2021 Inspire Moore Winery "Change" Blaufrankisch

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Of course having just a bit of Irish in my heritage, I still use this holiday as an excuse to stink up my house with aromas of corned beef and cabbage, because it's so delicious!  But what wine to serve with it?  I'll admit my usual go to is a nice dry rose, but I didn't have any available, this being technically still winter, so I've decided to open a wine I picked up in the Finger Lakes of New York on my summer vacation.  The 2021 Inspire Moore Winery "Change" Blaufrankisch is a pure example of the varietal, that they espouse as their go to wine for barbecue (and I don't disagree) but let's see how it stands up to corned beef!

The wine is a very light garnet color in the glass, edging ever so close to rose, but still distinctly red.  A gentle swirl reveals aromas of earthy tar, strawberry, sweet cherry and smoky oak.  Take a sip and you are treated to a rush of tart cherry, oak and a bit of funk that transitions easily to some notes of dusty limestone and earth midpalate.  The tannins are ever so smooth, aiding the soft dry finish with a reprise of acidity at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's an ideal light red wine for a St. Patrick's day dinner, that's also a pleasant departure from the standard fare of Pinot Noir.  This wine would be excellent with barbecue, burgers, tacos or pizza, the perfect midweek wine and it was a terrific value at just $20.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with my traditional corned beef, cabbage, red potatoes and carrots.  Cheers!

Eclipse Pinot Noir

Happy New Year!  It's been a rainy, sleet-filled day here, and now everything seems to have an eighth-inch coating of ice.  But things could be worse, we could be dealing with a pandemic, economic depression and deep social and political divisions, oh wait... In any case, to start the new year I've decided to open a bottle of wine that a friend of mine, Robert made.  There is no vintage, but he did make a pretty well designed label for his Eclipse wines (maybe this was during the eclipse, what year was that again?) and tonight I've opened a Pinot Noir that he crafted from grapes from Sonoma.  So, let's see if he should quit his day job!

The wine is a nice garnet color in the glass, with a lighter color and great clarity, as you might expect from a Pinot Noir.  After letting this one breathe for an hour or so, it's really opening up with aromas of black cherry, spice box and a hint of mint.  The taste is actually pretty good, with a rush of ripe black fruit up front, cherry, blueberry and plum that transitions to some flavors of caramel and oak midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat subdued, for a soft, dry finish with a reprise of mint at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's actually surprisingly good given that this wine was homemade (my last experience with homemade wine was from my high school friend Nick, who's uncle Vuyo made white wine from grapes he grew on the south side of Chicago, which we affectionately referred to as Vuyo fluid).  This wine would pair well with lamb or pasta, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic New Year's dinner of king crab legs with drawn butter.  Cheers!

2018 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère

 Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a while since I've posted as I've been on a vacation road trip over ten days, driving from Indiana to Yellowstone and stopping at all manner of sites in between.  Tonight I hosted a virtual wine tasting with some of my coworkers and since we were focused on tasting a single varietal (Carmenère), I needed to find a bottle that everyone could find at their local market.  So, I chose the 2018 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère from Chile.  I was inspired to do this varietal tasting based on one held by Chuck Reininger a few months back that highlighted this lost Bordeaux varietal.  Let's see how this one is tasting!

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass, typical of a nice Carmenère.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, raspberry, green grass and a bit of Bordeaux style funk.  The taste is far less fruit forward than suggested by the nose,with subdued flavors of blackberry and currant that transitions to some earthy notes of tar and graphite intermingled with cocoa powder and black pepper.  The tannins are well structured providing a base for the soft dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a 7.5, as it's a nice everyday drinking wine at a value price of just $10.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from steak and lamb to chorizo tacos.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a truffle salted filet mignon along with some roasted baby potatoes I picked up at the farmers' market in Douglas, Wyo. last saturday and some steamed green beans with slivered almonds.  Cheers!

