2008 Reininger Cima

Happy Friday!  The work week is over, and I just got home from the gym, so it's seems a perfect time to open up a bottle of wine!  Tonight I've opened a lovely bottle of 2008 Reininger Cima, a "Super Wallan" blend of Walla Walla wine modeled after the super Tuscan blends of Italy.  This wine is a blend of Sangiovese (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), Merlot (14%), Petit Verdot (14%) and Cabernet Franc (8%), blended and barrel aged for five years.  I've previously reviewed the 2006 vintage (click here) and the 2007 vintage (click here) so let's see if the latest vintage can live up to its predecessors!

The wine is a beautiful bright ruby color in the glass, with great clarity.  The nose is a sophisticated and layered presentation of ripe black fruit over some smoke which plays nicely off some mineral notes and a hint of leather, very reminiscent of a nice Tuscan blend.  The taste a brief flash of ripe plum and tart cherry that subsides into some flavors of fresh herbs and just a hint of coriander and white pepper spice midpalate.  The finish is very nice, with understated tannins providing a nice base for a long, mineral finish that is just daring you to take another sip.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8.5, it's a fine effort, but it just didn't blow me away like the '06 and '07 vintages (good think I have a bottle or two left of those!).  Tonight I am pairing this with a nice winter comfort food dinner of stuffed cabbage, or Galumpkis as my Polish friends used to say (I make mine very simple, blanched cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and ground beef, topped with some San Marzano tomatoes, a touch of basil and some freshly grated cheese.  The fruit and spice of this wine along with the earthy notes are a lovely complement to the sweet and spicy aspects of the stuffed cabbage, but this wine would also pair nicely with about any traditional Italian dish or a nice grilled steak.  Cheers!

2012 Dois Irmaos Winery Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Happy Friday!  I worked a little late tonight and just got back from the gym, so I figure I've earned a glass of wine or two, and for tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2012 Dois Irmaos Winery Willamette Valley Pinot Noir that I just received today from Wines Till Sold Out!  Now those who know me realize that I'm not a huge Pinot fan, even though I lived in the Raleigh Hills area of Portland in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but there are always opportunities to try a Pinot and see if I like it.  You see, I was introduced to red wine through Bordeaux rather than Burgundy, so my tastes lean much more towards Cabernet and Merlot than Pinot, but since this was billed as a Pinot for Cab lovers I figured I'd give it a shot.

The wine is a little darker in the glass than a typical Pinot, with a nice violet color and great clarity.  The nose is fairly classic Pinot, with some tart fruit notes of cherry and a hint of strawberry amid the slightest hints of green grass and tar.  The taste is rather pleasant with great fruit up front, strawberry, tart cherry and plum that transitions to some nice smoky mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins though young support a long, lovely finish with some great acidity.  Though certainly a far cry from Cabernet, this wine is really quite pleasant.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's very nicely structure and it was a great value at just $16!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with the classic pairing of cedar planked wild Alaskan sockeye filet, some wild mushroom risotto and some steamed asparagus.  The acidity in the wine really cuts through the richness of the salmon and risotto, providing the perfect foil.  Cheers!

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 Tenuta Col D'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Here we are, at another "Cellar Saturday" and I'll have to confess that although I've selected a wine for this day that's over a decade old, and is at an ideal age for drinking, it hasn't really been in my cellar that long!  In fact, I bought two bottles of this one a month ago and have been excited to try it, the 2002 Tenuta Col D'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva!  Of course, the 2002 vintage for Brunello has been widely panned in the wine press, so my expectations were already somewhat depressed going into this, but what can I do, this is the oldest vintage I have, so it's on!

I thought about pouring this one through the aerator, but instead just let it breathe for an hour before tasting.  The nose is quite complex, with a lot of different aromas going on that it almost makes you dizzy, there is a lovely smoky aroma that pervades the nose, with hints of dark fruit, leather and oak, and then there is a sudden twang of tart cherry that sort of hits you from behind.  You really don't know what to expect from the nose, but on your first sip, it hits you with lovely ripe fruit up front, blackberry and plum, and then a bit of tart cherry as you transition to some floral notes, rose petals and a bit of anise midpalate.  The tannins are very well structured, supporting a long, lush and very dry finish that seems to go on for a minute or more.  I know it was a terrible vintage and I'm not supposed to like it, but this one just brought me straight back the the last time I was in Florence, enjoying some fava beans on Tuscan toast at a little cafe down the street from Il Duomo.  If a wine can do that, it can't be all bad!

