2012 Chateau de Landiras Graves

Happy Tuesday!  This has been a busy week so far and it doesn't look like it's going to get any better, so that means it's time to open a bottle of wine!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2012 Chateau de Landiras Graves, a blend of Merlot (75%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) from the left bank of the Garonne.  I bought this wine recently in the "Cheapskate Tuesday" event at Wines 'Till Sold Out, so let's see how it is!

The wine is a beautiful deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of cherry, blackberry, coffee and spice.  The taste is very nice, with subtle fruit notes up front, blackberry and cherry that transition effortlessly to some lovely earthy notes of mocha and dusty limestone midpalate.  The tannins are softer and well integrated, providing for a long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish that is classic Bordeaux.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a nice example of the appellation and a terrific value at just $17.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from steaks and chops to hearty stews, though tonight I am pairing it with leftovers!  Sante!

2012 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Valley Merlot

It's hump day and boy can I use a nice glass of wine with dinner!  And since it's Merlot month, why not open a bottle of my favorite under-appreciated varietal?  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2012 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Valley Merlot, which is actually a blend of Merlot (80%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) and Cabernet Franc (10%) from the Seven Hills and Ferguson estates.

The wine is a beautiful ruby color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose presents aromas of ripe dark fruit, green grass and coffee.  The taste is as smooth as it gets, with some subdued fruit notes up front that quickly give way to some smoky notes and cherry cola.  The earthy mineral notes of basalt really come through midpalate, surely the influence of the estate Ferguson fruit.  The tannins are vibrant, making a nice combination with the earthy minerality on the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, and it was a very nice value even at the full retail price of $36.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a perfect mid-week dinner of a petite porterhouse (yes there is such a thing in my world!) along with some grilled asparagus and sweet potato mash, what a perfect way to end an Autumn evening!  Cheers!

2003 Corte Pavone Brunello di Montalcino

Here we are at the first Saturday of the month, and of course that means it's Cellar Saturday, that time when I raid the cellar and open a bottle that's been waiting way too long to be enjoyed!  Tonight I've decided to go straight to Tuscany for a nice bottle of the king of Italian wine, Brunello di Montalcino, in this case the 2003 Corte Pavone Brunello di Montalcino.  There's just something about a mature Brunello, brimming with Sangiovese, a wine that is great by itself or with a broad variety of dishes.

This wine exhibits the bright ruby color that is typical of Brunello.  The nose is classic Brunello, with rich earthy aromas of leather, coffee, smoke and limestone overlaid with just a hint of dried flowers.  The taste is just lovely, it brings be back to my last trip to Tuscany nearly 20 years ago, lovely black fruit notes right up front, plum, blackberry and black currant, that transitions effortlessly to some earthy notes of leather and tobacco midpalate.  The tannins are nicely integrated, providing great structure for the long, dry finish that just has you begging for another sip.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very nice example of the best that Tuscany has to offer when it comes to wine, and this one was a good value from Wines Till Sold Out for just $25!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a non-traditional pairing of grilled wild Coho salmon with a lemon dill cream sauce along with some oven roasted root vegetables, purple potatoes, orange and purple carrots and golden candy stripe beets.  A wonderful autumn dish that is really accented by the earthy flavors of this wine!

2007 Robinson Family Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Let the weekend begin!  And to celebrate I've opened a nice bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the impressive 2007 vintage, the Robinson Family Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, a great wine from the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley.  A bit on the winery, which I've borrowed from Dave Russo at G.B. Russo's in Grand Rapids:

After retiring from the U.S. Army in the late 60’s, Norman Robinson bought land in the Stags Leap district of Napa Valley with the intention of planting a vineyard and starting a winery.  He picked a good spot because his neighbor was Napa vineyard pioneer Nathan Fay.  (The Fay Vineyard bottling of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars now sells for around $200 a bottle.)  Robinson now has the next generation of his family running this tiny hillside estate winery (less than 500 cases of the Cabernet is made) selling most of their wines to restaurants and collectors.  One of the specialties for the Robinson Family Vineyard winery is library releases for their wines.  They hold back a certain amount of their production to be released to restaurants when they feel the wine is ready to drink (restaurants don’t like aging the wines themselves).  

