2021 Seven Hills Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  It was a stormy day here today, so I mostly stayed inside and did laundry and a few other chores around the house and now I'm ready for a nice dinner and a glass of wine.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle from one of my long-time favorite Walla Walla producers, Seven Hills Winery.  The 2021 Seven Hills Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the old vines of the original Seven Hills Vineyard planted by founder Casey McClellan and his father back in the 1980s.  Let's see how this wine is shaping up!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with great clarity, just as you'd expect from a nice Cabernet.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of sweet blackberry, currant, spice box and a hint of floral.  The first sip is a surprising rush of tawny earthiness, with notes of leather, peat and cedar, that easily transition to some notes of white pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are chewy and coat your mouth as you head for a delightfully long, dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a wonderful wine, but just not quite up to the level of the 2020 vintage.  This wine would pair well with a range of hearty dished, from classic grilled steaks to seared lamb chops, braised short ribs to wild mushroom risotto.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with an Angus ribeye grilled rare with grilled leeks and broccolini, along with a big baked potato with sour cream and chives.  Cheers!

2020 Forgeron Sagemoor Vineyard Barbera

Well, it's Taco Tuesday, and I thought a nice Barbera would be a good wine for this evening.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of 2020 Forgeron Barbera, a 100% Barbera sourced from the Sagemoor Vineyard in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington.  I have enjoyed Forgeron's Barbera for a long time, from the 2008 Vintage all the way to the 2021 vintage though to be fair, although I went out of order (not the first time) the '21 vintage was not sourced solely from a single vineyard.  Let's see how this wine is tasting nearly five years on!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity, the perfect weight for the varietal.  The nose presents a lovely homage with the wines of northern Italy, with aromas of leather, ripe cherry, pipe tobacco and dried herbs.  The first sip is a rush of tart cherry that quickly gives way to some boysenberry and some bright acidity before transitioning to some earthy notes of toasted oak and peppery spice midpalate.  The tannins are supple and subservient to the acidity on this rather abrupt but very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a pleasant drinking, food friendly wine that is comfortable in a supporting role.  This wine would pair well with a variety of pasta dishes, summer barbecue, tacos or steak.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with may classic Taco Tuesday dinner, with chorizo and steak tacos and all the toppings, especially some fresh jalapenos.  Cheers!

2019 Forgeron Anvil "The Minnick" Proprietary Blend

Sunday has been a rather relaxing day, I did a couple loads of laundry and now I am having an early dinner before heading out to an audition at my local community theatre.  For no reason other than it's been sitting on my counter for months or maybe years, tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2019 Forgeron Anvil "The Minnick" Proprietary Blend.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, meant to pay homage to the classic Bordeaux-style blends, so prevalent in the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington.  Let's see how this one is tasting.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, a testament to the influence of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the blend.  The nose presents aromas of black raspberry, currant and cherry with undertones of eucalyptus and hints of floral.  The first sip is a surprising rush of tawny black fruit, intermingled with hints of forest floor and white pepper spice, before easing into some hints of vanilla bean midpalate.  The fine grain tannins present the ideal structure for the velvety smooth dry finish that seems to linger for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, having enjoyed the vintages going back to 2017, this is a perennial favorite for Walla Walla blends.  This wine would pair well with a range of dishes, from hearty pasta to lamb, steaks to barbecue.  Tonight, I am going a bit off the beaten path and enjoying this wine with some herb crusted cod and bucatini tossed with asparagus and broccoli rabe sautéed in garlic and olive oil.  Cheers!

2020 Reininger Walla Walla Malbec

Happy Sunday!  I have been making a regular habit, for the past two weeks at least, of making classic pot roast for comfort food Sunday dinner.  Last week it was a bison chuck roast, and this week it's a beef round roast.  So, choosing a wine is fairly straightforward, it should be red, but then the nuance kicks in.  Should I go with a big Cab? A subdued Merlot?  A Bordeaux?  Well, if you haven't already looked at the title of this post, I settled on a 2020 Reininger Walla Walla Malbec!  This wine is Malbec (98%) with a but if Cabernet Sauvignon (2%) sourced from the Pepper Bridge (49%), Stone Valley (49%) and Seven Hills (2%) Vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  Let's see how I did choosing a Malbec with beef!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect from the varietal.  The nose presents aromas of leather, violet, blackberry and just a hint of anise, opening up to invite you to an exotic dance of flavors.  The first sip is a cascade of ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and currant that is at first a bit sweet, before turning a bit tawny with other earthy notes. The tannins are well integrated, providing just the right amount of structure to the wine and its long, smooth dry finish with just a bit of acidity at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very solid effort for a varietal that can be hard to get right.  This wine would pair with about any beef imaginable, as I just picture this wine going so well with the endless train of beef served by the gauchos and a Brazilian steakhouse.  As you likely guessed, tonigth I am enjoying this wine with my Sunday comfort food dinner of bacon lattice wrapped beef round roast, with carrots, celery and pearl onions and a heap of mashed potatoes and gravy.  Cheers!

