2020 Helix Rose of Sangiovese

Happy Friday!  It's been a busy week, and I am more than ready for the weekend, so tonight I've opened a nice summer rose, since the weather has been heating up again.  It's also Washington Wine Month (though I confess, reading on Twitter, it seems as though Washington Wine Month happens at least three or four times a year), so I've opened a bottle that I brought back from my vacation to Walla Walla last month.  The 2020 Helix Rose of Sangiovese is a wonderful rose wine based on Sangiovese sourced from the Royal Slope AVA of Washington (the Royal Slope was designated as an AVA in 2020, with a south facing slope that's much cooler than the Wahluke Slope to the south).  So, let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is a lovely, light peach color in the glass, in line with many recent Washington roses.  A swirl of the glass reveals aromas of peach, citrus and green grass that seem like a breath of summer to be inhaled.  Take a sip and you're greeted by a rush of crisp summer flavors, bright citrus, wild berry and vibrant herbs with hints of melon and apple.  The tannins are wonderfully integrated for a delightfully crisp, dry finish that lingers on the palate more than you might expect from a rose.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a wonderful summer sipping wine that I will enjoy on the patio later this evening.  This wine would pair well with summer salads, lettuce wraps of Thai chicken, and of course seafood.  Tonight I am taking the classic approach and enjoying this wine with some herb crusted wild cod loins, along with some farro and steamed asparagus.  Cheers!

2013 Secco-Bertani Original Vintage Edition

Happy New Year!  It's been a relaxing day and I've done some reading and watching of the "Twilight Zone" marathon and now it's time for a New Year's dinner and tonight I am going totally Italian given my recent day trip to Chicago and Eataly!  My wine for the evening is a 2013 Secco-Bertani Original Vintage edition red wine from the Veneto region of Italy (this is in Northern Italy) that I picked up on the recent trip.  This wine is primarily made from Corvina grapes (80%), Sangiovese Grosso (10%), Cabernet Sauvignon (5%) and Syrah (5%), according to a blend from an original recipe from 1888, so let's see what it has to offer!

The wine is a bright ruby color in the glass with great clarity, somewhat lighter, in the style of a nice Sangiovese.  The nose is a wonderful blend of earthy leather, lavender and a combination of herbs that reminds me of many of the small grocers in Little Italy.  The taste is a rush of ripe fruit, cherry, blackberry and plum that transitions effortlessly to some notes of spice box, nutmeg and tea midpalate.  The tannins are very fine, providing a nice backdrop for the long, dry finish as the acidity kicks in to provide notes of tart cherry at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a pleasant drinking Italian red wine that would pair exceedingly well with a broad range of Italian cuisine, from Tuscan toast to risotto to classic pasta.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with an old Italian favorite comfort dish of braciole served over a plate of bucatini with plenty of fresh basil.  The fruit and spice of this wine just complements the hearty beef and spice of the braciole so well.  Cheers!

2012 Keiser Wine Company Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  I have to admit, I've been quite busy lately, and that's been cutting down my time for both food and wine but soon enough it will be over and I can get back to at least a bit of a routine.  Have I mentioned that I am in a play?  Yes, my acting debut is coming at the Elkhart Civic Theatre as we put on "It's a Wonderful Life" as a radio play.  It's been so much fun, but it's been eating into my evening wine and food time!  At any rate, tonight I've opened a bottle of wine I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2012 Keiser Wine Company Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was relatively inexpensive (maybe $20?) and I figured how can you go wrong with a Napa Cabernet from that vintage?  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a lovely bright ruby color in the glass, with great clarity, somewhat lighter than the typical big, bold Cabernets of Napa.  The nose is an elegant combination of leather, cardamom, tobacco and smoke, with an undercurrent of rich fruit.  The taste is rich, with a rush of ripe blackberry, plum and currant that envelop your palate before transitioning to some wonderful herb and mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are well structured and positioned perfectly to provide nice backbone to support the long, supple and very dry finish that seems to linger for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a wonderful example of a nice Napa Cabernet that's not build to beat you in the face with a mallet.  This wine is still begging to be paired with a big piece of meat, and lucky for me I have some thick cut prime sirloin from Costco that's punching way beyond its weight class.  So rare prime sirloin, grilled asparagus and a big baked potato, what else could you ask for a perfect Sunday dinner?  Cheers!

