2018 Ratified & Repealed California Red Wine

Happy Independence Day!  Let me first say, as you may already know, I am a sucker for interesting packaging, particularly when it involves art deco styling, which leads me to tonight's wine.  The 2018 Ratified & Repealed California Red Wine checks all the boxes, with a bottle reminiscent of a liquor bottle along with art deco lettering and design.  I picked this wine up at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago, and I don't recall that it was expensive, so let's hope the wine is as attractive as the bottle!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  A swirl of the glass reveals aromas of blackberry, currant and hints of graphite.  A sip reveals a rush of ripe fruit, black currant, cherry and plum that transition to some notes of warm spice and vanilla bean midpalate.  The tannins are well structured, providing for a smooth dry finish with a good bit of acidity at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very pleasant drinking red wine that would pair well with a range of weeknight dinners, or just sipping on the patio with friends.   This wine would be wonderful with grilled steaks, barbecue or tacos, or even a weeknight burger.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with my 4th of July dinner of a prime tomahawk ribeye grilled Pittsburgh rare along with some grilled garlic scapes, broccoli rabe and corn on the cob.  Cheers!

2019 Caves du Fournalet Côtes du Rhône

Happy Sunday!  Tonight I am going to prove the inherent wisdom of P. T. Barnum, as the wine I've selected this evening was one that I bought completely based on the packaging, the only question remaining is whether I was a sucker!  So, let's try to answer that question.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2019 Caves du Fournalet Côtes du Rhône which I recently picked up at Trader Joe's mainly because it has a very interesting bottle, and after all, it was only $7, so what could go wrong?  I like Rhône varietals, so this could be a hidden gem!

The wine is a lighter body, with great clarity and a bright ruby color as you might expect from a Rhône wine.  The nose is rather subdued, with some aromas of blueberry, tart cherry and hints of tarragon.  The taste is very fruit forward with notes of sweet cherry, blueberry and cassis, that transitions to some notes of peppery spice midpalate.  The tannins are soft, but still supportive of a nice, dry finish that's a bit abrupt.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7, it's nothing spectacular, but it was certainly a value and a classic pizza and burger wine, as you wouldn't feel bad opening this one for a casual dinner.  This wine would also pair well with some lamb and pasta dishes too, which comes in handy since I'm enjoying this wine tonight with some grilled lamb loin chops along with mashed potatoes and grilled purple cauliflower.  So, was I a sucker?  Cheers!

2018 Daou Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  It's been a long couple weeks off, and tomorrow I am back to work, so why not enjoy one last nice bottle of wine before then?  Tonight I've opened a bottle that I recently purchased from Trader Joe's, the 2018 Daou Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles.  I've not tried any of the wines from Daou before, but I have heard some good things, so I couldn't pass up buying a bottle when I saw it at Trader Joes.  So, let's see how this wine tastes.  

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, just as you might expect from a big Cabernet.  A cascade of black currant, cherry and plum invigorates your nose with the first whiff, along with a bit of leather and some light notes of lavender.  The taste is classic Cabernet, but not the big, punch in the face Cabernet you'd expect from Napa, but this one is delightfully fruit forward, with blackberry and currant throughout, with a bit of black pepper spice and eucalyptus midpalate.  The tannins are smooth and very well integrated for a lingering dry finish, with a good bit of acidity at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a really nice example of the varietal that highlights the interesting fruit and terroir of Paso Robles.  This wine was also a good value at just $25 at Trader Joe's.  This wine would pair well with a lot of hearty, classic dishes, from steaks and chops to prime rib and hearty pasta dishes.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a prime, bone in ribeye grilled rare, along with a baked potato and some bacon roasted Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2005 Gaetano D'Aquino Brunello di Montalcino

It's the first Saturday of June and of course that means it's Cellar Saturday, that wonderful day when we open a wine that's been maturing in the cellar just for the enjoyment of it!  Tonight, I've opened a decade old wine, though it has only been in my cellar for a few weeks and honestly despite it's age, it's still pretty young for a Brunello!  Of course I am talking about the 2005 Gaetano D'Aquino Brunello di Montalcino, a bottle I recently picked up at Trader Joe's of all places!

The wine is a nice garnet color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose is classic Brunello, with aromas of leather, anise, oak, spice and a hint of vanilla.  The taste is warm at the outset, with mild flavors of blackberry and plum that give way to some tart cherry and black pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat mellow as the acidity provides some nice balance for the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's a nice bottle but certainly not a Brunello that will wow you.  Of course it was also a bargain at Trader Joe's for just $20, so what more could you ask for?  Tonight I am pairing this wine with a rather non-traditional dinner to go with Sangiovese based wine, I'm having some grilled root beer brats on pretzel buns with mustard and pickled red cabbage and some fresh grilled corn on the cob, an entire dinner that can be eaten with your hands!

2012 Dark Horse Wine Big Red Blend 01A

Well, it's time to relax and have a glass of wine as I make dinner.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2012 Dark Horse Wine Big Red Blend, an interesting one that I recently picked up at Trader Joe's.  This wine is from a maker in California, but it's a blend of Malbec, Syrah, Tempranillo and Merlot sourced from California, Australia and Argentina.  Let's just hope the whole is greater than the sum of its parts!

The wine is a deep, inky purple in the glass, reminiscent of a nice bold Cabernet.  The nose is anything but, with aromas of red ripe fruit, raspberry, blackberry and currant overlaid with hints of mint and floral notes.  The taste was pleasant, with fruit flavors that were much milder than I was expecting based on the nose.  The fruit gives way to some warm spice notes midpalate, but the finish was unremarkable.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 6.5, it's a nice everyday table wine at a decent price of only $8.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic midweek dinner of leftovers!  I'm having some grilled wine and cheese brats with some potato salad and coleslaw, a nice easy drinking wine to pair with classic fair food.  Cheers!

