2020 Forgeron Cellars Mourvèdre

Happy Taco Tuesday!  I bet you'll never guess what's for dinner tonight... In any case, I needed to find something to pair with my tacos, which I find to be an adventurous food for pairings as you can go anywhere from an Argentine Malbec to Napa Cabernet to Spanish Rioja.  Today, I've taken the road less traveled and am enjoying them with a Rhone blending varietal, the 2020 Forgeron Cellars Mourvèdre!  This wine is a 100% Mourvèdre from the Heart of the Hill Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA of Washington.  So, let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a bright ruby color in the glass, a bit darker than you would see in the Grenache that you might normally blend with Mourvèdre.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of sweet cherry, mint and tawny port, with mild oak undertones.  The first sip is a rush of ripe black cherry, currant and plum that ease into some earthy notes of dusty limestone and dark chocolate midpalate.  The tannins are robust and well integrated for the long, smooth dry finish that will have you quickly reaching for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as I think it's one of the better examples of a Mourvèdre that I've tasted.  This wine would pair well with a range of dishes, from steaks and barbecue, to Mediterranean Cioppino, but as I alluded earlier, tonight I am enjoying this wine with some fajita steak tacos with all the trimmings.  This wine holds up exceptionally well to the spice I employ, cheers!

2022 Hazlitt Dry Rosé

Happy Sunday!  Yesterday I had one of the busiest days I can remember, so today I've decided to take it easy, cooking some slow roasted comfort food for dinner, doing a bit of yard work and laundry, and now I'm ready for a nice glass of wine.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of rosé that I picked up on my recent vacation and wine tasting side trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York.  The 2022 Hazlitt Dry Rosé is made from 100% Cabernet Franc from the Hazlitt 1852 Home Farm Vineyard in the Seneca Lake region of the Finger Lakes.  So, let's see how this wine is shaping up!

The wine is a lovely pale peach color in the glass, quite in character for the current trends in rosé.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of strawberry, watermelon and green grass with a hint of lemon zest.  Take a sip and you're greeted with a fresh, clean depth of peach, strawberry and citrus that wash over your palate, before transitioning to some notes of green grass and a bit of minerality midpalate.  The finish is crisp and dry, ideal for summer sipping on the patio (which is rapidly coming to a close!).

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as this wine stacks up to some of the finest rosés from California and Washington to the South of France.  I have to admit I was skeptical of the Finger Lakes when I went to visit, but I was pleasantly surprised.  This wine would pair well with fresh summer caprese salad, a variety of cheeses, seared salmon or barbecue.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a dinner inspired by the other end of my vacation, a Vermont maple syrup glazed ham, mashed potatoes and steamed peas. Cheers!

2019 Backstage Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  Tonight I've opened a bottle that I recently purchased during a Cabernet event at Wines Till Sold Out.  The 2019 Backstage Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Green Room Vineyard in the Howell Mountain AVA of Napa Valley.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with bright ruby along the edges, just as you might expect from a big, bold Napa Cabernet.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals luxurious aromas of leather, candied cherries and oak, with undertones of mocha and dark chocolate.  Take a sip and your palate is awash in ripe black fruit, cherry, blackberry and plum, that ease effortlessly to some notes of earthy tar and black pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated, providing and ideal foundation for the long, velvety smooth dry finish that lingers on your palate for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a pleasant drinking and classic example of the big Cabernets of Napa Valley.  I could enjoy sipping on this wine on a lovely fall evening in front of a fire, but I could also enjoy this wine with rustic charcuterie, a big grilled steak or a rare rack of lamb.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a prime ribeye grilled Pittsburgh rare, with grilled leeks and hatch chilis, and some linguine tossed with broccoli rabe sautéed in garlic and olive oil.  Cheers!

2021 Nathaniel J. Moore Zweigelt Rosé

Happy Sunday!  It was a more subdued day today as I did some work and finished my laundry before going for a bike ride just before the rain began.  Now I've opened a nice bottle of wine from my recent vacation which included a stop in the Finger Lakes wine region in New York State.  One of the wineries I visited was the Inspire Moore Winery, where I picked up a bottle of this wine.  The 2021 Zweigelt Rosé is bottled under the Nathaniel J. Moore label, which is the namesake of the current winemaker and the second generation of this family owned winery. Nathaniel succeeded his father who unfortunately passed away in 2019 just as Nathaniel graduated from a local Enology & Viticulture program.  

As head winemaker, Nathaniel has continued his father's passion for Austrian varietals, including this wine.  Zweigelt is a cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent, and has become one of the most planted red varietals in Austria.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!  The wins is a bright pink color in the glass, somewhat deeper in color than the typical rosés of the past few years.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of green grass, tart cherry and a bit of minerality.  The first sip is a subdued blend of strawberry, candied cherry and some earthy peat that eases into some notes of cranberry toward the finish.  The tannins are well integrated, providing for a wonderfully crisp dry finish ideal for the closing days of summer.