2006 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Cellar Saturday!  It's the first Saturday of the month, that magical day when I raid the cellar for something at least a decade old to enjoy.  Well tonight it was literally a bottle I stumbled upon in the cellar, as several weeks ago I was looking for a bottle of French wine and happened upon this bottle misplaced in the section where all the Bordeaux are sitting, the 2006 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, so given that this is the first weekend of Washington Wine Month, it seems like an appropriate choice.  So let's see how this one has matured since I got it about 10 years ago!

Now keep in mind, I decanted this wine for about an hour before tasting.  The wine is a lovely color in the glass, with deep, inky purple at the center, garnet along the edges with just a hint of brown.  The nose is such a smack in the head, as it instantly brings back memories of tasting this wine when it was new, wonderfully earthy notes of leather, grass and peat over some start minerality, but then layered on that is some clear signs of maturity, roast meat, olive tapenade and rich herb notes.  How amazing that I feel like I'm done and I haven't even had a sip yet!  The taste is nothing like the aromas, you're greeted with a rush of ripe black fruit, cherry, plum and currant that transitions effortlessly to some earthy spice notes and olive midpalate.  The tannins are mature and well balanced, providing for an exceptionally smooth, voluptuous dry finish.

I was expecting this wine to be a nice cabernet, but man this was just a sensory experience that bordered on overload!  Overall, I'd rate this wine a solid 9.5 easy, as it's just a phenomenal Cabernet, and it wasn't even the top of the line wine from L'Ecole back in 2006!  This wine would pair exceptionally well with steak, wild game, roasts, or as I'm enjoying tonight, some wonderful Italian dishes!  I'm enjoying this wine with some pasta I picked up at Eataly a few weeks ago, topped with some Italian sausage marinara, but who am I kidding, I'll be enjoying this wine for the rest of the evening, long after dinner is through!  Cheers!

2014 Domaine Dupre-Morgon Vignes de 1935 Cru du Beaujolais

Happy Sunday!  Is it sad that after going wild at Costco yesterday and buying way too much food, I've now been thinking about dinner all day long?  Well, needless to say it was a very fine dinner and of course I picked out a nice wine to pair with it, in this case the 2014 Domaine Dupre-Morgon Vignes de 1935 Cru du Beaujolais!  This wine, made from 100% Gamay from vines dating back before World War II, so let's see what this wine has to offer.

The wine is a light ruby color in the glass with nice clarity, just as you'd expect from this type of wine.  The nose presents aromas of red plum, raspberry, cherry, kirsch and a hint of spice.  The taste is quite refreshing, with some rather subdued fruit notes up front that give way to some white pepper and herb notes intermingled with some fabulous mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is very well structured, with youthful tannins supporting the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very young and pleasant drinking wine that is very food friendly.  It was also a very nice value as I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $15!  As I mentioned, this wine is food friendly and would pair well with anything from burgers and pizza to lovely seafood dishes to just about anything from Provence.  But tonight I have paired this one with a rather eclectic dinner of sesame crusted seared tuna, with some pan roasted fingerling potatoes and broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic and olive oil.  The red fruit and minerals we a perfect complement to the many rich flavors on that plate.  Cheers!

2013 Reininger Malbec

Happy Saturday!  I have my foodie creativity going which means dinner tonight should be pretty good, but it also means I need to open a good bottle of wine to go with it!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2013 Reininger Malbec sourced entirely from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  I reviewed the 2012 vintage almost a year ago and really enjoyed it (you can see that review here) so I'm hoping this one will impress too.  I've had this bottle for a few weeks, so I'm looking forward to it!

The wine is a deep, inky purple in the glass, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents some lovely aromas of leather, blueberries, currant and a hint of tobacco.  The taste offers a rush of fruit, ripe berries, black cherry and a hint of mocha that transitions nicely to some mineral and herb notes midpalate.  The smooth tannins support, the long. voluptuous and very dry finish that seems to last a minute or more and practically begs you to take another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, I'm not a big fan of Malbec, but this is one I could drink all evening long with nary a second thought.  The wine would be a terrific accompaniment to a variety of hearty winter dishes, from steak to braised short ribs to hearty stews, but as usual, tonight I am charting a different course.  I am enjoying this wine with some sea scallops pan seared in sesame oil over a bed of baby spinach and arugula along with some steamed rainbow carrots.  Yum!

