2015 Pepper Bridge Vineyard

Happy Thursday!  It's been a busy day today, seems like I haven't had a moment to catch my breath, so it's definitely wine o'clock now!  And tonight I've opened a bottle of the most recent wine club shipment from Pepper Bridge Vineyards, the 2015 Pepper Bridge Vineyard red wine, a blend of Merlot (46%), Malbec (31%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (23%) from the estate vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a deep, brooding, inky color in the glass, classic for Pepper Bridge red wine.  The nose presents aromas of black cherry, interlaced with hints of cedar and baking spice.  The taste is a rush of blueberry and tart cherry up front that transitions to some wonderful notes of dusty limestone, cherry cola and black pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are still a bit sharp in their youth, providing for a long, 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 drinking well now, but I can see this one developing into a lovely wine with a few years in the cellar.  This wine is ideal for big meals, steak, chops, classic pasta dishes.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare prime petit filet mignon, potato puree and steamed sugar snap peas.  Cheers!