2020 Bledsoe Family Winery Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  It was another cold and rainy day here in the Midwest, sometimes I forget how we apparently skip spring and go right from winter to summer.  In any case, this is a good time to open up a nice bottle of wine to enjoy with my Sunday dinner, and this time it's a selection from a recent wine club shipment from the Bledsoe Family Winery, the 2020 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon!  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (78%), Merlot (9%), Malbec (7%) and Petit Verdot (6%) from six different vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with bright garnet along the edges, just as you might expect from a big Cabernet.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of lavender, blackberry and currant with just some hints of minerality.  Take a sip and you're treated to a rush of ripe dark fruit, blackberry, currant and plum that transition easily to some earthy notes of graphite and basalt midpalate.  The tannins are velvety smooth, providing for a luxuriously long dry finish that lingers effortlessly for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as I think this is the best vintage yet from the Bledsoe Family Winery (even better than the Flying B wines of 2015, 2016 and 2017 or the Bledsoe Family Vintages of 2018 or 2019!).  This wine would pair well with a range of dishes, from grilled steaks and chops, to Yankee pot roast and Sunday lasagna!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared ribeye basted with butter and rosemary, along with some asparagus with hollandaise.  Cheers!

2012 Doubleback Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Well this weekend just flew by!  The weather was near perfect for early spring, so I had a chance to do a little yard work and a few projects around the hours and now it's time to wind down before starting the work week tomorrow.  And tonight I've decided to go big as we near the end of Walla Walla Valley Wine Month, and open up a bottle of 2012 Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine has really become a favorite for the more old-world style of Washington Cabernet, produced by Drew  and Maura Bledsoe and their chief winemaker Josh McDaniels, which I had the chance to taste on a trip to Walla Walla back in 2015 (see Tasting at Doubleback) before they moved their tasting room out to their new and fancier digs.  So let's see how this stellar vintage has evolved over the five years since I first tasted it.

The wine is a brooding, inky black affair at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, suggestive of a bigger wine.  The nose is classically old world, with aromas of blackberry, prune, leather, lavender and just a hint of Bordeaux-style funk.  The taste is just magical, with a rush of ripe black fruit dancing with hints of floral, before transitioning to some notes of dark chocolate and sage midpalate.  The tannins are velvety smooth, supporting a long and luxurious dry finish with a reprise of sweet cherry at the back end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as it's probably one of the finest examples of this stellar vintage of Walla Walla Cabernet that I could imagine.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, but let's be serious, this wine screams to be sipped with a big steak!  And as luck would have it, I have one available!  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a prime New York strip grilled rare, along with grilled asparagus and cipollini onions (man those are a pain to peel!) and a big baked potato.  Cheers!

2015 Forgeron Facon Rouge

Well, it's been a very busy day, so much so that I've hardly had a chance to think about dinner or what wine to open tonight.  Thankfully, August is another Washington Wine Month, so that gave me some ideas, and then when looking for what to cook, I settled on a bottle of 2015 Forgeron Facon Rouge, a wonderful GSM blend from the Columbia Valley.  This latest vintage is a blend of Syrah (58%), Mourvedre (31%) and Grenache Noir (11%), blended with the French perspective from years of experience by Marie-Eve Gilla.  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a bit darker than your typical GSM blend, a credit to the heavy hand of Syrah and Grenache Noir in the blend.  The nose presents aromas of ripe black fruit, blackberry, plum and currant, intermingled with earthy notes of green grass.  The taste is a rush of ripe black fruit up front that gives way to some wonderful earth and floral notes along with some mocha and dark chocolate midpalate, layered with just a hint of smoke.  The tannins are nicely structured, providing the backbone for a long and luxurious dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a wonderful blend that's a bit heartier than your typical GSM blend, which makes it ideal for big Cabernet fans like me.  This wine would pair well with a broad array of dishes, from steaks and roasts, to wild game, to seafood.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with an oven roasted dover sole along with sweet potato hash and steamed asparagus.  Cheers!

