2019 La Pruina Primitivo di Manduria

Happy Sunday!  I've had a rather relaxing day compared to last Sunday when I was flying across country.  So I've opened a nice bottle of Italian wine to enjoy with my dinner, the 2019 La Pruina Primitivo di Manduria.  I recently bought this bottle from Wines Till Sold Out, and I thought the description was intriguing.  Primitivo is the most famous and popular wine from the Puglia region of Italy, the "heel" of Italy, and this wine comes from Manduria, where the red soil of Taranto creates wines that have more acidity and earthy character.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, with nice clarity.  A gentle swirl in the glass releases the classic earthy aromas of leather, tobacco and peppery spice intermingled with ripe black fruit.  The first sip reveals a rush of blackberry, currant and plum that transition easily to some smoky spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat subdued, but strong enough to balance the classic acidity the region is known for.  The finish is dry but juicy, making for a very food friendly wine.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a versatile wine that is also a bargain at just $15.  As mentioned, this wine is versatile when it comes to pairing, as you could enjoy it with mussels as they do in Taranto, or perhaps with some classic barbecue or pizza for an easy weeknight dinner.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some chicken and vegetables that I've cooked in some Tikka Masala simmer sauce I picked up at Costco, over some steamed basmati rice.  Cheers!

2016 Forgeron Primitivo

Happy Friday!  It's been a busy week and I finished work a bit early today, only to do more work in the yard to prepare for a cookout I'm hosting tomorrow.  It seems my labor never ends!  At least tonight as I am cooking some food ahead for tomorrow, I can enjoy a nice glass of wine and a decent dinner.  Tonight I've opened a recent wine club shipment from Forgeron Cellars, the 2016 Primitivo, from the Stone Tree Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope AVA of Washington.  So let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a wonderful bright ruby color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose is a cascade of black tea, dried herbs and notes of red berries overlaid with some earthy notes of leather and graphite.  The taste is a rush of ripe red berries, strawberry, raspberry, currant and cherry that subside to usher in some notes of cherry cola and dark chocolate midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with well structured tannins supporting a long, smooth and dry finish, that still features a mild reprise of red berry jam.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a very pleasant, easy drinking wine that I could easily sip on a summer evening like tonight!  This wine would pair very well with Italian pasta dishes, particularly with an spicy red sauce, but tonight I've taken a different route.  I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared halibut filet that I picked up yesterday at Costco, along with some farro with porcini mushrooms and oven roasted root vegetables.  Cheers!

2015 Forgeron Cellars Primitivo

Happy Wine Wednesday!  Not only is it Wine Wednesday, it's also March 14th, or "Pi Day" which means you can easily guess what's for dessert tonight. But before we get there, I've decided to open a bottle of my recent wine club shipment from Forgeron Cellars, the 2015 Primitivo, from the Stone Tree Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope AVA.  I am a big fan of Marie Eve's efforts in Primitivo especially, so let's see how this year's vintage stacks up!

The wine is a deep inky color in the glass and the nose presents some striking aromas of blackberry, plum and currant with earthy notes of leather and violets intermingled throughout.  The taste is a wonderfully expressive combination of black fruit up front that gently transitions to some hearty dark chocolate and spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are remarkably smooth and well structured, providing for a velvety, long and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as I think it's a fine expression of the varietal and the terroir of the Wahluke Slope.  This wine strikes me as incredibly versatile as I could easily enjoy it with anything from tacos to pizza to steaks and classic Italian dishes.  But tonight I am once again taking the road less traveled and enjoying this with some maple glazed steelhead, roasted garlic and pecan rice and steamed asparagus.  And of course, a slice of blueberry pie for dessert!  Cheers!

2014 Forgeron Primitivo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  I'm not sure I've ever posted on this most famous Mexican holiday, so here goes nothing!  Tonight I've decided to open a wine that I really liked when it came to the 2013 Vintage (see here) and since the 2014 recently arrived in a wine club shipment I couldn't wait to try it, the 2014 Forgeron Primitivo.  The wine is primary Primitivo (92%) from the Stone Tree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, but this year, they added a bit of Zinfandel (8%) from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA to mellow the wine a bit, so let's see how this vintage stacks up!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, blackberry and anise, soft and velvety.  The taste is a rush of rich black fruit up front, blackberry, black cherry and plum that transition nicely to some notes of black pepper spice and a reprise of anise midpalate.  The finish is quite smooth and luxurious, the tannins are rounded making for a less abrupt finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a great effort, but I have to admit I really enjoyed the 2013 vintage more.  This wine would pair well with a nice spicy pasta or pizza, but since it's a Mexican holiday, I'm enjoying it tonight with some wonderful tacos filled with pork chorizo and refried beans, topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and chipotle pepper sauce, the wine complements the spiciness so well!  Cheers!

