2017 Giordano Barolo

Happy Saturday!  I spent my day running errands and then mowing and fertilizing the lawn before it might rain tomorrow, and now I am ready for a nice dinner and glass of wine.  Tonight, I have modestly broken an unwritten rule about never opening a Barolo until it's at least a decade old, but I really wanted something Italian with my Italian inspired dinner this evening.  I have opened a bottle of 2017 Giordano Baraolo, and hopefully this 9-year-old Nebbiolo is having a well behaved year, so let's find out!

The wine is a lovely bright ruby color in the glass with great clarity.  The nose presents classic aromas of cedar, ripe raspberry and dried herbs amid undertones of lavender and kirsch.  The first sip an interesting combination of black cherry, cedar and earthy peat that transitions to some funky notes of dusty limestone and powerful floral notes midpalate.  The finish is subdued, with mellow tannins providing for some dryness amid a lingering earthy funk.

Overall, I would rate this wine an 8, as it has great potential, but seems to be misbehaving like a petulant child this evening.  I have another bottle, so perhaps I'll try this one again in a few years.  This wine would pair well with some hard cheeses or hearty southern Italian cuisine that can put this little child in its place.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with some hot Italian sausage with onions and peppers along with linguine sauteed with garlic, olive oil, asparagus and broccoli rabe.  Cheers!

2016 Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  It's been a busy weekend with my annual hunting trip to find Christmas trees, and I was successful in bagging a blue spruce and a Norway spruce, and today I spend much of the day decorating!  So, now I am ready for a nice dinner and a bottle of wine.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of 2016 Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that I recently bought from Wines Till Sold Out.  Opening a 7-year-old Napa Cabernet is always a treat as this wine should just about be hitting its stride about now, so let's see what it has to offer!

The wine has the classic Napa Cab look, deep, inky black at the center and bright garnet along the edges.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of blackberry, currant and dried herbs.  The first sip is an interesting combination of black fruit, blackberry, currant and cherry with a bit of sweetness that transitions to some spicy notes with hints of tea midpalate.  The tannins are well structured, but the finish is dry and rather subdued.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a lovely, easy sipping Cabernet that has likely reached it's prime.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty fall and winter dishes, from roast beef to pasta casseroles, chili to rack of lamb.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a classic Cabernet pairing of a pan seared ribeye, steamed Brussels sprouts and oven roasted root vegetables.  Cheers!

2017 Alamos Malbec

Ah, what a busy day spent in Chicago for a meeting, but the good news is that I had a chance to visit Eataly while I was there!  I love Eataly and especially in early fall when they have a big sale on so many things from limoncello to proscuitto to buffalo mozzarella, it was outstanding!  So tonight I arrived back late on the train, what with the hour time change and all, so I'm working on dinner feverishly, but still need some time for a wine decompression, and tonight it's with a relatively young wine, the 2017 Alamos Malbec from Mendoza Argentina.  Now given the different seasons down there, with harvest coming around the same time we have bud break, the '17 vintage is really more like a '16 vintage for northern hemisphere wines, which just helps me over the psychological barrier of drinking a red wine a year old!  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of warm spice, green grass, blackberry and cherry.  The taste is quite a departure from the aromas, as you are hit with a rush of black cherry and blackberry right up front which transitions nicely to some warm spice and notes of mocha and caramel midpalate.  The finish is somewhat subdued as the youthful tannins are somewhat erratic but supportive of a smooth dry finish, that's a bit brief.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's not the most spectacular Malbec I've had, but it's a great everyday wine, and a good value.  I bought this bottle at Trader Joe's for about $10 if I remember correctly.  So the wine tonight is clearly in a supporting role with my dinner of a nice pan seared veal loin chop with some roasted giant mutant Brussels sprouts and a loaded baked potato (yes I didn't plate it perfectly, but give me a break I was starving!).  Cheers!

2013 Murphy-Goode Red Wine

Happy Saturday!  It's been an odd day of running errands and not being able to do yard work as it can't seem to make up its mind whether it will rain or not.  Well maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.  In the meantime, I've opened a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner before heading out to enjoy a performance at the Elkhart Civic Theatre, tonight it's Disney's Beauty and the Beast.  So the wine, this is a bottle I picked up at my local market for only about $8, so I figured it was worth a try.  I think it's a blend of primarily Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and some other red varietals from Sonoma, but I couldn't find the exact blend.  So let's see how it tastes. 

The wine is a nice garnet color in the glass and the nose exudes aromas of leather, cherries, oak and a hint of anise.  The taste is a rush of warm, ripe fruit, cherry, plum, blueberry and a bit of raspberry that transitions to some mineral notes and earthiness midpalate.  The finish is somewhat subdued, with mellow tannins providing for a silky mouthfeel on the smooth, dry finish. 

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a pleasant drinking everyday red wine and a terrific value if you can find it on sale for under $10.  This wine would pair very well with burgers, pizza or barbecue, but I'm enjoying it tonight with an alder planked wild sockeye filet, potato puree and some fresh green beans almondine that I bought fresh today.  The great cherry flavors of this wine make it ideal with a rich salmon.  Cheers!

