2005 Cerro Anon Rioja Reserva

Tonight I am venturing to Spain for some wonderful Rioja, a wine I've really developed a fancy for over the past year or so.  This wine was an office wine club selection, and it a lovely blend of Tempranillo (80%), Garnacha (5%) with the balance made up of Mazuelo and Graciano.  I think what I like so much about the Spanish reds is how food friendly they are, the wines are just so balanced that you could pair them with a wide variety of dishes and still at the end of the meal you just feel satisfied.

This wine has a lovely bright ruby color, with limited opacity.  The nose is quite nice, with notes of red currant, anise, tar and a good bit of minerality swirling around.  The taste is a sophisticated blend of ripe red fruit, but without the sweetness you might expect, the rich dark fruit is wonderfully balanced with acidity that just gives this wine a vibrant pop midpalate.  The lush mouthfeel and smooth tannins make for a balanced, but long finish that leaves you asking for more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as I think it's a great example of the greatness of Spanish reds, but at a spectacular value - this wine was available from Wines Till Sold Out for $12.99!  To demonstrate the versatility, tonight I am enjoying this wine with some poached salmon with honey dijon reduction, some steamed rice and broccoli, the tartness and structure of the wine is the perfect counterbalance to the sweetness of the salmon, cheers!

2011 Terra Andina Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonight I am enjoying a nice, easy going wine from Chile, the 2011 Terra Andina Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine with a label that screams enjoy wine!  This is a bold Cabernet, and based on the label, one that should be enjoyed despite it's youth, perhaps best exemplified by my favorite statement on the label, "Terra Andina wines are meant to be enjoyed, not collected."  Words that are true of any wine, not just this one!

The wine itself has a deep ruby color, and a nose that is somewhat unusual for a Cabernet, with aromas of ripe berry, leather, rosemary and chive (chive on eh?), with a bit of musty, earthiness as well.  The taste is quite fruity upfront, with ripe plum, black currant and a sweet, jamminess that transitions to some lovely spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are soft, as is the finish, which seems a little lackluster, but pleasant.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7 as it's a decent, everyday wine and a terrific value, this was out monthly Wine Club January selection that I bought from Wineshopper.com for only $7!  Tonight I am pairing this wine with some hot Italian sausage with onions and peppers, and a little linguine tossed with garlic and olive oil, a nice Italian meal paired with a Chilean wine!  Salut!

2009 White Cottage Ranch Napa Valley Merlot

'Tis the season!  Yes, it's Christmastime, and I've just finished the last of my holiday shopping, and now it's time to wrap presents and fill gift bags and make up the gift baskets that will all be delivered over the next few days, so what could I possibly do to make the season bright?  That's right, open a bottle of wine to help me get through the last few hours of hectic humbug!  And so to help out with that I've opened a bottle of 2009 White Cottage Ranch Napa Valley Merlot, one of the sadly ignored wine of the last few years!  This wine is from the Howell Mountain AVA of Napa Valley, produced on the eastern slope of Napa Valley at an elevation of 1,700 feet, near the town of Angwin, CA.

This wine has a nice deep ruby, almost purple color in the glass, and a consistency that makes it shine as a solid example of a good Napa Valley vintage.  The nose is filled with spices and rich ripe fruit, with notes of anise, tarragon and black pepper, balanced by sweet aromas of ripe plum, black currant and just the faintest hint of leather.  The taste is just superb, with rich, ripe fruit up front, laden with plums and ripe black cherries, giving way to some tart and spicy notes midpalate, easing into a finish with nicely balanced tannins creating a somewhat tight, yet smooth, long finish that seems to last a minute or more!

This is the kind of wine that makes you quickly forget that you are sipping wine, bringing forth a lifestyle of taste and grace that we seldom find today.  As for pairings, it would be just lovely with a variety of grilled meats, but amidst my giftwrapping wonderland, I've been enjoying this with a sharp Vermont cheddar and some lovely slices of baguette and it's been a gifted partner, helping me get through my chores!  Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8, and it was at a really reasonable price of just $14, and a recent wine club selection from my friends at G.B. Russo.  So if you have a chance, pick up a bottle, I'm just sad this is my last one!

