2005 Rio Bom Douro Colheita

Tonight I've decided to try some new things, from the food I'm making for dinner to the wine I've decided to open!  I've seldom had the chance to enjoy a wine from Portugal, but tonight I've opened a bottle of 2005 Rio Bom Douro Colheita, a recent purchase from the Wines Till Sold Out cheapskate event.

The wine is a very nice ruby color in the glass, about the same color as a nice Spanish wine, like a Tempranillo.  The nose is very interesting, with a lot of bright fruit at first, blackberries, plum, black cherry, but as it opens up, it displays more rustic and earthy notes, forest floor and a classic barnyard.  The taste is fruit forward with some notes of cherry cola and some cocoa powder, which transitions to some fresh herbs, tarragon and green tea midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with rather mild tannins supporting a rather abrupt finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a solid wine that could complement a variety of dishes and it was a good value at around $14.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a wonderful dinner of fresh rainbow trout stuffed with oranges and fresh thyme along with some pesto linguine and steamed asparagus.  The earthy notes and fruit flavors of the wine really strike a nice note with the richness of the trout, but I could see this going very well with a variety of dishes from grilled steak to a nice braised beef stew.  Cheers!

2009 Mayne Durege Bordeaux

So tonight I've decided to have dinner in as I've been walking all around Prague today, from the Vysehrad to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, then up to Patrin Park, all the way up the hill to the gardens and the observatory, so after walking miles and up and down about 500 feet of elevation, I figured I needed a night in with a bottle of Bordeaux.  And for this my final Prague blog post, I've opened a bottle of 2009 Mayne Durege Bordeaux, let's hope it's good!

The color seems somewhat light, but then again it's now quite dark out, so who knows?  The nose is actually quote nice, with hints of cherries and ripe berries overlaid with a aromas of leather and smoke.  The taste is nice, but it didn't quite live up to the expectations brought about by the pleasant nose.  It had some nice ripe fruit on the outset that transitioned to some strong minerality midpalate.  The tannins were somewhat subdued leading to a more abbreviated and lackluster, but still very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a 7, it was a nice effort, and another incredible value at 90 Kc, or about $5.  Tonight I am pairing this with the ultimate standby for carry out, Chinese food!  Tonight I have some stir fried noodles with chicken and a Thai spicy sauce.  The wine actually pairs well with this, as the more subdued fruit notes tend to balance the spice, while the dry finish counteracts the heaviness of the dish.  Na zdraví!

2011 Il Giglio Chianti

So, my second wine blog from Prague features an Italian wine, the 2011 Il Giglio Chianti which I bought from a wine store at the mall for 190 Kc (about $10.50).  What was I doing at the mall you ask? Especially when you are on vacation in a lovely European capitol?  Funny you should ask, it seems last night I did something in my sleep and knocked my glasses off the night stand and the frames broke.  At first I thought a screw came loose, easy fix, but no, it was broken where the lens fits to the frame.  So my helpful front desk clerk, Pavel directed me to an eyeglass shop in the mall that was open today!  It took most of the day to fix them, but I have them back now and can see, but boy do I need a glass of wine!

This wine is quite typical of the lighter bodied Chianti being produced so widely now, so the color is a light ruby throughout, with very little opacity.  The nose is somewhat alarming with a robust aroma of wet dog or wool, but when that dissipates there is a strong aroma of berries and spice so typical of Tuscan wines.  The taste is surprisingly fruit forward, with a burst of fresh fruit, strawberries, ripe plums which transitions easily to a good bit of peppery spice midpalate.  The finish is somewhat abrupt, but still pleasant as I could see myself enjoying this one on a sunny patio over an afternoon.

Overall, I would rate this one a 7, if only for the wet dog on the nose, but once you get past that it's a really easy drinking wine, and I certainly can't complain about the price!  Tonight I will once again be pairing this with nothing since I'm enjoying this as an aperitif before heading off to dinner.  Tonight it's more traditional Czech fare at the Olympia Restaurant, so follow me on twitter if you want to see the meal!  But for this wine, it would be perfect with Italian dishes like a pasta with red sauce, or some grilled Italian sausage, as the fruit would really balance out the spiciness of those dishes.  Tady je na jiný dobrý den v Praze!

2011 Da Da Da Merlot

First a bit of business for those of you who were expecting another Cellar Saturday last weekend, I apologize!  You see, it was my 25th High School reunion last Saturday, so I decided to go back to Chicago for that and thus I didn't have a Cellar Saturday on the proper first Saturday, so instead for this month we will ha Cellar Saturday on the second one!  I hope you can all forgive me!  Now on to tonight's feature, the 2011 Da Da Da Merlot that my colleague gave me today for helping her, as this was a bottle she bought in a variety 6-pack from Nakedwines.com, so I figured what the heck I'll try it!  It's also from Lodi, so it has that going for it, even though it's not a Zin...

The wine is a little lighter in color than your typical merlot, with a color similar to many pinot noirs. The nose has some nice jammy fruit notes of blackberry, strawberry and some prune, and over the top there are some fresh herbs and cut grass.  The taste is very fruit forward, with some tart cherry up front that transitions easily to some toasted oak and herbs midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat soft on this wine, leading to a rather short, lackluster finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a 6.5, it's not a spectacular merlot, but it's easy to drink and a pretty good value for around $8.  As for pairing, tonight I'm enjoying it with a rare grilled NY strip with some grilled golden beets and fresh sweet corn that I picked up from a farm stand yesterday.  The wine works well with the veggies but does get a bit lost with the bold flavors of the steak.  In any case, for a free wine I can't complain too much!

2008 Stonehead Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, it's Friday so I have no excuse for not opening up a bottle of wine with my dinner!  And tonight I've decided to open up a bottle I picked up last Friday at John Russo's in Grand Rapids, not to be confused with G.B. Russo's which is also a great wine seller here in Grand Rapids.  I'd never been there before, but as I was waiting for my fuel injectors to be cleaned I figured I'd have the shuttle from the dealer drop me off to do a little wine shopping, and the shuttle driver suggested I try John Russo instead.  So why not?  I ended up buying about 8 bottles of wine, including the one I opened tonight, the 2008 Stonehead Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.

The color is a deep purple in the glass, just as you might expect from a Cabernet, and the nose has some strong notes of prune, blackberry and just the faintest bit of leather and mint.  There's also a bit of earthiness, and some aromas that remind me of charred meat.  The taste is fairly subdued, with some nice dark fruit up front that transitions to some stronger mint notes midpalate, but the finish was pretty disappointing as the taste just seemed to end abruptly.

Despite the lackluster finish, the wine was ok and I'd rate it a 7 simply because it was an outstanding bargain at only $4.99!  I've had a lot worse for under $5, so how can I complain?  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some Thai green curry with chicken and veggies over rice, as the spice of the food makes up for the short finish on the wine.