2023 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Malbec

Happy Saturday!  It was a long week, and it's not even over yet!  At least I got to sleep in today before working some more, but now it's time for a relaxing dinner and a nice bottle of wine before the time change which will have me groggy for the next week.  Tonight I've opened a bottle from a wine club shipment from Seven Hills Winery that I got yesterday.  The 2023 Seven Hills Walla Walla Malbec is sourced from fruit grown on the McClellan Estate Vineyard in Walla Walla, so let's see how this wine is starting out!

The wine has a dark center and bright ruby along the edges, just as you'd expect for a classic Malbec.  The nose presents a an intriguing combination of smoke, blackberry and leather, with undertones of earthy peat.  The first sip is jarring rush of tart cherry that eventually subsides, evolving into some notes of blackberry, olive tapenade and dried herbs midpalate.  The tannins are well structured, providing for a long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a wonderfully drinking Malbec, but is still quite young.  I expect this wine will age gracefully and be quite a stunner with a few years in the cellar.  This wine would pair well with a variety of dishes, from hearty pasta, lamb or Sunday pot roast, but like any great Malbec, this wine yearns for a nice steak.  We wouldn't you know it, tonight I just to happen to have a pan seared Za'atar seasoned New York Strip over sautéed onions, peppers and mushrooms with some steamed asparagus with hollandaise.  Cheers!

2020 Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  It was a rather relaxing but productive day for me, doing some work, chores and getting to the gym, so I figure I deserve to open a really good bottle of wine, so tonight I've opened a bottle of 2020 Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon!  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (89%), Merlot (6%), Malbec (3%) and Petit Verdot (2%) sourced from the McQueen, LeFore, Bob Healy, Figgins, Flying B, Loess Vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  I've reviewed this wine since the 2011 Vintage (you can see the posts here), so let's see how this vintage is shaping up!

The wine is a deep inky black at the center, with bright garnet along the edges, just what you'd like to see in a high-end Cabernet.  The nose exudes notes of leather, subtle floral notes under black fruit that hearken back to an eighteenth century library.  The first sip is a subdued combination of black raspberry, cherry and plum amid toasted oak, that transitions to notes of vanilla and baking spice.  This wine has such a velvety mouthfeel it's ridiculous, as the rich tannins provide for a voluptuous dry finish that will have you reaching for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as it's just a spectacular Cabernet from a somewhat challenging vintage.  This wine would pair well with a range of dishes, from rack of lamb to braised short ribs, wild mushroom risotto to thick steaks.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with my Sunday dinner of pan seared New York strip, steamed asparagus with hollandaise and a baked potato with sour cream and chives.  Cheers!

2015 Chateau Grand Tayac Margaux

Happy Cellar Saturday!  It's the magical first Saturday of a new month, the time where I raid the cellar for something at least a decade in the making to share.  Tonight, I've waited so long for a nice Margaux to get to 10 years, so I've opened a bottle of 2015 Chateau Grand Tayac Margaux.  This wine hasn't been in the cellar for a full decade, but it's pretty close, as I know I bought it at least 6 years ago..  In any case, this is a classic Bordeaux composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (27%) and as my high school French guided me, "le reste en Petit Verdot" (3%). I have reviewed other vintages of Margaux from this Chateau, including the 2009 Vintage and the 2011 vintage, so, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The nose presents a classic French Bordeaux profile, leather, earthy peat, lilacs and roasted game.  Take a sip and and your palate is awash in black cherry, mulberry and blackberry, before transitioning to some dusty limestone  and vanilla bean midpalate.  The tannins still stand at attention a decade in, a testament to the classic Bordeaux structure, providing for a bone dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a classic example of a true Bordeaux that takes you back to a sidewalk café in Paris.  This wine would pair well with a variety of dishes, from a classic onion soup, to braised lamb shank, to classic steaks and chops.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared New York strip over some sautéed onions and mushrooms, mashed potatoes and gravy, and oven roasted broccoli rabe.  Cheers!