2009 Las Rocas Garnacha

Happy Birthday!  No, I'm not doing my best Frosty the Snowman impersonation, but today is my birthday, 12/12/12, and I spent most of the day in New York, but made it home in time for a late dinner and a bottle of wine, and the wine I chose was the 2009 Las Rocas Garnacha.  Now I partly blame my dinner companion last night, as I met a fellow Snooth board member, Greg T. in SoHo at a lovely little French bistro called La Sirene, which is all BYOB, with no corkage!  So Greg brought a lovely 1998 Rioja so I've had Spanish wines on the brain!

This wine comes from Calatayud, which is deep in the interior of Aragon, Spain, and from what I've read, the terrain can be quite intimidating, very rocky, with lots of limestone, and quite arid.  Yet somehow the Garnacha (or Grenache in France and elsewhere) vines took root, producing some of the loveliest wines I've had the pleasure of tasting, and as a bonus, they are seldom priced at a level that would suggest their true quality!

This wine has a lovely deep ruby color in the glass, and a nose that is a wonderful blend of jammy fruit, black cherries, currant, anise and somewhat of a sour twang, suggesting that the sweet fruit might be well balanced by acidity.  The taste is an explosion of fruit in your mouth, with rich ripe berries, yet the acidity of some sour cherry notes really balance the fruit mid-palate.  The finish is quite smooth, yet it has a wonderful woodsy sort of taste on the finish, which again is a surprising counterbalance to the rich fruit.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, particularly given the price, as this was a recent office wine club selection for only $8!  As for pairings, for my birthday, I had a hankering for some Thai food, and there is a new Thai restaurant that someone told me about last week, called Thai Chef, which was right on the way home from the airport!  So I enjoyed this one with some wonderful pad kee mao, and I found the fruit and acidity really played nicely with the spice of the dish, and the fragrant Thai basil!  Not one of my more traditional pairings, but it worked, cheers!

2009 Famiglia Pasqua Passimento Veneto

So tonight I feel like having a little Italian, so why not open a bottle of our October wine club selection?  The 2009 Famiglia Pasqua Passimento Veneto, a wine from the far north of Italy, where the cuisine tends more toward rich risotto and polenta dishes.  Now, for those of you familiar with Amarone, this wine is very similar to the Valpolicella Ripasso, which is the second pressing of the dried Corvina grapes used to make Amarone.  The Pasqua family named this wine "Passimento" as they first dry the Corvina grapes before pressing them, creating a much more concentrated and rich flavor.  Then, unlike Amarone or Valpolicella Ripasso, they blend the first pressing of the dried Corvina grapes with Croatina, Merlot and several other local varieties of grapes from Verona that are not dried, resulting in a unique blend that has the richness of an Amarone, but is much more approachable for everyday drinking.

The color of this wine is a deep ruby in the glass, and the nose portrays a richness, with concentrated scents of blackberry and dried figs, leather and rose petals.  There's a sweetness in the nose that's somewhat deceiving, as this is by no means a sweet wine.  The taste starts with some strong fruit notes, ripe red berries and plums, transitioning to a gravelly taste reminiscent of some wonderful Bordeaux, along with dry herbs and just the faintest hint of mint.  The finish is somewhat tight, as the tannins are still developing, yet still providing for a smooth, dry finish.

As for pairings, this wine would pair well with a variety of rich, northern Italian dishes, and tonight I enjoyed it with some penne alla vodka, and the tightness of the tannins played against the richness of the cream in the sauce, while the rich fruit flavor of the wine balanced out the spice of the tomatoes in the sauce.  Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's really a lovely everyday version of Amarone, maybe an Amarone light, but at a price that won't make you cringe.  I found this one at my local wine merchant for a tasting for only $14!  So if you have the opportunity, pick some up and enjoy it with a mushroom risotto!

2009 Château Puech-Haut Coteaux de Languedoc Prestige

So tonight I've decided to indulge my appetite for southern France, both in terms of cuisine and wine!  We'll get to the cuisine in a moment, but let's start off with the wine, the 2009 Château Puech-Haut Coteaux de Languedoc Prestige, a blend of 55% Grenache (from 60-75 year-old vines) and 45% Syrah (from 40-year-old vines).

I must admit, my first surprise with this wine was the color, given the light color on the cork, I was expecting this to be a lighter style wine, but the color in the glass was a deep purple, transitioning to a bright ruby along the edges.  The nose was a wonderful blend of leather, black currant, ripe berries, rose petals and moss.  The taste was a wonderful complexity, starting with ripe berry fruit, transitioning to vanilla and anise midpalate, which then gives way to a stunning, long-lasting finish as the lovely, vibrant tannins play off the acid and alcohol.  I could almost smell the salt breeze of the Mediterranean as I sipped this wine before dinner!