2012 Forgeron Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  This weekend couldn't come fast enough in my opinion, I've been battling a cold all week, then on Wednesday we had a foot of snow which is all supposed to melt this weekend.  So man I need a break and a nice glass of wine or three!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of a recent wine club selection from Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla, the 2012 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon!  This wine happens to be a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (90%) and a but of Petit Verdot (10%) added for good measure.

The wine is a lovely bright ruby in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of black raspberry, cherry cola and leather, which tells me this is going to be good!  The taste is very fruit forward with ripe berries and plum that transitions to some wonderful herb and mineral notes midpalate, with some notes of tarragon and mint intermingled with some dusty granite.  The finish is a delight, with some white pepper spice accenting the firm tannins, providing for a long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, after being on a Napa kick, I'd forgotten how lovely a nice Columbia Valley Cabernet can be!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic Friday night pairing of a rare grilled Angus New York strip along with some grilled gold beets and steamed asparagus.  Cheers!

2012 Maison Bleue Metis

Well, this past week or so has just been a whirlwind of activity, between my normal travel schedule and some amazingly bad luck with flight delays, I've had no time for blog posts of any sort (though rest assured, I still had time to drink some wine!).  So I'll make up for it tonight, as for my 500th  blog post, I've opened a bottle of 2012 Maison Bleue Metis, a lovely blend of Syrah (70%), Grenache (25%) and Mourvedre (5%) that I picked up on my vacation in Walla Walla.

The wine is a lovely, deep ruby color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose exhibits an intriguing combination of ripe berries, smoke and floral notes that really urges you to take a sip.  The taste is classic GSM, heavy on the S, with flavors of blackberry and pomegranate bursting forth, only to ease back into some herbs and smoky, earthy notes midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat rustic, but form a perfect foundation to under gird the long, smooth and very dry finish that leaves you wanting more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a great example of the fine Rhone blends coming out of Walla Walla now, and since I received a wine club discount, this one was a super bargain (even though it's worth every penny of the regular price).  Although this wine will pair well with the classics, lamb, beef and wild game, tonight I'm enjoying this with a baked chicken breast topped with some prosciutto and smoked provolone along with a bit of linguine with garlic and olive oil and some steamed haricots verts.  Cheers!

2012 Seven Hills Carmenere

Happy Friday!  I am done with the first week of the two busiest weeks of my year, so I think it's time for a little celebration and what better way than with a bottle of nice red wine from the Walla Walla Valley?  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2012 Seven Hills Carmenere, their fourth release of the varietal in the past decade.

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass, rich and vibrant.  The nose is quite nice, with a nice presence of ripe red fruit, raspberries and red currant intermingled with some nice herb notes and a hint of earthiness.  The taste is quite nice, with some ripe berries up front than linger for a bit, transitioning to some nice spice notes of white pepper and just a hint of Provencal herbs.  The finish is vibrant, with somewhat mellow tannins offering a lovely bridge between the fruit and herb notes amid the smooth, dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, a very food friendly offering at a good value, this one was $30 before my wine club discount.  Tonight I'm pairing this with a rather unorthodox dinner of king crab legs, with some herb roasted purple fingerling potatoes and steamed Brussels sprouts.  The pronounced fruit and spice in this wine is a perfect balance to the richness of the crab.  Salut!

2009 Mansion Creek Cellars Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Well it's a bit of a rainy Saturday in October, perfect weather for football and a big red wine like a Cabernet!  Today I ran a lot of errands ahead of a short trip to Canada, so I figure I deserve to open something nice for dinner.  So tonight I've opened a bottle that I picked up on my last trip to Walla Walla about 18 months ago, the 2009 Mansion Creek Cellars Waldheim Cabernet Sauvignon!

The wine is a beautiful inky black and ruby color in the glass.  The nose is quite nice, a bit of ripe fruit, blackberries and plum, with some lovely herb notes, that make for a very interesting combination of sweet and tart aromas.  The taste is quite nice, we get a blast of fruit and tart, it really does remind me of SweeTARTS candy, which transitions nicely to some smoky mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are very nicely structured, providing a velvety, long dry finish that seems to last more than a minute.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's really a very nice example of a Walla Walla Cabernet at a modest price (I think this one was about $32 when I bought it).  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with the monster cowboy cut ribeye you see above, along with some wild rice and fresh steamed asparagus.  This is a great wine with a big ol' steak, the fruit and mineral notes just make a great balance with charred beef.  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!

