2020 Seven Hills Summit View Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  It's been raining off and on all day here, so I've been doing some indoor chores before heading to the theatre for a play later this evening.  So, to enjoy my upcoming steak dinner, I've decided to open the latest vintage of one of my favorite Cabernets, the 2020 Seven Hills Summit View Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  So, let's see how this wine is shaping up!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with bright garnet along the edges, just as you'd expect from a high-quality Cabernet,  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum, intermingled with hints of vanilla and oak.  The first sip presents a rush of cool black fruit and dried herbs that transitions easily to some earthy mineral notes of dusty limestone and basalt midpalate.  The tannins are a bit chalky, but still providing a nice base for the long, smooth dry finish that lingers on your palate until you take another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a wonderfully approachable wine, but not quite up to the level of earlier vintages (I've enjoyed this wine since the release of the 2014 Vintage).  This wine would be an ideal hearty beef wine, pairing well with anything from a classic seared filet mignon to a hearty prime rib.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime New York strip along with some grilled leeks and asparagus.  Cheers!

2017 11*14 'The Definitive' Spring Mountain Cabernet Blend

Well, that weekend went quickly!  I did manage to get some yard work done yesterday when it was sunny and in the mid-70s, but today was just more work.  At least I can sit down to Sunday dinner and enjoy a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of 2017 11*14 'The Definitive' Spring Mountain Cabernet Blend from Napa Valley that I recently bought from Wines Till Sold Out.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (66%), Cabernet Franc (17%), Merlot (16%) and Petit Verdot (1%) from the Spring Mountain AVA of Napa Valley.  So, let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is an inky black at the center with bright ruby along the edges, a testament to the heavy hand of Cabernet in the blend.  A gentle swirl of the glass releases aromas of blackberry, leather and dusty loam that beckon you to take a sip.  And that first sip reveals ample black fruit, blackberry, plum and currant that transitions easily to notes of mocha and hints of cedar midpalate.  The tannins are soft and chalky, providing for a velvety smooth and very dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a pleasant drinking Bordeaux style blend from a region known for more single varietal offerings.  This wine would pair well with big steaks, grilled lamb, braised short ribs or even classic tacos.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled porterhouse with some steamed asparagus with hollandaise.  Cheers!

2016 Château Grand Bouchon Médoc

Happy Sunday!  I spent the afternoon finishing the Christmas shopping, but as I was starting think about wrapping all the presents, it was nearing suppertime, so I thought why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?  So instead I've opened a bottle of wine and starting to prepare dinner.  And the wine I've opened is a recent one I purchased from Wines Till Sold Out, as they had a $120 case special, so I selected four different wines and bought a case.  Among them was the 2016 Château Grand Bouchon Médoc, a classic blend of Merlot and Cabernet from the left bank of the Gironde, so let's see how this one is tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, with great clarity.  The nose is a fountain of raspberry, red plum and vanilla that flows through some earthy mineral notes.  The taste is a rush of blackberry, raspberry and black cherry, with a hint of sweetness among the fruit before transitioning to some notes of dusty limestone and cedar midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat chalky, but complementary to the fruit, providing for a lovely, long dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a very nice example of a Médoc, which is a personal favorite of mine among Bordeax.  This wine would pair well with the classic red meat dishes, from steaks to prime rib, but it would also be great with a fall root vegetable galette or mushroom risotto.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a herb crusted rack of lamb with garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and a red wine and olive reduction.  Cheers!

2015 Michel-Schlumberger Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  It's been a busy day and since I'm entertaining tonight, I'll have to make this quick!  Oh, who am I kidding, I can't do anything quick.  So tonight I've invite some friends over for dinner and we are having some filet mignon (some will have prime beef while those of us more adventurous will have bison!) and what goes better with filet then a nice Napa Valley Cabernet.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2015 Michel-Schlumberger Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is the fourth vintage I've enjoyed of this wine, though not in order, as I've sampled the 2013, 2014 and 2016 previously.  I bought this wine from Wines Till Sold Out, and it is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Merlot (9%), Syrah (4%), Zinfandel (4%) and Cabernet Franc (2%) from Napa Valley Vineyards in Yountville (69%), Southeast Napa (11%), St. Helena (10%), Rutherford (5%), Stags Leap (3%), Oakville (1%), and Howell Mountain (1%).  So let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is deep, brooding affair, with inky black at the center and bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is a rush of ripe jammy fruit up front, with blackberry, cherry and prune amid earthy aromas of oak and smoke.  The taste much more subdued than the nose suggests with a mellow blackberry and plum up front that transitions to some notes of tobacco and a hint of lavender midpalate.  The chalky tannins make for a rich mouthfeel and provide a nice base for a long, dry finish that lingers on the palate.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a remarkably pleasant, old world style Cabernet from the new world of Napa Valley.  This wine would of course pair well with steak, but it would also be ideal with lamb, pork tenderloin or earthy wild mushroom risotto.  As I mentioned earlier, tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled bison filet mignon along with some garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.  Cheers!