Speaking of dinner, I decided to get a bit creative with southern French cooking this evening, mixing a bit of Provence with a bit of the Mediterranean coast.  I sauteed some boneless chicken breasts with thinly sliced shallots and olive oil, and after browning the chicken, I added some sauvignon blanc for some vibrant acidity.  Once the wine reduced a bit, I added some diced plum tomatoes and capers and allowed that to simmer over low heat as the chicken finished cooking.  As the sauce reduced, I tossed the chicken with some al dente angel hair pasta for a lovely dinner to complement this wine! And yes, back to the wine, overall I would rate this one a solid 8.5, as I thought it was a lovely example the the wonderful wines of the Languedoc, at a price that wasn't too outrageous (this one was was just under $18 and will be a future office wine club selection).  Bon appetit!

2005 Vitanza Chianti Colli Senesi

Another hot summer day, and since I just went to the gym I figure I should reward myself with a lovely porterhouse, and what could go better with a nice steak than a nice bottle of Chianti?  So tonight I've opened a bottle of the July selection from my office wine club, the 2005 Vitanza Chianti Colli Senesi.  Now you might be asking what makes this wine different from the typical Chianti, and that's a good question.  This wine is produced from grapes grown in the hills outside of Siena, so it tends to be a little more rustic, but definitely the genuine article, not unlike the people there!  The vineyards there are somewhat lower yielding, and the Sangiovese grapes grow in smaller bunches, resulting in more concentrated fruit flavors and higher tannins.

The wine itself has a deep ruby hue, with lighter red along the edges.  The nose presents a wonderful combination of leather, cherry, licorice and a bit of earthy spice.  The wine is wonderfully fruit forward with concentrated flavors of ripe plum and cherry, giving way to a bit of rustic earthiness and smoke midpalate.  The well structured tannins provide for a long, silky dry finish that's perfect for drinking at sunset, but still won't detract from a great meal!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, particularly given the bargain price of only $10 (thank you G.B. Russo!).  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with the aforementioned porterhouse along with a few sweet potato fries to round things out, a perfect dinner that is just a small reminder of the Bistecca a la Toscana that is so wonderful just outside of Florence!  Though admittedly mine was a tenth as thick as the genuine article. Cin cin!

2008 Bonizio Sangiovese di Maremma

Tonight I'm enjoying a bottle of my office wine club's latest selection, the 2008 Bonizio Sangiovese di Maremma!  You know how much I love wine and my wine club buddies, so this is bound to be something fun.  Now many of you are probably already quite familiar with the Sangiovese grape, the foundational grape in so many wonderful wines of Tuscany, from classic Chianti to the king of the hill, Brunello di Montalcino.  Well, unlike a typical Sangiovese, the Sangiovese di Maremma comes from the southern and western section of the region, where a combination of the warmer climate and red soil provides for a more robust varietal.

Unlike a typical Tuscan Sangiovese, this wine is somewhat more fuller bodied, presenting a deep, brooding garnet color in the glass.  The nose is an interesting combination of ripe plum and sour cherry with hints of smoky herbs and anise.  The taste is somewhat fruit forward, with ripe berries, black cherry and cassis, yielding to licorice midpalate and finishing with bright tannins for a nice bit of tartness at the end (however, it's essential to note that letting this wine breathe a bit will diminish the tartness of the tannins significantly, leaving you with a smooth, almost creamy finish).

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7, it's very pleasant for what it is, and an unbeatable bargain at only $8!  Though I'll have to give a downgrade for not having a natural cork, but I can overlook that on occasion.  Tonight I am pairing it with a little linguine with some Italian sausage and arrabbiata sauce.  The initial fruit and hint of sweetness plays wonderfully against the spice of the red sauce, so well I have an urge for a second helping!

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!

2004 Casanuova delle Cerbaie Brunello di Montalcino

Another fine wine from our "Best of" wine tasting, and I can think of no better wine to post about on Christmas Eve.  After all, Christmas itself seems to go so well with Italian food and red wine, so what's better than the classic heart of Italian wine, the greatest wine in Tuscany, and arguably the greatest wine of Italy, Brunello di Montalcino!  This wine, the 2004 Casanuova delle Cerbaie Brunello di Montalcino is a very nice example of this classic Tuscan great, and I can tell you I was not disappointed in the least!