2014 Pepper Bridge Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  It's been a busy week, and in case you haven't heard, we've had some flooding issues here in Elkhart over the past week, with all the two feet of snow melting, combined with another few inches of rain.  Tomorrow I am heading over to a friend's to help him start the clean up efforts on his house, which still has 6" of water in the basement, but tonight there's time for wine!  I've opened a bottle of 2014 Pepper Bridge Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (83%), Merlot (9%), Malbec (4%), Cabernet Franc (2%) and Petit Verdot (2%), all from the Seven Hills, Octave, Pepper Bridge and Waliser Vineyards.  So let's see how this one tastes!

In color, the wine is a deep, inky consistency with garnet along the edges.  The nose is a rush of ripe black fruit, cassis and hints of strawberry and mint.  The taste envelops the palate with blueberry, blackberry and tart cherry that eases into some subtle exotic spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely integrated, providing for a luxurious and very dry finish that seem to last a minute or more.  This is a wonderfully structured, old-world style of Cabernet that's just perfect for a relaxing evening.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's one of the best Cabernets of 2018 so far (yes, I know it's still early).  This is a wine that would pair well with a nice steak, venison or a hearty winter stew, but also would go well with a wild salmon.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled porterhouse, grilled asparagus and a big baked potato.  Cheers!

2014 Forgeron Primitivo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  I'm not sure I've ever posted on this most famous Mexican holiday, so here goes nothing!  Tonight I've decided to open a wine that I really liked when it came to the 2013 Vintage (see here) and since the 2014 recently arrived in a wine club shipment I couldn't wait to try it, the 2014 Forgeron Primitivo.  The wine is primary Primitivo (92%) from the Stone Tree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, but this year, they added a bit of Zinfandel (8%) from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA to mellow the wine a bit, so let's see how this vintage stacks up!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, blackberry and anise, soft and velvety.  The taste is a rush of rich black fruit up front, blackberry, black cherry and plum that transition nicely to some notes of black pepper spice and a reprise of anise midpalate.  The finish is quite smooth and luxurious, the tannins are rounded making for a less abrupt finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a great effort, but I have to admit I really enjoyed the 2013 vintage more.  This wine would pair well with a nice spicy pasta or pizza, but since it's a Mexican holiday, I'm enjoying it tonight with some wonderful tacos filled with pork chorizo and refried beans, topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and chipotle pepper sauce, the wine complements the spiciness so well!  Cheers!

2014 Maison Bleue Coureur des Bois

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  No green beer for me thanks, but I can still open a nice bottle of wine to enjoy with my traditional meal.  Tonight I've decided to open a wine club selection that I just received today, the 2014 Maison Bleue Courer des Bois, a classic Columbia Valley blend of Mourvedre (40%), Syrah (40%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), which provides a bit more heft than the standard GSM blend.  So let's see how she tastes!

The wine is a bit darker in color than your typical GSM blend, but still vibrant garnet.  The nose is a wonderful blend of leather, tart cherry and green cedar.  The taste is quite nice, with a more subdued bit of ripe fruit up front, that transitions to some lovely earthy mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated and smooth, providing an excellent foundation for the long, luxurious dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as I think it's drinking nicely now, but could certainly improve with a few years in the cellar.  As for the pairing, it would be wonderful with a variety of hearty meat dishes, from roasts to lamb chops, but today is St. Patrick's Day, so I'm enjoying this wine with a traditional dinner of corned beef and cabbage with some oven roasted red potatoes and  carrots and some traditional soda bread.  Cheers!

2012 Forgeron Anvil Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  I was planning on doing a bunch of work in the yard, and I got a few things done, but then it started snowing, so I moved indoors and shifted to decorating my stocking for my office contest (our Christmas lunch is a week from Thursday).  So tonight, in spite of the snow, I am grilling a steak, so what else could I open but a nice Cab, and tonight's is the 2012 Forgeron Anvil Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Cabernet from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard (60%) and Minnick Hills Vineyard (40%).  I can't wait to taste this, so here goes nothing!

