2016 Castelli del Grevepesa 'Castelgreve' Chianti Classico Riserva

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a short while since I've posted, so I thought why not go for a mid-week treat?  Tonight I have decided to go Italian and open a recent bottle from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2016 Castelli del Grevepesa 'Castelgreve' Chianti Classico Riserva!  This Tuscan classis is a blend of Sangiovese (90%) and Merlot (10%) which lends to it's somewhat richer color than a typical Sangiovese based wine.  So, let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a lovely garnet color in the glass, with great clarity.  A swirl of the glass releases aromas of strawberry, cedar and floral aromas that are typical for a nice Chianti.  Take a sip and you're greeted with delightful flavors of black cherry, tobacco and vanilla bean, with undertones of earthy tar and leather.  The tannins are nicely structured providing for a velvety dry finish with a reprise of savory notes at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a wonderful example of a Chianti Classico, at a typically value price point for an Italian red.  This wine would pair well with grilled steaks, pastas or risotto, many of the Italian dishes that have become our favorites.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a classic Italian sausage with onions and peppers and some spaghetti tossed with garlic and olive oil.  Cheers!

2016 Basel Cellars Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, it's been a rather busy day, mainly working to get all the details for my upcoming course set, so I can begin teaching!  And since I just finished, I figure it's time for a nice glass of wine, and tonight I've opened a nice bottle of Washington wine that I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out.  The 2016 Basel Cellars Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Double River and Phinny Hill Vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington.  So, let's see how this wine stacks up!

The wine is a wonderfully deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect from a nice Columbia Valley Cabernet.  The nose is vibrant, earthy and savory, with aromas of black cherry and currant intermingled with notes of mushroom, dried herbs and smoke.  On the first sip, the nose comes through and you're presented with a remarkably Bordeaux-esque affair, with ripe black cherry, currant and blackberry up front, that transitions nicely to some caramel and vanilla midpalate.  The tannins are soft but well integrated for a long, smooth dry finish that lingers.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a very pleasant, everyday red and at a value price of $15, you don't feel guilty opening a bottle every day!  This wine is the ideal casual red, and would pair well with everything from burgers to barbecue, pizza to paella, but tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled bone-in ribeye over a bed of grilled leeks with some steamed red potatoes and bacon roasted Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2017 Seven Hills SHW Founding Vineyard Merlot

Happy Thursday!  I'll admit I'm a bit forlorn coming to the end of Walla Walla Valley Wine Month, but at least I'm enjoying some great wine!  Tonight's wine sort of kills two birds with one stone, as it's a great Walla Walla Valley wine, but it's also a Merlot so it meets my requirement for Sean Sullivan's Washington Merlot Challenge this month.  Tonight I am enjoying a bottle from one of my favorite wine makers, the 2017 Seven Hills SHW Founding Vineyard Merlot.  This wine is the 30th vintage from the wines originally planted by winemaker Casey McClellan and his father back in 1982, so let's dive into this treat of a wine!

The wine is an inky black with bright garnet along the edges, just as you might expect from a classic Merlot.  The nose is a rich combination of leather, oak, blackberry and spice, with a bit of dusty granite over the top.  The taste is a rush of cool ripe fruit with blueberry cobbler, blackberry and vanilla swirling in your palate before transitioning to some black pepper spice and savory herbs midpalate.  The tannins are nicely integrated with a reprise of sweet fruit on the long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as its just a pleasant sipping wine which I could definitely enjoy as dessert after a hearty dinner!  This wine would pair well with a lot of hearty dishes, from grilled prime steaks and rare lamb chops to hearty pasta or risotto.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a simple dinner of linguine tossed with sauteed garlic and broccoli rabe in olive oil and topped with shaved parmesan.  Cheers!

2017 Seven Hills Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, it's a beautiful Tuesday, it's sunny and about 75 degrees outside so it seems like springtime has arrived in earnest!  And tonight I've opened a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from one of my favorite Walla Walla wine makers, Casey McClellan and the 2017 Seven Hills Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  I'm anxious to go sit out on my porch and enjoy a sunset with this wine so let's get to it!

The wine is a deep inky black at the center with bright garnet along the edges, classic for a great Cabernet.  The nose is a very Bordeaux-esque affair with lots of ripe cherry, dried herbs, oak and tobacco that just dare you to take a sip.  The taste is a rush of black cherry and plum up front that transitions easily to some notes of savory herbs and dark chocolate midpalate.  The dusty tannins mark a pleasurable surrounding for such a wonderfully full, structured dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a pleasure to drink right now, but would like improve even more with some time in the cellar.  With a limited production of just 149 cases, this is a wine to grab while you can!  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from lamb to mushroom risotto to hearty pasta, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled porterhouse with some of the biggest bacon roasted Brussels sprouts I've seen!  Cheers!

2016 Reininger Walla Walla Carmenere

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This is one of those tough wine pairing holidays as I always have trouble trying to figure out what wine to pair with corn beef and cabbage.  So I guess the cats out of the bag and that’s what I’m having for dinner tonight, so don’t rush to the last paragraph to see what I’m eating! As for what to pair with a challenging dish like corned beef and cabbage tonight I’ve decided on the 2016 Reininger Carmenere. This wine is 100% Carmenere from the Seven Hills Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington. So let’s see how this wine tastes.

