2022 Pepper Bridge Vineyard Red Wine

Happy Saturday!  I have to admit, I had intended to get a bunch of work done today, but I ended up spending some time with friends, going to the farmers market and picking up some groceries and before I knew it, it was time to make dinner and get to the theatre for tonight's performance!  Oh well, the best laid plans of mice and men I guess, but at least there is wine.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of the recent wine club shipment from Pepper Bridge Winery, the 2022 Pepper Bridge Vineyard Walla Walla Red Wine.  This latest vintage is a blend of Merlot (40%), Malbec (30%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) all from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  Let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is an inky black at the center with bright ruby along the edges, just as you'd expect from these varietals.  Swirl the glass gently and you're treated to aromas of blackberry, plum and cherry intermingled with baking spice, sage and a bit of vanilla caramel.  The first sip is a rush of candied cherries and boysenberry that is the opposite of what your nose had you expecting, before you take another turn toward some dusty limestone and green cedar midpalate.  The tannins are smooth and well integrated, providing for a delightfully smooth dry finish that lingers until your next sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a perennial favorite and a prime example of why Walla Walla does so well with Bordeaux style blends!  This with would pair well with a wide range of hearty dishes, from beef stew to braised lamb, hearty pasta to cedar planked salmon.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared prime New York strip, with blistered cherry tomatoes and some linguine tossed with garlic, asparagus and broccoli rabe.  Cheers!

2010 Château la Tour de Bessan Margaux

Happy Independence Day weekend!  It's also the first Saturday of a new month, which makes this Cellar Saturday. that magical time when I raid the cellar for something at least a decade in the making to enjoy.  Tonight I've opened a special bottle, one that's been in my cellar for more than a decade and one which longevity makes a masterful difference.  The 2010 Château la Tour de Bessan Margaux is a classic example of a high quality Bordeaux that need ample time in the cellar to fully develop.  So, let's see how this wine has developed over the past decade!

Thw wine is a deep ruby color at the center, in what could also be taken for black when looking down in the glass.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of black cherry, cardamom and oak with undertones of black plum and star anise, giving you a hint of the old world classic flavors you're about to imbibe.  Take a sip and you're greeted with a rush of ripe, candied fruit up front, cherries, blackberries and currant that transition to some wonderful mineral notes of basalt, dusty limestone and classic Bordeaux funk midpalate.  The tannins are classically structured in an old word style creating a long, smooth dry finish that makes you hardly think you've been drinking wine at all!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as this classic old world Margaux is just now reaching its peak.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dished and hard cheeses, from lamb chops to wild mushroom risotto. hearty steaks to hearty pasta dishes.  Tonight, I am  enjoying this wine with a class spring dinner of a rare grilled prime ribcap along with some linguine tossed with garlic, olive oil, broccoli rabe and asparagus topped with shaved parmesan.  Cheers!

2016 Forgeron Zinfandel

Happy Sunday!  I've spend much of the afternoon tying to memorize lines for the play I'm in as well as doing laundry before tonight's rehearsal, so I figured I deserve a break with a glass of wine.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of the recent wine club selection from Forgeron Cellars, the 2016 Zinfandel, a 100% Zinfandel from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in the Columbia Valley of Washington.  So let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is a bright garnet in the glass, with nice clarity, just as you'd expect from a nice Zinfandel.  The nose is a tempting array of anise, candied fruit, tobacco and smoke that expresses why this red wine is a perennial summer favorite.  The taste is characterized by a halting rush of fruit, cherry, blackberry and currant that transitions nicely to some warm spice notes of white pepper and clove with a hint of mocha midpalate.  The tannins are soft and well structured for the long, smooth and wonderfully dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a very pleasant drinking Zinfandel that's very food friendly and approachable.  This wine would be ideal for many summer favorites, from barbecued ribs and steaks to burgers and brats.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some grilled pork tenderloin along with some asparagus and butternut squash and kale farro.  Cheers!

2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Apogee

Oh, happy Sunday!  I finished all of my chores, so many (whoever thought you'd have more chores as an adult than you ever had as a child?), I mowed, I planted, I changed the filters on the furnace, but now I'm done and ready for a break.  And what better break than to open a bottle of wine from one of my longtime favorite Washington producers, L'Ecole No. 41.  Tonight it's the 2013 Apogee, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (20%), Malbec (15%) and Cabernet Franc (5%) from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in Walla Walla.

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass, the sort of color that raises your expectations of the wine. The nose presents lovely aromas of candied fruit, leather and anise.  The taste is a rush of fruit up front, cherry, blackberry and cassis that transitions without a moments hesitation to some notes of cherry cola, tobacco and a bit of coarse minerality midpalate.  The finish is just wonderful, with young, yet well developed tannins supporting the long, voluptuous and very dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, I've always thought the Apogee was the less pleasurable of the Apogee/Perigee blends from L'Ecole, but this vintage is starting to win me over.  This is an ideal red meat wine, and of course I'm enjoying this one first on the patio by itself, but soon it will accompany a rare grilled Angus porterhouse with some grilled organic rainbow carrots and some haricots verts almondine.  Cheers!