Happy Tuesday! Well, I made it back from vacation, which is really hard work by the way, and had about three days worth of work to be done around the house to welcome me back. But now that I've adjusted back to the normal routine, I thought I might open one of the many bottles of wonderful Washington wines I brought back with me. Tonight I've opened a bottle of Helix Crush Crew Red Wine, another creative product from Chuck Reininger and his team, which combines a number of grapes, vintages and vineyards to form a really pleasant everyday red wine. This is a non-vintage blend of Merlot (75%), Petit Verdot (12%), Cabernet Sauvignon (7%) and Cabernet Franc (6%) from a number of different vintages in the Columbia Valley. I recall enjoying this one a lot in the tasting room, so let's see how it is back home!
The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, a testament to the heavy Merlot presence in the blend. A quick swirl brings out aromas of oak, leather, black cherry and just a hint that reminds me of the barrel room. Take a sip and you have a rush of ripe black fruit, cherry, currant and plum that transition easily to some earthy notes and dried herbs midpalate. The tannins are bright and well integrated, making for a remarkably velvety mouthfeel on the long dry finish.
Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as this wine punches way above its weight class for a $20 everyday drinker. This wine is ideal for summer as it would pair well with about anything you could cook on the grill, from steaks and burgers to brats and barbecued ribs. Tonight of course, I am going a different route and enjoying this wine with a maple sesame glazed wild sockeye filet with steamed jasmine rice and sugar snap peas. Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment