2014 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  I have to admit, I've been looking forward to the weekend for many reasons, not the least of which is my upcoming steam train excursion on Sunday, but also for the chance to open up a good bottle or two of wine!  Tonight is no exception as I'm opening up one of my favorite varietals from one of my favorite vineyards made by one of my favorite producers, the 2014 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon!  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a deep black color at the center with bright garnet along the edges.  The nose is a lovely breath of leather, dark cherry and smoky oak over the faintest hints of earthy minerals.  The taste is just divine, with some lovely black fruit notes of cherry, blackberry and plum that transition nicely to some notes of dusty limestone midpalate.  The finish is as pleasant as could be, with a bit of black pepper spice amid the well integrated tannins, providing a long, smooth and very dry finish that just make me want another sip.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 9, as once again this great wine doesn't disappoint.  This would be a great wine for grilling, which is a good thing since I have a nice prime New York strip ready to grill along with some fresh asparagus from Michigan.  The rich black fruit and dusty mineral notes are perfect to pair with a nice charred prime steak, cheers!

2013 Bell Canyon Cellars Napa Valley Signature Reserve

Well good evening!  It's time for a mid-week dinner and of course a glass or two of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a recent purchase from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2013 Bell Canyon Cellars Signature Reserve from Napa Valley (have I mentioned I've been on a bit of a Napa kick lately?).  This wine is an interesting blend for Napa in that it has no Cabernet!  This one is a blend of Syrah (56%), Malbec (29%), Merlot (11%) and Petit Syrah (4%), so let's see what cooks!

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of oak, blackberry and dark cherry, with just a hint of vanilla bean.  The taste is quite pleasant, with flavors of blackberry and licorice up front that transitions to some wonderful peppery spice notes midpalate.  The finish is very nice, as the spice lingers with the young tannins for a long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's drinking wonderfully now, but will likely improve with some time in the cellar.  My only complaint is the use of an artificial cork, as you know I'm a fan of natural cork.  The wine was also a very good value at just $15.  Tonight I am pairing this wine with a rare grilled, black pepper bacon wrapped filet mignon with a baked potato and some grilled Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2012 Reininger Malbec

Well it's Sunday evening and I feel like I got a lot accomplished today.  I did a bit of spring cleaning, planted some herbs in my herb garden, and embarked on something completely new for dinner, but more on that later.  So tonight I've opened a bottle of 2012 Reininger Walla Walla Malbec which I just received in a wine clubs shipment a few weeks ago.  This particular wine is 100% Malbec from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in Walla Walla, and a limited production of just 171 cases.

The wine is a deep, inky purple color in the glass, with a bit of garnet at the edges.  The nose presents some lovely blackberry notes, dark cherry, leather and a hint of eucalyptus.  The taste is at first crisp and refreshing with a rush of ripe black fruit that transition nicely to some earthy notes of mossy oak and white pepper midpalate.  The tannins are evident but not overpowering, leading to a finish that is more smooth than bracingly dry, but still quite long and delicious.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8 with plenty of room to grow in the cellar (I can't wait to try my next bottle in a few more years).  It's also a great wine to pair with a variety of rustic foods, which brings me to my dinner tonight.  Yesterday I was at my local market and they had fresh Morel mushrooms as they are now in season, so I couldn't resist and bought some.  After looking at a number of recipes, I decided to go with some linguine with a Morel mushroom cream sauce with fresh asparagus, a perfect dinner chock full of spring delicacies.  The fruit of this wine was a nice foil to the earthiness of the mushrooms, which in turn reinforced the earthy characteristics in the wine.  That was a delicious evening for all!  Cheers!

2012 Seven Hills Pentad Vintage Red Wine

Ok, before you leave an anonymous comment that this is a truly age worthy wine that you shouldn't even be opening for another five years, yes, you are correct, the 2012 Seven Hills Pentad is a terrifically age worthy wine which is why I bought a case of it!  The wine is a classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (67%), Petit Verdot (11%), Merlot (8%), Malbec (7%) and Carmenere (7%) with only 310 cases produced.  I haven't had a taste of this remarkable blend since the 2009 vintage and I had this case unopened for nearly a month before I gave in to temptation and opened a bottle tonight!  So please, let me enjoy this!

