2020 Browne Family Vineyards Bitner Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, it's been a busy day, from running to the farmers market to having lunch with two cousins who flew in from Chicago, to blowing leaves and mowing the lawn, I am about ready for a nice dinner and a glass of wine.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of Washington wine that I recently purchased at Costco, the 2020 Browne Family Vineyards Bitner Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.  As I recall, the last time I visited Walla Walla, Browne Family Vineyards had just opened a tasting room in the same building that Rotie Cellars was located (or maybe next door, my memory isn't what it used to be!).  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep, inky indigo at the center, with garnet along the edges, just as you'd expect from a big Cabernet.  A little swirl of the glass reveals aromas of leather, graphite, oak and cassis reminiscent of an Ivy League library.  The first sip is a velvety rush of ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum that coat your palate, before transitioning to some pipe tobacco and violet notes midpalate.  The tannins are big but well behaved, providing for a wonderfully dry finish with a bit of bitter herbs at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a pleasant drinking Cabernet, but I admit I am not as much of a fan of the bitter end notes.  This wine was also a good value, as I found it at Costco for just $25.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from braised short ribs to grilled steak, rack of lamb to hearty pasta.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared prime filet mignon with a big baked potato and some oven roasted broccolini and shishito peppers.  Cheers!

2015 Colossal Reserva Red Wine

Happy Wine Wednesday!  Tonight I've decided to open a wine I bought at Costco recently that hails from Portugal.  I know I have at least one bottle of Portuguese wine in my cellar, but this one was such a bargain at $9, I couldn't resist (mental note, this could be a nice wine club selection).  The wine is a blend of Touriga Nacional (30%), Syrah (30%), Tinta Roriz (30%) and Alicante Bouschet (10%).  There are some unfamiliar names on those varietals, so let's get some education out of the way.  Touriga Nacional is known as one of the signature grapes of Portugal, characterized by small berries with high tannins, which typically adds structure to the wine.  It's been more used for port, but is becoming more common in table wine.  Tinta Roriz is the name for Tempranillo on the Portuguese side of the border.  And Alicante Bouschet is an interesting varietal (I reviewed one quite some time ago from Coppola here) that adds a lot of color and body as well as some jammy fruit.  So enough learning, time for drinking!

The wine is a lovely inky red color in the glass, a hat tip to the Alicante Bouschet in the blend.  The nose presents some delicate floral aromas intermingled with a peppery spice, but very little fruit.  The taste is just a complete 180, with a quick blast of ripe red fruit, cherry, raspberry and plum that transitions quickly to some wonderful earthy grass, basalt and tobacco notes midpalate.  The finish is exceptionally dry and smooth, with the big tannins of the Touriga Nacional providing the nice structure and big, velvety mouthfeel.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's such an interesting blend that defies the stereotypes of red blends.  It's a wonderful combination of great flavor with solid structure that make it a great steak wine, whether grilled steak, braised short rib tacos or a traditional roast, this is an ideal meat wine.  Tonight I'm enjoying this one with a rare grilled prime ribcap, big honkin' baked potato with all the fixin's and some steamed sugar snaps.  Cheers!

2012 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Petit Verdot

Happy Fathers Day to all you wonderful Dads out there!  To be honest I haven't done that much today, other than trimming the hedges in my front yard, cutting back some bushes in the back yard and then taking a nap, but tonight at least I have a descent dinner planned.  And what do you need to make the meal?  Of course, a good bottle of wine, and tonight it's the 2012 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Petit Verdot, a recent wine club selection from the winery.

The wine is a beautiful inky purple color at the center with rich ruby along the edges.  The nose is is just beautiful, expressing notes of blueberry, cherry, leather and mocha that exudes richness.  The taste is a blast of ripe berries up front, blueberries, blackberries and ripe cherries that transition effortlessly to some earthy notes of smoke, tobacco and dark chocolate midpalate.  The tannins are big and beautiful, providing plenty of backbone for the long, smooth, and voluptuous finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a terrific example of a Bordeaux varietal that is seldom bottled on it's own.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic surf and turf, a rare grilled Angus ribeye with a grilled lobster tail, some grilled veggies, and a baked potato.  The wine is a perfect accompaniment to a big steak, as the earthy flavors compliment the beef, while the acidity makes a great foil to the richness of the lobster.  Happy Fathers Day!

2010 Salvatore Principe Blue Groove Zinfandel

So tonight I'm having my Easter dinner a week early, so what goes better with glazed ham than a nice Lodi Zinfandel?  I can't think of anything, so tonight I've opened a bottle of 2010 Salvatore Principe Blue Groove Signature Series Zinfandel that I bought yesterday at one of my old time favorite wine stores, G.B. Russo's in Grand Rapids.

