2015 Reininger Walla Walla Syrah

Happy Tuesday!  It's been a busy week for me so far and it's not even hump day yet, so here's hoping a nice glass of wine will help smooth things out.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of my most recent wine club selection from Reininger Winery, the 2015 Reininger Walla Walla Syrah!  I am a big fan of Chuck Reininger's wines, as his creativity and blending talent really highlight the great quality of wines from the Walla Walla Valley.  This wine is a 100% Syrah from the Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills Vineyards, so let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose is a cascade of earthy aromas, leather, peat, intermingled with floral notes of lavender and a hint of lilac, with undertones of ripe black fruit.  The taste is a wild rush of intensity, with rich blueberry, boysenberry and currant that transitions almost imperceptibly to flavors of olive, dusty limestone and cassis midpalate, before being treated to a hint of white pepper on the cusp of the finish.  The tannins are silky smooth and provide the ideal backdrop for the long, and exquisitely dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's one of the most pleasing Syrah's I've ever enjoyed.  This wine would pair well with a wide variety of dishes for fall, from braised beef to stew and chili, to wonderful Mediterranean dishes.  But tonight I'm going off script and enjoying this wine with some pan seared sea scallops on a bed of escarole along with some rice and steamed broccoli.  The rich fruit and wonderfully earthy notes of this wine are perfect to counter the richness from the sea.  Cheers!

2013 Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Merlot

Well, I have to admit this doesn't happen very often, when I review one vintage of a wine and then subsequently review the previous vintage, but that's what's happening tonight!  Nearly two months ago I reviewed the 2014 Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Merlot (you can see that one here) and tonight I am opening a bottle of the 2013 Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Merlot.  I picked this one up at my local market last weekend since they were having a 20% off wine sale, and apparently they had a few bottles of the previous vintage on the shelf to create this wonderful situation.  So let's see if this one is as good as the 2014!

The wine is a rich, inky purple in the glass with nice garnet along the edges.  The nose presents a rather sophisticated blend of leather, dusty limestone, dried herbs and just a hint of funk that makes this wine reminiscent of a nice Bordeaux.  The taste is a rush of cherry cola and plum that transitions evenly to some mineral notes midpalate before some peppery spice notes rear up near the finish.  Speaking of which, the tannins are very nicely structured, providing for a very smooth, lush and dry finish that lingers for a while.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, but will qualify that I prefer the 2014 vintage.  This wine would be ideal with many hearty fall dished, from roasts and steak, to chili and braised short ribs, but tonight I am heading a different direction and enjoying this wine with some hot Italian sausage with onions and peppers.  The cool fruit and earthy flavors make a nice contrast to the spice of this meal.  Cheers!

2016 Born of Fire Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a busy week and I have no idea how we've already blown past hump day and the weekend is almost here, but at any rate I've decided to open a bottle of Washington wine tonight.  I've not tried any wines from Born of Fire before, but my local market was having a wine sale last weekend, so I could't resist getting a 20% discount which made this 2016 Born of Fire Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon a bargain at just $12.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (90%) and Malbec (10%), from a new area of the Columbia Valley called "the Burn" which lies between the Columbia River Gorge and the Horse Heaven Hills.  So let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a deep purple color in the glass, just as you'd expect from a Cabernet.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry jam, rose petals and tar.  The taste is much less fruit forward than the strong aromas of blackberry would suggest, with a rush of green grass and dusty limestone that slips into some nice black fruit flavors with a hint of peppery spice midpalate.  The tannins are well balanced and provide a nice foundation for the long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's not really spectacular, but its a classic value, Columbia Valley Cabernet suitable for everyday drinking.  This wine would pair with a broad variety of dishes, from steaks and burgers to barbecue and pizza.  Tonight I am going a little off on pairing and enjoying this wine with a panko crusted halibut filet with steamed carrots and rice.  The fruit and mineral qualities really make a nice foil to the halibut.  Cheers!