The wine itself is a beautiful dark ruby color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose is a rich combination of leather, dark cherry, espresso and some floral notes.  The taste is really exceptional, with some lovely ripe berry notes up front that transition beautifully to some lovely tart cherry and mocha notes midpalate.  The finish is showing remarkable potential as there is just a hint of tightness in the tannins, creating a classic youthful dry twang, but it subsides very quickly to reveal a soft, voluptuous finish that just tempts you to keep the whole bottle for yourself!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, with room to improve with some time in the cellar.  The wine is not inexpensive at $75, but it's certainly worth splurging on for a special occasion (like a Friday night when I've already finished grocery shopping!).  Tonight I am enjoying this with a nice rare Angus New York Strip topped with some bleu cheese along with grilled leeks and Brussels sprouts and a classic baked potato.  This really is a perfect prime steak wine as the fruit and earthy minerality just shine with beef!  Cheers!

2012 Kirkland Signature Series Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Well folks, I hate to admit it but November has been a bust for my wine blog.  I came down with some sort of cold early in the month and I was sick for about 2 weeks, and once I was over it, I had three days of no sickness before I came down with another cold!  What a mess!  Well I'm still not 100% but I'm feeling well enough to have a glass of wine or two with dinner tonight, and since I made my first venture to the new Costco that opened about 20 miles from my house I figured today would be a Costco day, and to celebrate I opened a bottle of 2012 Kirkland Signature Series Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (for those unfamiliar, Kirkland is the Costco private label brand for everything from wine to toilet paper)!

Now I bought a couple of bottles of this wine to try, and the bottles themselves were impressive, not your typical bottles, but the heavy glass bottles normally seen with higher end wines.  The wine itself is deep ruby color in the glass, with nice clarity.  The nose is comparable to some of the best Napa Cabs I've tried, rich dark cherry and cassis intermingles with leather and green herbs and just a hint of dark chocolate on the end.  The taste is wonderful, with some rich black fruit up front, black cherry and currant, that transitions nicely to some white pepper and spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are very well structure giving depth and breadth to the long, velvety dry finish.

Although it's still young, this wine from the solid '12 Napa vintage is drinking quite nicely right now, and I'd rate this one a solid 8, with room to improve with some time in the cellar.  And it was a great value at just $20 too!  Since this is a Costco sort of day, I've decided to pair this wine with a classic dinner of a rare grilled USDA Prime New York Strip, a big steak house sized baked potato with the works, and some grilled brussels sprouts.  The wine has just enough acidity to balance out the great marbling of the steak while the spice just livens up the entire meal.  Cheers!

2002 Forgeron Cellars Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Here we are again, another Cellar Saturday, and this time I've opened a nice bottle of Cabernet Savignon from another of my favorite Washington producers, Forgeron Cellars.  When I was out in Walla Walla last year i had the opportunity to buy a couple of bottles each of a three-year vertical of their Columbia Valley Cabernet, vintages from 2002 through 2004, so tonight I've decided to open a bottle of the oldest, the 2002 Forgeron Cellars Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass with a bit of opacity starting to show given it's maturity level.  The nose is just impressive, with a blast of fruit, dark cherry, cassis, leather and smoke over a bit of sultry spice.  The taste elegant yet complex in its layers, with some soft berry notes that give way to some wonderful earthy flavors of peat, green grass and some minerality, with hints of limestone and dark chocolate. The finish is very nice, smooth and dry, just as I would expect for a 12-year-old Cabernet produced in the style of a quality Bordeaux. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a great old wine that has aged remarkably well.  Although it's not inexpensive (I honestly don't recall what I paid for these), it's certainly a very worthwhile treat for the wine lover in you!  Tonight I am pairing this wine with, of all things pizza!  In this case a lovely homemade number with a thin crust, roasted vegetables and fresh hot Italian sausage along with a nice arugula salad with some white balsamic.  The wine just pairs so well with the spice of the pizza and you know, sometimes it just feels good to open a nice bottle for a simple meal.  Cheers!