2013 Farmers of Wine Italian Red Blend

So today was interesting for a variety of reasons.  I went to Illinois this morning to visit with my uncle who is undergoing rehab for a stroke, then I went to his house to pick up a few things for him and take some photos of his old pickup truck that I am contemplating restoring.  By the time I was ready to come home, I stopped at a beer and wine store in Beecher, Illinois called "Tubby's" how could I resist a name like that?  They had a decent selection of wine for a town of 4,200 residents, but one bottle caught my eye, the 2013 Farmers of Wine Italian Red Blend.  Now I'm a sucker for interesting packaging and since this was a farm town and the wine was presented as though it was in a burlap feed sack, I had to buy a bottle!  It was only $10, so let's see what it has to offer!

The wine is a nice ruby color in the glass with great clarity, similar to a lot of Tuscan blends.  The nose presents aromas of cedar, black fruit, anise and graphite.  The taste is very nice, with a rush of ripe black fruit up front that transitions to some wonderful mineral notes and peppery spice midpalate.  The finish is exceptional, with firm tannins at the base and a hint of sweet fruit for the long, voluptuous dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.  As I reviewed their website (http://www.farmersofwine.com/) I learned that this wine is a blend of Primitivo and Negroamaro from Puglia, which all makes sense now!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a pleasant drinking wine and a great value.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled Hereford New York Strip, with some steamed broccoli and a baked potato.  This would be great with a variety of Italian dishes as well, or just sipping on the patio which I intend to do later.  Salut!

2013 Forgeron Zinfandel

Oh happy Monday!  I just returned from the gym and now I'm ready for a glass of wine before dinner.  Tonight I've decided to help celebrate Washington Wine Month with a bottle of 2013 Forgeron Zinfandel (and you know how I love a good Zin!).  This wine is a blend of Zinfandel from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills (83%) and Primitivo from the Stone Tree Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope.  So let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is a deep ruby in the glass, with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of cedar, anise, clove and allspice with an underlying layer of black fruit.  The taste is lovely, with a rush of ripe fruit up front, plum, blackberry and cassis, that transition nicely to some mineral and spice notes intermingles with cocoa powder midpalate.  The finish is quite rustic, with supple tannins supporting a long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.  This is way beyond the fruit bomb style of many Zinfandels, this one is well structured and well thought out in blending.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's one of my all-time favorite Zinfandels from the Columbia Valley.  Although I'm enjoying this wine with leftovers tonight, it would pair very nicely with a variety of easy favorites, from grilled steak to pizza to barbecued ribs.  Cheers!

2013 Forgeron Primitivo

Well happy Saturday!  It's been snowing off and on all day here in northern Indiana, but at least that's a good excuse for cooking indoors and enjoying a nice glass of wine.  Tonight I've opened a new bottle that just arrived last week from my wine club shipment at Forgeron Cellars, the 2013 Forgeron Primitivo.  Now you know how much I enjoy a good Zinfandel, and I have similar feelings about Primitivo, which shouldn't be surprising since they are so closely related, but I still feel that Primitivo is just a bit more elevated.  So let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a beautiful deep ruby color in the glass, with an almost black inky color at the center.  The nose offers stunning aromas of leather, black cherry. anise and just a hint of lilac.  The taste is just lovely, with a subdued bit of candied black fruit up front that transitions effortlessly to some warm spice notes of white pepper and tarragon midpalate.  The finish is warm and supple, as the firm yet well integrated tannins set up the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as it's one of the best Washington wine's I've had in quite some time.  It would be perfect with any number of dishes, from a nice steak to a rich Italian pasta to barbecue.  But tonight, like always. I am going against the current, enjoying this lovely wine with some king crab legs, roasted potatoes with parmesan and asiago, and some steamed asparagus.  The warm spice is just the perfect foil to the richness of crab, cheers!

2012 Ryan Patrick Vineyards Rock Island Red

It's time for Sunday dinner, perhaps my favorite meal of the week and of course that means I need to open a nice bottle of wine to enjoy with the meal I've worked so hard to make!  Tonight it's the 2012 Ryan Patrick Vineyards Rock Island Red from the Wahluke Slope of the Columbia Valley AVA.  This blend is a nice combination of Merlot (58%), Syrah (36%), Petite Sirah (5%) and Primitivo (1%).  I've reviewed the 2010 vintage earlier this year, and you can compare notes here.

