2019 DaMa Walla Walla Cabernet Franc

Happy Sunday!  I was in full holiday mode today, watching Christmas movies while writing out cards and wrapping presents, and now it's time to wind down with a little dinner and a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of  2019 DaMa Wines Walla Walla Cabernet Franc.  This wine is a 100% Cabernet Franc from the XL Vineyard in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  I know some of the best Syrah I've tasted came from XL, so hopefully it does as well with Cabernet Franc!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, dark at the center, just as you'd expect. A gentle swirl reveals aromas of Italian herbs, with some spicy pepper and a hint of oregano amid rich notes of ripe black plum.  Take a sip and you're greeted with a rush of black fruit, plum, raspberry and cherry, with an undertone of tawny port, that easily transition to some mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated, providing for a velvety mouthfeel as you ease into the long, smooth dry finish with a bit of mocha at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's one of the better examples of a pure Cabernet Franc that I've tastes.  This wine would pair well with a range of dishes, from steak to lamb, hearty pasta to shepherds pie.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a taste of the Pacific Northwest, as my local market had fresh sockeye salmon on sale, so I've enjoying this wine with a pan seared sockeye filet along with some linguine sautéed in garlic and olive oil and tossed with asparagus and broccoli rabe.  Cheers!

2018 Tenuta Gugi Valpolicella Ripasso

Happy Saturday!  It's been a rather mellow start to the weekend, with running errands and hanging out a bit with some friends, now I'm ready for a warm dinner and a nice glass of wine.  Tonight I've decided to take a bit of a spicy route to my meal, and with that I've opened a bottle of wine I recently bought from Wines Till Sold Out.  The 2018 Tenuta Gugi Valpolicella Ripasso, a wine that offers many of the flavors and boldness of an Amarone without the price.  This wine is a blend of  Corvina (60%), Corvinone (20%), Rondinella (15%) and Oseleta (5%) which undergoes a second fermentation with the Amarone skins (e.g. ripasso!).  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, as you might expect from a nice Amarone.  A gentle swirl in the glass releases aromas of leather, blackberry and Kirsch with undertones of hearty spice.  Take a sip and you are greeted with a rush of earthy mineral notes intermingled with ripe cherry and plum that just engages your palate before transitioning to some cherry cola an peppery spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat sweet with lively structure providing for a wonderfully velvety dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, even though it might benefit from a few more years in the cellar, it was also a solid value at just $14.  This wine would pair with many classic Italian dishes from risotto and pasta to hearty fire grilled steaks with farro.  Tonight I am taking a rather spicy route with this wine as I happened to find some very nice Hungarian hot peppers at my local market which would be great sautéed with onions and Italian sausage, served with a bit of pasta tossed with garlic and olive oil and topped with shredded Parmesan.  Cheers!

2008 Saviez Private Reserve Cabernet Franc

Happy Saturday!  It's the first Saturday in June and that means it's cellar Saturday, that magical time when I open a bottle at least 10 years in the making!  Tonight I've opened a bottle of wine I literally found in my cellar a few weeks ago, as I didn't ever remember buying it!  I have a number of Saviez wines, mostly their Zinfandels, but this is a 2008 Private Reserve Cabernet Franc produced from their estate vineyard in Napa Valley.  I've let this wine get some air for about an hour, and I am a big fan of Cabernet Franc, so let's see what this one has to offer.

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center, with garnet along the edges, very reminiscent of a Cabernet Sauvignon.  The nose is an interesting combination of ripe black fruit, dried Italian spices intermingled with notes of leather and butterscotch.  The taste is remarkably smooth, with lovely cool fruit notes up front, blueberry, cherry and raspberry that dance around some notes of green herbs and rose petals.  The tannins are remarkably vibrant and well structured after a decade, supporting a long, smooth and very dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a fine example of the varietal and it's proven that it's ageworthy.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from steak to barbecued ribs to hearty pasta dishes.  But tonight I am enjoying this wine with some classic tacos, with spicy sauce, tomatoes, avacado, baby greens and sour cream on corn tortillas.  Cheers!