The wine has a garnet color in the glass with a hint of rust color along the edges.  The nose was somewhat "woodsy" which I guess is my technical term for a combination of moss, oak, cedar, earth and tobacco all swirling around.  The taste had some tart cherry, and mild acidity and a subtle spiciness that made for quite a backbone on this wine.  I found the wine itself quite dry, but the mild tannins made for a very smooth finish.  As the wine for the heart of Tuscany, this wine would pair well with many hearty Italian dishes, or if you're bold enough, Bistecca alla Fiorentina!  For those of you unfamiliar, Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a Tuscan style steak about as big as your torso (I exaggerate, but these are big thick steaks) grilled over a wood fire, but if you don't have any 4-inch thick steaks handy, a nice 2-inch thick Porterhouse will do nicely!

This wine was simply delightful, and I would rate it a solid 9, perhaps higher but for the price (this one will set you back in the $30-40 range).  Even so, if you happen to find some online or at your local wine merchant, I suggest buying a bottle or two to enjoy with family and friends.  Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

2008 Nine Hats Columbia Valley Red Wine

This is another of our wines from our "Best of" wine tasting, the 2008 Nine Hats Columbia Valley Red Wine.  Washington is great at producing wonderful Bordeaux-style blends, and this is an interesting use of excess grapes from other blends in the Walla Walla/Columbia Valley region.  A product of Long Shadows Winery in Walla Walla, this wine is a blend of excess wines used in their signature wine blends from nine winemakers, hence "Nine Hats."

The wine itself is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, creating an interesting and smooth wine.  The wine exhibits a deep purple color in the glass with a good structure.  On the nose, it exhibits aromas of the forest, dominated by cedar, moss and tobacco with just the slightest floral hint.  The taste is somewhat abrupt when compared to some of the more mature wines like the Margaux or Brunello we tasted, but on it's own, this wine holds its own.  It's very fruit forward, with flavors of blackberry and cherry, with a mild acidity that holds any sweetness in check.  There is a spicy undertone of pepper and herbs.  The velvety tannins make for a luscious mouthfeel and a long, smooth finish.

For pairings, this wine would be ideal with a grilled steak, or perhaps a classic pot roast with all the classic roasted veggies.  Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, with room for improvement as the wine matures.  The 2008 Nine Hats Columbia Valley Red Wine would make a great everyday wine, particularly given the price under $20.  I bought this one in a variety pack of wines from my friends at Esquin Wine Sellers out of Seattle, so it might not be available where you live.  If you have an opportunity to buy a bottle, you should certainly try it!

2007 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Vineyard Walla Walla Valley Petit Verdot

Another fine wine from our "Best of" wine club tasting, this one from one of my favorite wine regions, the Columbia Valley of Washington State, in particular, Walla Walla!  The 2007 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Vineyard Walla Walla Valley Petit Verdot is a really interesting wine for so many reasons, not the least being a rare single bottling of a varietal that is normally reserved for blending with many of the find Bordeaux style blends the Columbia Valley has become known for.

I'll admit I had my doubts, after all, what can I expect from a full bottle of wine based on a grape that normally doesn't exceed 20% of a blend?  Well, this wine was delicious and interesting in so many unexpected ways!  The color of this wine was a deep purple, almost inky in appearance, suggesting a wine packed with flavors, and it was.  The nose was somewhat floral, with hints of rose, along with an earthy character denoted by aromas of oak, cedar, tobacco and leather.  On my tasting notes I wrote "evolving" but I don't think this wine is evolving in a traditional sense (i.e. this will mature over the next few years), but rather than it was evolving and changing even as it was in my mouth!  At one moment, tart cherry and licorice, then a spicy smoky flavor, then a little sweetness of plum and cassis, amazing how the flavors can exhibit such complexity.  The tannins provided for a velvety mouthfeel and a long, smooth finish.

For pairings, this wine would be perfect with beef or pork tenderloin or a variety of Mediterranean dishes.  I bought this one from Wineshopper.com, and as I recall it was around $20, so not a super bargain, but certainly well worth a double sawbuck.  Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's still a little young so there's time for it to mature a little more before I open my next bottle.

