2016 Forgeron Facon Rouge Syrah

Ahhh...Sunday, a chance to catch up on my relaxation!  Today I relaxed by mowing the grass after church, and now I am ready to do a little cooking for Sunday dinner.  Of course cooking goes better with wine and tonight I've opened a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from Forgeron Cellars, the 2016 Facon Rouge Syrah, a 100% Syrah from the Blue Mountain Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.  Now I was a bit surprised by this wine as the past few vintages of Facon Rouge have been GSM blends, but this one leaves out the G & M, so let's see what it has to offer.

The wine is a wonderful deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect from a Syrah.  The nose is a breath of fresh air from the French countryside, with aromas of lavender, blueberry and a hint of spice.  The taste is rush of ripe fruit, blackberry, blueberry and plum that transition to some wonderful warm spice notes midpalate.  This wine has a lot going for it, as at first it seems quite powerful in its fruit expression, but then it mellows to some soft tannins and a smooth, dry finish that completes the journey.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's just a wonderfully balanced Syrah.  You might expect this to pair well with strong dishes like roast lamb or pasta with spicy sauce, but tonight I'm taking a different approach, as I think the lovely fruit and spice notes of this wine need something more subdued to pair it with.  So tonight I'm enjoying this wine with an olive oil poached trout (my first ever attempt!) served with lemon along with wild mushroom risotto and steamed sugar snaps.  Cheers!

2016 L'Ecole No. 41 Ferguson

Well, it's been a busy day as I drive all the way to West Chicago to see the Union Pacific "Big Boy" locomotive, which is doing a Midwest tour, so this was the closest it came to where I live and I figured why not spend a Saturday to see the world's largest operating steam locomotive?  At any rate, it was certainly a fun day and worthwhile trip, but now I need dinner and a glass of wine!  Tonight I've opened a perennial favorite, the latest vintage, the 2016 L'Ecole No. 41 Estate Ferguson, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (62%), Merlot (26%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Malbec (6%) from the Ferguson vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  So let's see how this vintage is shaping up!

The wine is a lovely, deep, inky purple at the center, with bright fuchsia along the edges.  The nose is a complex and layered affair, with some lovely floral notes, black berry fruit, cedar and basalt that create an interesting dynamic.  The taste is a rush of cherry cola and blueberry at the outset that transition to some notes of dark chocolate before embarking on some mineral notes of dusty limestone and basalt.  The fine grain tannins are present throughout, making for a very dry finish, but one that can in some ways shock the senses.  So definitely let this wine breathe a bit as it really opens up nicely after an hour or so.

Overall, I would rate this wine an 8.5, it's definitely not my favorite vintage, but given it's youth, I expect it to mellow with a few years in the cellar.  This wine is a solid wine for a lot of hearty meal selections, from classic grilled steaks to braised short ribs, to pasta with spicy red sauce.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic steak frites, a prime New York strip grilled Pittsburgh rare, with some fries tossed with parmesan and parsley.  Cheers!

2016 Reininger Malbec

Thank goodness it's Friday!  It's been a long week and I'm definitely in need of a weekend.  So to start things off right I've decided to open a bottle from one of my favorite Washington wine makers, Chuck Reininger.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2016 Reininger Malbec, a 100% Malbec from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.  So let's dive right in, the weekend is wasting away!

The wine is a deep, inky purple color in the glass with bright garnet along the edges, just as you'd expect from a nice Malbec.  The nose is a wonderful, warm cascade of ripe fruit intermingled with earthy notes of leather and cedar.  The taste is classic Malbec, with a rush of black fruit, blackberry, boysenberry and currant that envelops the palate befoer giving way to hints of mint, cedar and black pepper spice midpalate.  The finish is delightful, with the fine grain tannins providing for a soft and supple finish that is dry but not nearly as sharp as I've found on many Argentine interpretations of the varietal.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a really wonderful example of a Malbec with somewhat of a softer side.  This wine would pair very well with grilled steaks and chops, a smoked beef brisket, or barbecued beef ribs, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with pacific northwest steak, or a coho salmon steak as they call it here!  The salmon steak is served with a molasses bacon glaze along with some steamed wax beans and wild rice.  Cheers!

2014 Bordigioni Merlot

Happy Saturday!  I am back!  The past couple months have been a bit off on my wine blogging as I've been involved in a production of the Music Man at Elkhart Civic Theatre, and last weekend we did four performances and now my evenings are back to being my own.  So, you can expect at least a modest increase in my posts.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2014 Bordigioni Sonoma Valley Merlot which I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out.  This wine is primarily Merlot, with about 5% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in.  It's been a very hot day of yard work, so I am looking forward to some relaxation tonight!

The wine is a bright ruby color in the class, with a bit lighter body than you might expect from a Merlot.  The nose is quite fruity, with prominent aromas of blackberry, cherry and currant, with a hint of leather.  The taste is similarly fruit forward, with a rush of blackberry and currant that envelops your palate before transitioning to some notes of white pepper spice and a reprise of red currant.  The finish is quite refined, with well integrated tannins supporting the velvety smooth and very dry finish that lingers for several minutes.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, the looks can be deceiving with the lighter body, but this wine certainly delivers all I would expect from a nice Merlot.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of dishes, from summer barbecue, burgers and brats to pasta, steaks and chops.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a simple dinner of a rare grilled prime sirloin steak topped with bleu cheese and grilled garlic scapes with some oven roasted Brussels sprouts with artisan bacon and a loaded baked potato.  Cheers!

2005 Eeden Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Cellar Saturday!  That wonderful first Saturday of the month where I dig deep into the cellar for something at least a decade in the making to enjoy.  Tonight I've opened a bottle that I picked up a couple of months ago from Wines Till Sold Out, that intrigued me, the 2005 Eeden Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  Eeden was founded in 2002 in St. Helena, in the Spring Mountain District of Napa Valley, on property that was originally owned by Berenger Family as far back as the 1930s.  The family has since replanted the vineyard with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah, for their limited production wines.  So let's see how this one tastes!

I'll preface this by noting that I have decanted the wine for a couple hours before tasting.  The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with bright ruby along the edges, just as you'd expect from a Napa Cabernet.  The wine is exuding some wonderful Bordeaux-esque aromas, leather, blackberry, olive and a good bit of funk making this one exciting to try.  The taste is remarkably fruit forward, with a rush of cherry and blueberry at the front which gradually gives way to some wonderful mineral notes of dusty limestone and peat midpalate, before a reprise of cherry and white pepper spice at the finish.  The tannins are at once supple and structured, providing for a wonderfully velvety smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a very old-world style Cabernet, which is very unusual for Napa Valley.  This wine would pair with a variety of dishes, similar to a nice St. Emilion, it would pair well with lamb, steaks and chops, pasta or even summer barbecue.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime ribcap with grilled garlic scapes, some bacon roasted Brussels sprouts and a big baked potato.  Cheers!