2007 Lena di Mezzo Amarone della Valpolicella

Happy Valentine's Day!  I have to admit that this holiday always reminds me of the wonderful Italian Amarone, a wonderfully robust and intense wine made from the Valpolicella grape, dried on mats and pressed to extract the concentrated juice that becomes a most wonderful wine.  Like a lot of the great Italian wines, I am convinced that they really don't reach their prime until at least a decade after harvest, which is why I'm happy to be opening this 2007 Lena di Mezzo Amarone della Valpolicella.  So let's see how it tastes.

The wine is a beautifully deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose just overflows from the glass, spreading aromas reminiscent of an old Italian kitchen around the room, notes of dried Italian herbs, anise, peppery spice, ripe blackberry and kirsch that just feel classically old world.  The taste is delightfully complex, with a rush of blackberry, prune and kirsch that transitions to some spice notes and tart cherry midpalate.  The finish is just delightful, with structured tannins providing a base for the long, smooth and voluptuous finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's somewhat less fruit forward and sweet than the traditional Amarone, but one which I really enjoy.  This wine would be ideal with a variety of hard cheeses, wild mushroom risotto, or just about any classic Italian dish.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a more simple dinner of fusilli topped with a spicy Italian sausage marinara.  The rich black fruit of the wine is a perfect foil for the spicy sauce.  As one of my favorite TV chefs, Lidia Bastianich would say, tutti a tavola a mangiare!

2015 Gran Passione Veneto Rosso

Happy Wine Wednesday!  When I was growing up, there was no "Wine Wednesday" but Wednesday was well know for something else - in  Chicago, Wednesday was Prince Spaghetti Day!  Although I haven't seen Prince spaghetti in the supermarket in years, I thought it would be fun to relive those old spaghetti Wednesdays, which of course calls for a nice Italian wine to go with it, this being the modern Wine Wednesday!  So tonight I've opened a bottle that I picked up at Costco a few months back, the 2015 Gran Passione Veneto Rosso.  This wine is made with a similar method to Amarone, with sun drying the grapes so the dried raisins ferment and provide a much more concentrated flavor.  So let's see what this one has to offer.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, comparable in color to a nice Merlot.  The nose is vaguely reminiscent of a Valpolicella Ripasso, with leather, ripe black fruit, blackberry, currant and cherry with undertones of dried Italian herbs.  The taste is rich at the outset, with blackberry and cherry rushing to the forefront, only to be displaced by some pleasant earthy notes of tobacco and fig.  The tannins are soft, but still provide nice structure to the very smooth and dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very pleasant drinking Italian wine from the northern part of the country, a nice departure from Tuscany.  This wine was also a terrific value at just $9 at Costco (I should have bought more!) and it would pair well with roasts, game, aged cheeses, or hearty classic Italian dishes.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with not quite Prince spaghetti, but some Barilla linguine along with marinara with some hot Italian sausage.  Cheers!

2010 Tre Nova Nebbaro

Happy Wine Wednesday!  Tonight I've opened a bottle that I found in the cellar, and I have to admit raised more questions than answers!  By all accounts, this wine looks Italian, has a Super Tuscan sort of label, and it's a blend of Italian varietals, but it was from the Columbia Valley of Washington.  I looked further at the label and found it was produced by G. Cuneo, and I remember visiting their tasting room when I was in Walla Walla in 2015, but I don't recall buying this bottle.  In any case, here it is, the 2010 Tre Nova Nebbaro, a blend of Nebbiolo (51%) and Barbera (49%) from the Columbia Valley AVA.  Nebbiolo is the king of Piedmont varietals, from which we get classic Barolo, so let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, somewhat darker than your typical Sangiovese, but just what you'd expect from a Nebbiolo or Barbera.  The nose is a cascade of leather, smoke, dried Italian spices over rich black fruit.  The taste is wonderfully fruit forward, with rich plum, black cherry and cassis amid undertones of dried spice with a hint of mint and licorice.  The tannins are well structured, providing nice backbone for a long, smooth dry finish with just a bit of tartness on the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a lovely example of some old world varietals meets new world creativity.  This wine would pair well with Italian dishes like a wild mushroom risotto, but it would also be great with a variety of steaks and roasts, ideal for winter.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a little offbeat dinner of oven roasted chicken with wild rice and steamed broccoli.  Cheers!

