2021 Feu Follet Coteaux d'Aix en Provence Rose

Happy Sunday!  It's been a somewhat relaxing day as my cooking was largely completed this morning - more on that in a minute.  And now, for the second time in as many weeks, I've reached back to the wines of summer for an appropriate wine pairing for this evening.  The 2021 Feu Follet Coteaux d'Aix en Provence rose is a blend of Grenache Noir (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Carignan (20%) and Syrah (10%), and yes, I know that adds up to 110%, but it's what the label said so I don't have the information to correct the percentages, so we'll go with it (incidentally, this is the first time I've ever encountered a percentage blend that did not add up correctly!).  I bought this wine from Wines Till Sold Out last summer, meaning to enjoy it on the patio, but alas better late than never, so let's see how it's tasting in the winter.

The wine is a lovely peach color in the glass, which seemed to be the trend for 2021 roses.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of citrus and strawberry, with undertones of lemon and hints of apple over the top.  Take a sip and flavors of melon, apple and peach dance on your tongue before easing into some modest mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is at first crisp, but then it smooths out to a lingering dryness.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it continues to evolve as you sip, and makes me sad that I didn't enjoy this wine while the patio furniture was still out.  This wine would pair well with a variety of summer fare, from burgers and barbecue, to summer salads and seafood.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with some split pea soup that's been simmering in the crock pot all day, made from the ham bone left over from the Christmas party, the richness of the soup is a perfect foil for this wine.  Cheers!

2017 Healy Rose

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been over 80 degrees here for the past two days, so I am officially declaring this the beginning of rose season!  And since the folks at Bledsoe Family Wines were kind enough to deliver 8 bottles of the most recent vintage, what else could I possibly open tonight but a 2017 Healy Rose?  So let's see what this wine has to offer.

The wine is a lovely peach color in the glass as the nose presents sweet aromas of strawberry, orange zest, cantaloupe and honeydew and floral overtones that just make this wine feel like a spring day.  The taste is crisp and refreshing on the tongue, with wonderful sweet fruit flavors dancing together before some wonderful mineral notes join the party.  The finish is lingering yet crisp, just what you'd want from a nice spring day.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as this wine is becoming a perennial favorite to start rose season.  This wine would pair perfectly with a sunny afternoon on the patio, but tonight since we're having a thunderstorm (another side effect of warm humid weather), I am enjoying this wine with some sesame seared ahi tuna, steamed rice and sauteed baby bok choy.  Cheers!

DaMa Cowgirl Blanc

Happy Sunday!  It's been a good day to stay indoors and watch old movies, as it's been cold and snowing/sleeting all afternoon.  And given the melancholy weather, it also seems appropriate to enjoy a little comfort food for dinner, which is what I plan for tonight.  But what wine to enjoy with this particular comfort food was a challenge, but one that I was up to when I got out a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from DaMa Wines, the non-vintage Cowgirl Blanc.  This wine is a blend of Chardonnay (65%) and Viognier (35%) from both the Mill Creek and Sagemoor Vineyards in the Columbia and Walla Walla Valley AVAs of Washington.  So let's see how this unusual evening of white wine progresses!

The wine has pleasant aromas of rich tropical fruit, mango, passion fruit and some apricot notes with some mineral notes over the top.  The taste is more subdued tropical fruit on the outset, which seems more dominated by citrus notes and bright acidity, which easily transitions into some earthy mineral notes midpalate.  The tropical fruit makes another appearance on the crisp refreshing finish, which is surprisingly long for a white wine.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as you know, white wines are really not my thing, but I could easily see this wine as a Thanksgiving favorite.  Tonight I am enjoying this one with my Mom's recipe for classic tuna noodle casserole, creamy goodness that of course is topped with crumbled potato chips, it doesn't get more comfortable than that.  Cheers!

Snooth Vouvray Virtual Tasting

Tonight is a fun night since it's another Snooth Virtual Tasting!  Tonight we are tasting the Vouvray wines of the Loire Valley of France.  Tonight at my house we are tasting two lovely Vouvray wines, the first is the Brut Champalou Sparkling Vouvray and the second is the 2012 Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray Sec, a dry still wine based on chenin blanc.

The first wine we tried was the Brut Champalou Sparkling Vouvray, very interesting nose, a little floral aromas, and a bit of iron and graphite.  The taste is remarkably bright and crisp with some nice fruit and honey notes at the outset.  The finish is really nice, and super dry, without the aftertaste that so often accompanies a sparkling wine.  Overall I would rate this one a solid 8, as it's a wine that's a good value at $24 as it tastes like a much more expensive sparkler.  I'd be very pleased to offer this to my guests as I did tonight!