2007 Tiare Impériale Châteauneuf-du-Pape

You know, I've really come to love the wines of southern France more and more over the last several months.  Whether a nice blend of Grenache from the Longuedoc, or a classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the Rhône, these wines are just great expressions of the region.  The 2007 Tiare Impériale Châteauneuf-du-Pape represents the classic aspects of this wine, which dates back to Pope Clement V, the former archbishop of Bordeaux who relocated the papacy to the French city of Avignon in 1308.  As great lovers of wine, the popes of the 70-years of Avignon popes did a lot to promote the wines of Burgundy and the Rhône, and eventually this wine became known as "Vin du Pape" or wine of the pope, to today's Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The wine itself is a blend of 13 different grape varieties, dominated by the classic blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre (GSM anyone?).  The wine was somewhat opaque with a beautify reddish purple color.  The nose was somewhat earthy, with hints of tobacco and leather.  The taste was somewhat fruited, with cherries and a bit of licorice.  The tannins were quite mellow for such a young wine, leading to a somewhat soft finish.  Overall, this wine really brought to mind the lovely warm Mediterranean breezes of the Côte d’Azur, and if you can get that feeling from a bottle of wine, it can't be all bad! 

As for pairings, I think this wine would be lovely with a variety of seafood dishes, or even a bouillabaisse for those who are more adventurous!  Overall, this wine was a fairly good value for a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, I think I bought it from Wines Till Sold Out for under $30.  For my rating, I would put this one at a solid 8, it's a nice example of the wine, but there was definitely room for improvement.  Salut!

2000 Taurian Vineyards Sonoma Zinfandel

This was a fun, last minute addition to our "Best of" wine tasting, just because it was something different.  Granted, for a best of Zinfandel, my personal preference would be one from Lodi, since in my opinion the best Zins come from Lodi, no matter what anyone else thinks!  But this one I wanted to drink since it was the last bottle of a non-consecutive vertical (1995, 1999 and 2000) that I bought from Lot 18.  This offering of three bottles was based on a quantity of wine found in storage since this winery is not longer in operation.  Of the others, I thought the 1995 was a great wine (maybe I got lucky), and the 1999 was undrinkable, so I was hoping this would be more like the '95!

Overall, it was okay, nothing too special or exciting, though it also seemed to be getting past its prime, so this might be our last chance!  The nose on this wine was somewhat alarming, as some in the group described the aroma as a horse in a barnyard, to which I could not really disagree.  I guess we'll just call that earthy.  The taste however was somewhat surprising in a pleasant way, hints of earth, leather and tobacco, mingled with black pepper and ripe cherries made this one an interesting one.  Overall, I have had many other Zinfandels that were far better, and despite the age, this wine was somewhat disappointing, resulting in a 6.5 rating.  Thankfully I don't think this wine can be found anymore, but if you happen upon some, exercise due caution!

2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Once again, the beauty of Oregon shines through on their Pinot Noirs, and the 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is no exception!  This was another wine from our "Best of" wine tasting, and of the two Pinots we tried, this one was clearly my favorite.

The wine itself had a rich ruby color, suggesting something a bit heavier for a Pinot, and suggesting this wine might be something special.  The nose was quite earthy, with hints of cedar and the tiniest bit of leather, taking me back to my time living in the Pacific Northwest, the lovely rain forests, hiking near Mount Hood and tasting wine throughout the Willamette Valley.  The wine itself had a complexity that defied its youth, fruit forward, with hints of plum and wild berry, balanced with hints of oak and cedar.  With mild acidity and subtle tannins, this wine makes for a long, smooth finish.

I would easily pair this wine with a variety of seafood dishes from the Pacific coast, but most of all, I can see this wine as a perfect complement to a cedar planked wild salmon at the peak of the season, with fresh steamed asparagus and couscous with toasted pine nuts.  I would easily rate this wine an 8.5, and the fact that you can often find this wine on sale for under $20 makes it an even more impressive find!

A wonderful wine tasting

Last night we had a chance to get together with a bunch of us from my office wine club to have a little tasting, and it was a lot of fun!  I always enjoy sharing good wine with friends, and this was a perfect opportunity to share as we get into the holiday season.

There are many ways to do a tasting, whether picking a theme, trying different wines from the same winery, the same type of wine from different wineries or vintages, you get the idea.  Well, our theme yesterday was "the best of" where we went about tasting some of the best wines from various regions, focusing on what each region is known for.  We had Pinot Noir from Oregon, Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, a Barolo and Brunello from Italy, a Margaux from Bordeaux, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from southern France, you get the idea. 