2014 Forgeron Barbera

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a wonderful day today, though a little chilly, but at least it's stopped raining!  So tonight I've decided to open a recent wine club selection from Forgeron, a wonderful producer of some great wines out of Walla Walla.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of the 2014 Columbia Valley Barbera, so let's see what this wine has to offer.

The wine is a deep ruby color, almost inky at the center, very similar to the color on a nice Merlot.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, smoke, graphite and red fruit, raspberries, cherries and currant.  The taste is a lovely rush of cherry cola, blackberry and pipe tobacco that transitions effortlessly to some lovely notes of dark chocolate and dried Italian spices midpalate.  The finish is very smooth, with fine grained tannins supporting a long, dry finish with a reprice of spice at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's one of my favorite vintages of Barbera from Forgeron over the past several years.  This wine would be wonderful with steak, roasts or even barbecue, but in my eyes it practically begs to be paired with classic Italian pasta dishes, so tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a simple linguine with tomato basil marinara topped with shaved Parmesan.  Cheers!

2014 House of Cards Napa Valley Red Wine

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a busy travel week, being in Toronto on Monday and Montreal yesterday, but now I'm home!  I went to the gym after work and now I feel like the entire evening has slipped away, but at least there's wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a recent Costco purchase, the 2014 House of Cards Napa Valley Red Wine, which is so appropriate as lately I feel like my entire life is a house of cards!  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a deep inky purple at the center, more reminiscent of a nice Napa Cabernet as opposed to a blend.  The nose is a pleasant array of leather, smoke, tobacco and dried herbs over some more subtle fruit notes.  The taste is more classic red blend, with some lovely ripe berries at the outset that transition to some wonderful notes of cocoa and Italian spice midpalate.  The finish is very nice, with rather mellow tannins supporting a nice, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a pleasant drinking everyday table wine and a very good value for just $15!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a simple midweek dinner of Kielbasa with kraut and pierogis, a throwback to my childhood on the south side of Chicago, where every grandma force fed you smoked sausage, cured cabbage and giant pasta pockets every Sunday!  Cheers!

2008 Cantina del Grifone 1967 Toscana

Tonight I need to relax!  I've returned to work which is always a challenge after being out for more than a week for the holidays.  Why is it that holidays are always so much work?  I long for the days when I was a kid and it was all waiting, then opening presents, eating till your heart's content and then someone else was there to clean up the mess!  At any rate, tonight I am enjoying a nice little bottle of Tuscan wine that I picked up at Trader Joe's over said holiday break, the 2008 Cantina del Grifone 1967 Toscana, a nice blend of Sangiovese (85%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) and Syrah (5%).

The wine is a very nice, rich ruby color in the glass, exhibiting the proper characteristics of a Sangiovese blend.  The nose just starts speaking Italian to me, scents of anise, oak, and the spice section of my local Italian market (so what would that be, perhaps some oregano, basil, rosemary and thyme?).  The taste is fairly smooth and well balanced, nothing that makes your heart skip a beat, some ripe fruit on the front end, intermingled with some floral notes leading to a hint of tart cherry midpalate, and a smooth dry finish with a bit of cocoa powder.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7, not because it was such a spectacular wine, but because it was just a fantastic value at only $6!  Trader Joe's has a lot of wines in this price range, and I find many of them to be worth considerably less, but this one is a new favorite!  Tonight I am pairing it with a bit of linguine with some homemade red sauce, the perfect accompaniment to a nice value Tuscan red!  Cin cin!