2015 Robert Storey Cellars Winemaker Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  I have to admit I've been feeling a bit under the weather for the past few days, so I haven't been posting as much as I usually do, but tonight I figured I'd give it a go, hopefully my sinuses will allow me to taste and smell appropriately, thought you might want to take my review with a grain of salt today!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of wine I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2015 Robert Storey Cellars Winemaker Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  I've had a few bottles from this producer over the years and they are normally pretty good, so let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a deep, inky purple in the glass with bright ruby along the edges, classic for a Napa Cabernet.  The nose is a cascade of earthy aromas, leather, tar and tobacco intermingled with ripe black cherry and blackberry.  The taste is somewhat old world in style, with rich black fruit that envelops the palate, before giving way to some lovely vanilla bean and dried herbs midpalate.  The tannins are velvety but firm, providing a nice backbone for the long, smooth and very dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's drinking very well right now, but could improve with a few years in the cellar.  This wine was also a good value at just $23 and would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, or just sipping by the fire on these cold nights in the dead of winter (did I mention we are supposed to have several days this week where it doesn't get above zero?!?).  I could easily see myself enjoying this wine with a big steak, but since it's Sunday, my hearty Sunday dinner consists of thick center cut pork chops along with oven roasted beets and some steamed green beans.  Cheers!

2012 DaMa Columbia Valley Syrah

It's been a bitterly cold weekend here, today I think the high only got up into the teens and it's supposed to get below zero tonight.  So, what's better on a cold night than a nice Syrah, and tonight I've opened a bottle from one of the most pleasant Walla Walla winemakers, the 2012 DaMa Columbia Valley Syrah.  So let's see how this wine tastes on a frigid evening!

The wine is a rich ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, green grass, tarragon and a hint of rose petals, which combined make you feel like sitting in front of a fire with a good book.  The taste is a rush of black cherry cola, vanilla bean and a hint of tobacco that transitions nicely to some notes of white pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are supple and fully integrated, creating a perfect foundation for the long, voluptuous and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a very pleasant drinking Syrah that warms your senses.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty winter dishes, from beef stew to Yankee pot roast, but tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a grilled teriyaki glazed pork tenderloin with Amish butter noodles and green beans almondine.  A full meal of comfort food!  Cheers!

2016 Pepper Bridge Seven Hills Vineyard Red Wine

Happy Saturday!  I have to admit, it's been a long week as I've been traveling for work and came home just in time for a nice snowstorm and subsequent shoveling of the driveway (to be fair, part of the motivation for shoveling was to clear a spot for the grill so I could make a steak tonight!) so I am all tuckered out.  But at least there is wine, and tonight I've opened a bottle from a recent wine club shipment from Pepper Bridge Winery, the 2016 Seven Hills Vineyard red wine.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (52%), Cabernet Franc (22%), Merlot (18%), Malbec (4%) and Petit Verdot (4%), all grown in the Seven Hills Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.  So let's see how this wine tastes!

The wine is a beautiful deep garnet color in the glass.  The nose is chock full of ripe fruit, blackberry, black currant, cherry, blueberry and plum interlaced with leather and a bit of mocha.  The taste is a wonderful expression of the vineyard, with vibrant fruit balanced by earthy flavors and spice, hints of cocoa and tobacco give way to a bit of spice at the finish.  The tannins are very well developed and ideal in providing structure to the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's drinking quite nicely now, but should improve with a few years in the cellar.  This wine is not your typical big steak wine, as I could see this pairing very nicely with a variety of dishes, from lamb to pasta to braised short ribs.  But of course, tonight I'm enjoying this wine with steak, in fact, steak and tots!  A rare grilled New York strip, with grilled asparagus and tots, finished with a touch of horseradish.  Cheers!