The wine is a deep inky indigo color of the center with bright Garnet along the edges. The nose presents a variety of fresh floral notes of violet as well as some sharp notes of smoke, leather, savory herbs and a bit of "twang." The taste is classic Reininger Carmenere with the rush of black fruit up front the transitions nicely and just some notes of earth, peat and savory herbs that transitions to some white pepper spice midpalate. The tannins are smooth and expertly integrated, providing a great base for the long smooth and very dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wind a solid 8.5 as it is really great example but just not quite as good as the 2015 vintage (you can see that review here). This wine would pair well with a wide variety of dishes, from pizza and burgers to steaks, chops and barbecue ribs.  But of course tonight I am pairing this wine with classic St. Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage, along with some red potatoes, carrots and soda bread. The spice and fruit in this wine pair really well with such a salty dish. Cheers!

2015 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  It's been a somewhat busy weekend that's too rapidly coming to a close, on Friday evening I had some folks over for a pre-holiday get together and then had lots of activities and work after that.  So before the official end of the weekend, I thought it appropriate to open a nice bottle of wine with dinner.  Tonight it's a recent wine club selection from L'Ecole No. 41, the 2015 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon (coincidentally, I opened a double magnum of the '09 vintage for my get together on Friday).  This wine is sourced from some of the best vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley, including Ferguson, Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge, Loess and Summit View, providing a broad spectrum of the Walla Walla AVA terroir.  So let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a deep inky purple in the glass, with a bit of garnet at the edges. The nose is a lovely combination of blackberry, blueberry, smoke and rose petals, suggesting a style more old world than new.  The taste is a rush of ripe fruit, black cherry, blueberry, currant and blackberry that envelop the palate before transitioning seamlessly to some savory herbs and wonderfully earthy notes of basalt and tobacco midpalate.  The tannins are youthful, but very well structured to provide a perfect backbone to the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a lovely example of the fine Cabernet coming from the Walla Walla Valley.  This wine would pair well with a broad array of hearty dishes, from braised short ribs to lamb chops to hearty pasta, but for Sunday dinner, I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled bone-in ribeye, grilled Brussels sprouts and a big, loaded baked potato.  Cheers!

2013 Result of a Crush

Merry Christmas!  It's been a remarkably relaxing Christmas Eve, as it's been snowing all day so I just decided to spend the afternoon lounging around the house, until it was time to get up and open a bottle of wine!  And tonight it's a special bottle that I brought back from my trip to Walla Walla last August, and a wine that ironically I didn't taste until I sat at the VinoVolo in Sea-Tac airport on the way home, the 2013 Result of a Crush Red Wine!  This wine is from a project by two sisters, Amanda and Angela of the Reynvaan Family Vineyards of Walla Walla, who in 2011 decided to focus on wines that are "distinctive, affordable, consistent in quality and showcase the owners' sometimes whimsical attitude toward wine."  So let's see what this one has to offer!

The wine is a lovely garnet color in the glass, very consistent with the predominance of Syrah in the blend.  The nose is an interesting array of earthy and savory aromas, with some vibrant green herbs along with earthy notes of dusty limestone and tar over undertones of ripe black fruit.  The taste is just a real treat, with some wonderful stone fruit notes up front, which transition to some stark mineral notes midpalate.  The flavors of the Rocks of Walla Walla really come through nicely on this wine.  The tannins as very well structured, providing just enough backbone for the velvety and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9 as it's just a pleasant drinking wine and a solid value (I believe this one was around $28).  This wine would pair well with a broad array of dished, from steaks and chops to hearty Italian dishes, but tonight it's Christmas Eve, which means it's time for a more special dinner.  So tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a giant cold water lobster tail along with some fusilli Napoletani sauteed with olive oil, garlic and broccoli rabe.  The wonderful fruit and mineral notes of this wine are a perfect foil to the richness of the lobster.  Merry Christmas!

2010 Concannon Central Coast Petite Sirah

I've been a fan of Petite Sirah (or Petit Syrah as they say) for several years now, and I think what I like most about this varietal is that it's arguably neither petite nor very much like syrah!  It tends to be much bigger and bolder, with a more pronounced fruit profile.  Now I've had a Concannon petite sirah a few years ago, and it was very pleasant, so I'm hopeful that this wine will not let me down!

This wine still appears to be a bit young, but it's still well developed.  The color is a deep purple transitioning to a more ruby color toward the edges.  The nose feels young and green, with a clear fruit aroma of blueberries and ripe plums, almost edging toward a prune.  The fruit is accentuated by aromas of oak, savory spices and fresh herbs, which lend to the perception of this wine being young and "green."  The taste is very fruit forward, with flavors of blueberries and raisins transitioning to a combination of tar and tart cherries midpalate.  The finish at first seemed somewhat short, but then the tannins really played on some of the flavor complexity to make this a very pleasant finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7, it's certainly not the best Petit Sirah I've tasted and I'll mark them down for the artificial cork, but it was a wonderful value at only $7 from my favorite local wine merchant, G.B. Russo!  This wine would pair nicely with some roasted meats, perhaps some lamb, but tonight I am enjoying this one with some chili!  So if you're looking for a nice red with plenty of fruit and lots of body, pick up a bottle and enjoy it!