2011 Dearly Beloved I Thee Red

Friday is here!  Whoo Hooooo!  So what are Fridays for besides having a bit of relaxation and a nice bottle of wine?  And tonight's wine is a nice bottle that like me is simply a day late and a buck short, as this bottle would have been wildly appropriate last night, for Halloween, the 2011 Dearly Beloved I Thee Red wine from California, a nice blend of red varietals from the Central Coast.  As I recall, this wine had a lot going for it when I picked it up at Trader Joe's a year or so ago, not the least of which was the painted label with the creepy skull!

The wine itself is somewhat lighter and very clear, with a bright ruby countenance.  The nose is very pleasant with some rich, ripe berries on top, with a hint of tart cherry, tar and green grass.  The taste has some nice ripe fruit up front that lingers to some real jamminess mid palate, along with some hints of oak and vanilla bean.  The finish was somewhat lackluster, as the lingering fruit was offset by some modestly developed tannins that made for a smooth, semi-dry finish, that overall was quite pleasant.

I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it wasn't spectacular to drink, but it was pleasant and a great value at under $10 from Trader Joe's as I recall.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic worked late and just got home Friday dinner, or pepperoni pizza with a few peperoncinis in the side.  The fruit of the wine really balances the spice of the pizza, yummy and warm for a cold rainy night, cheers!

2010 J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon

Well tonight just felt like a Cabernet night, it's been a bit cooler in the evenings, almost like fall except it's August!  So I've decided to open a bottle of 2010 J. Lohr Seven Oaks Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy with my dinner.

The wine is a very classic deep purple Cabernet color, with a lighter ruby along the edges of the glass.  The nose is classic Cabernet, with aromas of blueberry and cherry layered with a bit of vanilla and leather.  The taste is a big bold Cabernet from California, with a burst of blueberry and plum at the outset, giving way to some dried herbs and dusty limestone midpalate.  The firm tannins are supportive of a long, smooth finish that begs you to take another sip.

Overall I must admit I'm pretty impressed by this wine!  I'd rate this one a solid 8, it might age well for a few years, but it's drinking quite nicely now, and it was a terrific bargain as I bought this bottle at Trader Joe's and I think it was about $12!  Tonight I am enjoying this with a rather nontraditional pairing (imagine that!) with some bourbon glazed grilled port tenderloin, some steamed jasmine rice and veggies, delicious!

2008 Conte di Bregonzo Amarone

So for tonight's dining pleasure I've cracked open a bottle of 2008 Conte di Bregonzo Amarone, and for those of you with any wine knowledge or a functioning understanding of how to use Google, this is the (in)famous Trader Joe's version of Amarone.  To say the least, when I did a cursory review on the web, this one is definitely a love it or hate it wine from Trader Joe's, but hey, I guess you can't win them all, even if you are the retailer that brought Two-Buck Chuck to the wine world.

Now I'll try not to let the negative comments sway me, after all some folks thought this wine would ruin the perception of Amarone to an entire generation of wine drinkers, which I consider a little hyperbole.  After all, this wine has been coming out of Valpolicella since the Romans were running things, so I seriously doubt offering a bottle at a great price could ruin what took millennia to build.  In fact, I'd put greater odds on the wine makers themselves shooting the golden goose before TJ's could (2004 Brunello scandal anyone?).

Back to the wine.  For those unfamiliar, Amarone is an interesting wine made from a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes, but before the grapes are made into wine, they are partially dried for about four months in a process called appassimento.  This results in a much more concentrated wine in terms of sugars and flavors, and much higher in alcohol content (the required minimum is 14%, but it can easily surpass 15%).  After the partially dried grapes are pressed to make Amarone, the leftovers are used for a second pressing to make Valpolicella Ripasso (also a kick butt wine!). 

So on to tonight's wine, which is also our office wine club selection for February (Happy Valentines Day wine club peeps!). Now it's generally good to let a bottle breathe a bit before serving, so this one's been open about 30 minutes or so.  In the glass, the wine has aromas of cedar, spice, and a sweet cherry or berry and a faint hint of anise.  The taste is concentrated fruit at the outset, with a touch of bitterness mid-palate, and somewhat concentrated tannins creating a smooth, dry finish.  Some have complained that this wine is one dimensional, and I could see that being the case, but I think they miss the beauty of what this wine is, a representation of a larger than life wine, with concentrated fruit that is to Italy what a big bold Cabernet is to Napa Valley.

Now considering that most Amarone's are tough to find in the sub$50 range, and that this one came from Trader Joe's at just under $20 makes this a considerable bargain.  If you're an Amarone expert, this one might not be for you, but if you enjoy a good glass of wine with a meal, this is your ticket!  Oh, and speaking of meals, what am I enjoying this bottle with tonight?  Glad you asked, I am having this with St. Louis style barbecue pork steaks, with my own variations (like adding a little habanero pineapple salsa to the barbecue sauce that the meat has been braising in for the last 3 hours), along with some homemade corn bread, and green beans with butter and slivered almonds, a real southern treat!  The bold spice of this wine should play nicely with the sweetness of the pork and sauce, I can't wait to dig in!  For the wine itself, I'd rate this one a solid 8, but given the bargain price, I'd boost that up to an 8.5 easily!  Enjoy!