The wine is a lovely deep purple color in the glass, classic Zin.  The nose is a marvelous, jammy combination of black plums, raisins and a hint of leather and limestone.  The taste is a wonderful  blast of fruit, plums, raisins, blackberries and cassis that lasts for a few seconds and then transitions to some herb notes of black pepper, thyme and cocoa powder.  The finish is lovely, with some bold tannins supporting a long, silky finish that seems to last a minute or more.  A classic Lodi Zinfandel, rich, fruity and somewhat rustic.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a very nice example of a quality Zinfandel, but it was also a terrific value at just $7!  I wanted to buy a case, but there were only three bottles left, so I bought those.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with my early Easter dinner, of glazed ham, some red hasselback potatoes (thanks for the recipe Epicurious! Red Hasselback Potato Recipe at Epicurious) and the ubiquitous green bean casserole!  The wine makes such a great compliment to meats like ham, but it would also be great with a steak or pizza.  Cheers!

2009 Chateau des Moines Montagne Saint-Emilion

Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of Bordeaux from the very solid 2009 vintage to enjoy with my dinner, the 2009 Chateau des Moines Montagne Saint-Emilion (wow I certainly hope this doesn't taste like wine made in Des Moines!).  Now for those unfamiliar with Bordeaux, the Montagne Saint-Emilion is an AOC that is just to the north of Saint-Emilion proper, as one of the satellites of the Saint-Emilion vineyard.  The wine itself is a rather different Bordeaux blend of Merlot (75%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%) which could lend itself to some interesting notes.

The wine is a lovely deep purple color in the glass with a bright ruby around the edges.  The nose is quite refined with hints of blackberry and prune, along with aromas of leather and cut grass with just the faintest hint of the Bordeaux funk!  The taste is quite fruit forward, with flavors of blackberry and ripe cherry that seems to last but an instant before we transition to some lovely limestone notes.  The tannins are nicely structured, but they are big, leading to a wonderful long, dry finish that is just classic Bordeaux.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very nice wine for drinking every day that goes well with a variety of dishes.  And it was a bargain too, as I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $12!  Tonight I am pairing this with a nice rare ribeye with a baked potato and a lovely spinach salad with bleu cheese, dried cranberries and white balsamic, yum!

2006 Bodegas Olarra Anares Rioja Reserva

Tonight I am trying something new for dinner, so why not also try a new wine with my meal?  For this evening I've chosen a bottle of 2006 Bodegas Olarra Anares Rioja Reserva, and it's not the first time I've enjoyed a bottle from this producer, back in May I enjoyed another bottle from 2005: Cerro Anon Rioja Reserva that I thought was very nice. As for my new dinner choice, I've been seeing incessant commercials for Wal-Mart's "Choice Premium Steaks" I decided to go out over the weekend and buy one, just to try it and see if it lives up to all the marketing hype.  More on that later.

This wine certainly lived up to my expectations for a nice Rioja, as I've come to really appreciate Spanish wines over the last year or so.  The wine had a rich ruby color in the glass and the nose was a nice combination of black licorice, plum, leather and a hint of floral notes, perhaps a bit of lavender.  The taste had a nice shock of ripe plum combined with tart cherry at the outset which transitioned nicely to some earthy notes of dusty limestone midpalate. The tannins were very pronounced creating a very long, exceptionally dry finish that makes this wine ideal for spicy dishes or hearty grilled meats, like a Wal-Mart steak!

Overall I thought this was a very nice Rioja that is drinking very well right now, so I'd rate it a solid 8.5 particularly since it was a terrific value at just $12.99 from Wines Till Sold Out!  Back to the steak, surprisingly the Wal-Mart steak wasn't bad, it was not very thick, a little under an inch, but I still had no problem grilling it to a nice rare, cool red center.  I seasoned it just as I would my normal Angus ribeye and it was tender and quite flavorful, with good marbling.  So overall a successful experiment, though the everyday price of $9 a pound is a bit more than I can usually buy my Angus steaks when on sale, so I think Tom, my butcher can rest a little easier.  I had the wine and steak with a nice baked potato and some freshly steamed sugar snap peas I picked up at the farmers market last weekend.  Overall a very nice dinner!

2008 Renwood Fiddletown Zinfandel

So tonight I've decided to open a bottle of Zinfandel since I'm looking for something a little more jammy to balance out my spicy dinner, after all, it's taco night!  And for this Zin we've traveled north into California gold country, Amador county in the foothills of the Sierras for the 2008 Renwood Fiddletown Zinfandel.  Now apparently the Fiddletown appellation is the oldest AVA in Amador County, and the vines tend to be at higher elevations than other vineyards in the county, about 1,800 feet higher in some cases, so let's see what that does to the wine.

The color is somewhat lighter than your typical Lodi Zin with a certain amount of opacity.  The nose is rich in fruit, with sweet ripe berries intermingled with cherries and plums, balanced by a bit of dusty spice.  The taste is surprisingly not as fruit forward as I would have expected, in fact it's like a delayed fuse as the first taste seems to be dominated by smoke, cedar and some spice, then an explosion of fruit midpalate, with rich plum and blackberries, fading into some peppery spice note on the finish.  The tannins are pretty big in this wine, supporting a very tight, dry finish.  This wine is a bit high in alcohol at 16%, but you'd never know it from the aroma or taste (I suppose that can be a good thing!).

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 7.5.  I'll be the first to admit that on the first taste I wasn't very impressed, but as the wine breathed a bit, it got its footing and was quite nice, and a good value as I think I bought this at World Market for about $9.  And tonight I'm having this with my favorite classic chorizo and frijole tacos, ole!