2021 Reininger Carmenere

Happy Saturday!  It's been a relaxing day of running errands, then a bike ride before I finalize my plans for the first day of classes on Monday!  Tonight, I've opened a bottle from one of my favorite Walla Walla producers, Chuck Reininger!  The 2021 Reininger Walla Walla Carmenere is one of the longest production runs of this "lost Bordeaux" varietal, in fact, I think I've reviewed almost every vintage since 2009 (you can peruse them here). Tonight, I've opened a bottle of the 2021 vintage, which is out of order as I've previously reviewed the 2022 vintage and the 2023 vintage, but let's go back in time and see what was going on five years ago!

The wine is a beautiful ruby color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose presents aromas of leather, bright raspberry, green grass and a hint of mocha.  The first sip is a rather tawny affair, with a rush of ripe black fruit that easily transitions into some earthy elements of leather, vanilla bean and black strap molasses.  The tannins are subtle but well structured, providing an ideal base for the long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a wonderful and easy drinking edition of this forgotten varietal.  This wine would pair well with a range of summer casual dinners, from burgers and brats to grilled steaks and barbecue.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with some barbecued ribs, steamed corn on the cob and sriracha cole slaw.  Cheers!

2024 Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet Franc

Happy Saturday!  It rained most of the day, which gave me time to run errands and get ready for dinner.  And now that the sun has returned, I have some time to open a nice bottle of wine and start cooking.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle from a long-time favorite Walla Walla producer, Seven Hills Winery.  The 2024 Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet Franc is a 100% Cabernet Franc sourced from the McClellan Estate Vineyard and the Summit View Vineyard in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  Let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a bright ruby color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose presents aromas of leather, ripe black fruit and mocha, with hints of dusty loam underneath.  The first sip is a rush of ripe blackberry, plum and currant that transition to some earthy notes of green grass and earthy peat midpalate.  The tannins are subdued, but provide a nice foundation for the smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a well constructed wint that would be ideal for late summer cuisine.  This wine would pair well with classic summer disshes from burgers and brats for barbecued ribs and smoked brisket.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a grilled pork tenderloin, hatch chiles and fresh corn on the cob that I picked up from the maaket this morning.  Cheers!

2023 Seven Hills Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  It's been a stressful week, and I am happy to have some time to relax this weekend and what better way to start a weekend than with a nice dinner and glass of wine!  Tonight I have opened a bottle from one of my long-time favorite producers from Walla Walla, Seven Hiss Winery!  The 2023 Seven Hills Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a full Cabernet harvested from the original Seven Hills Vineyard planted by Casey McClellan and his father back in the early 1980s.  Let's see how this latest vintage is treating us!

The wine has the classic look of a nice quality Cabernet, dark at the center and bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, oak and a cascade of ripe cherry and marionberry with undertones of freash herbs and floral notes.  The first sip is a rush or ripe red fruit, cherry, raspberry and marionberry that transitions easily to flavors of mocha, cherry cola and dark chocolate midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated, providing an ideal base for the long, smooth dry finish that will have you reaching for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a classic example of a quality Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine would pair well with a range of summer dishes, from barbecued ribe, burgers and brats to charbroiled steaks or alder planked salmon.  Tonight, I am taking the traditional route and enjoying this wine with a rare grilled porterhouse topped with grilled hatch chiles (yes, it's finally hatch chile season!) and roasted gemstone potatoes.  Cheers!

2024 DaMa Wines Walla Walla Cabernet Franc

Happy Sunday!  It's been a rather relaxing day, though the weather has ranged from heat and humidity to big thunderstorms, but it seems to have calmed just in time for dinner.  And with dinner usually comes a nice bottle of wine, and tonight I have opened a recent wine club selection from DaMa Wines.  The 2024 DaMa Wines Walla Walla Cabernet Franc is sourced entirely from the XL Vineyard in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  So let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of ripe blackberry and cherry intermingled with earthy leather and green grass.  The first sip is a surprising rush of tart cherry and blueberry, which juxtaposes intersterstingly before transitioning to some notes of cardamom and baking spice midpalate. The tannins are supple yet provide a good foundation for the long, smooth dry finish that will have you reaching for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a really interesting take on this often overlooked varietal. This wine would pair well with a range of dishes, from hearty pasta to rack of lamb, summer barbecue to smoked brisket.  Tonight, I am taking a traditional Pacific Northwest tack and enjoying this wine with some crispy skin Scottish black pearl salmon, steamed rice and sugar snap peas.  Cheers!

