2020 Stag's Leap Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  With the summer winding down, I've been hard at work getting ready for classes to begin in just a few short weeks.  But there is alsways time for wine and tonight I've opened a wine that has become more of a favorite of mine.  The 2020 Stag's Leap Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon, but likely has some other Bordeaux varietals included in the blend, but unfortunately I could not find a tech sheet at the winery website, so we'll just go with it!

The wine is a classic inky black at the center with ruby edges, just as you'd expect from a nice Napa Cabernet.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, green grass, lavender and a hint of oak.  The first sip is an explosion of ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum that transitions easily to some notes of vanilla and clove midpalate.  The tannins are well structured, providing an ideal backbone for the exceptionally long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just an ideal example of a fine Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine would pair well with braised short ribs, rack of lamb or hearty pasta, but what it really needs is a big steak.  And I'm in luck, as tonight I am enjoying this wine with a thick bone-in ribeye, grilled rare and topped with garlic scapes, along with roasted beets and carrots.  Cheers!

2023 Pepper Bridge Merlot

It's always a fun time when wine club shipments arrive, particularly those who time it out so you get several smaller shipments throughout the year.  And so it was for me last week, when my shipment from Pepper Bridge Winery arrived with three bottle of the 2023 Pepper Bridge Merlot.  You know I am a bit fan of Merlot, so let's see what this latest vintage is offering!

The wine is a deep ruby in the glass, with nice clarity, just as you'd like to see from this underappreciated varietal.  The nose presents a variegated blend of aromas, from anise and oak to blackberry and clove, just a nice breath of fall!  The first sip is a rush of ripe fruit, cherry, blackberry and currant, with an good bit of peppery spice throughout, marking a rather rambunctious first impression, before transitioning to some notes of tawny spice and ripe plum midpalate.  The tannins are young but stand at attention for the long, smooth dry finish that will have you rapidly reaching for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's another classic vintage for a prime Walla Walla Merlot producer.  This wine would pair well with aged cheeses, hearty pasta or classic fall dishes like beef stew.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a grilled T-bone with some sautéed onions and mushrooms, blistered cherry tomatoes and steamed asparagus.  Cheers! 

2021 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Malbec

Happy Father's Day!  It's been a relaxing day today, I had intended to do a bunch of chores around the house but decided instead to do laundry and catch up on my reading.  I also did a bit of butchering, but more on that later.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle from one of my favorite Walla Walla wineries, the 2021 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Vineyard Malbec.  This wine is a 100% Malbec from the McClellan Estate Vineyard in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington, so let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is an inky black at the center, with bright fuchsia along the edges, just as you'd expect from a nice Malbec.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of macerated cherry, blackberry and plum, with undertones of tobacco and clove.  Take a sip and your palate is awash in ripe black fruit, blackberry, blueberry, marionberry and currant that ease up to some zesty white pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are well balanced, but not in your face, providing a nice base for the long smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's one of my favorite vintages of Seven Hills Malbec yet.  This wine would pair well with a variety of dishes, from spicy Mexican tacos to grilled steak.  Tonight I am going full gaucho and enjoying this wine with a rare grilled picanha topped with a homemade chimichurri, along with grilled garlic scapes and asparagus.  Cheers!

2017 Pepper Bridge Merlot

Well, the holiday season is progressing nicely, recently the city came by and picked up the last of the leaves, so it seems autumn is quickly fading as I prepare for my annual hunting trip to get my Christmas trees this weekend.  So as a little respite, I've opened a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from Pepper Bridge Winery, the 2017 Merlot.  This wine is a blend of Merlot (76%), Cabernet Franc (12%) and Malbec (12%) from the Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge and Octave Vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington.  So let's see how this most recent vintage is shaping up!

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass, just as one might expect from a quality Merlot with a bit of Malbec in the blend.  The nose is a rather elegant affair, with some light floral notes over ripe plum and graphite with a touch of green cedar over the top.  The taste is a rush of black cherry that gives way to some spice notes of clove and cinnamon before easing into vanilla bean and a hint of white pepper.  The tannins are expertly structured, providing the base for a long, velvety dry finish that lingers on the palate.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's drinking wonderfully now, but is sure to improve with a bit of time in the cellar (I confess, I got three bottles and this is my second, so I'm not so sure on my ability to age this one!).  This wine would seem to be very food friendly and versatile, as I could enjoy this one with anything from steaks to pizza to tacos and barbecue, but tonight I've decided to take the road less traveled.  I am enjoying this wine with a citrus stuffed oven roasted rainbow trout, with thyme, blood orange and Meyer lemon along with some porcini mushroom farro and bacon roasted Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2015 Forgeron Barbera

Happy Tuesday!  It's been a busy week so far and it doesn't look like it will let up any before the holiday weekend, so I may as well enjoy a bottle of good wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of the recent wine club shipment from Forgeron Cellars, the 2015 Forgeron Barbera, a 100% Barbera from the Sagemoor Vineyard in the Columbia Valley of Washington.  I picked this wine for an easy pairing with dinner, so let's see how I did!