2011 Ravenswood Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel

Tonight I've decided to have an old fashioned cookout, and what's better with a cookout than a fabulous Zinfandel?  And of course we know the best Zins come from Lodi, and specifically from old vines and that's what I've opened tonight, the 2011 Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with very nice clarity.  The nose is classic Lodi Zin, rich ripe black fruit, blackberries, black cherry, blueberries and plum over a smoky layer of leather and cedar intertwined with some green grass and herbs.  The taste is just a pleasure from the first sip, with rich jammy fruit bursting forward that transitions effortlessly to some black pepper and Asian spice notes midpalate.  The finish is warm, smooth and very dry with well structured tannins that give this wine a backbone that's ideal for summer barbecue fare.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a great example of a classic Lodi Zinfandel, and at a spectacular price of only $12 at my local wine merchant, G.B. Russo's.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a classic midwest cookout of grilled brats on pretzel buns accented with spicy brown mustard, horseradish, sweet pickled red cabbage, and some egg and mustard potato salad on the side.  Summer is such a great time for food!

2011 Marques de la Musa Garnacha

So tonight I've decided to open a bottle of our next office wine club selection, I guess that's the privilege of being in charge of the wine club! And the selection is the 2011 Marques de la Musa Garnacha, a lovely Grenache from Spain that I think would be a lovely accompaniment to the upcoming holiday dinners!

The wine is a somewhat darker color than you might often expect from a typical Grenache.  The nose presents a very pleasant aromas of strawberry, raspberry cut grass, forest floor and herbs.  The taste is very pleasant, with flavors of ripe, sweet berries, tar and black pepper that transition to some wonderful Asian spice and plum sauce midpalate.  The tannins are well structured, leading to a velvety mouthfeel and long, dry finish, a very pleasant and easy drinking wine.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7, it's nothing spectacular but a pleasant everyday wine and a terrific value that I found at G.B. Russo's for $6 plus tax!  Tonight I am enjoying this with some meatball sliders and a nice salad, but it would be great with some turkey, cranberries and all the trimmings.  In other words, an ideal holiday wine for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Cheers!

2010 Wrongo Dongo Monastrell

It's the middle of the week and what better way to celebrate hump day than with a fun wine?  And tonight's is certainly fun, as the name says it all, the 2010 Wrongo Dongo Monastrell from Jumilla Spain!  I have to admit, I bought this bottle at the World Market about a year ago, just because I couldn't get over the name, and I figured at less than $10 how could I go wrongo?

The wine itself is a deep ruby color in the glass, giving you a sense that this is a heartier Spanish wine, which it is, as Monastrell is the Spanish version of Mourvedre, which is a blending grape in the Southern Rhone, but a primary grape in many wines from Southeast Spain.  The nose is very rustic, with aromas of leather, sagebrush and forest floor accented by rich ripe fruit, blackberries, ripe cherries and plums.  The taste is delightfully fruit forward, with a burst of ripe berries and prune that mellows through the midpalate where there is a smooth transition to some mint and herb notes.  The tannins are somewhat tight, allowing the fruit and spice notes to really carry through on the finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a 7.5, it's quite pleasant to drink, but even moreso it's a great value as I think I paid about $9 for this bottle!  Tonight I'm enjoying it with some rotisserie chicken and a nice salad of field greens and raspberries, as the wine really balances well with the savory spice in the chicken.  It would also pair well with a variety of roast meats, or some spicy sausage and polenta.  Cheers!

2006 Walla Walla River Winery Syrah

Tonight is Walla Walla night, so I could think of no more appropriate wine to enjoy than the 2006 Walla Walla River Winery Syrah.  Now for a bit of background, Walla Walla River Winery is a second label from Cougar Crest, which I discovered on my Walla Walla adventure back in 2012, and also when I picked up this bottle (doesn't it show I have great discipline that I can hang on to a bottle for more than a year and never even think of opening it?).  But I digress.

Now for the wine, a beautiful ruby color in the glass, just as you would expect from a nice Syrah.  The nose is an interesting combination of ripe blackberry, tart cherry, smoke and some herb notes, perhaps it's a bit of tarragon that I'm picking up,  The taste is classic Walla Walla Syrah, with flavors of tart cherry, blackberry, leather and anise up front, which then transitions to some notes of dark chocolate, green grass and earthy basalt notes midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with some well structured tannins that support a long, dry finish.  This wine is probably right about at its prime drinking right now, so I'm glad I opened this one!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as I think it's a classic example of a Walla Walla Syrah, but that said it's probably not for everyone.  As for the appropriateness of this wine, tonight I am enjoying this one with a rare grilled Angus T-Bone, along with some home made beer batter onion rings made with Walla Walla Sweet Onions, hence it's Walla Walla day in my kitchen!  The wine just pairs so nicely with grilled steak, and provides a nice balance to the sweet onion rings, so delicious!

