2023 Eberle Côtes du Rôbles

Well, what do you know, three days of posting in a row!  I thought it was a good idea to open another one of my mistakenly free bottles of wine, this time it's the 2023 Eberle Côtes du Rôbles.  This wine is a blend of Grenache (58%), Mourvèdre (34%) and Syrah (8%) all harvested from Paso Robles, California.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, with a seemingly heavier body than you might expect from a GSM blend.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals enticing aromas of strawberry, rose petals and green grass that will have you fully engaged.  The first sip is an unexpected rush of sweet ripe fruit, cherry, strawberry and a hint of raspberry that easily transition to some earthy notes of tar and espresso midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat subdued, providing for a pleasant dry finish, with a bit of acidity at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a pleasant and easy drinking Rhône-style blend that would pair well with a variety of dishes, from fish to tacos, barbecue to grilled lamb chops.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared salmon filet, steamed rice and sugar snap peas, as I sip this wine for the remainder of my Monday evening.  Cheers!

2022 DaMa Wines Grenache

Happy Thursday!  Since I was too busy to post last weekend, I decided to do a midweek post.  Tonight, I've decided to open a bottle of a recent wine club selection from DaMa Wines, the 2022 Columbia Valley Grenache.  This wine is a perennial favorite of mine, as it's a 100% Grenache, offering a true perspective on this fascinating and food-friendly varietal.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting.

The wine is lighter bodied, exuding a bright ruby color, just as you'd expect from a nice Grenache.  A gentle swirl reveals aromas of leather, violet and kirsch, with undertones of peppery spice.  The first sip is a rush of sweet fruit up front, strawberry, plum and raspberry, that takes an unexpected turn toward some tart cherry midpalate.  The tannins are supple and supportive of the smooth dry finish, with just a hint of spice at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a really interesting take on Grenache, that is likely the best vintage I've had from DaMa. This wine would pair well with a wide range of hearty fall dishes, from braised short ribs to butternut squash bisque, herb-crusted rack of lamb to wild mushroom risotto.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a classic fall dinner of grilled pork tenderloin and blistered cherry tomatoes, served with mashed sweet potatoes and oven roasted Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2011 Domaine la Soumade Rasteau

So tonight I am trying something new, the 2011 Domaine la Soumade Rasteau from the Southern Rhone region of France.  Now before today I really wasn't familiar with Rasteau and the likely reason was that this appellation was formerly known for sweet, fortified wines, the so-called "vin doux naturel."  But beginning with the 2009 vintage, they began including a dry red blend into Rasteau that is typically the classic southern Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.  The wine I am enjoying tonight is just such a blend of Grenache (70%), Syrah (20%) and Mourvedre (10%).

The wine is a lovely deep ruby in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose was at first a burst of sweet ripe fruit, blackberries, plums, raisins but as it's opened up the nose has transitioned to some earthy notes of leather, forest floor and oak.  The taste is not at all what I expected, a burst of tart cherry, dark chocolate and tobacco greeted me, but soon it transitioned to some earthy limestone notes layered with dried herbs.  The tannins are very nicely structured supporting the smooth, dry, velvety finish that beckons you to take another sip.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's drinking very nicely now, but will likely improve over the next couple of years.  It was also a nice value as I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $20!  Tonight I am just enjoying this one on the deck watching the sunset as I've worn myself out from cleaning chores today, but it would pair very nicely with any Mediterranean dishes, I'm thinking some nice mussels with linguine or perhaps a nicely prepared branzino grilled with lemon and rosemary as the fruit of the wine would make a nice foil to the savoriness of those dishes.  Cin cin!

Hell's Canyon Retriever Red Wine

Tonight I've decided to open one of my vacation wines, a bottle I brought back from a truck stop in Baker City, Oregon of all places (see us wine aficionados can find wine anywhere!), the Hell's Canyon Retriever Red Wine, a non-vintage blend of Merlot (56%), Cabernet Franc (22%), Cabernet Sauvignon (19%) and Syrah (3%).  The winery is located in the Snake River Valley in Caldwell, Idaho, so I probably passed in on the way to Oregon but I didn't stop.  In any case, I stopped at a hotel in Baker City for the night, and went across the street to the truck stop for some chips and saw they had wine, and this bottle with a great image of a Black Lab swimming with a duck in its mouth really caught my eye, so I figured why not buy a bottle?