2015 Seven Hills Elephant Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  In between the hailstorms, snow, sleet and rain today, I managed to get quite a few errands run, from grocery shopping to getting my pumpkins for Halloween.  So now it's time to relax a bit and open a nice bottle of wine which arrived yesterday from Seven Hills Winery, the 2015 Elephant Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is a limited production wine (not even sure how many cases were produced) from fruit sourced from the Elephant Mountain Vineyard in the Yakima Valley (in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA), resulting in a Columbia Valley designation for this wine.  I've heard good things and since I trust Julie at Seven Hills implicitly for wine recommendations, I bought a case of this wine, so let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center, with bright garnet along the edges.  The nose is a layered affair, with aromas of smoke, intermingled with earthy notes of dusty limestone, interwoven with black currant and blueberry fruit, overlaid with light floral aromas.  There is a lot going on there!  The taste is not at all what I was expecting, that being a rush of ripe fruit similar to many big, bold Cabs.  Instead, there were so many earthy flavors, green grass, cedar and smoke that danced around flavors of caramel, black currant and anise.  The tannins are quote robust, offering a solid base for the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish, which seems to go on and on for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, with room to get even better with some time in the bottle.  It's such a different Cabernet, and pleasantly so that it really makes you want to sip all afternoon.  But alas, I also need some dinner, and this wine would be ideal with a broad variety of dishes, from pasta and stews to a classic steak.  Tonight I am of course enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime New York Strip with grilled Brussels sprouts and a baked potato with butter and sour cream.  This wine just holds up exceedingly well with steak, cheers!

2012 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Cabernet Franc

Ahhh...Monday... I have to admit, I am not a big fan.  But if I have to endure it, I may as well be drinking a nice glass of wine.  And tonight I've opened a bottle from one of my favorite Walla Walla wineries, L'Ecole No. 41!  The 2012 Estate Cabernet Franc is a 100% Cabernet Franc from the Seven Hills Vineyard with a limited production of just 340 cases, so let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a beautiful deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of dusty limestone, cedar, dried herbs and a hint of mint.  The taste is wonderfully fruit forward, with flavors of blackberry jam, blueberry and plum which transitions to some spicy black pepper notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured and integrated, providing for a wonderfully long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a classic example of what a pure Cabernet Franc can be.  This wine would pair well with a variety of dishes, from steaks and chops to pasta and Thanksgiving turkey.  Tonight I am enjoying this with another classic pairing, a maple glazed salmon filet with rice and heirloom carrots.  The rich fruit of the wine is a perfect complement to a nice salmon filet, cheers!

2016 Kirkland Signature Series Stags Leap District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been unseasonably warm and today it was raining much of the day, signaling that the weather is about to turn remarkably fall like by the weekend.  But for now, it's still 68 degrees out and I can grill my dinner under the eave of the garage.  To pair with my dinner, I've decided to open a second bottle of Costco's Kirkland Signature wines I bought a few weeks ago.  The Brunello was a bit unimpressive, so let's see if we can do better with the 2016 Kirkland Signature Series Stags Leap District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon!

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, typical of a big, bold Napa Cabernet.  The nose is somewhat elegant, with earthy aromas of leather and green grass, over some notes of blackberry and a hint of lavender.  The taste is a rush of black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum that transition to some dusty limestone and black pepper notes midpalate.  There is a bit of tartness on the back end, before the rather youthful tannins bring you into the smooth, dry finish.

Overall, I'd rate this wine a solid 8, this was a nice example of a descent Stags Leap Cabernet, at a much more approachable price (I think this was around $27).  Like many Napa Cabernets, this wine would be perfect with steak, prime rib or a variety of hearty meals coming up this fall.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a nice filet mignon grilled rare, along with some grilled asparagus and a big, loaded baked potato.  Cheers!

2002 Young Ridge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

It's the first Saturday of the new month, so of course that means it's Cellar Saturday!  It's that lovely day when I raid the cellar for some bottle that's been developing for a decade or more.  Tonight I've opened a bottle that's been developing for a while, but it just hasn't been in my cellar that long, the 2002 Young Ridge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which I recently bought on Wines Till Sold Out.  While not quite to the level of 2007 or 2012-14, the 2002 Napa vintage was characterized by a mild growing season and some late season warmth that pushed the ripening, resulting in concentrated fruit.  So let's see how this wine is tasting now that it's old enough to get a driver's license!

