Charles Krug.  I first discovered their wine back in 2012, when I tasted the 2009 Yountville Cabernet (you can see that review here) and then really got into their wines when I visited the winery in Napa back in 2015 and 2016 (see 2015 here and 2016 here).  So let's see what the 2014 vintage has to offer!


The wine has the classic Napa Cabernet coloration, deep and inky at the center, bright along the edges.  The aromas are somewhat different, with some earthy notes of leather, peat and minerals, along with some blackberry and plum notes.  The taste is all classic big Napa Cabernet, with a rush of black fruit up front, that transitions nicely to some green herb, black pepper spice and mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured and well integrated, leaving you with a long, velvety and very dry finish.


Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a really wonderful Cabernet ideal for fans of the Big Napa varieties, but it remains one of the best values out of Napa in my opinion.  I bought this at my local Meijer store for just $23!  This wine would pair very well with a nice steak, which is handy since tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled Cajun spiced Angus porterhouse, a big baked potato and some green bean casserole (I didn't get enough at holiday dinners!).  Cheers!

Friday, January 12, 2018

2015 Josh Cellars North Coast Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  It's been a busy week and definitely time for a glass of wine!  Tonight I've opened a bottle that I picked up at my local market when I went grocery shopping last week.  I've had wine from this producer before, so I figured I'd try a bottle of the 2015 Josh Cellars North Coast Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, so let's see how it tastes!


The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, just as you'd expect from a Cabernet.  The nose is chock full of ripe black fruit, with some interesting green grass and floral notes mixed in that give this one an interesting vibe.  The taste is a rush of sweet ripe berries, blackberries, currant and cherries, that give way to some notes of cocoa powder and green herbs midpalate.  The tannins are fairly smooth, providing nice structure to the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very pleasant drinking wine, and for $16 it makes a nice everyday wine as well.  This wine would pair well with the Cabernet classics, steaks, chops, roasts, but tonight I'm enjoying it with a simple linguine with spicy marinara and a baby arugula salad.  The spiciness of the sauce and the arugula really pairs well with the sweetness of the fruit in this wine.  Cheers!

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

2015 Gran Passione Veneto Rosso

Happy Wine Wednesday!  When I was growing up, there was no "Wine Wednesday" but Wednesday was well know for something else - in  Chicago, Wednesday was Prince Spaghetti Day!  Although I haven't seen Prince spaghetti in the supermarket in years, I thought it would be fun to relive those old spaghetti Wednesdays, which of course calls for a nice Italian wine to go with it, this being the modern Wine Wednesday!  So tonight I've opened a bottle that I picked up at Costco a few months back, the 2015 Gran Passione Veneto Rosso.  This wine is made with a similar method to Amarone, with sun drying the grapes so the dried raisins ferment and provide a much more concentrated flavor.  So let's see what this one has to offer.


The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, comparable in color to a nice Merlot.  The nose is vaguely reminiscent of a Valpolicella Ripasso, with leather, ripe black fruit, blackberry, currant and cherry with undertones of dried Italian herbs.  The taste is rich at the outset, with blackberry and cherry rushing to the forefront, only to be displaced by some pleasant earthy notes of tobacco and fig.  The tannins are soft, but still provide nice structure to the very smooth and dry finish.


Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very pleasant drinking Italian wine from the northern part of the country, a nice departure from Tuscany.  This wine was also a terrific value at just $9 at Costco (I should have bought more!) and it would pair well with roasts, game, aged cheeses, or hearty classic Italian dishes.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with not quite Prince spaghetti, but some Barilla linguine along with marinara with some hot Italian sausage.  Cheers!

Saturday, January 6, 2018

2007 La Mannella Brunello di Montalcino

Happy Cellar Saturday!  It's the first Saturday of January and the first Saturday of 2018, so it must be time for me to raid the cellar and explore a wine that's just been sitting around being lazy for a number of years, not unlike their owner.  Tonight I've decided for a number of reasons to go full on Mediterranean, and I've opened up a bottle of 2007 La Mannella Brunello di Montalino, the undisputed king of Italian vino!  Now, I feel the same about Brunello as Barolo (though I'm much less likely to make exceptions with Barolo) that these wines really don't start coming into their own for a good decade after harvest, so it's far more likely that you'd see these on a Cellar Saturday than any other time.  So here goes nothing!