2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Perigee

Happy Sunday!  I have to admit this has been an odd Sunday, as I started doing laundry, than decided to take a break and go for a bike ride, then went back to chores with cutting the grass, so now I'm ready for a glass of wine and some dinner.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of one of my favorite Bordeaux style blends from one of my favorite Walla Walla wineries, the 2013 Perigee from L'Ecole No. 41!  This vintage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (20%), Cabernet Franc (15%), Malbec (9%), and Petit Verdot (6%), from the Seven Hills Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.  So let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect for a blend so heavy on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  The nose presents lovely ripe red fruit cherry, currant and plum intermingles with some light floral notes and a hint of cedar and mint.  The taste is a rush of ripe red fruits that expresses the wonderful terroir of the Seven Hills Vineyard.  The cherry, raspberry and current transition elegantly to some wonderful notes of dark chocolate and mocha midpalate.  The chalky tannins are the ideal foundation for the long, elegant and very dry finish that just beckons you to take another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a premier example of the wonderful blends from the Walla Walla Valley.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of dishes, or simply sipping on the patio on a summer afternoon.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a rare prime New York strip, oven roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus.  This wine is perfect with a really good steak, Cheers!

2010 Genium Celler Priorat

You know, it's been a while since I've enjoyed a nice Spanish wine, so tonight I've opened a bottle I recently bought from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2010 Genium Celler Priorat, a blend of Garnacha (45%), Syrah (20%), Merlot (20%), Carinena (10%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%).  I've often viewed Priorat and similar wines from Spain as the poor cousins of Chateauneuf du Pape and the classic GSM blends of France, but in reality, these wines are in a style and class of their own.  So let's see what this one has to offer!

The wine is a deep purple in the glass, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is a blend of earthy aromas, leather, oak and spice box intermingled with some soft fruit notes and hints of floral undertones.  The taste is a rush of black fruit, cherry, blackberry and plum that transition to some notes of anise and peppery spice midpalate.  The chalky tannins can be somewhat of a challenge, but in this wine they work, providing nice balance to the rich fruit and setting up the long, very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's pleasant to drink, but also somewhat versatile when it comes to food pairings.  I rely on Spanish reds for more challenging dishes to pair, like my dinner tonight, an Indian spiced oven roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus.  The rich fruit and balanced spice on the finish make a nice pairing with the herb spice of the chicken, a protein that can be a challenge with red wine.  Cheers!

2012 Seven Hills Klipsun Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  You'll have to forgive me for not having many posts over the past week as I've been fighting a cold, and who wants to review wines when their sinuses are acting up?  In any case, I'm feeling better now, as evidenced by my continuing lack of organization (though I did recently buy a filing cabinet and organized my home office!) but recently I was looking through wine and found a cache of 2012 Seven Hills Klipsun Cabernet Sauvignon!  Keep in mind that I've already reviewed the 2013 vintage (you can see that here) and the 2014 vintage (you can see that here), but somehow skipped the 2012!  So at long last (and it's been a while as I recall bringing this back on my Walla Walla RV road trip back in 2015!) here is my review of the 2012 vintage!

The wine is a wonderfully dark and brooding color in the glass, classic for a Red Mountain Cabernet.  The nose presents lovely notes of mint, blackberry and cassis over earthy notes of leather and barnyard.  The taste is just beautiful, with a rush of ripe black fruit, blackberry, plum and cherry that transitions effortlessly to some notes of vanilla bean and white pepper spice midpalate.  The finish is that of a wine just coming into its own, with wonderfully integrated but chalky tannins providing the backbone for a voluptuous and smooth, but very dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

I have to admit, I think this is my favorite vintage of the three Klipsun Cabernets I've tried from Seven Hills, so I'd rate this one a solid 9.5.  I could see myself enjoying this wine with a variety of hard cheeses, prime steaks and chops, or even a lovely Pacific salmon, but tonight it a Wednesday of what's been a busy week, so I'm enjoying this beautiful wine with some take out sushi!  Spicy tuna roll, dynamite roll and a wasabi crunch roll, all playing wonderfully with the dark fruit and earthy goodness of this wine!  Cheers!

2007 Eagles Trace Napa Valley Merlot

So today we had a blizzard, well I don't know if it actually makes the definition of a blizzard, but we have over a foot of snow and it's still coming down, so we're close enough!  And to celebrate the end of the world, or as least the end of global warming, I've decided to open a bottle of 2007 Eagles Trace Napa Valley Merlot.  Now you may recall a week or two or three ago I opened up a bottle of the 2006 vintage as I bought this in a 4-pack vertical from WTSO, so tonight is the key vintage for Napa, the '07!

The color on this one is a deep, inky purple edging towards some brighte ruby along the edges. The nose is absolutely lovely with aromas of leather, Asian spice, ripe plum and black cherry. The taste is really sublime, with lovely fruit up front that quickly transitions to some dusty limestone and rich cedar mid palate. The chalky tannins provide great structure and support for a long, snooth and exceptionally dry finish!

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's truly an excellent Merlot that brings back so many fond memories fo France! Tonight I am pairing this wine with some lobster ravioli topped with a creamy herb Alfredo sauce, the richness of the ravioli and sauce are the perfect counterbalance to the dryness and structure of this wine.  Cheers!