We had a variety of cheeses, crackers, olives and salami to just have some nice snacks as we tasted, and what's not to love about wine and cheese?  And then the wine!  So what did we have?  Here is a list of what we tasted last night:

·         From France:

o   2005 Château La Tour de Bessan Margaux (2005 was a great Bordeaux vintage)

o   2007 Tiare Impériale Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre oh my!)

·         From Italy:

o   2004 Casanuova delleCerbaie Brunello di Montalcino (arguably the best wine produced in Italy, and certainly the best of Tuscany)

o   2006 Grimaldi Barolo (the best of the Piedmont)

·         From California:

o   2006 and 2007 Atlas Peak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (2007 was a great vintage for Napa Valley Cabs)

o   2000 Taurian Vineyards Sonoma Zinfandel (this one was a last minute addition, just for fun, and to see if it was still drinking all right!)

·         From Oregon:

o   2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (the best Pinot Noir comes from Oregon, and specifically the Willamette Valley)

o   2008 Cloudline Pinot Noir

·         From Washington State:

o   2007 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Vineyard Walla Walla Valley Petit Verdot (this is a varietal that normally is blended, rarely seen in a single bottle, this prized Bordeaux grape should produce a wine to be reckoned with!)

o   2008 Nine Hats Columbia Valley Red Wine (Washington is great at producing wonderful Bordeaux-style blends, and this is an interesting use of excess grapes from other blends in the Walla Walla/Columbia Valley region)

I'll begin putting up some reviews today, with more to come over the next couple weeks.  So enjoy a vicarious tasting, but better yet, why don't you try one yourself?  All you need is a couple bottles of wine and a few friends and viola!

2008 Mount Veeder Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

So tonight I decided to open a bottle of our office wine club's November selection, the 2008 Mount Veeder Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  I am fighting a cold, so my sense of smell and taste could be affected, but that will not stop me from enjoying a nice cab!  So let's get right down to business.

This wine has all the earmarks of a classic Napa cab, a rich deep ruby color, with an opacity that hints at its complexity.  The nose is a combination of leather, tobacco and spice that let's you know this wine is not playing games.  The taste is absolutely beautiful, with a fruit forward appeal of cherries and ripe blackberries, giving way quickly to the young tannins that give this wine big bold Cabernet taste leading to a long smooth finish.  What a great wine, perhaps not to the level of the now legendary 2007 vintage, but a fantastic wine in its own right nonetheless.

This wine would pair well with a variety of grilled meats, perfect with a rare T-bone, or many spicy Italian dishes, as the wine stands up to many flavors, as it stands well on it's own.  This was one of our more expensive wine club selections at $20 (thank you wineshopper.com!), but still a bargain as this wine seldom goes for less than $25, but still the cheapskates in the office whined, so it looks like I'll be stuck with a few bottles for myself <==insert evil grin==>.  I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 to 9, as it has everything a big bold Cab should have, so enjoy a bottle tonight!

2007 Taverna II Lagarino Di Dionisio Basilicata IGT

Ahhh...Cheapskate Wednesday, what a wonderful holiday!  For those of you who are unaware, Cheapskate Wednesday is an event by Wines Till Sold Out (WTSO.com) where they go though all their leftover stock and put them up every 15 minutes (or till sold out) throughout the day on a Wednesday.  Well, this past Wednesday was of the Cheapskate variety, so I ended up buying 12 different wines to share among friends and the office wine club, and shockingly, the first 7 arrived at my door today!  As such, I am enjoying the first of my fruits tonight, the 2007 Taverna Il Lagarino Di Dionisio Basilicata!

If you're unfamiliar with this Italian wine, you're not alone, as I've never heard of it either, but what the heck, I'll try anything once.  The wine hails from the Basilicata region of Italy, which if you think of the "boot" it's right between the heel and the toe, so it has the interesting position of touching two seas, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and the Ionian Sea (Gulf of Taranto) to the southeast.  Being so far south from the more famous Italian wine regions, the Basilicata has some very interesting history.  The region is only known for one kind of grape, Aglianico del Vulture, which derives its name from a bastardization of the word "Hellenic" or Greek, and Mount Volture.  Interestingly enough, there are no grapes native to the region, but the variety so prominent here were planted by the Greeks when they settled the area in pre-Roman times, so these grapes have been made into wine long before the native varieties to the north!