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center with garnet along the edges.  The nose is expressive of age and maturity, with notes of ripe plum, with blackberry and cassis along with some earthy aromas of leather and graphite.  The taste is remarkably fruit forward, with a blast of ripe cherry, blueberry and plum at the outset, that transition to some wonderful Asian spice and mineral notes midpalate that give the wine the character of a mature Bordeaux.  The tannins are quite smooth and well integrated, for a long, and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it is fully mature and drinking marvelously right now.  This wine would pair well with a nice steak, roasts and lamb, hearty pasta dishes or hard cheeses.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a grilled steak, along with a baked potato with sour cream and scallions, and grilled asparagus and broccoli rabe.  The rich fruit in the wine is nicely balanced with the bitterness of the broccoli rabe.  Cheers!

2012 Pulchrum Crespiello

Happy Friday!  I am ready for the weekend, though my tree guy came by today to review the branches that will need to be cut back this fall and he was nice enough to point out some patches of poison ivy that I'll now need to address this weekend...ugh.  But before that fiasco commences, I figure I have time for a nice bottle of wine with dinner, and tonight it's a new wine and a new varietal.  I got an e-mail from Wines Till Sold Out a month or so ago highlighting a wine made from a a nearly extinct varietal and they had me!  The 2012 Pulchrum Crespiello (aka Vidadillo) is a wine from Carinena in northwest Spain grown on vines planted in 1900 (so this is old vine for sure!).  This varietal was well known in the 12th century, but not always known for quality (comparisons to vinegar are common) thought winemaking techniques have advanced in the past 900 years.  Vidadillo is somewhat similar to Garnacha, but with larger darker berries with thicker skins, the wines from this varietal are often darker and more tannic than a typical Garnacha.  So let's see how this wine tastes!

The wine is certainly darker than a Garnacha, appearing more like a Cabernet or Merlot in the glass.  The nose is a pleasant combination of black currant, floral notes and a hint of balsamic (hello vinegar!) that doesn't give you brain much to go on for taste expectations.  The taste thought is quite an experience, with a brief rush of ripe blackberry and currant that transitions nicely to some wonderful caramel and spice notes midpalate before an edge of balsamic just before the finish.  The tannins are robust but well structured, providing for a long, smooth and very dry finish that lingers.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a really interesting wine from a varietal I've not tried before.  This is the sort of wine that would pair well with a variety of hard to pair dishes, like Indian or Moroccan food, but it would also pair well with pasta, roasts or game and of course, steak.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a grilled chuckeye steak along with some glazed baby carrots and potato puree.  Cheers!

2013 Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino

Well, I've been out of it a little while and everyone gets delusions of grandeur!  Yes, I've been away for a few days, but now I'm home and feeling like I need a nice glass of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of wine from Costco's Kirkland Signature brand.  I'm fascinated by the variety of wine they decide to private label, and a couple weeks ago I bought a couple bottles that intrigued me, this first one being a 2013 Brunello di Montalcino.  Now granted I like a nice Brunello, but typically let them age a good decade before opening them, but since this one was relatively inexpensive, I've dispensed with the cellar aging.  So let's dig in!

The wine is a light ruby color in the glass, with great clarity, just as you'd expect from a nice Sangiovese.  The nose is a classic combination of red fruit, strawberry, raspberry and tart cherry intermingled with some green grass, dried herbs and a bit of charcoal.  The taste is a rush of red berries, which transitions to some tart cherry notes midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat muted, but the finish is still rather expressive and dry, with some spicy notes at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a 7.5, as that's about what I would expect from a just released Brunello.  The wine would likely mature with a bit of age, but it was still a good value for under $30.  This wine would pair well with a variety of Italian dishes, from risotto to pasta and seafood.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some porcini mushroom and truffle ravioli topped with some creamy pumpkin and butternut squash sauce.  The red fruit and bright acidity of the wine are a nice complement to the richness of the ravioli.  Cheers!