2013 Casa Natal Malbec Reserva

Good evening!  It's been a remarkably rainy week so far, and I just got back from the gym so I'm ready for a nice glass of wine with dinner.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle that I bought from Wines Till Sold Out last fall, the 2013 Casa Natal Malbec Reserva from Mendoza Argentina, a blend of Malbec (90%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%).  We know many of the best Malbecs come from so let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a deep, inky indigo at the center with bright ruby along the edges, just as you might expect from the varietal.  The nose is a luxurious combination of leather, blueberry, violet and graphite that just makes you sit up and take notice.  The taste is a rush of blueberry, blackberry and plum, that transition to some notes of cocoa powder, oak and a reprise of candied plum on the finish.  The tannins are voluminous but well structured, providing for a pleasant, velvety dry finish that doesn't share the sharpness that can be found in Malbec.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very pleasant drinking wine and a terrific value for only $15.  This wine practically stands like a gaucho ready to carve up a steak, so it would be perfect with almost any cut of steak, from filet to porterhouse, but tonight I'm taking a slightly different and decidedly old school approach and enjoying this wine with a pan seared veal loin chop along with parsley buttered red potatoes and some steamed asparagus.  Cheers!

2010 Rotie Swordfight

Ok wine folks, I have to ask, how can anyone not like a wine called "Swordfight"?  Particularly when it's a blend of Syrah (75%) and Mourvedre (25%)?  Well, that's what I've decided to open tonight!  After a long day enjoying the local county fair, looking at animals and tractors and eating food that's just terrible for you, I've decided to come home to a nice bottle of wine and perhaps a healthy dinner (oh who am I kidding!).  The wine I've chosen tonight is one of just a few bottles that I brought back from my 2013 venture to Walla Walla when I stopped in at Rotie Cellars, a maker of fine Rhone style blends.

The wine has a deep, inky purple color in the glass, almost black at the center.  The nose is rich and jammy, with nice aromas of ripe plum, raisin and a bit of leather and toasted oak.  The taste is very fruit forward with a blast of dark fruit, black cherry and plum that transition nicely to some hints of mint, dark chocolate and fresh herbs.  The tannins are round and supple laying the foundations for a long, dry and velvety smooth finish that will leave you wanting more.  This is the type of wine that just makes a great companion, whether sipping it on the deck or enjoying it with a hearty dinner.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's truly a beautiful example of a great Rhone style blend half a world away from the Rhone Valley!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a healthy dinner of surf and turf, a petite T-bone grilled rare and some snow crab legs, along with some corn on the cob and sliced ripe tomatoes, a perfect summer dinner!  Salut!

2007 Sullivan Vineyards Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

So tonight between packing for my upcoming move I am enjoying a nice Sullivan Vineyards Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the outstanding 2007 vintage.  Speaking of my upcoming move, I closed on my new home yesterday, I guess I was feeling a little underleveraged, so financing this should make me feel a lot better!

But back to the wine, I figured with so much to celebrate I should open a good bottle of wine right?  And this one certainly fits the bill.  It definitely needed to breathe a bit, so I poured mine through an aerator and let it rest for a while.  It has a lovely deep purple color in the glass, with edges of garnet.  The nose of very full of jammy black fruit, plum, black cherry and raspberry, overlaid with hints of leather, Asian spice and mint.  The taste is lovely, with some modest ripe fruit up front that isn't even close to being jammy as the nose would suggest.  The fruit gives way so a wonderful minerality of dusty limestone and sage midpalate.  The firm yet structured tannins support a beautiful, dry and velvety finish that has real staying power.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a wonderful big bold cabernet with complex flavors at a fairly good value.  I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for only $30.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a nice Angus T-bone grilled rare with some steamed green, yellow and purple beans and some sun dried tomato risotto.  The rustic flavors of the wine really complement the risotto, while the big bold cabernet aspects are perfect for a hearty steak, delicious!

2001 Sawyer Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Well here we are again, another Cellar Saturday, a time to open a nice bottle that's been aging a while and tonight we have a 12-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, the 2001 Sawyer Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rutherford appellation.  Now 2001 was a solid year for Napa Valley Cabs, perhaps not as good as the 2007 vintage, but still quite respectable and with a good bit of maturity behind it.