The color of the wine is a nice ruby red, a little lighter than a lot of Bordeaux style blends I've seen.  The nose is enveloped with aromas of sweet cherry, licorice and cedar, with just the faintest hint of fresh mint.  The taste is actually remarkably well balanced, with ample fruit on the front, laced with ripe cherries and blackberries, giving way to hints of charcoal and fresh herbs midpalate.  The vibrant tannins make for a very crisp, tight finish that could mellow a bit over time, but as it stands marks the perfect yin to the sweet red fruit yang on the front end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's hands down the best truck stop wine I've ever had!  And as I recall it was a pretty good value too at about $11.  Tonight I am pairing with some butternut squash lasagna that a good friend at work made and brought in for me to try, and a fresh salad.  The wine complements the sweet and earthy flavors of the lasagna quite well, so it looks like I'm going to have a good evening after a long week!

2011 Honoro Vera Garnacha

You know, I just don't drink enough Spanish wines.  I know they are having loads of troubles over there, so I figured they make wonderful wines and I should help out by buying a bottle or two!  In this case, it's the 2011 Honoro Vera Garnacha, which is the Spanish version of Grenache, a grape from the south of France that I've taken quite a fancy to in recent months.  This wine comes from the city of Calatayud, which lies just to the southwest of the French border in the Sistema Iberico mountain range, roughly equidistant from the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.

The wine itself is a very deep purple color in the glass, trending to more ruby color along the edges.  The nose is a very pleasant combination of sweet fruit scents with a combination of strawberries, sweet cherries and plums with just the faintest hint of cedar and spices.  The first taste brings some surprising smokiness and gravel which are enveloped by the fruit flavors, which present themselves as very jammy at first, flavors of ripe cherries and blueberries, which transition to rich plums laced with exotic spices that seem almost Oriental.  The young tannins are surprisingly well integrated leading to a lovely smooth finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5 as it's really a lovely, fruit forward example of the varietal that makes it wonderfully food friendly, plus it was a great value at only $8!  Tonight I am pairing it with some tortilla crusted tilapia, a variety of fingerling potatoes and some steamed asparagus, and I really love the way the fruit in the wine plays off the spice of the fish, very lively!  So try a lovely Spanish red wine if you have the opportunity!

2003 Château des Annereaux Lalande de Pomerol

So as I am fond of saying, tonight I've decided to take a different approach and crack open a bottle of Bordeaux from the 2003 vintage.  I bought this bottle a few weeks ago at the World Market on clearance for $20.88, though I'm not entirely convinced that was such a great bargain, but what the heck, I figured I like Bordeaux and this one is old enough that it should be drinking nicely by now. 

Now the Lalande de Pomerol appellation is just north of the Pomerol appellation, to the east of the Gironde, and the wines tend to be dominated by Merlot, which is the case with this wine.  The 2003 Château des Annereaux Lalande de Pomerol is a blend of Merlot (70%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%).

The wine is a fairly bright ruby in the glass, and the nose is unmistakably Bordeaux with aromas of sweet red fruit, tar and a bit of cedar.  The taste has very subdued fruit, with hints of cassis giving way to cola and black pepper flavors midpalate.  The tannins are very well structured, giving this wine a lovely smooth, dry finish that you'd expect from a nice Bordeaux.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 7.5, as it's a lovely wine but the price is somewhat aggressive, even at a marked down $21.  Tonight I am, yet again, taking a different approach and enjoying this wine with some wonderful Cajun dirty rice, with spicy chicken habanero sausage, green peppers and red onions, a nice spicy dish that plays nicely on the rich, earthiness of this wine.  Bon appetit!