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8.5 as it's just drinking wonderfully right now, and it was a relative bargain as I bought this a month ago from Wines Till Sold Out for only $39.99!  Tonight I am enjoying this with one of my favorite Italian dishes, some sweet Italian sausage sauteed in olive oil with onions and peppers, a bit of homemade garlic bread and some linguine tossed with garlic and olive oil, delizioso!

2008 Waters Interlude Columbia Valley Red Wine

How sad, I've been away for a week and suddenly Washington Wine Month is almost at an end! Fear not fellow Washington Winos, I mean Wine Fans, I have at least two more to share with you, including tonight's feature, the 2008 Waters Interlude Columbia Valley Red Wine.  Now I'll admit, I bought this a year or two ago, and I can't even remember where I bought it from, but it's from Washington, so I'm going to enjoy it tonight!

For a Columbia Valley wine, this one really throws you off, since it has a nose that is so reminiscent of the lovely Walla Walla blends, which suggests for a CV designation, this one is likely under-appreciated,  The nose is a lovely combination of leather, ripe red fruit and a bit of spice, all surrounded by a hint of musky earth.  The taste is just lovely, with some ripe berries up front, along with some tart cherry, which makes for an interesting combination, followed by some green grass and cedar midpalate.  The finish is perfectly dry, as the well developed tannins support a long, lush, dry finish.

As I mentioned earlier, I can't remember where I bought this one, so I have no idea whether it was a bargain or appropriately priced, but I can certainly have no hesitation rating this one a solid 8.5 as it's just a terrific example of a Columbia Valley blend that is at the top of its game.  Tonight I am enjoying it with a rare angus ribeye, a big baked potato and some lovely veggies (purple carrots, asparagus, zucchini, red onion and green pepper) grilled in a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.  What a lovely pairing as this wine supports the big red meat, but also plays nicely with the rich aromatics of the grilled veggies.  So delicious!

2006 L'Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

So I raided the cellar tonight for my latest celebration of Washington Wine Month, and I came up with a nice, and somewhat more mature Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2006 L'Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  At the ripe old age of 7, this wine is just starting to come into its own, and thankfully I'm here to enjoy the ride!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, and the nose is just spectacular, with rich aromas of ripe dark fruit that practically dare you to gulp this one down, but you know you have to savor it for all it's worth.  The aromas of ripe plum and rich blackberry and cassis are balanced by some lovely floral notes and hints of spice.  The taste was well worth the wait, as you are first hit with a rush of lush fruit flavors that quickly transform to some notes of cherry cola, cedar and cocoa powder midpalate.  The finish is just lovely, with wonderfully balanced tannins supporting a long dry finish that still has lovely hints of fruit and spice dancing around your tongue for what seems like a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8.5, as it's just a solid Columbia Valley Cabernet, that was probably a terrific value when I bought it four or five years ago (can I buy more?).  Tonight I am pairing it with a classic dinner meant for a lovely Cabernet, a wonderful Angus T-bone, about an inch and a half thick, grilled rare, with some lovely grilled asparagus tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper and a big ol' baked potato!  So much deliciousness that I can hardly contain myself!

2009 Alexandria Nicole Quarry Butte

As we finish up the first week of Washington Wine Month, I've decided to try a new wine from a producer that I've not tried before, the 2009 Quarry Butte Red Wine from Alexandria Nicole Cellars.  This red blend was produced from Alexandria Nicole's estate vineyard, Destiny Ridge, which used to be known as Quarry Butte, located high on the bluffs of the Horse Heaven Hills overlooking the Columbia River.  The wine itself is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (54%), Merlot (19%), Syrah (17%), Malbec (6%) and Petit Verdot (4%), making this a classic red blend for which the Columbia Valley has become famous.