The wine itself has a beautiful, classic deep purple Cabernet color in the glass, leading to some bright ruby along the edges.  The nose just explodes with rich aromas that immediately signal to my brain that a great glass of wine is on the way, blackberry, cassis, leather, oak, red meat and some hints of tar.  The taste is a subdued blast of fruit up front, some plum and raisin flavors that transitions to some smoky spice and coffee midpalate.  The tannins are incredibly well structured, providing for a long, smooth dry finish where the flavors continue evolve right up to the end.  Simply wonderful!

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's just simply a great Cabernet from a great vintage that is drinking spectacularly now!  Granted, it's not an everyday wine, as I happened to luck out getting some of this one from Russo's since it was delivered to a restaurant in Michigan by mistake (they wanted the 2005 vintage).  So even though the regular price on this wine was $60, I bought it for $45!  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine (perhaps a little too much) with a rare New York Strip, grilled Brussels sprouts and some roasted purple potatoes.  This is a perfect wine for a big ol' steak, cheers!

1995 Seven Hills Walla Walla Valley Merlot

All right, it's the second day of August and the first Saturday of the new month, so that must mean it's time for me to brave the cobwebs and head to the cellar to find something fun to drink!  And tonight it's one of my favorite varietals from one of my favorite wineries from what was a very good year, the 1995 Seven Hills Walla Walla Valley Merlot!  Now as a disclaimer, as with so many of my cellar selctions, I opened this for a while and then decanted it to let it breathe a bit.  It's already opened up nicely, but will likely get even better as the evening progresses.

The wine has actually held up quite nicely, with not even a hint of brown, but rather a nice bright ruby with a bit of opacity.  The nose is bright and floral, with some nice aromas of lilac, strawberry, green grass and cedar over some nice hints of minerality.  The taste is very nice, with a burst of fruit up front, blueberry, black currant and cherry that transitions nicely to some nice dark chocolate, coffee, mineral notes and a bit of "Bordeaux funk" midpalate.  The finish is very dry, the soft tannins support a lovely velvety finish that seems to last more than a minute and leaves you wanting more.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's really aged quite nicely and shows the great aging potential of a nice Merlot.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some classic kabobs, some shrimp, some steak and some veggie grilled fresh and such a yummy summer treat!  The wine just makes such a nice combination with the heartiness of the steak and the spiciness of the shrimp kabobs sprinkled with Old Bay.  Cheers!

2009 Cliff Creek Cellars Merlot

I love travel don't you?  Even if it's just for work and you barely have time to think much less enjoy a glass of wine. But sometimes in your travels you discover some wonderful new wines that you just have to share, and this was the case on Friday as I was waiting for my flight home from Portland.  If you ever happen to find yourself in PDX, the Made in Oregon store has a lovely selection of Oregon wines, and since it's past Security, you can buy as much as you want and carry it on the plane with you! On Friday, they were having a tasting of Cliff Creek Wines, a producer from Southern Oregon located in Gold Hill, Ore. to be exact (about halfway between Grant's Pass and Medford along I-5).  At the tasting I was fortunate to sample the red wine, the Merlot, the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Syrah, and needless to say I fell in love with the Merlot!

The wine itself is a dark ruby leading to an inky black center, classic for a nice Merlot.  The nose is just chock full of ripe black fruit, blackberry, plum and cassis, that transitions effortlessly to some nice Asian spice and coffee notes.  The taste is classic, big bold Merlot, with bright fruit up front that transitions to some stark minerality mid palate, limestone, leather and cedar.  The finish is divine, with nicely structured tannins that provide the perfect foundation for the long, dry and velvet smooth finish.  This is the kind of Merlot I'm used to drinking from the Walla Walla Valley, but who knew they were producing wines this nice down in southern Oregon?

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as I really did fall in love with it on my first taste at PDX, and it's such a terrific value as well!  This wine was normally priced at $21.95, but with the 10% discount at the tasting it was under $20!  In fact when I bough 2 bottles of Merlot and a bottle of Syrah and the total was far less then I was expecting I added another bottle of the Merlot (which in hind sight was a real strain on my arms carrying that bag!).  Tonight I enjoyed this wine with a rare grilled porterhouse topped with some grilled leeks along with some mashed potatoes and green beans almondine.  Such a great wine for a big ol' steak!