The wine is a lovely bright ruby color in the glass, with great clarity.  And although I've let this wine have a good bit of air already, the aromas are just exploding from the glass, with notes of dried spices, olive and dried floral notes, all amid aromas of blackberry and tart cherry fruit.  Classic Brunello aromas all around.  The taste is at first a rush of black fruit flavors, currant, cherry and plum that transition to some flatter notes of dried herbs midpalate.  The tannins are still quite robust, and you're treated to a reprise of sweet cherry on the long, voluptuous and very dry finish.


Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just starting to come into it's own, but it's still a classic example of what a good Brunello should be.  This wine would pair well with a variety of Italian and Mediterranean dishes, from the classic bistecca Fiorentina to hearty pasta.  Tonight I am enjoying this one with a wonderful grilled octopus with Tuscan herbs and grilled vegetables along with some linguine tossed with cherry tomatoes, lemon and capers.  This is the type of dinner that makes you feel like you're at a seaside restaurant in Sicily rather than a 10-degree ice castle in Indiana!  Cheers!

Friday, January 5, 2018

2014 DaMa Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  The first Friday of the new year in fact!  Tonight I just returned from thy gym, so I'm ready for some relaxation, perhaps a glass of wine might be ideal!  Well tonight I have a good one, a bottle from my Fall wine club shipment from DaMa wines, the 2014 DaMa Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Golden Ridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  So let's see how this wine will start my weekend!


The wine has the classic Cabernet look, with deep garnet and ruby colors.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather and sage over hints of mint and black tea, somewhat of a deviation from your traditional big, bold Cabernet.  The taste is a remarkable shift, with some lovely floral notes up front that transition to some wonderful black fruit notes of blackberry and plum, before hitting its stride with some earthy black olive notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured, providing for a velvety smooth and very dry finish that seems to last a minute or more. 

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very interesting and pleasant Cabernet that just sings of the terroir of Walla Walla.  This wine would pair well with steaks and chops, salmon, or a hearty pasta dish.  Tonight I'm enjoying this one with a rare grilled prime sirloin, steamed broccoli and a big baked potato with butter, sour cream and scallions.  Of course, once dinner is over, I'll still be sipping this wine for the rest of the evening, it's such a treat.  Cheers!

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

2014 Raymond Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  I’ll admit this is a bit of an odd post as I enjoyed this wine last weekend when I was visiting my cousin in Boston, and I thought I should blog about it since I’d visited the winery a number of times in the past. So tonight I’m sharing the 2014 Raymond Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.


The wine is a lovely ruby color in the glass, somewhat lighter than a typical Napa Cabernet. The nose of chock full of classic Napa Cabernet aromas, leather, red fruit and cassis.  The taste is a wonderful array of black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum that transition nicely to some notes of mint and dusty limestone midpalate. The tannins are nicely integrated, resulting in a long smooth and very dry finish.


Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it’s just what you’d expect from a solid Napa valley Cabernet. This wine would pair well with a variety of steaks and chops as well as hearty Italian dishes. Despite the pairing suggestions, I enjoyed this wine with some dessert of fresh cannoli from Modern Pastry in the north end of Boston.  Cheers!

Monday, January 1, 2018

2015 Seven Hills Pentad

Happy New Year!  I made a resolution to eat more great food and drink more great wine, so tonight it my chance to make good on my resolutions!  I've decided to open a bottle of 2015 Seven Hills Pentad to start the year.  This wine is the 10th vintage of Pentad since 1988, and one that is likely to be drinking well a little younger than its predecessors given the exceptionally warm vintage in 2015.  This wine is a blend of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, with Petit Verdot, Carmenere, Malbec and Cabernet Franc.  So let's see how 2018 is starting out!


The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, to be expected with a Cabernet heavy blend.  The nose is a symphony of leather, dusty limestone, green olive, blackberry and cherry that just has you singing before your first sip.  The taste is less fruit forward than many Cabernet blends you see, with more earthy notes up front, basalt, peat and olive that transition nicely to black fruit notes of blackberry and kirsch, with just a hint of dark chocolate midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated and still somewhat youthful, leading to a long, smooth and very dry finish.


Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, and although I certainly believe this wine has aging potential, it's drinking very well right now.  This wine practically begs to be paired with red meat, so I'm glad to oblige, as my New Year's dinner is surf and turf, with a rare grilled prime sirloin and grilled lobster tail (and grilling isn't easy when it's 3 degrees out!) along with grilled Brussels sprouts and a loaded baked potato.  Cheers to 2018!