2015 Mercer Canyons Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Tuesday!  I've been a long day and I feel a cold coming on, so I may be somewhat curt in this post.  In any case I'm sure some wine will help with my mood, and tonight I've opened a bottle that I found at my local market last week, the 2015 Mercer Canyons Cabernet Sauvignon.  I wasn't familiar with Mercer,  but learned that they operate their vineyards and winery in the Horse Heaven Hills in the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State.  This vintage of Cabernet under their Mercer Canyons brand is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), Merlot (17%) and Syrah (7%).  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect for a Cabernet.  The nose is full of black cherry, mint and green grass, somewhat different than your average Cabernet.  The taste is a full rush of black cherry and plum up front that transitions nicely to hints of vanilla and dried herbs midpalate.  The finish is somewhat warm and subdued, with soft tannins, but still pleasant and very dry.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very pleasant drinking everyday Cabernet, and a wonderful value as I found this at my local Meijer for just $11!  This wine would be great with a lot of simple weekday dinners, like pizza, tacos (hello taco Tuesday!) or burgers, but you know me, tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled tagliata steak, oven roasted potatoes and some steamed broccoli.  Cheers!

Cogdal Vineyards Little Man Winery Big Lake Red Table Wine

What an eventful day!  My uncle and cousin were doing a Midwest road trip and decided to come for a visit last night and stayed for breakfast and church before they went off to visit some other relatives in central Indiana.  After they left, I decided to go to the outlet mall and then up to Lake Michigan for the afternoon, mainly to restock my olive oil and aged balsamic from the Olive Cart in South Haven, Michigan.  Which brings me to the wine I've decided to open tonight, the non-vintage Cogdal Vineyards "Little Man Winery" Big Lake Red Wine, after seeing the big lake this afternoon, how could I not open a Big Lake Red?  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is somewhat lighter in color, a bit of a cross between Pinot Noir and a Merlot, with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of green grass, mint and a hint of pipe tobacco.  The taste is quite nice, with a rush of ripe black fruit up front, blackberry, black cherry and kirsch that transition to some warm spice notes midpalate.  The finish is somewhat subdued, with mild acidity and mellow tannins supporting a smooth dry finish.

My view of the big lake in Saint Joseph, Michigan!

Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a big fan of my local red wines, as so much of it lacks depth or more often is just a sweet cherry fruit bomb, but having visited this winery, they have made some good progress with nice dry red wines and this one is no exception, so I'd rate it a solid 8.  An easy drinking red blend like this should be easy to pair with a variety of dishes, but as always I had to make it challenging, so tonight I'm enjoying this wine with panko crusted pork chops with some pasta and fresh green beans.  The subdued fruit and mild acidity of this wine makes it a prime target for pork, cheers!

2012 Tobias Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  It's been a busy week and I am so ready for the weekend!  And since we are starting the weekend, it may as well be with a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet that I got in the Wines Till Sold Out Napa Valley marathon a month or two ago, the 2012  Tobias Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Cabernet from the Howell Mountain AVA.  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center, with bright ruby along the edges, classic for a Napa Cabernet.  The nose presents aromas of cherry, oak and a bit of dried fig.  The taste is a rush of ripe cherry up front that blankets your palate.  The cherry transitions nicely to some notes of vanilla and a bit of oak midpalate.  The finish is rather subdued, with some nicely structured tannins providing for a very smooth, dry finish that's a refreshing departure from many of the in-your-face Cabernets on the market today.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's very nice quality, but not a terrific value at $29.  This is a classic big steak wine, though I think it would pair quite nicely with a variety of pasta dishes, smoked brisket or classic barbecue as well.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a Thai chili rubbed New York strip along with some grilled baby bok choy and couscous.  Cheers!

2012 Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain

Happy black Friday, I mean red Friday!  After all, I'm drinking red!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2012 Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%),  Merlot (26%), Syrah (8%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Malbec (2%) all from the Red Mountain AVA in Washington State.  So let's see what this one has to offer!

The wine is a deep inky indigo at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, oak, blackberry and mint, somewhat of an old school Bordeaux vibe.  The taste is much less intimidating than the nose might suggest, with a rush of cherry cola, licorice and dried herbs that transition nicely to some earthy notes of wild game and smoke midpalate.  The finish is somewhat subdued but very dry.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's actually a very nice Washington red blend and a fairly decent value in the $30 range.  Tonight I am enjoying this with another big dinner for Thanksgiving week, a shrimp cocktail appetizer, then a big bone-in ribeye grilled rare with some grilled leeks, rainbow carrots and asparagus and a baked potato.  Cheers!

2010 Michael David Winery Petite Petit

So tonight I am enjoying two lovely wines from Lodi, California for the Snooth.com Lodi virtual tasting (you can check it out here: http://www.snooth.com/virtual-tasting/video/lodi-virtual-tasting-room/) and the second one I am tasting tonight is the 2010 Michael David Winery Petite Petit. This wine is a somewhat interesting blend of Petite Sirah (85%) and Petit Verdot (15%), hence the name!

This wine is a bit darker in color, with a bit of opacity at the center, easing toward some ruby at the edges.  The nose on this one is quite a bit different, with some distinct woodsy notes reflecting the Petite Sirah (which also lends structure and the fantastic deep purple color), some wonderful fresh herb notes accented by anise and black cherry.  The taste of this one is somewhat more fruit forward, reminiscent of the more jammy Lodi zinfandels, with flavors of black cherry and cassis that transition into some flavors of forest floor midpalate.  The finish is quite nice with softer tannins leading to a more subdued, dry finish.

This wine is a very nice example of an interesting blend, that I would rate an 8 overall, as it's also a pretty good value at $18.  Tonight I am enjoying this one with my spicy Thai noodles and it holds up quite well against the Thai spice. It would pair quite nicely with some smoky barbecue, or a nice grilled brat with pickled red cabbage.  Cheers!