The wine is a rich, deep ruby color in the glass, with a nose that exhibits scents of ripe red fruit, blackberries, cherries and plums, along with a hint of vanilla, smoke and limestone.  The taste is at once black fruit dominated, but that is quickly overwhelmed by the luscious, velvety mouthfeel of your first sip.  The fruit transitions to some tart notes midpalate, along with just a hint of wild mint and gravel, giving some nice earth notes to balance it out.  The finish is quite long and dry, as the bright tannins provide ample support, and a taste that seems to last until you're ready for your next sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it has a lot going for it, and it's a descent value but not a screaming bargain at the $23 I paid for it.  Not for your everyday house red, but one for an occasion here and there.  Tonight I am pairing this with some lovely butternut squash ravioli topped with four cheese alfredo sauce, and an arugula salad topped with a nice aged balsamic.  Not your classic red wine pairing, but one that I think works nicely, matching the tartness and rich fruit of the wine, with the rich starch and cheese of the ravioli and sauce.  Cin cin!

2010 Coppola Claret

You know, there are some nights where you come home and you don't really want an adventure, you really just want a good glass of wine, something you've had before and you know provides you with a consistent wine experience.  Well that's where I am tonight, and I reached for a nice bottle of 2010 Coppola Claret in the black label bottle that I picked up last weekend.  It's one of those wines that you know will be good to drink, with no risk involved, just what you need after a long day!

The color of the wine is deep garnet, with brighter ruby along the edges.  The nose is a pleasant combination of leather, raisin, a hint of mint and some floral notes dancing around the perimeter.  The taste is wonderfully fruit forward, with some nice ripe berries and a hint of tartness that quickly transitions into some dried herbs and a bit of spice midpalate.  The bright tannins then emerge, supporting the long, dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a great everyday drinking wine and I've been a fan for probably the better part of a decade.  And it's not a bad value either at around $15.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some roast chicken, potatoes and steamed green beans almondine, and though it's not a typical wine to enjoy with poultry, it does lend some nice accents to the herbs from the roasting process that makes it a lovely combination.  The day is done, now it's time to relax!

2010 Gerard Bertrand Corbieres

It's a Sunday night, and I am getting ready for dinner, so why not open up a nice bottle of wine from the south of France?  Tonight it's the 2010 Gerard Bertrand Corbieres, a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, the perfect match for a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

The wine is richly colored with deep garnet hues, and the nose is a pleasant combination of ripe berries, and something of a "twang" to it, perhaps some tart fruit to counterbalance the jammy sweetness that is also present.  The taste is very fruit forward, with lovely notes of blackberry, ripe plum and vanilla that is just offset with a bit of tartness as well.  Midpalate the fruit gives way to some tar and spice, a bit of black pepper notes.  The finish is quite nice, very long and dry, supported by some supple tannins.  I've found on this one that as you let it breathe, it really opens up quite nicely, so give it an hour or so if you can't decant it.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a great example of the Mediterranean influences on the wines of the Languedoc, and a terrific value.  I bought a couple bottles of this wine at the World Market for only $9!  I couldn't afford not to get them!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a nice winter meal, some lovely baked chicken breasts on the bone, some garlic mashed potatoes and some fresh steamed asparagus, as the fruit in the wine really brings out the best in poultry, making it feel like Thanksgiving.  Cheers!

2008 Hito Ribera del Duero

Questions that linger throughout the ages, things like the meaning of life, what came first, the chicken or the egg, and what wine to pair with pork!?!  Well, tonight I am doing my best to try to answer at least that last question, and for me when it comes to pork, a good option is usually something Spanish, perhaps a Tempranillo, or in my case tonight, a lovely Ribera del Duero.

This wine is a lovely example of the Tinto Fino from Spain, and presents a lovely rich, ruby color in the glass.  The nose is somewhat fruity, yet also quite rich in a number of lovely sweet aromas, from some lovely leather and cedar aromas, to baking spice and some rich red fruit.  The taste is wonderfully fruit forward with rich berries and tart cherry up front, giving way to some lovely earthy spice notes midpalate.  The finish is just perfect, with well structured tannins supporting the long, dry finish that seems to last much longer than most Spanish reds.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's just a great example of some of the more drinkable, yet complex wines coming from Spain today.  I think I bought this in a bargain variety pack of wines from Wineshopper.com, so although I don't have an official price, it couldn't have been too expensive (just the way I like it eh?).  And of course, back to my question, I am pairing this one with a lovely maple and bourbon glazed pork tenderloin served with a bit of pasta and some fresh steamed asparagus, a wonderful dinner for a February evening.  And this wine just accents the pork so well, with the earthy spice notes offering the perfect counterbalance to the richness of the pork, delicious!