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 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza

Last Wednesday there was a fun virtual tasting at Snooth.com which is something that I always enjoy, but unfortunately I was traveling and couldn't taste all four wines on the menu.  The tasting was focused on the Ribera del Duero wines of Spain and included four different wines: 2009 Malleolus Ribera del Duero, 2011 Ferratus A0 Ribera del Duero, 2008 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza and the 2012 Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado.  Now tonight I am tasting the third wine of the group, the 2008 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza, the last of the reds we tried.

This wine has a lovely deep ruby color in the glass.  I've let this one breathe a bit, it's now been opened for a few hours, and the nose presents some lovely aromas of leather, oak, ripe berries and some licorice and vanilla notes.  The taste is quite nice, with some wonderful ripe fruit up front, blackberries, plum, and some nice toasted oak and coffee flavors midpalate.  The finish is quote nice, with some smoky, earthy notes with a good bit of minerality, almost a limestone quality.  The tannins are well polished making for a long, smooth, dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, and it's probably my second favorite of the group we tasted and it's a pretty good value in the mid-$20 range.  Tonight I am pairing this with a big steak, specifically a thick Angus ribeye that I've grilled rare and topped with a bit of bernaise, as I find the structure of this wine really matches well with the richness of the sauce, and some mashed potatoes and steamed purple asparagus.  Such a delicious meal!

2008 Gerard Bertrand Minervois

Tonight I am going to the south of France for some wine, where hopefully the taste and terroir will give me a feeling of the bright sun shining on my face as the cool Mediterranean breeze envelopes me...but I digress...it's still May in Michigan and there's a freeze warning tonight!  At any rate, this wine is a blend of Syrah and Carignan, a perfect example of the Minervois appellation.

The wine is a brooding dark color in the glass, and the nose is a pleasant combination of blackberry, cocoa powder and a hint of coffee.  The taste is somewhat less fruity than I would have expected given the nose, but it was quite nice, with initial flavors of tart cherry and black currant, which gave way to some chalky earth and green herbs midpalate.  The finish was just lovely, with some dark chocolate notes over some evolving tannins that made way for a long, smooth, dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's drinking quite nicely now, but it will likely evolve over the next few years.  And it was a good bargain as well, as I think I got this one from wineshopper.com for about $15!  As for pairings, tonight I am going 180 degrees against the grain, as the label suggest this would pair nicely with beef, sausage or pasta with red sauce, but tonight I am enjoying this with some pan seared ahi tuna, prepared with a bit of olive oil and Mediterranean spices, along with some roasted potatoes and fresh steamed asparagus that I picked up at a farm on the way home from Chicago yesterday.  Cheers!

2009 Finca Flichman Dedicado

So, this evening I had a wonderful opportunity to open my mind to new ideas at a virtual tasting to celebrate Malbec World Day sponsored by Snooth.  Now before you judge what a dork I am attending a virtual tasting, I assure you, there was actual wine and the fact that I was watching respected industry leaders on the web and chatting with other participants, made it possible for a guy from Grand Rapids to really appreciate some wines from another continent!  This time, it was the wines of Argentina, and although my dream is to retire with wine and beef in the northern part of Argentina near Cafayette, you know from past posts that I am just not a big fan of Malbec.  Well, my perspectives might just be shifting a bit as I tasted the 2009 Finca Flichman Dedicado, a blend of Malbec (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) and Syrah (5%).

Now according to the label, the Dedicado is only produced in exceptional harvest years, which hopefully will make this wine a real pleasure to drink.  Needless to say, I was not disappointed!  The wine is a deep ruby in the glass, but given the blend, it's not as opaque as a traditional Malbec.  The nose was rich with black fruit, ripe plum, cassis and berries, and a lovely hint of oak and dried herbs, and a bit later there were distinct coffee notes as well.  As the wine opened up in the glass, there was a definite sweetness in the nose.  The taste was just wonderfully complex on a number of levels.  There was a good bit of ripe dark fruit on the outset, and a nice sweetness, but not so much that it ruined the taste.  The fruit gave way to some lovely dried herbs, coffee and just a hint of mint, with so many flavors interplaying on so many levels.  On the finish, there were hints of minerality, and some wonderfully rich tannins that brought this wine together.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8.5, as I thought it was a great blend that would pair with a variety of dishes, and was a good value at $25.  During the tasting, I was enjoying this one with some local sun dried tomato cheese and the fruit and herbs paired nicely with the creaminess of the cheese, but I could easily see myself enjoying this wine with a rare grilled porterhouse as well.  Wines of Argentina, and even Malbec, who would have thought?  Cheers!