Beyond the wines, I must admit, I was impressed with the cozy tasting room at the winery in Naples, as I had the chance to enjoy a tasting on the deck overlooking the vineyard, an idyllic place to sip wine!  And when you finish, there is a lovely restaurant next door that has some fantastic lunch fare.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very interesting varietal with a great flavor profile less likely to overwhelm the food you pair it with.  This wine would be wonderful with light summer fare, a variety of seafood and salad.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared, sesame crusted tuna steak, steamed jasmine rice and sugar snap peas.  Cheers!

2019 Forgeron Boushey Vineyard Grenache

Happy Sunday!  Today has been an adventure as I completed the sauce making endeavor by canning 13 quarts of fresh pasta sauce with roasted garlic and peppers, in addition to doing laundry and other sundry chores around the house.  So, I figure I've earned a nice glass of wine, and tonight that wine is the 2019 Forgeron Grenache, a 100% Grenache from the Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley AVA of Washington.  This is Forgeron's second vintage of a pure Grenache (you can see my review of the first vintage here), so let's see how this second effort is tasting!

The wine is a bright ruby color in the glass, with a lighter body, somewhat reminiscent of a Pinot Noir.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of cherry, plum and currant amid floral notes of lavender and a hint of minerality.  The first sip is a rush of ripe berry, that quickly evolves into sweetness and acidity coming to fisticuffs!  As these two settle down, the wine gracefully transitions to some mineral notes midpalate before easing into sweet cherry and white pepper notes on the finish, which is wonderfully smooth and dry.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as I wasn't quite as impressed with this vintage as I was with the inaugural, but it's still a wonderful representation of the varietal.  This wine would pair well with lamb, Yankee pot roast or summer barbecue, which is a good thing given my dinner selection.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with some slow cooked barbecued baby back ribs, corn on the cob and green beans, a perfect end of summer dinner!  Cheers!

2018 Jigar Wines Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  It's been a while since I've posted because I was away on my summer vacation road trip, this time to Maine with stops in the Finger Lakes of New York (stay tuned for a future post!), Vermont and New Hampshire.  And now that I'm back, I just made a giant pot of pasta sauce from a 25-lb box of tomatoes I brought back from the Finger Lakes, which I will be canning tomorrow.  But aside from all this activity today, I've opened a bottle of wine to enjoy before heading to the theatre tonight (man, I do lead a busy life!).  Tonight's wine is a 2018 Jigar Wines Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon that I recently bought from Wines Till Sold Out, a 100% Cabernet from vineyards in eastern Sonoma County.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is an inky black at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  A gentle swirl in the glass reveals aromas of leather, blackberry and dried herbs that bring images of subdued luxury to mind.  The first sip brings a rush of ripe berry flavors, blueberry, blackberry and sweet cherry that ease into some notes of dark chocolate and mocha midpalate.  The tannins are soft but well integrated, providing for a wonderfully smooth dry finish with a reprise of cherry at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a nicely drinking Cabernet that could be an everyday sipper at the value price of just $20.  This wine would pair with a variety of hearty dishes from steaks and roasts, pasta dishes (stay tuned for a sauce update!) or braised short ribs.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled ribeye steak, grilled hatch chilis and leeks, along with some linguine tossed with broccoli rabe sautéed in garlic and olive oil.  Cheers!

2011 Girard Napa Valley Petit Sirah

Happy Cellar Saturday!  It's the first Saturday of a new month and that means it's time to raid the cellar and find a bottle at least a decade in waiting to open and enjoy.  Tonight I've found a bottle that I likely bought while I still lived in Michigan, before they eliminated the requirement to place price tags on all retail products, so even though I can't remember where I bought this wine, I know I paid $26.99 for it!  The 2011 Girard Napa Valley is a big bold wine, as is often the case with this varietal, so let's see how it's tasting!

The wine is a deep, inky black with bright ruby along the edges, still holding up well a dozen years after harvest.  The nose is rich in ripe black fruit, cherry, currant and plum intermingled with some lilac notes intertwined with some charcoal.  The first sip is a rush of black cherry, blueberry and plum that eases into some notes of basalt and mocha midpalate.  The tannins are well structured, providing for a velvety dry finish with a reprise of acidity at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a wonderful example of the hearty wines from this oft overlooked varietal.  This wine would pair well with a variety of steaks, rack of lamb, hearty roast beef or rich braised bison short ribs.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a seared petite prime filet mignon along with some mushroom risotto and roasted baby cauliflower.  Cheers!