2014 Forgeron Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  I hope your day before Easter is sunny and wonderful, unfortunately around here it's been chilly and rainy today.  In other words, it's been an ideal day to open up a nice bottle of wine!  Tonight I've decided to open a recent wine club shipment from Forgeron Cellars, the 2014 Forgeron Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Cabernet from the Klipsun Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA.  Forgeron kept six barrels of this wine aged separately for just a little longer than their other Cabernet wines, so let's see what resulted!

The wine is a deep, inky purple in the glass, with magenta along the edges, just as you'd expect of a Klipsun Cabernet.  The nose is a wonderful combination of black licorice and dark chocolate overlaying some floral notes and a hint of oak.  The taste is wonderful cascade of black fruit, blackberry, cherry and currant, that transitions to some wonderful flavors of anise and white pepper spice midpalate.  The subdued tannins provide for a perfectly smooth, dry and velvety finish that is just a pleasure to experience.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a wonderful example of what can be done with a big Cabernet when a winemaker allows the fruit to truly express itself.  This wine would pair well with a lot of big, beefy dishes, hearty stew or shepherd's pie, but tonight I am going classic with a rare grilled prime ribcap, with mashed potatoes topped with an onion demi glace along with some fresh grilled asparagus.  Cheers!

2011 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank

Happy Sunday!  I know with the long holiday weekend, everyone probably has some plans for gathering with friends and family and honoring those who have served and sacrificed in the military.  My Memorial Day weekend usually involved going home and planting flowers on my parents' and grandparents' graves and then trying to relax a bit, which is what I am doing today.  And what better way to relax than with a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight's wine is a bit of a departure for a Napa Valley wine, in that it's not a Cabernet, but rather an homage to the classic Right Bank Bordeaux, which typically rely more heavily on Merlot in blending.  The 2011 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank is a blend of Merlot (78%) and Cabernet Franc (22%), so this one is comparable to a Saint-Emilion.  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with mild opacity.  The nose is a wonderful combination of green herbs, ripe red raspberry and currant, black licorice and a bit of rose petal, very similar to a nice right bank Bordeaux.  The taste is quite nice, with a nice bit of red fruit up front, raspberry, cherry and currant that transitions nicely to some wonderful mineral notes over some hints of tobacco midpalate.  The finish is elegant and subdued as the tannins are very well integrated such that the flavors just linger on the palate like a fine Bordeaux.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's certainly a great effort from a cool vintage that's just a pleasure to drink!  Of course, I have no idea where I got this bottle, it was just sitting in the wine rack, so I'll have to be thankful for such pleasant treasure finds!  This wine would be ideal with a variety of dishes, but as usually, I am enjoying this with a nice steak, in fact a big honkin' porterhouse grilled rare along with some nice grilled asparagus that just came in from Michigan.  Cheers!

2011 Clos du Tue-Boeuf La Guerrerie Touraine

Happy Sunday!  It's been a rough day as I found that my water heater was leaking, but at least it wasn't too back (plumber coming tomorrow) and then I looked out the window this morning and saw a groundhog wandering around, next the critter control will be out.  It just seems like these things come in bunches, but thankfully there is wine to help us though the challenges of life!  Tonight I've decided to open another of my boss' reject wines, the 2011 Clos du Tue-Boeuf La Guerrerie Touraine, a nice Gamay from the Loire Valley of France.

The wine is a nice light ruby color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose presents aromas of black licorice, cherry and a hint of leather.  The taste is light and refreshing, with a rush of ripe red fruit up front, tart cherry, cassis and currant that transitions nicely to some smoke, mint and mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with some soft tannins supporting a long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's a very pleasant wine, but I'll be the first to admit that Gamay can be an acquired taste.  This would be a nice wine with many lighter summer dishes, but tonight I am enjoying it with a classic Autumn Sunday dinner, of roast chicken with cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole.  Cheers!

2006 Franciscan Napa Valley Merlot

Happy Saturday!  And of course since this is the first Saturday of July, it's Cellar Saturday!  At day where I raid the stash to find a bottle that's been maturing for at least a decade or more, and tonight it's the 2006 Franciscan Estate Napa Valley Merlot.  You know I like my Merlot, and the folks in Napa can produce some nice ones, particularly some small production ones like this one.  So let's see what she has to offer!

The wine has an inky black color at the center leading to some bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, prune, leather and toasted oak that seem a bit old world.  The taste is much less fruit forward than I was expecting, with a bit of cassis and black licorice up front that transition nicely to some notes of dark chocolate and mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is smooth and velvety as the tannins are mature and subdued leading to a bit of that old world Bordeaux style funk on the smooth, exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very nice Merlot that's certainly matured very well.  This wine would be ideal for hearty meals, steaks, braised short ribs or a hearty Italian dinner with lots of red sauce.  Tonight I've gone simple with a grilled prime sirloin from Costco, baked potato and some grilled Brussels sprouts.  This one will be a pleasure to sip on the patio tonight, cheers!