Il Lagarino di Dionisio is primarily a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which certainly shows up in the color and flavor of the wine.  It is during the second fermentation that Aglianico del Vulture grapes are added to the blend, giving it a unique character compared to similar blends.  The wine is a deep ruby color with a nose of soft berries, chocolate and tobacco.  The taste is dry, yet has a rather complex, nuanced flavors throughout, with rising fruit flavors intermingled with a spicy earthiness.  The delicate tannins create a lush mouthfeel and smooth finish.  This wine is not your typical Italian red, but I think it would go with a variety of Mediterranean cuisine, though tonight I think I'll enjoy it with some penne alla vodka, as the spiciness of the wine might be the perfect compliment for a sweet creamy sauce.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.0, which would have easily been higher, but for the price at $14.  So look for this one on WTSO, or at your local wine merchant and try a different taste of Italian wine!

2006 Sanguineti Caruso

Ok, in celebration of our Independence Day, let's start off with some fireworks!  My wine today was our July office wine club selection and comes to us from our friends at Madwine.com, the 2006 Sanguineti Caruso.  Now we've seen the emergence over the last few years of the "Super Tuscans" those wines that come from the Tuscany region, but do not fit squarely in the DOC(G) classification system.  Well our wine today is being billed as a "Super Italian" as it takes an unorthodox approach of blending wine from grapes grown throughout Italy, and as the label touts, from the Nord, Centrale and Sud.

From an aesthetic standpoint, this wine blends some of the best grapes from the Valpolicella region (think Amarone), Tuscany (think Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino) and Sicily (Nero d'Avola).  From a technical standpoint, this is a blend of 14% Corvina (from the Veneto region in Northeast Italy), 6% Rondinella (also from Veneto and used in Valpolicella and Bardolino), 50% Sangiovese (from Tuscany in Central Italy, the main grape in Chianti and Brunello), 10% Syrah and 20% Nero d'Avola (from Sicily).

The wine itself has a remarkable nose, with hints of leather, tobacco and spice, but a very strong sense of the fruit, exhibited by plum and cassis.  The taste is fairly dry, but with a fruity spice that really explodes on the palate (hence the fireworks!), with fairly robust tannins leading to a long, but clean finish.  Quite honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect from a "Super Italian" after all could combining the great wines from each region even equal the sum of the parts?  Well I was very surprised, as this wine was very pleasant from the first sip to the last, a real taste of a nation with more than 2 millenia of experience making wine.  Overall I would rate this one a solid 8.5, expecially at the $13 price tag we were able to get it for!  So this weekend grab some Italian sausage and some fresh eggplant, zuccini, peppers, and other veggies and grill them out and enjoy them with this wine! "Tutti a tavola a mangiare!"

2006 Terra D'Aligi Montepulciano D'Abruzzo

Ahhh...I've been neglecting my happy little blog, so here is a first review for the month of June!  Today, I distributed our monthly office "Wine Club" selection, the 2006 Terra D'aligi Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, what I consider an ideal selection to start off the warm summer months.  For those unfamiliar, this wine originates in the Abruzzo region of east-central Italy and is made of 100% Montepulciano grapes (though technically up to 10% Sangiovese is allowed and still maintain the DOC).  Unlike it's Tuscan cousins, the Montepulciano D'Abruzzo is really meant to be consumed young given the rather dry composure and soft tannins typically associated with it.  It is also usually quite a bit lighter than many of the heavier wines we often see today (think "big bold cabs from California).

It is this lighter side that makes it an ideal wine to enjoy at a summer barbecue with a nice ribeye grilled medium rare (or in my case lightly seared), or some nice kabobs or even burgers and dogs on the fourth of July!  It would also pair well with a platter of nice aged parmesan, asiago and romano cheese, or a wonderful array of grilled peppers, zucchini and eggplant!  I need to stop now, I'm making myself hungry and I haven't even started supper!

This particular wine, though a little more mature, exhibits the essence of an early summer wine.  I saw one critic recommend letting this one breathe for an hour, but heck I don't have time for that, so on we go!  The nose exhibits hints of leather, cedar, spice and dark cherries.  The color is a deep purple, which belies the lighter mouthfeel and more composed flavors.  The taste is an interesting blend of ripe fruit, a hint of spice with an exceptionally dry finish.  Overall, I would rate this one a very respectable 8, which coincidentally matches its bargain price tag of only $8!  I picked up a case of this for the Wine Club through Wines Till Sold Out, but if you can find it at your local wine merchant, pick up a bottle and start the summer off right!