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of rich black fruit, blackberries, plum and black cherry with a bit of oak intermixed.  The taste isn't nearly as fruit forward as the nose would suggest, with lovely flavors of dark cherry and cassis that give way to some notes of cocoa and baking spice midpalate.  The supple tannins provide the most ideal backbone for the earthy flavors that grace the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it has great structure and is drinking quite well even at this early age.  It was also a good value at about $20.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic Pacific Northwest summer meal of cedar planked wild Alaskan sockeye from the Copper River along with some grilled golden beets and heirloom carrots and some pesto linguine.  Cheers!

Forgeron Walldeaux Smithie

So I have arrived safe and sound from my grand adventure to the west!  I traveled from my home in Michigan to Missouri, then across the Oregon Trail (in general terms) to Pendleton, Oregon and Walla Walla, Washington, home to some of the most wonderful wines around today in my opinion.  Of course I stopped for wine all along the way, so we will have much to discuss over the coming months as we explore wines ranging from the classics of the Columbia Valley, to the emerging Snake River Valley of Idaho, even to the unusual Norton grapes of Missouri.  But enough forward-looking thoughts, let's get down to tonight's wine!

Forgeron Cellars was the third winery I visited on my day of tasting around Walla Walla, and it was a very nice surprise.  Marie-Eve Gilla is the part owner and winemaker at Forgeron, and she employs her background in French wines to make complex, food-friendly wines that really exemplify the wine potential of Washington state.  Using grapes sourced not only from the Walla Walla Valley, but also from the Columbia and Yakima Valleys, she crafts some wonderful wines that really reflect the tradition of Bordeaux style blends that made Walla Walla famous, but she also employs grape varieties like Barbera and Primitivo that many others have yet to try.

The Walldeaux Smithie is the non-vintage, everyday red blend offered by Forgeron, and what makes this wine interesting is that it is not only a blend of different grape varieties, but also different vintages (in this case 2007, 2008 an 2009) to provide a most interesting everyday table wine.  This current release is a blend of Merlot (25%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Syrah (16%), Zinfandel (16%), Petit Verdot (8%), Cabernet Franc (4%), Primitivo (4%) and Pinot Noir (2%), so you can see this is just about a kitchen sink sort of blend!  The color in the glass is a deep ruby, and the nose carries aromas of leather, licorice, cherry that are practically begging you to take a deep sip!  The wine itself is very fruit forward, with rich bright flavors of red berry, which gives way to notes of spice and fresh herbs midpalate, while the nicely structured tannins lend a smooth, dry finish. 

This is the perfect sort of wine to enjoy with a meal, or simply enjoy on a summer evening as I'm doing tonight.  Of course these are food friendly wines, so I'm also having a glass with my dinner of wasabi marinaded grilled pork tenderloin and steamed asparagus, as the spice of the wasabi plays well against the fruit of the wine.  Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, a wonderful everyday wine for $18 (since I bought it from the winery, I'm not sure how widely available it is outside the Northwest, but you can order it here: http://forgeroncellars.com/wines/walldeaux-smithie). Santé!

2006 D-Cubed Primitivo

What a beautiful evening!  The sun is shining, it's perhaps 75 degrees, and an ideal evening for a glass of wine on the patio before dinner.  Tonight I'm enjoying a wine that accentuates the feel of a late summer evening, the 2006 D-Cubed Primitivo from Napa Valley.

For those of you unfamiliar with Primitivo, it's a close cousin to Zinfandel (and what great Zins come from Sonoma!), and in fact DNA testing has shown that it's nearly identical to Zinfandel grapes.  The Primitivo is commonly grown in the "heel" of Italy, producing wonderful wines with bountiful fruit, and a somewhat higher alcohol content.  Now, in the mid-19th century, the Primitivo grape was brought to California where it took on the "Zinfandel" name, and today produces a great red wine, along with it blush sister, the White Zinfandel which is quite popular in the United States, though I couldn't begin to tell you why!

The D-Cubed Primitivo has a nose full of fruit, and a quick whiff will surely tell you this is a more fruit-forward red than many of the dry Bordeaux style blends.  You can smell hints of blackberry and cherry, which a bit of woody earthiness.  The taste is wonderfully loaded with fruit, so much that it almost makes you think it's sweeter than it is.  As it hits the back of your mouth, you get a great hint of spice and cedar before a clean smooth finish.  This wine would be great as a later dinner pairing with a cheese plate, particularly with some stronger cheeses (tonight I enjoyed it with a little aged swiss).  I got this one as a Wines Till Sold Out Cheapskate Wednesday selection, and I really enjoyed it.  I would rate this one a solid 8.5, particularly given the wonderful price of only $13!