2013 Spring Valley "Derby" Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  Well, it's been a long, busy week (have I mentioned July is the busiest travel month of my year?) and with flight cancellations and everything else going on, I could sure use a break.  So tonight I've decided to open a recent wine club selection from Spring Valley Vineyard, the 2013 "Derby" Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Spring Valley Vineyard in Walla Walla.  So when all else fails, open a good bottle of wine and enjoy!

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of leather, green grass and plum with just a hint of violet.  The taste is just wonderful, with a good bit of black fruit juxtaposted with some tart green notes up front that washes into soft, earthy mineral notes of basalt and mossy oak midpalate with just a bit of black pepper spice.  The tannins are youthful but nicely integrated for the long, elegant finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's drinking very nicely now, but will likely mature a bit with a few years in the cellar.  This is a nice food wine, perfect for big steaks, roasts or barbecue, but tonight I'm going off script and enjoying this with a bit of chicken Tikka Masala, who says Cabernet isn't for Indian food?  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!

2010 Lupe-Cholet Nuits-Saint-Georges

Well in honor of the latest episode of the polar vortex, I've decided to open a bottle of wine that my aunt and uncle sent me for Christmas. They spend a wonderful vacation in the French countryside last summer and they brought back some great wines, the first one I've opened was the 2010 Lupe-Cholet Nuits-Saint-Georges, a lovely Pinot noir based wine produced not far from burgundy.

The wine is a lighter color of a classic Pinot noir. The nose is a lovely combination of tart cherry, green grass, mossy oak and fresh herbs that is so familiar to those who love Pinot and burgundy!  The taste is a wonderful explosion of tart cherry and blackberry that transitions gracefully to some fresh herbs smoke and mineral notes mid palate. The finish is really wonderful as the tannins support a long, exceptionally dry finish. 

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's a really fabulous example of the wine. Tonight I am enjoying this wine with an appetizer of some cerignola olives and then a dinner of some smoke ham, garlic mashed potatoes and green beans, as the minerality just meshes perfectly with the smokiness of the ham, a perfect choice.  Bon Appetit!