2001 Burgess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonight I am just in the mood for a nice glass of Cabernet, forget the pairings and all the rest, I just want to relax!  So I've decided to open a bottle of 2001 Burgess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, after all how can you go wrong with a Cab that's had over a decade to mature?  Now to be fair, this is somewhat of a delayed vertical tasting since I had a bottle of the 2000 Burgess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at the beginning of December, so let's see how the younger stacks up.

The wine has a deep violet color, with a good bit of opacity, and a brighter ruby along the edges.  The nose is an interesting combination of leather, ripe plum bordering on prune, mint and an earthy, barnyard sort of smell.  The taste is very fruit forward, with a burst of ripe cherries and blackberries that settle into some cedar and Asian spices midpalate.  The tannins are very supple, giving this wine a round mouthfeel, and providing for a long, structured finish.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8, it's not quite as nice as I remember its older sibling, but still a heck of a nice Cabernet after a dozen years.  Tonight I am pairing this wine with some instant Indian food of all things!  I bought a package of Bombay potatoes from the World Market a few weeks ago, so I figured I doctor those up with a little more spice and some fresh veggies, and put it over some steamed basmati rice, for a quick, east dinner on a night I really don't feel like cooking!

2007 Salinas Monastrell

Tonight I've returned to Spain for a wine selection to go with my dinner, so I've landed on the 2007 Salinas Monastrell, from the Alicante region of Spain.  Now for those of you unfamiliar, Monastrell is more commonly known by its French name, Mourvedre, the third component of the ever popular "GSM" blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.  It's somewhat unusual to find bottles of Mourvedre, but Spain has made it a much more popular option under the Monastrell moniker.

This wine is an inky purple toward the center of the glass, that bleeds to a lovely garnet around the edges.  The nose is a nice blend of tart cherry, leather and some earthy notes of forest floor, or as some of my friends would say, a bit of a barnyard smell.  The taste is very interesting, with some notes of tart cherry up front, quickly followed by a lovely combination of oak, truffle and dried herbs.  The finish is quite tannic, but it's also fairly long, making this a rather pleasant sipping wine.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7, not only because I find it pleasant, but it was also a super value!  I bought this one on clearance at my local wine merchant, G.B. Russo's for only $3.50, so how could I complain?  Tonight I am pairing this with a rather interesting dinner of Swai fillet baked with butter, lemon and fresh dill, a baked potato and some steamed broccoli, and the somewhat tannic nature of this wine really amplifies the acidity of the lemon and aromatics of the dill.  You wouldn't think it would work, but it really does!

2000 Burgess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Here we are again, at my fifth? (perhaps it's a good thing if I've lost count!) Cellar Saturday, and what special wine do I have to share?  How about the 2000 Burgess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon!  I love a good Cabernet, and some of the most pleasant come from Napa Valley, so why not give this one a try?

The color in the glass is a deep, inky purple which transitions to a dark ruby along the edges.  The nose just says, "Get ready, this is a great Cab coming your way!"  There are lovely notes of leather, ripe berries, plum and a hint of anise.  The taste us just absolutely everything you'd expect from a decade old Cabernet from Napa, lovely fruit at the outset, surrounded by a smokiness that just creates a carnival of the senses, notes of plum, black currant, all of which lead to an earthy, limestone quality midpalate.  The finish is wonderful, as the tannins are still vibrant despite the 12 years of age, and the flavors of leather and dry herbs create a great, long dry finish that highlights the great quality of this wine.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's aged wonderfully since the halcyon days of the birth of the new millennium.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic Italian dinner of hot sausage with onions and peppers along with some linguine tossed with garlic and olive oil and a hind of aged Parmesan and Asiago cheeses.  Cheers! 