The wine is a deep, inky purple in the glass, with bright ruby along the edges, somewhat more reminiscent of a Cabernet than a Barbera.  The nose exudes quality, with rich leather, clove and ripe black fruit, with just a bit of floral undertones.  The taste is a rush of cool, ripe blackberry and cherry up front that transitions nicely to some subtle white pepper spice notes midpalate.  The tannins on this wine are almost not to be found, leading to a lush finish that's dry, yet not as abrupt as you might find in a Cabernet.

I decided to take a photo as I was cooking tonight, just to show that I do actually cook!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a pleasant, easy drinking and food friendly wine.  This wine would pair well with a broad array of dishes, as it's just easy to please.  I would enjoy this wine with anything from steak to pizza to barbecue, but tonight I've decided to go Italian, with some chicken Italian sausage with onions and peppers and some pasta tossed with garlic and olive oil.  The fruit and low acidity in this wine are perfect with some spicy sausage.  Cheers!

2015 Forgeron Zinfandel

Happy Taco Tuesday!  I bet you'll never guess what's for dinner tonight, but about the wine to pair it with... well tonight I've decided to open a bottle of a perennial favorite Zinfandel, the 2015 Forgeron Cellars Zinfandel.  This wine is produced from 100% Zinfandel sourced from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.  I've read a little about Zinfandel and how the large clusters of grapes tend to ripen unevenly, making this a challenging wine to make well, but when it's done right it's hard to resist!

This wine is a lovely deep garnet color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of tobacco, licorice, mocha and smoke, just what you'd expect.  The taste is a rush of ripe black fruit, with undertones of fig and smoke that transitions effortlessly to some notes of mocha and spicy clove and white pepper midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured, providing for a wonderfully long and smooth dry finish with a reprise of tartness at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's one of my favorite Zinfandel's year in and year out.  And it's not your typically jammy Zinfandel, but more elevated.  This wine would pair so well with barbecue, pizza or tacos, which is what I'm having tonight, wonderfully blackened walleye for fish tacos with black beans and edamame corn salsa, all on my new taco plates!  Cheers!

2014 Seven Hills Pentad

Happy Saturday!  It's been a dreary and rainy day here, so I thought I'd brighten the mood a bit with a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle from one of my favorite wineries, Seven Hills and specifically a wine that's not produced every year, the Pentad!  This Bordeaux style blend is only produced when conditions are right, so although we have seen the release of a 2014 and just recently a 2015 vintage, prior to that we only saw the Pentad released in 2012, then earlier in 2009 and 2007, so in all, we have seen only 10 vintages released with the 2015.  The 2014 Vintage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (61%), Petit Verdot (19%), Malbec (9%), Cabernet Franc (7%) and Merlot (4%) from the Walla Walla Valley AVA, so let's see how last year's wine if faring!

The wine is a deep inky color with bright ruby along the edges, suggestive of the heavy presence of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, blackberry, clove and dried spice that welcomes you to take a sip.  The taste is wonderfully smooth and balanced, with casual notes of ripe black fruit intermingled with mocha and dark chocolate that transitions to some lovely green herb notes just before the finish.  And the finish is lovely, with chewy tannins that make for a long, firm and exceptionally dry finish that lasts a minute or more.

Overall, this wine is really the gold standard in Walla Walla Bordeaux Style blends and I'd rate this one an easy 9, perhaps even a 9.5 with another couple years in the cellar.  This wine is very food friendly, and best enjoyed with a nice family dinner or some cheese and charcuterie with friends.  This wine would pair well with a variety of steaks and chops, heavier Italian pastas or beautiful autumn stews, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled New York strip along with some bucatini tossed with garlic, olive oil and broccoli rabe.  The wine really stands up well to beef, cheers!

2011 Spring Valley Vineyard Frederick

So, the last weekend of Washington Wine Month and I've decided to go out with a bang!  Tonight I've opened a bottle I bought in Walla Walla last year, the 2011 Spring Valley Vineyard Frederick, named for Frederick Corkrum, the second son of Uriah and Nina Lee, the farmers who came to the Walla Walla Valley in the nineteenth century.  This particular vintage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Cabernet Franc (30%), Petit Verdot (6%) and Malbec (4%).