The wine is an inky black at the center with garnet hues along the edges, such that when I poured this one it looked like an event!  The nose is a symphony of ripe black and red fruit overlaid with some mineral notes that play against some undertones of earthy peat.  The taste is everything that a great Cabernet should be, starting with some subtle fruit at the outset, blackberry, currant and cassis, that transitions almost imperceptibly to some wonderfully complex graphite and mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is like a dream that you just don't want to wake from, the mineral and fruit notes meet with some wonderfully structured tannins that provide the backbone for a finish that just seems to reach a crescendo, just as you're about to reach for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as I've tasted a lot of wine from Forgeron, and I honestly think this is their best effort by a mile.  This is not an inexpensive wine at $65 (of course it's less with the wine club discount), but this one easily stacks up with many Cabs that are selling way beyond $100 a bottle!  And as I mentioned, it's steak night, so I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled Angus porterhouse with some grilled asparagus and yellow peppers and of course a wonderful baked potato.  Sante!

2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Ferguson

Happy Sunday!  It's been a busy one as I started out at my uncle's house south of Chicago, we went to the cemetery and planted flowers on graves as is our custom on Memorial Day weekend.  But now I'm home and ready for a nice glass of wine!  Today I've decided to open a bottle of 2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Ferguson, not realizing of course that I've tried the 2011 vintage (see that review here) but haven't yet opened a bottle of the 2012!  So I guess I'll just stick with odd years on this one.  In any case, this wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (56%), Merlot (33%), Cabernet Franc (7%) and Malbec (4%) from the Ferguson Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.

The wine is a lovely deep, inky purple in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of leather, dusty limestone, espresso and a hint of cherry pipe tobacco.  The taste is a lovely burst of fruit, cherry and blueberry that transition nicely to some notes of mocha and some complex mineral notes midpalate.  With the lovely basalt layer just beneath the soil at Ferguson, the wines from this vineyard almost always have a mineral complexity that makes the wines so enjoyable, particularly with a nice big steak!  The finish marries the mineral notes with luxurious tannins that make for a long, smooth and very dry finish that compels you to reach for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's still quite young, but drinking very well right now.  I expect this wine will be even better with a few years in the cellar, but today it's an ideal wine for braised short ribs or a nice big grilled steak.  That's where I'm headed tonight, with a rare Angus T-bone, some grilled sweet corn and steamed haricots verts almondine.  Cheers!

2012 L'Ecole No. 41 Apogee

Happy Friday!  I had to go to a conference in Chicago yesterday, so I took the opportunity to stop at Eataly in Chicago, if you haven't been, I'd highly recommend it!  I picked up the main course for tonight's dinner there and brought it back (yes, I had the foresight to bring a cooler and freezer pack, I'm not an amateur!) along with some other items to be featured in a social gathering next Friday!  So what to pair with tonight's special dinner?  I've opened a bottle of 2012 L'Ecole No. 41 Apogee, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (30%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Malbec (5%) from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley, so let's have a taste.

The color is a deep, brooding garnet in the glass, perfect for such a blend.  The nose presents aromas of leather, ripe plum and just a hint of mint.   There are also some earthy notes that come through with a bit of night air.  The taste is a rush of fruit, with some plum and cherry cola that transition nicely to some blackberry, tar and tea leaves midpalate.  The tannins are a bit youthful, but very well integrated, providing for an incredibly long and luxurious finish that is simply bone dry.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, I'll be the first to admit that I prefer L'Ecole's Perigee blend more consistently than the Apogee, but this one is causing me to rethink that position.  As for the pairing, it would be marvelous with any number of hearty dishes, but tonight I am pairing this with a prime Angus bone-in ribeye with a porcini mushroom dry rub, grilled rare and served with oven roasted fingerling potatoes and haricots verts almondine.  Cheers!