2014 L'Ecole No. 41 Frenchtown Red Wine

Happy Taco Tuesday!  Guess what's for dinner tonight...At any rate, I've decided to open a bottle of wine I bought on my last trip to Walla Walla (can you believe that was two years ago?) and since it's Washington Wine Month (though really, it seems that every other month is Washington Wine Month) I've decided to open a bottle of 2014 L'Ecole No. 41 Frenchtown Red Wine!  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a deep ruby color, comparable to a nice Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, which I'm confident are in this blend somewhere.  The nose is a pleasant combination of leather, red licorice, candy apple and black cherry that exudes a mind fake of sweetness.  The taste is classic Washington Bordeaux style blend with wonderful black cherry, plum and marionberry notes up front that transition to some lovely mineral notes of dusty limestone midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated, leading to a long, smooth and very dry finish that's remarkable for such a value priced wine.

At less than $20, this wine is such a tremendous bargain, it's hard not to rate it highly, so I'm giving this one a solid 8.5.  It would pair well with a wide range of summer dishes, from barbecue to steak to pasta, but tonight I'm enjoying this wine with some panko crusted fish tacos with spicy red cabbage slaw and avacado.  Cheers!

2012 DaMa Walla Walla Valley Merlot

Happy Hump Day!  I know last month was a bit of a bust for my wine blog, as I was traveling a lot for work, but now I have some time at home for a little while so expect more blog posts in August!  Tonight I've decided to open a wine club selection that's been waiting around for a few months, the 2012 DaMa Walla Walla Valley Merlot,  You know I love me some Merlot and what could be better on Wine Wednesday?

The wine is a lovely, deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, currant, leather and smoke, a very inviting combination.  The taste is really quite interesting, with a blast of ripe red fruit up front, cherry, raspberry and currant intermingled with red licorice that transitions nicely to some mineral notes of dusty limestone and a bit of green cedar midpalate.  The description of this wine on the DaMa website notes, "This lovely new wine is like that treasured sweater: classic, comforting and warm from the inside out," and that is especially true for this wine, it has a particularly warm presence.  The finish is quite pleasant, with moderately chewy tannins supporting the smooth, warm dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's just such a pleasant wine to sip and a classic expression of Merlot, which is so seldom seen today.  This would be a great wine for grilled meats, barbecue or rustic Italian dishes, but tonight I am enjoying this with a lovely mid-week dinner of a rare grilled prime petit filet mignon along with a baked potato and steamed broccoli.  Cheers!