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of strawberry, marionberry, some white floral notes and hints of baking spice and clove, just the type of aromas that signal to your body that you're about to taste something really good!  The taste is just lovely, with a rush of ripe fruit up front, berries, cherry and plum that transitions to a bit of green herb and mineral notes midpalate. The finish is wonderful, as nicely structured tannins support the long and velvety dry finish that reprises some of the subtle floral notes from earlier.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's one of my personal favorites from Walla Walla, and surprisingly available (though somewhat pricey) throughout the country.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with what it begs to be paired with, a rare grilled prime sirloin, with some steamed organic rainbow carrots and a baked potato.  Here's to Washington Wine Month!

2012 Forgeron Mourvedre

Happy Tuesday!  I have been winding down at work, one more day until I'm finished for 2015!  In the meantime, I thought I'd open another bottle of my Forgeron wine club shipment, this time it's the 2012 Mourvedre from the Heart Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA.  I have seldom found a nice pure bottle of this varietal as it's usually blended as the minor partner of any of a number of GSM blends.  So here goes nothing!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents some aromas of tart cherry, black pepper, sage and a hint of rosemary, a very rustic feel.  The taste is warm and appealing, with lovely flavors of ripe berries up front, boysenberry, blackberry and currant that transition to some notes of rustic spices, anise, white pepper and clove.  The finish is quite pleasant, with smooth tannins and a reprise of black fruit embellishing the long, dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's just a very pleasant drinking wine that also seems to be very food friendly.  I would enjoy this wine with a lot of rustic dishes, hearty stews, pastas and pot au feu, but tonight I am going the unconventional route and pairing this wine with a sesame seared tuna steak with wild rice and steamed asparagus.  There's something about fusing Asian inspired flavors with a southern Rhone varietal.  Sante!

2012 Primus The Blend

Happy Saturday!  I actually got a lot done today, laundry, cleaning up the yard, washing my truck and later this evening I'll be going to a play!  So why not pause for a nice glass of wine, and tonight it's one I recently picked up at Costco at a very nice price, the 2012 Primus "The Blend" an intriguing blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Carmenere (25%), Syrah (25%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%) produced in the Colchagua Valley of Chile.

The wine is a deep indigo in the glass, with brighter garnet along the edges.  The nose is a lovely combination of smoke, ripe black fruit, rosemary and clove.  The flavor is quite nice, with some sweet fruit notes of strawberry and plum up front that transition nicely to some earthy notes of toasted oak and blackberry midpalate.  The tannins are nicely rounded providing for a velvety mouthfeel, balanced acidity and a long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's drinking very well now, but is likely a wine that's meant to be enjoyed while young.  It was also a solid value at around $14 at Costco.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rather unorthodox dinner of butternut squash ravioli with a fresh vegetable Alfredo sauce, the acidity of this wine is the perfect balance to the richness of the sauce.  This wine would also go very well with a nice steak or barbecue.  Cheers!

2008 Cougar Crest Reserve Syrah

Here we are on a Sunday night after Labor Day, the first day of Autumn is rapidly approaching, so to celebrate the waning days of summer I decided to grill some brats and enjoy my Sunday dinner out on the patio, as I fear the days of outdoor dining may soon be at an end for this year.  And so go with the brats, I've opened a bottle of 2008 Cougar Crest Reserve Syrah which I recently bought from Wines Till Sold Out.  Cheers to them, but I've been a fan of Cougar Crest since I visited their tasting room back in 2010 (?) and I really liked the 2007 Reserve Syrah which you can see here.  But back to the here and now, this is a very nice wine that I think I like even better than the '07!

The wine is a deep inky purple color in the glass, with a bit of opacity.  The nose is lovely, with aromas of ripe fruit, plum, blackberries and cherry, with some hints of vanilla, clove and autumn spice.  The taste is just beautiful, with a blast of ripe fruit that easily transitions to some leather, green grass and white pepper notes midpalate.  The soft tannins provide for a supple mouthfeel and a velvety, smooth and absolutely dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a great example of a Walla Walla Syrah and I found it for an absolute bargain price of just $20!  Of course tonight I'm enjoying this with some wine and cheese brats (ironic eh?) with some grilled peppers and onions, a perfect summer summer that pairs so well with this wine.  I wish summer could last a little longer, but even if it can't, I'll have a good reminder when the frost hits and I enjoy another bottle of this wine.  Cheers!