2022 DaMa Wines GSM

Happy Monday!  Back-to-back posts, though this one is a bit later than usual, only because I had a long day of work.  At any rate, it's time for wine, and tonight I've opened a bottle from the recent wine club shipment from DaMa Wines, the 2022 GSM.  This wine is a blend of Grenache (52%), Syrah (30%) and Mourvèdre (18%) from the Yakima Valley AVA of Washington.  So, let's see how this one is tasting!

The wine is a somewhat lighter body, with bright ruby color, just as you'd expect from a good GSM blend.  The nose presents aromas of lilac, strawberry and a bit of rustic earth.  Take a sip and you're greeted by a rush of vibrant red fruit, cherry, plum, strawberry and currant that completely envelop your palate before transitioning to some lively notes of white pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated, providing an ideal foundation for the long, smooth dry finish.

I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a fine example of the quality GSM blends emanating from Washington, and it's just a pleasant wine to drink.  This wine would pair well with a variety of holiday dishes, including a very popular bird that's likely on many of your menus this coming Thursday!  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a sesame crusted Ahi tuna steak, with steamed rice and sugar snap peas.  Cheers!

2021 Doubleback Merlot

Well, it's been a long week, and I think I can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel as we heard toward the weekend.  And one bright spot is a virtual wine tasting tonight with Drew Bledsoe and Josh McDaniels of Doubleback Winery, so what better way to celebrate than opening a bottle of their first vintage of Merlot!  The 2021 Doubleback Merlot is a blend of Merlot (94%) and Cabernet Franc (6%) from Shafer Vineyard which is on the north side of the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington, adjacent to the Leonetti Upland Vineyard, which is known for quality Merlot.  So, let's get a taste with the virtual tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, as you might expect from a high-quality Merlot.  A gentle swirl releases aromas of vanilla bean, ripe red fruit and a hint of oak.  The first sip is a rush of ripe red fruit, plum, raspberry and currant that transitions to some dark chocolate and peppery spice midpalate.  The tannins are soft, and well suited for the warm dry finish.  During the tasting, Drew mentioned a story about a Merlot symposium they held at Doubleback before they even started making a Merlot, and the screenwriter from Sideways showed up.  He mentioned how he noted that he had a lot of guts showing up to a Merlot symposium after he singlehandedly killed Merlot, but he responded that he didn't kill Merlot, he saved it.  There were a lot of mass-produced, low-quality Merlots at the time, and the movie served as a catalyst to the good producers to elevate the quality of the varietal.  I thought that was an interesting perspective!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a pleasant drinking Merlot that really shows the earthy texture of the Walla Walla Valley.  This wine would pair well with a range of dishes, from barbecue to steak, spicy tacos to soft cheeses.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a classic comfort dish of stuffed cabbage!  I made this batch a bit spicy, but this wine stands up well to it.  Cheers!

2019 Manu Propria Ex Animo

Happy Saturday!  It's been a day or errands, memorial services and volunteer work today, so now I'm ready for a bit of relaxation and a nice dinner.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of wine that just came out and I was fortunate to secure a few bottles given the limited production.  The 2019 Manu Propria Ex Animo is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima Valley AVA of Washington. This is the first time I've been able to secure some of this wine since the 2015 Vintage and I'm looking forward to this wine as it is made with some Clone 191, which is the same Cabernet clone used in the Seven Hills Summit View Cabernet, which is a long-time personal favorite.  So, let's see how this wine is shaping up!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with bright ruby along the edges, a testament to the varietal.  A gentle swirl reveals aromas of leather, ripe cherry and plum with just a hint of floral notes.  The first sip is a rush of cherry that's at first tart, and then evolves into a ripe sweetness, along with some ripe red plum that linger into some mild earthiness of oak and a hint of mint midpalate.  The tannins are silky smooth, providing for a delightfully smooth dry finish that lingers into a reprise of tart acidity at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it is a wonderfully classic Cabernet that shines through the classic Bordeaux-esque characteristics that make me love Washington wine.  This wine would pair well with a range of hearty winter dishes, from beef stew and chili, to prime rib or hearty pasta.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a big honkin' porterhouse grilled rare, with some blistered cherry tomatoes, grilled leeks and bacon roasted Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2016 Château Grand Bouchon Médoc

Happy Sunday!  I spent the afternoon finishing the Christmas shopping, but as I was starting think about wrapping all the presents, it was nearing suppertime, so I thought why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?  So instead I've opened a bottle of wine and starting to prepare dinner.  And the wine I've opened is a recent one I purchased from Wines Till Sold Out, as they had a $120 case special, so I selected four different wines and bought a case.  Among them was the 2016 Château Grand Bouchon Médoc, a classic blend of Merlot and Cabernet from the left bank of the Gironde, so let's see how this one is tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, with great clarity.  The nose is a fountain of raspberry, red plum and vanilla that flows through some earthy mineral notes.  The taste is a rush of blackberry, raspberry and black cherry, with a hint of sweetness among the fruit before transitioning to some notes of dusty limestone and cedar midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat chalky, but complementary to the fruit, providing for a lovely, long dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a very nice example of a Médoc, which is a personal favorite of mine among Bordeax.  This wine would pair well with the classic red meat dishes, from steaks to prime rib, but it would also be great with a fall root vegetable galette or mushroom risotto.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a herb crusted rack of lamb with garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and a red wine and olive reduction.  Cheers!