2015 Peaks & Tides Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, it's been a busy week and it doesn't look like next week will be much better, so I guess I'll have to enjoy whatever downtime I can get on the weekend!  I think for the weekend, I'll only open gift wines from the holidays, and tonight's wine was a Christmas gift from a friend of mine in Michigan, the 2015 Peaks & Tides Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon.  So let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is an inky consistency at the center, with bright garnet along the edges, just as you'd expect from a nice California Cabernet.  The nose is presents a nice array of black fruit, blackberry, plum and cherry intermingled with a bit of oak and just a hint if lilac.  The taste is wonderfully fruit forward, with a rush of black cherry, plum and cassis that yields to some notes of anise and black pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are smooth, despite their youth, setting of the wonderfully long and smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a nice Cabernet that I could easily see being an everyday red wine.  This wine would pair well with a variety of dishes, from steaks and chops to pasta and pizza, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a Thai spiced New York strip grilled rare in my cast iron skillet (I wimped out on outdoor grilling as it's been snowing all afternoon!), along with sauteed Brussels sprouts and a big baked potato.  Cheers!

2008 Fort Walla Walla Cellars Reserve Red Wine

Well, it's the first Saturday of the year and the first Saturday of the month, which means it's Cellar Saturday!  That magical time when I raid the cellar and open a bottle of something that's been around a decade or more, and since it's a new year, that means we can go back to any vintage 2009 or earlier.  Tonight I've opened a wine that I purchased on a trip to Walla Walla back in 2013 (see that post here), the 2008 Fort Walla Walla Cellars Reserve Red Wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (66%), Merlot (14%), Cabernet Franc (9%), Malbec (6%) and Petit Verdot (5%), highlighting the classic Bordeaux style blend which Walla Walla does so well.  Sadly, Fort Walla Walla Cellars didn't survive as long as this bottle of wine, as the two owners went on permanent vacation in September of 2017.  So let's see if this wine is as good as I remember it!

The wine is a deep inky purple at the center, with brighter garnet tones along the edges.  The nose presents wonderful aromas of leather, blueberry, plum and kirsch with undertones of dried herbs.  The taste is as good as I remember, a rush of lush, ripe fruit envelops the palate, blackberry, blueberry and raspberry that transitions to some wonderful notes of anise and white pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are supple and well integrated, providing great structure for the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, and it was certainly worth bringing back a bottle in my case of checked wine on Alaska Airlines back in 2013.  This wine would pair well with many French or Mediterranean dishes, as well as steaks, chops or even barbecue.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some smoked ham, Amish butter noodles and steamed asparagus, a perfectly Midwestern weekend after the holidays meal!  Cheers!

2017 Bledsoe Family Wine

Happy New Year!  I can't believe the teens are almost over and we will soon be in the roaring 20s, but at least for now we will enjoy 2019, which of course will mean plenty more wine and food to enjoy.  Tonight being a holiday and a rather subdued one at my house, I thought I'd open a bottle of 2017 Bledsoe Family wine to enjoy with dinner tonight.  This wine is quite interesting as it is a blend of many of the same grapes used for the the high-end Doubleback Cabernet, including Cabernet, Malbec and Merlot from the Healy and McQueen Vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley.  This wine comes in very cool 1L bottles that make this a crowd favorite.

This vintage is still quite young as it was released a bit early (the 2016 vintage was released in the spring of 2018, but this wine was just released several weeks ago).  The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, characteristic of the heavy Cabernet influence.  The nose is soft, with elegant fruit aromas intermingled with earthy notes of leather and a hint of lavender.  The taste is a rush of soft, ripe fruit, raspberry, cherry and black currant that transitions nicely to some white pepper spice midpalate, before kicking it back to a reprise of some floral notes just ahead of the finish.  The tannins are still a bit tight, but well integrated for the long, but somewhat sharp and dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very nice everyday drinking red wine from a quality producer.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of foods, from steaks and chops to barbecue and pizza.  But since New Year's falls on Taco Tuesday, I am enjoying this wine with some bean and chorizo tacos with all the trimmings.  Cheers!