2010 Blacksmith Syrah

Well, this is the first write-up from my Washington Wine Month tasting last week, so let's start with the 2010 Blacksmith Syrah.  This is the second label from Forgeron Cellars, a wonderful producer out of Walla Walla that I learned about on my vacation to the region back in May of 2012.  This is my first experience with the second label, and I must admit I was very pleasantly surprised.

This wine had a lovely dark color, and rich aromas of ripe black fruit and spice.  The taste was wonderfully fruit forward with tastes of blackberry and tart cherry, that gave way to some tar and cedar midpalate.  The bright tannins made for a long, tight finish that will likely improve with a little time in the bottle.  But overall, I felt this was quite the worthy effort from Forgeron.

I would rate this wine a solid 8, not only because I thought it was a solid example of a syrah, but also because it was a really good value at only $18.  I think this wine would pair perfectly with some roast lamb and grilled vegetables, or almost any other sort of meaty game.  Cheers!

2010 Borsao Garnacha

So tonight I had the pleasure of dining out at the Spain Restaurant in Tampa and overall it was a wonderful dinner along with a few glasses of 2010 Borsao Garnacha!

 

The wine was quite nice, very fruit forward with aromas of leather, ripe berries and tar. The taste was quite nice, with plenty of fruit up front, but the tight tannins made for a wonderful finish.

On the recommendation of Pablo, my Ecuadorian server, I enjoyed this wine with the Bistecca Santiago, a lovely braised beef tenderloin with chorizo, peppers, onions, mushrooms and a delicious sauce that really balanced the fruit of the wine. I would rate this one a solid 7.5 if not for the wine for the evening as a whole!

2008 Ravenswood Zinfandel

Tonight I've decided to open up a big bottle of wine, yes indeed a MAGNUM!  Oh that sounds intimidating doesn't it?  Well it's really not, or at least it shouldn't be, as large format bottles have been around a long time and they are pretty fun, after all no one in a large group feels bad about having a glass of wine when they know there are at least 8 glasses in the big bottle!  So tonight I've opened a magnum of the 2008 Ravenswood Zinfandel, this one being the "Vintner's Blend" which is their basic wine.  Even so, I've been a fan of Ravenswood since 2000, so I am usually quite confident that their blends won't leave me gagging!

Now you all know how I love Zinfandel, and I acquired those feelings from some of my earliest experiences with Ravenswood Zins, before that I just thought all Zinfandels were pink wines (call me a child of the 1980s!).  This particular wine has a nice deep ruby color in the glass, and the nose exhibits aromas of leather, blackberry, plum and black cherry, and just the faintest hint of baking spice.  The taste is very fruit forward, a very "jammy" sort of Zin, with flavors of ripe plum, cherries, and blackberries, giving way to some fresh herbs, cedar and spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are quite well developed, leading to a nice, tight dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, because it's good, but also because it was a tremendous bargain at only $10 for a magnum from wineshopper.com (for those of you doing the math, that's like $5 for a regular bottle!).  Tonight I am enjoying it with a completely random and poorly thought out dinner (come on it's the holiday season, who hasn't had a random dinner?) consisting of tortilla crusted tilapia, a baked potato and the holiday classic green bean casserole!  Who knows how well this wine could possibly play with all those flavors, but by the time it's over I probably won't care one way or the other!  Cheers!

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!

2009 Charles Krug Yountville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

So tonight I've decided to go with an old standard, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, after all, how can you go wrong with a Napa Cab?  I picked up a few bottles of the 2009 Charles Krug Yountville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Wineshopper.com and they arrived last week, so who am I to deprive myself of the pleasure of opening up a new bottle of wine to try?

This wine is very deeply colored, almost ink like in appearance, with deep purple to ruby along the edges.  The nose has lovely fruit aromas of black cherry and ripe plum, along with cocoa, fresh herbs and almost a raisin smell.  For taste, it's delightfully fruit forward, with flavors of currant and raspberry at the outset, quickly transitioning to a dark chocolate and smoke flavor midpalate.  The lush mouthfeel then dissipates, overpowered by the young tannins giving this wine a very tight finish.

Overall, I would rate this one an 8, with the potential to improve with a few years in the cellar.  At $18 from Wineshopper.com, this wasn't a huge bargain, but it was a pretty good value for a Napa Valley Cab.  Tonight I am pairing this wine with tacos!  You see, even chorizo and refried beans deserve a good Cabernet once in a while!