2024 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Malbec

Happy Saturday!  I had another day full of yard work, similar to what I did two weeks ago, and I must admit I am completely exhausted!  I likely will have a glass of wine and fall asleep on the couch, but at least there is wine! Speaking of which, tonight's wine is from one of my long-time favorite Walla Walla producers, Seven Hills Winery and the 2024 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Malbec.  Let's see how this new vintage is tasting!  

The wine is a deep ruby in the glass, just as you'd expect from a nice Malbec.  A gentle swirl in the glass reveals aromas of leather, blackberry and plum amid hints of peppery spice.  The first sip is a rush of jammy fruit, marionberry, blackberry compote and plum that transitions nicely to some notes of cardamom, pipe tobacco and vanilla bean midpalate.  The tannins are mellow but well structured, prviding a nice foundation for the long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a really pleasant drinking Malbec that could pair with a range of hearty dishes, or just sipping on the patio (which I will not do tonight for fear of dozing off!).  This wine would pair well with brased short ribs, London broil or lamb chops, but tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared New York strip, oven roasted beets and sweet potatos and steamed sugar snap peas.  Cheers!

2020 Stag's Leap Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  With the summer winding down, I've been hard at work getting ready for classes to begin in just a few short weeks.  But there is alsways time for wine and tonight I've opened a wine that has become more of a favorite of mine.  The 2020 Stag's Leap Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon, but likely has some other Bordeaux varietals included in the blend, but unfortunately I could not find a tech sheet at the winery website, so we'll just go with it!

The wine is a classic inky black at the center with ruby edges, just as you'd expect from a nice Napa Cabernet.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, green grass, lavender and a hint of oak.  The first sip is an explosion of ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum that transitions easily to some notes of vanilla and clove midpalate.  The tannins are well structured, providing an ideal backbone for the exceptionally long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just an ideal example of a fine Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine would pair well with braised short ribs, rack of lamb or hearty pasta, but what it really needs is a big steak.  And I'm in luck, as tonight I am enjoying this wine with a thick bone-in ribeye, grilled rare and topped with garlic scapes, along with roasted beets and carrots.  Cheers!

2023 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Franc

Happy Sunday!  It was a rather mellow day here, so I took the opportunity to cut the grass and do some laundry before the new work week begins.  And now after a bike ride, it's time for dinner and a glass of wine.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from Woodward Canyon.  The 2023 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Franc is a 100% Cabernet Franc from the Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  Let's see how this wine is shaping up!

The wine is a deep ruby color, with an inky black center, of a similar characteristic to a Cabernet Sauvignon.  A gentle swirl and the nose reveals aromas of blackberry, currant and peppery spice, amid hints of lavender.  The first sip is a rush of cherry cola that eases into some ripe black fruit and dark chocolate midpalate, before heading into some pronounced acidity and oak at the finish.  The tannins are very well structured, allowing for the velvety smooth and lingering dry finish that will last until your next sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's really a nice example of the potential of a common blending varietal.  This wine is ideal for summer and would pair with a range of dishes, from burgers and brats to barbecue and tacos.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a classic summer patio dinner of barbecued beef ribs, corn on the cob and sriracha slaw.  Cheers!

2006 Saviez Napa Valley Zinfandel

Happy Cellar Saturday!  It's the first Saturday of the month, so it's time to raid the cellar for a bottle at least a decade in the making.  Today, I found a bottle that's two decades old, the 2006 Saviez Napa Valley Zinfandel.  This wine may have moved well past its prime, as the varietal is not one known for aging, but at least we can taste it and scientifically evaluate whether my instinct on aged Zins is true!

The wine is adeep ruby in the glass with just a hint of amber along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather and prune, with some undertones of floral notes, violet and lilac.  The first sip is a rush of black fruit that is surprisingly fresh before transitioning to some earty peat and mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat tired, but there was a bit of acidity on the rather smooth and dey finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a 7.5, as it's just well past its prime and was a rather lackluster wine to sip on a rainy Saturday.  I won't bother with pairing suggestions, but would note that I am enjoying this wine with some pappardelle with braised oxtail ragu, which is a classic pairing for a more typically fruit-forward Zindandel.  Cheers!