2009 Famiglia Pasqua Passimento Veneto

So tonight I feel like having a little Italian, so why not open a bottle of our October wine club selection?  The 2009 Famiglia Pasqua Passimento Veneto, a wine from the far north of Italy, where the cuisine tends more toward rich risotto and polenta dishes.  Now, for those of you familiar with Amarone, this wine is very similar to the Valpolicella Ripasso, which is the second pressing of the dried Corvina grapes used to make Amarone.  The Pasqua family named this wine "Passimento" as they first dry the Corvina grapes before pressing them, creating a much more concentrated and rich flavor.  Then, unlike Amarone or Valpolicella Ripasso, they blend the first pressing of the dried Corvina grapes with Croatina, Merlot and several other local varieties of grapes from Verona that are not dried, resulting in a unique blend that has the richness of an Amarone, but is much more approachable for everyday drinking.

The color of this wine is a deep ruby in the glass, and the nose portrays a richness, with concentrated scents of blackberry and dried figs, leather and rose petals.  There's a sweetness in the nose that's somewhat deceiving, as this is by no means a sweet wine.  The taste starts with some strong fruit notes, ripe red berries and plums, transitioning to a gravelly taste reminiscent of some wonderful Bordeaux, along with dry herbs and just the faintest hint of mint.  The finish is somewhat tight, as the tannins are still developing, yet still providing for a smooth, dry finish.

As for pairings, this wine would pair well with a variety of rich, northern Italian dishes, and tonight I enjoyed it with some penne alla vodka, and the tightness of the tannins played against the richness of the cream in the sauce, while the rich fruit flavor of the wine balanced out the spice of the tomatoes in the sauce.  Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's really a lovely everyday version of Amarone, maybe an Amarone light, but at a price that won't make you cringe.  I found this one at my local wine merchant for a tasting for only $14!  So if you have the opportunity, pick some up and enjoy it with a mushroom risotto!

2004 L'Ecole No. 41 Ferguson Commemorative Reserve

And now we get to one of our favorites of the "Taste My Vacation" wine tasting, the 2004 L'Ecole No. 41 Ferguson Commemorative Reserve!  I never had the chance to get any of this wine when it was released back in 2006, but I happened to try it when I visited the winery back in May and fell in love with it, so I brought back a couple bottles!  The wine was crafted in honor of Jean and Baker Ferguson, who founded L'Ecole No. 41 back in 1983, and it was made with grapes from some of the oldest Washington state vineyards that the Fergusons forged relationships with back when they founded L'Ecole: Klipsun Vineyard (Red Mountain), Bacchus & Dionysus Vineyard (Columbia Basin), Weinbau Vineyard (Wahluke Slope) and Stone Tree Vineyard (Wahluke Slope). 

The wine itself is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (48%), Merlot (42%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%), and it was bottled unfined and unfiltered, so you might want to decant it.  The wine has a deep, inky purple color in the center that transitions to rich garnet along the edges.  The aroma is a rich blend of leather, plum, roses and licorice.  The taste had some nice fruit on the outset, with blackberry and plum, transitioning to a bit of earthy spice midpalate, before the well structured tannins provide for a long, smooth finish with residual notes of anise and dark chocolate.  At the end, you're just left muttering to yourself, what a fantastic glass of wine!

As for pairings, I can think of nothing better to pair a glass of Ferguson with than a lovely sunset on a 72-degree evening as this wine just stand on its own.  Sure we enjoyed it with some olives and cheese, but this is the kind of wine you can open with some friends and have confident that you'll all enjoy the rest of your evening.  The consensus of our tasting was that this was our favorite wine of the seven we tried and I certainly agree.  I would rate this one a solid 9, and if you can get some, I'd encourage you to get a few bottles and put them up in your cellar, as this wine was made to improve with age.

2009 Stags Leap Napa Valley Merlot

It's a new month, so I say go big or go home!  And tonight we are going big, since I'm already home, with the 2009 Stags Leap Napa Valley Merlot!  Now many of you already know I like my Merlot, and I am a big fan of Stags Leap, so since I had three bottles of this wine delivered to my office today, I figured why not try one with dinner tonight and get me in the mood for a presidential debate (I think I'll follow it on Univision, so I get less biased reporting and the the chance at the appearance of gorgeous models and confetti, thanks to Don Hunt for that line).