2003 Scala Dei Priorat

Another fine "Cellar Saturday" and today I've opened a 2003 Scala Dei Priorat, a lovely decade old blend from Spain, made from Grenache (69%), Cabernet Sauvignon (24%) and Syrah (11%), and a blend that I've chosen specifically for the lovely dinner I have planned for this evening!

The wine is absolutely lovely in the glass, with deep purple colors, and a nose that just exudes dark fruit, with ample aromas of ripe plum, blackberry and cassis overlaying a hint of leather and cedar.  The taste is wonderfully complex, with a burst of fruit up front, lovely ripe plum, black cherry, and sweet blackberry that transition to some wonderful herb notes, along with some earthy notes of limestone and forest floor.  The finish is just wonderful, as the refined tannins support a long, lush and dry finish (I know those seem like contradictory terms, but really they aren't!).

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a great example of this Spanish blend, and one which really supports a variety of dishes. Tonight I have prepared a dinner which I believe perfectly compliments the beauty of this wine, some lovely grilled lamb chops marinated in chipotle olive oil, some linguine in pesto sauce and a wonderful spinach salad with bleu cheese, cranberries and white balsamic vinaigrette, so delicious!  Cheers!

2002 Woodward Canyon Barbera

So tonight's wine hails from one of my favorite wine regions, Walla Walla and the Columbia Valley of Washington state.  Now you'll recall I just returned from an epic adventure to Walla Walla wine country a couple months ago, but this bottle was purchased on my last trip through Walla Walla when I moved out to the Midwest back in 2004!  In fact, on this last trip I mentioned to the folks at Woodward Canyon that I still had a bottle of the '02 Barbera, and they seemed rather surprised and suggested I might want to drink it soon, as it might be well past it's prime.  So, last Saturday I decided to bring the bottle over to some friends for a wonderful dinner.

Well, thankfully the folks at the winery were way off on their assessment, as this wine turned out to be absolutely wonderful!  The color in the glass was deep ruby, and the nose was a wonderful mix of red fruit, burnt toast, leather and chocolate.  The taste started out with a wonderful mix of fruit, rich blackberries and ripe plum which transitioned to a smokiness mixed with cedar, black pepper and herbs midpalate.  The supple tannins formed a wonderful foundation for the long, dry, smoky finish.

We enjoyed this bottle with a lovely, Pacific Northwest sort of meal, consisting of cedar planked salmon with lemon and a variety of fresh herbs, some grilled beef tenderloin and a lovely selection of grilled veggies from my friends at Schuler Farms.  It was such a delicious meal, and the wine went along perfectly.  Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8.5, and I'd love to get more, but unfortunately that is no longer possible.  I guess maybe I'll have to wait another 8 years to open a bottle I bought on my last trip!

2010 Waterbrook Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

What a day, and what a week!  I can surely use a lovely glass of wine with my dinner, but first a photo for your enjoyment:

This photo was taken from my patio two winters ago, and since it was 103 degrees here today, and over 100 degrees for the second day in a row, this photo just makes me feel better, knowing winter is only 5 months away!  And for any of you in the Midwest or East, you can certainly relate and likely appreciate the above master work in photography.

So on to tonight's festivities.  Having just returned from my big vacation to Walla Walla, I thought why not open another bottle of wine from one of the Walla Walla winemakers?  This one comes from Waterbrook, a winery that I drove past twice on the way to L'Ecole No. 41, but I didn't have time to stop.  Fortunately my local wine merchant, G.B. Russo & Sons got a couple shipments of Waterbrook's 2010 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and put it on sale for just $11.49!  So I figured even if I don't like it, it's at least inexpensive.

Now Dave Russo warned me that when first opening this wine is a bit rough, but after they let it breathe overnight, the next morning at the tasting it was lovely and people bought his whole supply that morning!  Well, since I am thirsty and don't have a day to let it breathe, I'll just make do with my aerating pourer!