2004 Spring Valley Vineyard Uriah

Well, it's supposed to be spring, but it's been snowing here all day!  At least it doesn't seem to be sticking, so hopefully all the latest blooms will survive.  It's also the first Saturday of April, and that means Cellar Saturday!  Today I have a special treat that I recently received from Spring Valley Vineyard, the 2004 Uriah, a blend of Merlot (60%), Cabernet Franc (31%), Cabernet Sauvignon (5%) and Petit Verdot (4%).  So let's see how this wine has developed of the past dozen years!

The wine is a beautiful garnet in the glass, with a slight hint of amber along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, leather and mint, with just a bit of black pepper spice.  The taste is just lovely, with a good bit of black licorice and blackberry up front that transitions nicely to some notes of mint and black pepper midpalate.  The finish is lovely, as the still robust tannins provide nice backbone for the long, smooth dry finish that exhibits some very Bordeaux like qualities.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's mature and drinking marvelously right now (thankfully I ordered two bottles!).  This wine is a great steak wine, as it's depth of flavor and dry finish would perfectly complement a nice big hunk of beef.  Tonight I am enjoying this with an Angus Manhattan cut strip filet, with a baked potato and some steamed broccoli.  Cheers!

2013 Wayne Gretzky Estate Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  I know I've been slacking on my wine blog, but I've been busy with a visit from my Uncle Ron, so we went to some World War II battle reenactments and a dinner and USO dance with some nice big band music from the 40s, so I've had a hard time making room for the blog!  But tonight I've made time with a bottle of 2013 Wayne Gretzky Estate Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon,

The wine is a beautiful deep ruby in the glass, a classic Cabernet color.  The nose is a pleasant combination of oak, black licorice and baking spice.  The taste is a nice burst of jammy fruit, blackberry, plum and cassis that transitions nicely to some oak and floral notes midpalate.  The tannins are young but nicely structured for a nice warm, dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's a nice wine to drink young and it was a good value as I think this one came from Wines Till Sold Out for about $13.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a nice rare grilled Angus T-bone with a baked potato with butter and sour cream and some grilled asparagus fresh from Michigan.  Yum!

2010 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, 'tis the season to have lots of fun and good food, and since I was good today and went to the gym, I figured I deserved a treat for dinner, so I've opened up a very nice bottle of wine, the 2010 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon!

The wine is an inky black color at the center, leading to some bright ruby along the edges with nice clarity.  The nose is just lovely, with notes of black licorice, tarragon, blueberry and some Asian spice.  The taste is quite refined, with a some subdued flavors of cassis, blueberry and notes of espresso up front which transition to some elegant flavors of pipe tobacco, dusty limestone and white pepper midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with nicely structured and well integrated tannins supporting the long, lush, absolutely bone dry finish that just beckons another sip.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 9, with still more potential to improve with some cellaring over the next decade or so.  This is a perfect steak house sort of wine, with great flavor, nicely structured but not overpowering, the perfect complement to a nice rare steak, with lucky for me I happen to have this evening!  Tonight I'm pairing this wine with a rare grilled cowboy cut ribeye about 3" thick along with a baked potato and some grilled brussels sprouts.  So much meat and rich flavors to make this a bottle well worth the price (I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $60, about $10 less than the usual price).  But it's the holidays and I think I deserve a nice present to myself!  Cheers!

2011 Barrister North Coast Red Wine

Well all right, I am back on the interwebs!  Which means I am no longer limited to doing blog posts from my iPhone and instead can do them will full access to spell check and a full range of fonts!  So to celebrate, I've opened up a bottle of 2011 Barrister North Coast red wine that I bought from the Wines Till Sold Out (WTSO) cheapskate even a few weeks ago.  Not they said it was similar to the Orin Swift efforts on the Prisoner, which I like so why not give it a try?

The wine is a lovely deep ruby in the glass the tends toward a nice purple at the center.  The nose is concentrated with fruit, black plum, cherries, cassis with some notes of fresh herbs and forest floor.  The taste is much less fruity than I was expecting, nice flavors of black licorice, coffee that transitions to some black pepper and spice notes midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with subdued tannins and a smooth, elegant finish that beckons for another sip.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a nice wine that does live up to its reputation as the Prisoner's little brother, but at a value price (I think I paid about $18 for this one).  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some fresh baked pork chops (did I mention that I went in with some friends and bought a pig last week?), baked potato and steamed asparagus, a classic Sunday dinner.  The fruit in the wine makes it an ideal accompaniment for the wonderful flavors of pork.  Salut!

2008 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel

Well, we've been enjoying a wonderful winter storm to start the new year, with all the trimmings, foot and a half of snow, and highs in the single digits!  So it's only natural to want to curl up by the fire and enjoy a glass of wine!  Tonight I am working in finishing a magnum of 2008 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel, a nice everyday, easy drinking wine.

The wine is a nice ruby color in the glass with great clarity. The nose is classic Zinfandel, with rich sweet fruit notes of blackberry, cassis and prune accented by just a hint of fresh cut grass. The taste is a lovely combination of black fruit, green tea and black licorice transitioning to come lovely mineral notes mid palate. The tannins are very well structured supporting a long, smooth and very dry finish. 

 Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5 as it's nothing spectacular, but a solid everyday wine and a terrific value, I think I bought this magnum from WTSO for only $10!  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a simple dinner of butternut squash ravioli topped with some Parma rosa sauce and a nice arugula salad with Tuscan olive oil and 25-year white balsamic, yum!