2018 Forgeron Anvil "The Minnick" Proporietary Blend

Happy Sunday!  I've been mostly relaxing today, though I did spend an hour or so out on a bike ride through the neighborhood.  So, now it's time to contemplate dinner and what wine to enjoy with it.  As for dinner, Sundays make for some special dinners, so more on that in a bit, but the wine is a recent wine club selection from Forgeron Cellars Anvil label, the 2018 Anvil "The Minnick" Proprietary Blend.  This wine is a classic Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, all sourced from the Minnick Hills Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington.  So let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine looks like a classic Bordeaux, with a deep ruby color in the glass, edging toward dark indigo at the center.  The nose is more of a New World Bordeaux style, with hints of mint and green grass under bright fruit of raspberry, blackberry and plum, with the faintest hint of leather at the end.  At first sip, this wine brings back memories of sipping wine at a sunny table in front of a cafe in Paris, with tart cherry and blackberry rushing over the palate, transitioning easily to some notes of smoke, and sharp mineral.  The fine grain tannins are still a bit underdeveloped, but provide a nice base for the long and smooth dry finish that lingers for a minute or so.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a pleasant drinking example of a New World Bordeaux-style blend that only Walla Walla can do.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of dishes, from steaks and barbecue to pasta and salmon.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with an herb crusted rack of lamb with oven roasted baby potatoes and pearl onions, broccoli rabe and blistered cherry tomatoes.  Cheers!

2012 Forgeron Columbia Valley Merlot

Today was a bit of a lazy day, running a few errands, going to the farmer's market (I bought way too many tomatoes!), hanging out with some friends and going for a bike ride before settling in for the evening.  There were some thunderstorms that came through last night, so it cooled off quite a bit today and I'm hoping to have a fire on the patio later on.  But for now it's time to enjoy a glass of wine, and in my last-minute effort to live up to Sean Sullivan's Washington Merlot Challenge, I've opened a bottle of 2012 Forgeron Cellars Columbia Valley Merlot, so let's see how this one has matured!

The wine exudes aromas that brings me back to the barrel room, cool air and musty aromas of French and American oak intermingled with jammy fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum.  The taste is complex continuum of smoke, black fruit and dusty minerality that circle your palate.  The tannins are exceptionally smooth and well integrated to bring forth a delightfully dry finish that practically begs to be paired with food.  I think I can accommodate, but first I am going to enjoy the remaining sips in this glass as I cook.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a wonderful Merlot that has matured to the point where it would be hard for it not to be a great drinking wine.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of dishes, from steaks and chops to pasta and risotto, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with some steak tacos topped with some of the aforementioned tomatoes, fire roasted peppers, baby lettuce and avocado.  Cheers!

2018 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère

 Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a while since I've posted as I've been on a vacation road trip over ten days, driving from Indiana to Yellowstone and stopping at all manner of sites in between.  Tonight I hosted a virtual wine tasting with some of my coworkers and since we were focused on tasting a single varietal (Carmenère), I needed to find a bottle that everyone could find at their local market.  So, I chose the 2018 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère from Chile.  I was inspired to do this varietal tasting based on one held by Chuck Reininger a few months back that highlighted this lost Bordeaux varietal.  Let's see how this one is tasting!

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass, typical of a nice Carmenère.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, raspberry, green grass and a bit of Bordeaux style funk.  The taste is far less fruit forward than suggested by the nose,with subdued flavors of blackberry and currant that transitions to some earthy notes of tar and graphite intermingled with cocoa powder and black pepper.  The tannins are well structured providing a base for the soft dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a 7.5, as it's a nice everyday drinking wine at a value price of just $10.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from steak and lamb to chorizo tacos.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a truffle salted filet mignon along with some roasted baby potatoes I picked up at the farmers' market in Douglas, Wyo. last saturday and some steamed green beans with slivered almonds.  Cheers!

2011 Rivetto Barolo

Happy Sunday!  It's been a somewhat relaxing day for me, I went to church this morning, then came home and did a little work on the class I'm teaching at the local university this fall, started writing an article for a hobby group I'm involved with and took a bike ride (though it might have been a bit hot to do that).  Of course now that I read all that in a sentence, it seems more busy than relaxing, but here we are.  And tonight I've opened a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner, and although it's not quite to the 10-year mark, I've opened a bottle of 2011 Rivetto Barolo.  So let's see what this fine Nebbiolo has to offer!

The wine is a beautiful ruby color in the glass with a hint of amber along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, blackberry, anise and hints of earthy tar and peat.  The taste is surprisingly fruit forward in a nearly bubble gum sort of way, with a rush of strawberry, cherry and currant that transitions nicely to some earthy notes of tobacco and white pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated, providing a nice base for the long, smooth dry finish with a reprise of red fruit at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a very nicely drinking wine and would pair well with a variety of dishes.  I could enjoy this wine with anything from a wild mushroom risotto to Tuscan toast, to pizza Margarita.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a veggie spaghetti tossed with shrimp and roasted veggies in a basil Alfredo sauce.  Cheers!