The second wine was the 2012 Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray Sec, a more traditional dry white wine based on the chenin blanc.  This wine has some nice fruit up front some citrus and melon aromas, along with a bit of green grass and herbs.  The taste is so interesting, with a great silky mouthfeel and so much flavor that it keeps evolving in your mouth.  There is a good bit of minerality, it's so smooth and complex rather than crisp like the sparkler, a truly wonderful white wine that would go beautifully with a lovely mushroom risotto or some rich buttery cheeses.  Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 and a terrific bottle for just $21!

So there you have it, our Snooth.com Virtual Tasting of Vouvray, a big shout out and thank you to Snooth and the wines of the Loire Valley!  Cheers!

2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose

Well it's a beautiful late Spring evening, the sun was bright and the temperature was a little warm today, well into the 80s, so what better time to enjoy a refreshing glass of nicely chilled rose on the patio?  Tonight I am enjoying one of my perennial rose favorites, the 2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills of the Columbia Valley.

The wine is a lovely pale pink color in the glass.  The nose is a refreshing blend of green grass, pink grapefruit and floral notes of rose petals.  The taste is a beautiful combination of fresh citrus, light raspberry and tart pomegranate that transitions to some nice floral notes midpalate.  The finish is a blast of summer, with some wonderful mineral notes that bring structure to the crisp refreshing finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a lovely wine for those hot summer evenings, and it's an ideal summer wine for the dry red wine fan like me, as the fruit is balanced, not overpowering or syrupy.  Tonight I am just enjoying this wine sitting in my Adirondack chair on the deck, listening to the birds and enjoying the every changing types of flowers blooming in my yard.  That's not to say this isn't a good food wine, as it would be lovely with a citrus stuffed lake trout or an heirloom tomato salad with aged balsamic!  Cheers!

2012 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

So tonight I am enjoying another wonderful Snooth virtual tasting, this time featuring the wines of La Crema, a wonderful producer out of California.  Now this is a bit unusual as I am doing this virtual tasting from my office of all places as my home internet is still not up and running (moving to a new home can be such a joy!) So the first wine of the virtual tasting that I am trying is the 2012 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

Now as a complete novice to white wines, I can only say what I've heard in the past, particularly that Chardonnay may be a more popular wine, perhaps a bit overdone, but heck I'll try anything once!  The wine itself has lovely aromas of green grass, ample citrus, honey and just a hint of caramel.  The taste is ripe and crisp, with very little of the tart fruit I so often encounter when I venture into the world of white wine.  I would characterize this wine as a classic, buttery sort of Chardonnay, with many rich flavors that would be perfect with a varierty of fall and winter dishes.  The finish is somewhat soft with some metallic notes, but ultimately a very nice wine.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a very nice example of a very food friendly white wine, particularly for fall and winter dishes.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some thick cut oven roasted pork loin chops, mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts, a perfect dish on a cold winter evening!

2010 L'Ecole No. 41 Wahluke Slope Grenache - Happy Thanksgiving!

So the Thanksgiving holiday is almost done, we've had turkey with all the fixin's, football (in the yard and on TV), a head start on all our Christmas shopping with all those "Black Friday" deals, and hopefully we thought at least a little bit about what we are thankful for, all those spiritual and material blessings that make us wonder what we've done to deserve them.  But enough of the philosophical, you really just want to know what wines I paired with my turkey last Thursday don't you?

Well, you get a treat today, as I am highlighting two wines that I enjoyed with my Thanksgiving dinner.  The first one I enjoyed most of since it's surprising how many people are intimidated by red wine with turkey, even when it's a lighter red like the 2010 L'Ecole No. 41 Wahluke Slope Grenache from the Stone Tree Vineyard!  The color in the glass was a lighter shade of ruby with a nose that had notes of sour cherry, cedar and smoke.  The taste was quite fruit forward with flavors of ripe plum, cherry and strawberry, intertwined with dried herbs and a somewhat earthy quality.  The tannins were quite subdued leading to a very delicate finish. The fruit flavors paired very well with the turkey, which even when perfectly cooked I find can be very bland.

You know how I love L'Ecole, but this one wasn't spectacular, perhaps because I love their bigger reds, but it was the perfect wine for Thanksgiving dinner, so I'll rate it a solid 8, with some room for improvement as it matures.

Now my second wine with dinner was the 2009 Espelt Corali Rosado, much less intimidating as a chilled rose than a red wine for most dinner guests!  This wine was very refreshing, with a nose of pear, strawberry and grass along with a few floral notes.  The taste was delightful combination of melon and peach with hints of fresh herbs with a clean, crisp finish.  Again, the crispness and light fruit made a nice counter to the heaviness of some of our dinner (think stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and the ever popular green bean casserole!) and really made the turkey sing.

This one I would rate a solid 7, as it was a descent wine, but a tremendous value as I bought this on close out from my local wine merchant, G.B. Russo's for only $1.50 + tax!  Less than 2-buck-Chuck!  I'm just glad I bought a few extra for next summer.  So that was my Thanksgiving wine, what did you enjoy with your feast?