Cogdal Vineyards NV Merlot

Happy Friday!  Tonight will be busy as I have theater tickets and I'm trying a new recipe for dinner, but at least I have some time for wine!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of Cogdal Vineyards non-vintage Merlot from the shores of Lake Michigan.  I visited this winery located just north of South Haven, Michigan a few years ago and was impressed with a few of their wines.  Although this one is non-vintage, I can confirm that it's been sitting in my cellar for at least 3 years, so let's see how it tastes.

The wine is a lovely garnet color in the glass with nice clarity, just a bit lighter than you'd expect for a Merlot.  The nose is a combination of light floral notes intermingled with hints of leather and tart cherry.  The taste is a rush of cool red fruit, cherry, raspberry and plum that transitions to the faintest hints of vanilla bean before a reprise of tart cherry hits you on the end.  The tannins are evolving, at first subdued and then somewhat sharp as you get the full effect of the pleasant, very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, which is pretty good for a local wine.  This wine is also quite food friendly, as I could see myself enjoying this with anything from burgers and pizza to tacos and steak.  But tonight, the meal is the star of the show as I was recently inspired by a television show about the food trucks of Austin, Texas which featured Chi'Lantro, a Korean-Mexican fusion that came up with Kimchi Fries late night to satisfy their drunk customers exiting the bar scene.  So tonight I've created a slight variation of Kimchi Tots! This was a sort of hybrid creation similar to how Chi'Lantro came up with their creation, combining a lot of what they had left in the food truck at the end of the night.  For me, I made the tots and simmered some leftover braised short ribs that I shredded with the kimchi, put that over the tots, sprinkled some cheese and sriracha and garnished with some Thai basil.  Voila, a new spicy creation!  Cheers!

2014 Domaine Dupre-Morgon Vignes de 1935 Cru du Beaujolais

Happy Sunday!  Is it sad that after going wild at Costco yesterday and buying way too much food, I've now been thinking about dinner all day long?  Well, needless to say it was a very fine dinner and of course I picked out a nice wine to pair with it, in this case the 2014 Domaine Dupre-Morgon Vignes de 1935 Cru du Beaujolais!  This wine, made from 100% Gamay from vines dating back before World War II, so let's see what this wine has to offer.

The wine is a light ruby color in the glass with nice clarity, just as you'd expect from this type of wine.  The nose presents aromas of red plum, raspberry, cherry, kirsch and a hint of spice.  The taste is quite refreshing, with some rather subdued fruit notes up front that give way to some white pepper and herb notes intermingled with some fabulous mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is very well structured, with youthful tannins supporting the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very young and pleasant drinking wine that is very food friendly.  It was also a very nice value as I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $15!  As I mentioned, this wine is food friendly and would pair well with anything from burgers and pizza to lovely seafood dishes to just about anything from Provence.  But tonight I have paired this one with a rather eclectic dinner of sesame crusted seared tuna, with some pan roasted fingerling potatoes and broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic and olive oil.  The red fruit and minerals we a perfect complement to the many rich flavors on that plate.  Cheers!

2013 Domaine J. Meuret Les Chenes Pinot Noir

Happy Saturday!  I am simply exhausted!  I started the day running errands, then I planted all of my impatiens in the only flower bed I have that is devoted to annuals and mow that my back is killing me, I've decided to open a bottle of wine with dinner.  Thankfully, I received my wine club shipment from Maison Bleue on Friday, and included in the shipment were a couple bottles of 2013 Domaine J. Meuret Le Chenes Pinot Noir from the Phelps Creek Vineyard in Oregon.  The name "Lew Chenes" means "the Oaks" in French, which I can certainly relate to given the many oaks in my yard, but it was actually named for the many white oaks in the vineyard which was planted in 1990.  So let's see how this wine stacks up!

The wine is a lovely pale red color in the glass, a classic Pinot Noir.  The nose presents aromas of cherry, cassis, tobacco and cedar, certainly not your typical Oregon Pinot, but much more reminiscent of a great burgundy.  The taste is simply wonderful, with some lovely red fruit notes up front, cherry, red plum, earthy mineral notes and wonderful spice.  The tannins are very well structured and integrated, creating a long. seductive and dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, and you know I'm not a huge Pinot Noir fan!  This wine would be perfect with roast pork tenderloin, classic salmon or duck, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a bacon wrapped Angus filet mignon, with grilled asparagus and a baked potato, and I must admit this wine was a perfect accompaniment!  Cheers!

2005 Saddleback Cellars Napa Valley Merlot

TWell, it's the first Saturday of the month, so you know what that means, it's Cellar Saturday!  And not only that, it's also the 4th of July which makes opening up a well matured wine even more fun!  Tonight I've opened up a bottle of 2005 Saddleback Cellars Napa Valley Merlot, one that I've been looking forward to, as a nice quality Merlot tends to hit its stride at about the 10-year mark.  Keep in mind I've let this one breathe a bit, but I didn't decant it, so we'll see how it goes!

The color in the glass is a nice garnet with very nice clarity despite its maturity.  The nose is a lovely combination of ripe berries, red plum and macerated cherries, overlaid with a bit of leather and moss, reminiscent of some wonderful French Bordeaux.  The taste is a rush of ripe fruit up front, raspberries, blackberries and plum that transitions flawlessly to some flavors of cherry cola and mocha midpalate.  The finish is just lovely, with silky tannins and mild oak on the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as I love Merlot and this is a prime example of an expertly produced bottle that highlights the varietal.  Although this would be an ideal wine for a juicy porterhouse, tonight is the 4th of July!  How could I enjoy this with anything other than barbecued ribs, grilled corn on the cob, creamy cucumber salad and a nice grape tomato caprese salad!  The wine has such great flavors it really complements the variety of great tastes we get on holidays like these.  Cheers!