2013 Maison Bleue Voyageur Syrah

Happy Saturday!  I have to admit, this was a day that started easy enough, with a trip to the farm stand for some fresh sweet corn, but then I returned home to about 6 hours of yard work and now I really need to relax!  Well tonight I've dug up a bottle from the cellar that I haven't reviewed before, the 2013 Maison Bleue Voyageur Syrah from the Yellow Jacket Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley of Washington.  So let's see how this wine has matured over the past few years!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, classic for a nice Syrah.  The nose expresses aromas of ripe blackberry, currant and plum over hints of violet and baking spice.  The taste is a tawny rush of ripe black fruit, layered flavors of blackberry, plum, cherry and currant that give way to some notes of white pepper spice, smoke and charred meat midpalate. The tannins are still wonderfully firm and structured, filling the mouth and providing an ideal foundation for the long, smooth dry finish that lingers on the palate.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a pleasurable Syrah to sip on the patio or enjoy with a variety of foods.  This wine would pair well with a variety of dishes, from grilled steak to lamb chops, braised short ribs to salmon, but tonight I am taking the road less traveled and enjoying this wine with a modified seafood boil.  I am enjoying this wine with steamed snow crab legs, buttered red potatoes with parsley and the aforementioned corn on the cob.  Cheers!

Reininger CPR Fifth Edition

Happy Sunday!  Ok, I have to admit after looking at my blog to see which of the past editions of CPR I've reviewed, it seems I've only done the odd ones, with the first edition here and the third edition here it seems like I've completely ignored the second and fourth, even though I know I have bottles of them around here somewhere!  In any case, I recently received an e-mail about the sixth edition, so I thought it might be good to open a bottle of the fifth!  For those unfamiliar, the CPR wines are the chance for Chuck Reininger to explore and create wines with multiple varietals across multiple vintages to create a truly interesting blend.  The fifth edition is composed of Syrah (25%), Carmenère (13%), Malbec (13%), Cabernet Sauvignon (12%), Merlot (12%), Sanvgiovese (11%), Cabernet Franc (7%) and Petit Verdot (7%)  sourced from six different vineyards across vintages from 2005-17.  So let's see what the fifth edition has to offer!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass while the nose presents aromas of black cherry, blueberry and blackberry, amid undertones of dried spices, anise and meat.  The taste is a rush of blackberry, cherry and currant that dance on your palate before transitioning to some notes of black pepper spice and caramel midpalate.  The tannins are wonderfully structured and expertly integrated into the wonderfully smooth and dry finish that surprises your with just a hint of Bordeaux-esque at the very end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as it's just a delightfully interesting and complex wine that shows you new sides to itself with every sip.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of dishes, but you likely won't notice as this wine will likely steal top billing from whatever dinner you're serving.  Even so, tonight I am pairing this wine with something special, a grilled Picanha steak that I recently bought from the Kansas City Steak Company, along with some grilled chili peppers, leeks, oven roasted baby potatoes and bacon roasted Brussels sprouts.  For those unfamiliar with Picanha, it's a sirloin cap with a big cap of fat that is served in Brazilian steakhouses on a large skewer, with the tenderness of a filet and the flavor profile of a ribeye (you can learn more by watching this video.  Cheers!

2010 Stag's Leap Artemis

Happy Cellar Saturday!  It's that first Saturday of the month that prompts me to raid the cellar and find something at least a decade in the making to enjoy.  Tonight I am enjoying one of my favorite Napa Valley Cabernets, Stag's Leap Artemis, in this case the 2010 vintage which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (88%) and Merlot (12%).  This wine has certainly been in the cellar for a while, as it still has price stickers on the bottle from back when Michigan used to require price tags on everything.  At least I don't have to guess what I paid for this bottle!  So let's see how this wine has developed over the teens.

The wine is an inky black at the center, with bright garnet along the edges, just as you'd expect from a big Napa Cabernet.  The nose is a rush of sweet fruit aromas, black cherry, marionberry and blackberry intermingled with hints of nutmeg and dried flowers.  The taste is very old world in style, very reminiscent of a nice Pomerol, with ripe black fruit up front, blackberry, cherry and plum that transition easily to some notes of dried herbs and dusty limestone midpalate.  The fine grained tannins are still well built, providing for a smooth and supply dry finish.  

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just drinking beautifully now (and even though everyone has rated 2010 as a not so great vintage).  This wine would be ideal for a lot of hearty dishes, from lamb and beef tenderloin to mushroom risotto, but I think more than anything this wine begs to be enjoyed with a big steak.  And it just so happens I have a big, thick ribeye which I've grilled rare along with some bacon roasted Brussels sprouts and some baby red potatoes with butter and parsley.  Cheers!