2021 Mark Ryan Water Witch

It was another very hot and humid Sunday, so I decided to go see a friend of mine perform in a play and stay in the air conditioning for most of the day.  Now it's time to brave the heat and grill dinner, which means it's time to open a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of 2021 Mark Ryan Water Witch, which I was surprised was the first vintage I've reviewed since the 2015 vintage!  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (22%), Malbec (6%) and Petit Verdot (2%) from the Red Mountain AVA of Washington.  Let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep indigo at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, a testament to the impact of Cabernet in the blend.  The nose is a a surprisingly floral affair, with aromas of violet and rose, intermingled with notes of must and blackberry, for what would portend to be a very earthy affaire.  The first sip is an unexpected rush of tart cherry and blueberry that transitions to some earthy mushroom notes midpalate.  The tannins are well balanced, providing for a smooth dry finish with a bit of oak at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's very pleasant drinking, but not a terrific value for the price.  This wine would pair well with steak, grilled lamb or barbecued beef ribs, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a trio of my summer favorites, a cowboy ribeye grilled Pittsburgh rare with grilled hatch chilies and fresh local corn on the cob.  Cheers!

2011 Clos du Tue-Boeuf La Caillere Cheverny

Happy Friday!  It's been a very busy week and I am ready to relax!  So what's more relaxing than opening a bottle of wine?  Tonight I've decided to open up another bottle of by boss' reject wines, this one a Pinot Noir from the Loire Valley of France, the 2011 Clos du Tue-Boeuf La Calliere.  So let's see what this one has to offer.

The color is very light in the glass, typical of an old world Pinot Noir.  The nose presents aromas of tart cherry, fresh strawberry, dried herbs, tamarind and musty earth.  The taste is a good bit of tart cherry up front that transitions into some smoke and earthy notes midpalate. The tannins are fairly mellow, leading to a fairly long, smooth, dry finish with just a bit of a reprise of red fruit at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7, it's nothing spectacular, but keep in mind that I am not a huge Pinot fan.  This would be a nice summer sipper, to enjoy on the patio, and would pair well with a variety of lighter dishes.  Tonight I am enjoying this one with a grilled chicken breast over mixed greens with some oven roasted Yukon Gold fingerling potatoes.  Cheers!

2007 Cliff Creek Cellars Syrah

Happy Sunday!  I was looking for a bottle of wine to open for dinner and was surprised to find a bottle from a producer I met at the Portland airport while there on business in April 2014 (you can see that post here: 2009 Cliff Cree Cellars Merlot).  They are an interesting small producer located in Southern Oregon, in the town of Gold Hill.  At the time I really loved the Merlot, but apparently didn't think the Syrah was too bad either, hence I'm enjoying the 2007 Cliff Creek Cellars Syrah with my Sunday dinner!

The wine is a beautiful ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents earthy aromas of leather, musty peat and oak over layers of lush berries and plum with just a hint of smoke.  The taste is quite nice, with some initial ripe black fruit that gives way to some eucalyptus and baking spice midpalate.  The finish is very smooth, with a reprise of some berries intermingled with toasted oak, as the well developed tannins support the long, dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's very nice, but not as nice as the stellar Merlot (I really need to find that other bottle I brought back!).  This wine would be good with a variety of rustic winter dishes, but tonight I'm pairing it with a classic holiday Sunday dinner or roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and classic green bean casserole.  Cheers!

2008 Cousino-Macul Finis Terrae

So tonight I am enjoying yet another day of stay-cation, but fear not!  I plan to get out on the road to do some camping soon, then we'll see some change!  But until then, I have cracked open a nice bottle of wine from the Maipo Valley of Chile, an area that I've become a big fan of over the last year or so.  And tonight's wine is the 2008 Cousino-Macul Finis Terrae, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (30%) and Syrah (10%).

The wine is a pleasant, deep garnet color in the glass, and the nose is a fantastic blend of rich leather, mint, oak and ripe black fruit, black cherry, plum and blackberry.  The taste  is a lovely combination of spice and fruit on the outset, with some rich berry flavor and some pepper and warm spice.  The spicy fruit transitions effortlessly to some earthy notes midpalate, with flavors of musty oak, grass and tart cherry.  The tannins are very well structured, supporting a wonderfully tight, long, dry finish that seems to last until you're reaching for your next sip!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as this is a wonderfully structured wine that could easily sell for an inflated price, but this one was a bargain at $19 from wineshopper.com!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare porterhouse and some fresh grilled Michigan asparagus, nothing like fresh veggies in season!  Salut!

2011 Terra Andina Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonight I am enjoying a nice, easy going wine from Chile, the 2011 Terra Andina Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine with a label that screams enjoy wine!  This is a bold Cabernet, and based on the label, one that should be enjoyed despite it's youth, perhaps best exemplified by my favorite statement on the label, "Terra Andina wines are meant to be enjoyed, not collected."  Words that are true of any wine, not just this one!