The wine is a lovely deep purple color in the glass with a nice ruby color along the edges.  The nose presents with aromas of leather, licorice, some fresh herbs and just the faintest hint of ripe fruit.  The wine is surprisingly fruit forward, with a taste of ripe plum and cherry, which quickly gives way to hints or grass or hay mixed with cherry syrup midpalate.  The rather sharp tannins make for a tight finish that's really quite dry, but rather short.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7, it's nothing spectacular but for the price it was a very good value.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some wonderful steak fajitas, as it's hearty enough to lend a strong supporting role to spicy grilled steak, onions, peppers and cheese, so yummy!

2011 Muga Rioja Rose

So tonight is an exciting night, a first for the wine blog, a review of a wine that is not red!  It's been so hot lately, today it's 92 and it's supposed to be near 100 degrees this weekend, so it's a little warm to be enjoying a hearty red wine on the patio.  So I thought, there's been a recent surge in popularity of rose wines, so why not jump on the bandwagon and try some?  After all, they can't be any worse than the white zinfandel we used to drink in college!  So last weekend there were a few tastings at local wine merchants, in addition to a virtual tasting on snooth.com, so I picked up a few bottles, including the 2011 Muga Rioja Rose I am enjoying tonight.

This wine was part of the Snooth tasting, and having tried it at G.B. Russo's last weekend I picked up a bottle and chilled it expecting a resumption of the unbearably hot weather we've had so far this summer.  So tonight's the night!  I figure I like Rioja, so that at least gives this wine a head start right?

The wine has a nice blush color in the glass, almost an orange-pink hue.  The nose is quite pleasant with aromas of fresh strawberry and citrus, with just a mild hint of grass.  The wine tastes of bright fruit at the outset, with strawberry and fresh cut melon, quickly giving way to a mild flavor of ruby red grapefruit and fresh herbs with a sharp acidity.  The finish is clean and crisp, with very mild tannins resulting in a very dry, but short finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7, but that's really just a wild guess since I'm so far out of my element on this one!  As for pairings, tonight I am enjoying this wine with some of the last of my wild Copper River Sockeye fillets, grilled on a cedar plank and served with a bit of wild rice and steamed sugar snap peas.  The bright fruit and acidity of this wine really does play nicely against the richness and fattiness of the salmon, making this a very delicious pairing!

2009 Seven Hills Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

What a busy day!  I started this morning at the farmer's market to get some fresh veggies, they had a wonderful selection of fresh asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, lettuce and wonderful fresh ripe strawberries.  Then off to the World Market to pick up a few items, then to the fish market to get tonight's dinner (more on that later on), then the meat market to get some wonderful Angus T-bones (I've had a craving for a T-bone since hearing the "beef it's what's for dinner commercials on the radio all through Idaho and Wyoming!) and some thick juicy ribeyes.

And so now that the chores are done, I can relax with a nice glass of wine that I brought back from my recent trip to Walla Walla.  Tonight I am having a nice bottle of 2009 Seven Hills Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  Now there are many differences between the Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley wines beyond the price, and one of the most basic differences is that the Columbia Valley wines tend to drink quite well when they are younger, as they tend to be somewhat less harsh and tannic.  Of course you also miss the wonderful, dark chocolate hints that Walla Walla is famous for, but in a pinch, I suppose we can make do!

This wine is a wonderfully dark, inky sort of color with bright ruby around the edges.  The nose presents a hint of sweet cherry, cedar and a bit of licorice.  The taste is a rush of fruit, with ripe berries that gives way to fresh herbs, while the more subtle tannins provide for a smooth, dry finish.  It's not a big "in your face" sort of Cabernet, but a more refined, structured wine that would really accentuate a food pairing.  And speaking of pairing, tonight I am enjoying this with a perfect meal that screams Northwest cuisine, a wonderful cedar planked wild Copper River salmon fillet, with some grilled purple asparagus and some wild rice.  And of course for dessert, I'll have some of those wonderful strawberries and vanilla ice cream!

I would rate this one a solid 8.5, and I know I have a bias for this being my second favorite winery from Walla Walla, but there's a bonus reason for my high rating.  You see, I was at G.B. Russo's last weekend and he had another Columbia Valley wine on sale, but I was not a fan of that one, but I seemed to be the only one that noticed that he had marked down this wine from the normal $29 price to just $15!!!  Needless to say I got a case and this will be one of our future office wine club selections!  Cheers!