2016 Mark Ryan Little Sister Merlot

Happy Sunday!  I just relaxed today, watched a movie and am getting ready for a mellow Sunday dinner, and since I read about a Washington Merlot Challenge on Twitter, I've decided to get started tonight.  As most of you know, I'm a big fan of Merlot, despite the idiocy of Hollywood movies, so it wasn't exactly an arm twister to get me on board the Merlot challenge train!  Tonight I've opened a bottle of wine I got from a wine club shipment a little over two years ago (my how time flies!), the 2016 Mark Ryan Little Sister Merlot, a 100% Merlot from the Phinney Hill and Red Willow Vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington.  So let's see how this wine is shaping up!

The wine is a beautiful ruby color in the glass, classic for the varietal.  The nose is an earthy rush of leather, charcoal and graphite with just a hint of violet and a bit of raspberry jam over the top.  The taste is a cool bit of ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and a bit of currant that transitions to some notes of dusty limestone and white pepper spice midpalate.  The wine is a bit more tannic than a typical Merlot, which is expressive of Washington state, creating a wonderfully smooth and very dry finish than lingers on the palate.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a lovely expression of the high quality Merlot that's produced in the Columbia Valley.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of casual weekday or weekend dishes, from barbecue and pizza to steaks and pasta.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some simple beef tacos topped with all the good stuff.  Cheers!

2013 Forgeron Barbera

It's almost hump day and I can start to feel the weekend approaching...how sad is that?!?  At any rate, it's been a busy week already and I've been fighting a cold, so why not open up a nice bottle of wine?  This time its from one of my favorite Washington producers, Forgeron Cellars, and their 2013 Barbera!  Who doesn't love an easy sipping, food friendly Barbera?  I sure do!

The wine is a nice rich ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents nice aromas of leather, blackberry, raspberry jam and a hint of rose petals.  The taste is simply wonderful, with a rush of ripe black fruit, with a hint of sweetness on the outset, blackberry, cherry and currant, that transitions to some lovely black pepper spice midpalate, that hints at a bit of butter at the end.  The finish is quite nice, with youthful tannins providing the base for a long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a great example of the varietal and a wonderfully food friendly wine.  This would pair well with hearty Italian dishes, nice grilled steaks, or even seafood, which is a good thing, since tonight I'm enjoying this one with some sesame seared sea scallops (say that five times fast!) on a bed of spring greens, some linguine with garlic and olive oil and some steamed rainbow carrots.  Cheers!