Now, on to the wine!  This one has a lovely, deep purple color in the glass.  The nose is absolutely lovely, with aromas of leather, oak, mint and something green that I can't quite put my finger on.  The taste is just an explosion of wonderful flavors dancing around your mouth.  I often talk about how flavors progress from your first taste, to midpalate to the finish, but this wine just shows a pronounced yet smooth transition through all those phases.  At first I taste lovely fruit, cassis, ripe cherry and plum, which transitions to oak and leather, moving toward a fantastically earthy finish, which I honestly didn't expect.  The tannins are very well structured, providing balance to the earthy flavors and a wonderfully long finish.  It's still very young, and could probably be cellared for another 5 years before reaching its prime, but it's drinking beautifully now (which reminds me I have a few bottles of '07 Stags Leap Merlot around here somewhere that I should drink!).

Now for those who are familiar with Stags Leap, the wines are usually pretty pricey, but occasionally you can find a bargain as I did with this wine for only $20 on wineshopper.com.  For that price, I can easily rate this wine a solid 9, and I only wish not that I'd bought more than 3 bottles!  Tonight I am enjoying this with some maple bourbon glazed pork tenderloin, steamed rice and fresh green beans, and yes, this wine has every chance to overpower that meal, but I won't complain one bit!

2009 Powers Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

What a long day!  Work, then going out to Menard's to pick up a gigantic air compressor for work, so I finally got home and am ready to drop.  But not before I at least enjoy a nice evening meal and a nice glass of wine from Washington!

Tonight I am enjoying a bottle of 2009 Powers Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a nice wine at a very nice price that I picked up last weekend.  This wine has a lovely deep ruby color in the glass, and the nose exhibits classic Columbia Valley Cabernet aromas of leather, cedar, licorice, cocoa powder, and a bit of vanilla and floral overtones at the top.  The taste is very fruit forward, with lovely ripe berry and plum bursting forth on your palate, quickly transitioning to a tart cherry midpalate.  The young tannins create a tart but long-lasting finish, just as you'd expect from a classic Washington Cabernet.

As I mentioned, this wine was a wonderful bargain for only $11 at my local wine merchant, G.B. Russo's.  The only negative I could find on this wine was the screw cap, but I suppose I could overlook that minor transgression.  So overall, I would rate this one a solid 7.5, a really solid wine for the money, and one I could enjoy for an entire afternoon!  Tonight however I am enjoying this with frozen pizza, yes, my life is in fact that glamorous...

2009 L'Ecole No. 41 Petit Verdot

Happy Labor Day!  What a wonderful holiday where we celebrate the joy of working but cooking out and enjoying a last gasp of summer with family and friends.  And what better way to celebrate the end of summer than with a bottle of wine from one of my favorite Washington wineries?  Ha!  Rhetorical questions that one!

So with my lovely Labor Day cookout, I've cracked open a bottle of 2009 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Valley Petit Verdot, what is normally a blending grape for Bordeaux, all on it's own.  Now a few weeks ago I tried a bottle of the '09 Cabernet Franc, and I must admit I really like this Petit Verdot a lot better!  I'm not sure whether it's the varietal or just the character of this year's vintage, but this is simply an outstanding bottle of wine!

The wine is a deep ruby red to purple in the glass, and the nose is a wonderful combination of luscious ripe fruit that causes your brain to immediately start thinking of juicy plums or berries just dripping down your chin. The nose is an ethereal blend of ripe fruit, with elements of grape, plum and anise, transforming to a bit of cocoa, baking spice and just the faintest hint of woodsy earthiness.  The taste is a delight, with a shock of fruit right at the outset, rich grape, plum, berry which then transitions to real dryness midpalate, before the tannins come rushing in to provide that long, tart finish.

I really have no idea if this is what the true expression of the petit verdot should aspire to, I just know that I really love this wine and could go on sipping it for the better part of an afternoon.  Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8.5, one of my personal favorites and one I wish I had more of since it's sold out!  As for pairing, tonight I had it with my typical Labor Day feast of a ginormous 28-ounce boneless ribeye grilled rare with a tossed salad of baby herbs and a bit of 25-year balsamic vinegar.  So yummy!!!