The wine itself has a deep ruby color, and a nose that is somewhat unusual for a Cabernet, with aromas of ripe berry, leather, rosemary and chive (chive on eh?), with a bit of musty, earthiness as well.  The taste is quite fruity upfront, with ripe plum, black currant and a sweet, jamminess that transitions to some lovely spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are soft, as is the finish, which seems a little lackluster, but pleasant.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7 as it's a decent, everyday wine and a terrific value, this was out monthly Wine Club January selection that I bought from Wineshopper.com for only $7!  Tonight I am pairing this wine with some hot Italian sausage with onions and peppers, and a little linguine tossed with garlic and olive oil, a nice Italian meal paired with a Chilean wine!  Salut!

2001 Château Les Gravières Saint Emilion Grand Cru

And for my second official Cellar Saturday, I've decided to open up a wine that has only been in my cellar for less than a month!  Tonight it's a more than decade old Grand Cru Bordeaux, the 2001 Château Les Gravières Saint Emilion.  Now unlike many Bordeaux blends, this one is 100% Merlot, though I'll admit I've always found something about French Merlot that seems to make it better than anywhere else.

The wine itself has a lovely deep purple to ruby coloration.  The nose is a wonderful blend of rich red fruit, leather and smoke.  The taste is remarkably fruit forward, with wonderful ripe plum, red berries and cassis that creates a seeming jolt of sweet fruit flavor that quickly transitions to black pepper and musty oak.  The tannins are quite supple, offering a very smooth, dry finish.  Given it's age, this wine is probably now entering its prime years for drinking, so it's a good thing I opened it!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, mainly since I love classic Bordeaux and this is definitely in that realm.  The nose, the color, the taste, all remind me of the wonderful wines I drank the last time I was in France.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled ribeye, haricots vert almondine and some roasted red potatoes.  I bought this wine recently from Wines Till Sold Out for only $30, and I am just amazed sometimes at what wonderful wines they can find for bargain prices that really give you a chance to taste something out of the ordinary!

2009 Château Legarère Bordeaux

So tonight we are venturing off to France for another example of the much praised 2009 vintage of Bordeaux, though technically we are a little southeast of Bordeaux in Longoiran, a small medieval village on the right bank of the Garonne.  So why not try this for fun, after all, I've had a case of this wine since the end of 2010, so it's probably about time to crack open a bottle.  And you know how much I love my Bordeaux blends, this one happens to be 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon for what should be a rather sturdy wine.

The wine exhibits a bright ruby color and has a nose of classic Bordeaux, with a musty oak, mild hints of flowers and spice all intertwined with a bit of leather and earth.  The wine itself is somewhat fruit forward, with hints of plum and cassis, giving way to some earthy spice mid palate, and then light tannins for a dry, but unremarkable finish.  The wine is still quite young (at three years old, most Bordeaux are barely out of diapers), so I expect this wine will evolve quite a bit over time, though it's drinking fairly nicely right now, given it's youth and inexperience.

I got this wine from Wines Till Sold Out nearly 18 months ago, and it was a wonderful bargain at $11, so even if I didn't find it as compelling as an '05 Haut Mèdoc, it's still a very nice, and affordable everyday red.  For that level of accessibility, I'll give this wine a hearty 7 with a chance to improve with age.  Tonight I am enjoying a glass with a rare, thick ribeye, some roasted red potatoes and steamed haricots vert, yum!  Bon appetit!

2007 GraEagle Estate Red Wing - Walla Walla Valley

So little time left to celebrate Washington Wine Month, so I figured I had to open a bottle from the Walla Walla Valley today!  And this one I just picked up at my favorite local wine merchant, G.B. Russo's, on the recommendation of the proprietor.

This wine is a little different than the wonderful Bordeaux style blends that Walla Walla is known for, since this one has some decidedly non-Bordeaux grapes in the blend.  The 2007 vintage has Merlot (34%), Cabernet Franc (33%), Syrah (22%), Sangiovese (7%) and Petit Verdot (4%).  Now I bought this one on closeout since as I understand it, Nicholas Cole Cellars has closed and this wine is no longer being produced, which is always sad to hear!

As for the wine, this one is very nice once it's had a few minutes to catch its breath.  When I poured my first glass I was somewhat concerned as it seemed like a very light wine, which was definitely not what I was expecting, but as it opened up, my fears were allayed.  The nose is somewhat heavy, with a somewhat musty aroma, followed by leather, licorice and just a hint of ripe berry. The initial taste has hints of mocha, while mid-palate gives me a charge of smoked meat (and no, I haven't started even cooking dinner yet!).  The tannins are very subtle, which unfortunately for me leaves the finish just a little flat (it's still very smooth though).

This wine would be a wonderful food wine, suddenly I'm hungry for a grilled pork tenderloin, but that could just be me!  Overall I would rate this one a solid 8, particularly given the closeout price of just $15, which is about half the original price.  It's just sad that there will be not more after this one is gone, so enjoy this one and Washington Wine Month while they're around!