2019 Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  This morning started out busy as a group of us met at church to prep for cooking Easter breakfast for 85 members of the choir and worship team, so after that things were much more relaxed.  I did a bit of yard work, bought some groceries and now I'm ready for a relaxing dinner.  To accompany that, I've opened a bottle of wine from one of the first wineries I every visited in Walla Walla, Woodward Canyon, and this from their second label.  The 2019 Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of  Cabernet Sauvignon(76%), Merlot (14%), Petit Verdot (7%), Malbec (2%) and Cabernet Franc (1%) sourced from the Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard, Champoux, Sagemoor, Weinbau and Wallula Vinyards.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep inky black at the center with bright garnet along the edges, as you might expect from a nice Cabernet.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of ripe black fruit, vanilla bean, tobacco and a bit of earthy graphite.  The first sip opens the curtain on the complexity of this wine, as you are at first greeted with some ripe blackberry, cherry and plum, before transitioning to some earthy mineral notes and subdued spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are expertly structured to create a very old world mouthfeel and profile, supporting a long, smooth dry finish that lingers on the palate.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it punches way above its weight class for a $25 everyday wine.  This wine would pair well with steaks, lamb or barbecue, but would also be an ideal weeknight sipper.  The winery suggests pairing this wine with a French brasserie style onglet steak au poivre, so I am taking a somewhat tangential tack and enjoying this with a classic steak and tots for dinner, a rare grilled bone-in Angus ribeye along with some tater tots and maple bacon roasted giant Brussels sprouts that were on sale at my local market today.  Cheers!

2018 Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon

Thank heavens it's Friday!  It's been a long week and I am surely ready for a break.  Between work and rehearsals for an upcoming community theatre production I'm in, it seems like I was up at 5:30 each morning and then running non-stop until 11 pm!  But, no rehearsal tonight so I get to enjoy a bottle of wine and a dinner that does not consist of quickly reheated leftovers.  So, with that in mind, I've opened a bottle of 2018 Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon, a second label Columbia Valley Cabernet produced by Woodward Canyon Winery, a winery that I first visited over 20 years ago!  Let's see how this wine is shaping up.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, just as you might expect from a mellow Columbia Valley Cabernet.  A gentle swirl releases aromas of ripe black plum, currant and cherry, intermingled with notes of black pepper spice and a bit of green cedar.  A first sip reveals a rush of black fruit, dried herbs and a hint of leather, that just has a wonderfully velvety mouthfeel.  Midpalate provides a bit of vanilla bean wrapping up with some black pepper spice on the finish.  The tannins are well structured and approachable, for a lovely dry finish that will have you soon reaching for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a solid everyday Cabernet at a value price of just $25.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty, winter comfort dishes, from braised short ribs to hearty pasta, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a mid-rare grilled bison New York strip along with some oven roasted potatoes and beets, and asparagus with hollandaise.  Cheers!

2017 Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  It's been raining most of the day, so I've just been taking it easy, at least until the sun came out for a while and I decided to go for a bike ride, at which point it started to rain again, but now I'm home and ready for Sunday dinner and wine.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of wine I ordered over the summer, but due to heat restrictions on ground shipping, I had them hold it until it was safe to ship and so it arrived last week.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2017 Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the second label from Woodward Canyon Winery in Lowden, Washington.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), Cabernet Franc (19%), Petit Verdot (2%), Mourvèdre (1%), Merlot (1%) and Dolcetto (1%) from the Champoux, Spring Creek and Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyards.  So let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, with a modestly dark center.  The nose is a cluster of cherry, currant and earthy aromas of graphite and tobacco, with undertones of pleasant spice.  The taste is a rush of cool fruit, cherry, blackberry and currant that envelop the palate before transitioning to some notes of olive and black pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are quite smooth for such a young wine, providing for a velvety dry finish with just a bit of sharpness on the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a pleasant drinking Cabernet at a very approachable price of just $25.  This wine would pair very well with a variety of grilled dishes, from steaks and lamb chops to weeknight pizza or pasta dinners.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a USDA Prime ribeye, grilled rare, with some grilled leeks, bacon roasted Brussels sprouts and a baked potato with sour cream and chives.  Cheers! 

2012 Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon

It's Friday night, I left the office at a reasonable time, went to the gym and now I'm ready to relax!  So what better way to relax than opening a bottle of wine and sipping it on the deck as the sun dips below the horizon?  For tonight, I've decided to pair my relaxation with a bottle of 2012 Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon, the Columbia Valley Cabernet from the second label at Woodward Canyon.  The wine itself is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (78%), Syrah (12%), Merlot (4%), Cabernet Franc (2%), Barbera (2%) and Petit Verdot (2%).

The color of the wine is classic Columbia Valley Cabernet, deep, inky purple with bright ruby edges.  The nose is a burst of sweet red fruit aromas, currant, cherry and a bit of spice over the top.  The taste is really a pleasure to drink, with a bit of dark fruit up front, blackberry, plum and raisin that transitions to some spice notes midpalate, black pepper, baking spice and a bit of tart cherry.  The tannins are somewhat supple, providing for a nice smooth, very dry finish.  A perfect wine to sip on a summer evening!

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a wonderful Cabernet and at a very reasonable price, as this wine is just $25, much less than the flagship Woodward Canyon Cabernet.  Tonight of all things I am pairing this with a classic midwest dinner of tuna casserole!  See it's not all glamour around my house, besides sometimes you just need a great wine to elevate the food you pair it with!  Cheers!

2012 Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, it finally feels like spring, even though I woke up to a covering of an inch of snow last week, today it's sunny and warm and I feel like grilling a steak!  And what's better with steak than a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon?  That was a rhetorical question, as tonight I've opened up a bottle of 2012 Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the second label from Woodward Canyon winery in Lowden, Washington.  Now Woodward Canyon makes some truly beautiful wines, like their Artist Series Cabernet, which I've enjoyed from Walla Walla to Tampa Bay, but thankfully they also produce great wine under their more affordable Nelms Road label, so I can enjoy a bottle with less financial guilt!

The color of this wine is a gorgeous ruby red with a lovely brightness along the edges.  The nose is sublime, with notes of ripe dark fruit throughout, blackberries and currant over hints of dark chocolate and cherry cola.  The taste is wonderful, warm and bright, it almost feels like your tasting a late summer day just before harvest.  The lovely berry fruit lingers through the midpalate until you begin to taste some coarse minerality of dusty limestone.  The finish is long and lush, as the elegantly structured tannins provide a foundation for a finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a great everyday drinking Cabernet at a price that makes it affordable for everyday.  The regular price is $25, but since I ordered this with a case I received an extra 10% discount, so I'd be hard pressed to find a nicer Cabernet for only $22.50!  Tonight I'll be enjoying this wine with a lovely rare grilled ribeye, along with some oven roasted red potatoes and some grilled leeks, baby candy stripe beets and asparagus.  The wine will be perfect with a nicely charred steak, but first, I think I might enjoy the early evening on the patio finishing this glass!