2020 Dablon Vineyards Tempranillo Tannat

Happy Sunday!  It's been a whirlwind of a day, went to church this morning, then to the airport to see a B-29 bomber, and then off to the Elkhart County Fair to see all the animals and tractors and now that I have a horrible sunburn, I am ready for a relaxing glass of wine and dinner.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle that a friend gave me a few weeks ago.  The 2020 Dablon Vineyards Tempranillo Tannat is a blend of Tempranillo (90%) and Tannat (10%) from the Dablon Estate Vineyard in Baroda, Michigan. I will admit, I am generally not a fan of Michigan red wines, though I have found a few gems over the years, let's see with this one is a gem.

The wine is a lighter bodied, ruby color in the glass and the nose presents aromas of green grass, dried herbs and cherry cola.  The first sip is a rather subdued combination of blackberry and tart cherry with quite a bit of acidity, which transitions to some dried herbs and smoke midpalalte.  The tannins are so subdued as to be unnoticable, yet the finish is tart and dry, but brief.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's interesting but typifies the challenge Michigan growers have with red varietals, though the lighter complexion would make this a plesant drinking summer red.  This wine would pair well with a range of summer fare, from barbecued ribs to burgers and brats.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a crispy skin Scottish black pearl salmon, steamed rice and some steamed Italian green beans.  Cheers!

2008 Naisi Nero D'Avola Tannat

Tonight I've decided to open an little red blend from Sicily, the 2008 Naisi, a blend of Nero D'Avola (75%) and Tannat (25%), which should make a nice wine to stand up to my seemingly daily steak intake!  I bought this wine a few weeks ago at John Russo's in Grand Rapids, which has a really nice selection of interesting wines, particularly from areas of Italy that you don't see as often, like Sicily.

This wine is a deep purple in the glass, with a good bit of opacity near the center and graduating toward a brighter ruby along the edges.  The nose is an interesting combination of ripe cherry, dark chocolate and leather, with a good bit of smokiness as well.  The taste is nicely fruit forward, with a blast of tart cherry and prune up front, which sounds awful, but actually works quite well.  The fruit transitions to some bitter herbs and gravel midpalate, before the rather tightly wound tannins bring it all together for a smooth, dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's a very nice wine that's a bit off the beaten path of your everyday red, with a more rustic quality that pairs nicely with red meat and game.  And the cost wasn't outrageous either, I think I bought this bottle on sale for $14.  Tonight I am enjoying this with a rare grilled New York strip and some grilled veggies and steak fries, which offer a perfect balance to the wine.  Cheers!

2010 Brumont Cotes de Gascogne Rose

So, continuing with my infatuation with rose wines, tonight I am enjoying a bottle of 2010 Brumont Côtes de Gascogne Rose, a nice blend of Tannat (40%), Syrah (30%) and Merlot (20%).  This wine again follows my logic that if I like the red blend of these grapes, I'll probably like the rose which is just a more refreshing format for a hot summer day.

This wine has a rather orange, or peach tint to the color in the glass, and the nose presents green apple, citrus, and some earthy notes of truffle and fresh cut grass.  The wine itself is very dry, with some very light fruit flavors at the beginning, followed by a hint of melon, and then a mild, refreshing finish.  Overall I would rate this wine a 6.5, as it's really just not very memorable, but at least it was a super value on sale for just $7.

Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some parmesan paprika crusted Canadian walleye, with some steamed heirloom carrots and wild rice.  The subtle flavors of the wine really take a back seat to the milder flavor of walleye, which is certainly helpful in bringing out the flavors. Fish and rose, a wonderful combination!

2008 Los Ailos Syrah Tannat

So tonight I am trying a new wine from a new region with an old favorite dish.  The wine is the Los Ailos Syrah Tannat blend from San Juan, Argentina.  Now this wine is from the Tulum Valley of Argentina, which is north of Mendoza (where most of the wine exported from Argentina comes from), and hence quite a bit hotter (remember, south of the equator things get hotter as you go north!).  Typically, the grapes grown in this region are used for bulk wines, sherry, brandy and the like, but in recent years more wines have come from this area as it's begun to come into its own.

This wines is a blend of syrah (60%) and tannat (40%), which is a famous grape in the Madiran region of France.  The addition of tannat to the blend results in a much more complex wine and really makes this wine pack a heck of a punch for the price.  The wine itself has a nose of leather and spice with a hint of earthy sophistication, and no, I cannot explain that combination of words even if I tried, but it's what came to mind as I had my nose buried in the glass!  As for the taste, this one is very interesting, as it initially presents an explosion of bright, ripe fruit, but not in a sickening sweet dessert wine sort of way, but rather in an exclamation of the fruit that made this wine possible.  Mid palate is filled with spice and herbs, with a hint of vanilla, while the tannins from the tannat create a smooth, very dry finish.

Tonight I am pairing this wine with some fresh mussels, sauteed in garlic and olive oil, and then simmered with tomatoes and basil and tossed with some linguine, and I think that this wine would balance the acidity of the red sauce while complementing the richness of the mussels, at least that's my hope!  As you can tell from the photos I have a lot of cooking to do!  As for the wine, I would rate this one a solid 7.5, especially considering the price, which is around $8 (though I got this one in the fall sampler from MadWine.com).  So if you come across this wine, give it a try, I think you'll be quite pleased with the depth of wine you get for such little money!