The wine was an inky purple in the glass, with a good bit of ruby toward the edges of the glass.  The nose was just lovely, with complex aromas of leather, cedar, anise, dried spice, and just a hint of ripe fruit.  The taste was just marvelous, with some dried fruit flavor up front, that quickly gave way to some wonderful earthy spice notes midpalate.  The finish was long and spectacularly dry, with well rounded tannins supporting the velvety mouthfeel and complexity on the finish that makes this wine an ideal afternoon sipper.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a simply wonderful example of a Napa Valley Cabernet from a solid vintage.  I think I bought this wine from wineshopper.com and it was a good value at around $25.  Tonight I am pairing this wine with rotisserie chicken of all things, along with some pasta tossed in garlic and olive oil and some steamed Brussels sprouts.  Despite my breaking all the rules of pairing red wines, this one would also be ideal with a rare grilled steak, or a wonderful Yankee pot roast for Sunday dinner!

2008 Starmont Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, I think I'm finally getting over this cold or some sort of virus, at least I am well enough to drink a little wine again!  So tonight I've opened a bottle of 2008 Starmont Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy with dinner.  I think I've had this before, though you never know, and I know I have a few bottles of it in the cellar, so why not enjoy one?

The color is a deep ruby in the glass that gets progressively brighter towards the edges.  The nose is a delightful combination of anise, tobacco, cedar and ripe berries with a bit of sweetness.  The taste is a bit of ripe fruit at first blush that quickly evolves into rich leather and dark chocolate notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured for a rounded, velvety mouthfeel and a wonderfully long, dry finish.  This is the full package for a wonderful wine to sip all through a lazy afternoon, it makes me wish I'd opened this one earlier!

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8.5, a wonderful Napa Valley Cabernet that I bought for an even more wonderful price of just $18 at wineshopper.com.  Tonight I am enjoying this one with a cajun crusted cod filet, served with some orzo with Parmesan and freshly steamed wax beans (have I mentioned there is a young lady I work with who had no idea what wax beans were?  young people today really frighten me sometimes!).  And yes, I know cod and Cabernet is an unconventional combination, but when have I ever given the impression of conventionality?

2009 Mount Veeder Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Over the past couple years, I've really grown to like the wines of the Mount Veeder Winery, particularly their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons (you can see my review of the 2008 vintage here).  In any case, a week or two ago I ordered a case of the 2009 vintage and have decided to give it a whirl.

The wine is like many good Napa cabs, very deep ruby color, almost inky in the glass.  The nose is a wonderfully rich blend of leather, blackberry, cherry and anise that speaks to the richness of the wine, and feel free to let it open up a bit in the glass, my hint is to have a glass or two while I am making dinner, so it's perfect by the time I sit down to eat.  The taste is a lovely fruit forward blend of ripe berries, plum and fresh herbs, giving way to some spicy notes midpalate, as the flavors play against each other and add a bit of complexity.  The nicely structured tannins provide for a long, dry, velvety finish that makes this wine a treat by itself.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's a lovely example of a classic Napa cab at a super price, since I bought this from wineshopper.com for only $20!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled New York strip, baked potato and steamed asparagus, as the wine has just enough bite to really accent a nice juicy steak.  So it you find this one at your local wine merchant, pick up a bottle, you're in for a nice treat!

2009 Helix Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

So tonight I've decided to relax a bit, and with a chill in the air it would be a perfect evening to light a fire and enjoy the nice warmth of a cabernet sauvignon.  Unfortunately I don't have a fireplace, but I can still enjoy the wine as I light the grill out on the patio!  And for tonight's wine, I've decided on a bottle of the wine club selection from Reininger, a new favorite from Walla Walla that I discovered on my trip last spring, and after a time on the waiting list, I finally became a member of their club!  Helix is the second label from Reininger, offering wonderful wines at a more modest price point.

This wine is a deep purple color in the glass, with an almost inky quality.  The nose exhibits rich fruit notes of ripe cherry, plum and cassis, with a good bit of spice overlaying the fruit.  The taste is very rich, luscious fruit at the outset, with ripe cherry, plum and blackberry flavors, giving way to licorice and dark chocolate midpalate, then bursting into a warmth of black pepper and spice on the long, velvety finish.  It's the finish that really makes this wine a perfect accompaniment to a chilly autumn evening!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8 as I love my Washington wines, and this one was a reasonable value as well, with a list price of $28, the wine club price was only $25, so perhaps not an everyday wine, but a nice wine for the unexpected special occasion.  Tonight I am enjoying this with a rare grilled angus ribeye (see, I had to have a fire in here somehow!) some steamed fresh Brussels sprouts and a jumbo baked potato with all the trimmings.  And for those who worry, I will make up for the red meat, after all I'll be having turkey on Thursday!