2014 Canto dei Mori Chianti Classico Riserva

Happy Wine Wednesday!  When I was growing up, Wednesday was Prince spaghetti day, and what goes better with spaghetti than a nice Italian wine?  Tonight I have a classic, the 2014 Canto dei Mori Chianti Classico Riserva, a 100% Sangiovese from Tuscany.  I am a big fan of Tuscan red wines, whether the classics based on Sangiovese or Super Tuscans incorporating Bordeaux varietals, these wines are invariably interesting and a solid value for the price.  So let's see how this Chianti is tasting!

The wine is a light garnet in the glass with great transparency, just as you'd expect from the varietal.  The nose is rather subdued affair, with notes of ripe cherry, dried rose petals and some mineral notes.  The taste is classic Chianti, with a rush of tart cherry up front that transitions nicely to some notes of strawberry and vanilla midpalate.  The tannins are soft, providing a bit of balance to the acidity in the wine, and a soft, dry finish that lingers a bit.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a nice, easy drinking Chianti that's ideal for midweek dinners, and it's a solid value at just $12 from Wines Till Sold Out!  This wine would pair well with a broad range of Italian dishes, from classic pastas to mushroom risotto, to a nice proscuitto and capocollo anti pasti.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a simple pasta with spinach alfredo sauce topped with a bit of shaved Parmesan.  Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

2007 Grgich Hills Estate Napa Valley Zinfandel

Happy Cellar Saturday!  It's that magical first Saturday of the month, where I peruse the cellar to find something to open that's at least a decade in the making.  Tonight I've opened a bottle that a friend gave me quite a few years ago, so it literally has been in my cellar for a while, the 2007 Grgich Hills Estate Napa Valley Zinfandel.  Normally, Zinfandel is not seen as particularly age-worthy, certainly not as much as a fine Cabernet, but since I've opened this bottle, it will be interesting to see how the wine has progressed over the past dozen years.

The wine is a bright garnet color in the glass, with a hint of auburn along the edges.  The nose is an interesting affair, with some earthy notes of leather, charcoal and spice interspersed with hints of floral aromas.  The taste is a rush of jammy ripe fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum, classic for a Zinfandel, that transition nicely to some flavors of smoke and tart cherry midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat mellow, leading to a rather soft, but very dry finish with a bit of peppery spice at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's drinking nicely now, but I expect it would have been just as good a decade ago.  This wine would pair well with a variety of causal dinners, from pizza and tacos to barbecue.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic barbecue of slow cooked beef back ribs, finished off on the grill, with some Bourbon molasses baked beans and freshly made mustard potato salad.  Cheers!

2006 Belpoggio Brunello di Montalcino

Well it's the first Saturday in May and that means it's Cellar Saturday, that magical time when I reach back into the cellar to find some wine that's at least a decade from it's original vintage and tonight I have one that just came together with my dinner tonight.  I am a big fan of great Italian wines, and of course the granddad of them all is Brunello, that carefully crafted Sangiovese that works it's magic with almost any traditional Italian cuisine.  And since I maintain that a nice Brunello really doesn't start to sing until it's at least a decade old, I've decided to open a bottle of 2006 Belpoggio Brunello di Montalcino.  Now I let this one decant for about 90 minutes, so let's see how it's tasting!

The wine is a wonderful garnet color in the glass with a tinge of amber along the edges.  The nose is classic Brunello, with aromas of anise, blackberry, spice box and some earthy notes.  The taste is remarkably fruit forward, with a rush of candied cherry, strawberry and a hint of thyme, but then it seems to be a bit tired midpalate, as it transitions to some earthy mineral notes of tar and peat.  The tannins are soft but well integrated, making for a long, soft dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's wonderfully developed, but the weakness midpalate was a drawback.  This wine would pair with any classic Italian dish, from Bistecca alla Fiorentina to classic pasta with hearty red sauces.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a dinner that started with a trip to Eataly in Chicago last Monday, where I picked up some fresh squid ink tagliatelle, which I am tossing with some mussels simmered in olive oil, garlic, San Marzano tomatoes, oregano and basil.  The classic briny seafood mixture is just perfect with this earthy wine.  Cheers!