2012 Sullivan Vineyards Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Wow, where has summer gone?  I spent much of the day working out in the yard and things are dying, leaves are falling and it seems as though we'll be in the middle of winter before you know it!  At least it was sunny and about 80 degrees today, so it felt like summer and I decided to have a cookout with a nice bottle of 2012 Sullivan Vineyards Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon.  Now I've been hearing so much about the quality of the 2012 Napa Valley vintage, I decided to open a bottle and see what all the fuss is about (yes I know it's still quite young, but rest assured I have more bottles to cellar!).

The wine is a lovely ruby color in the glass with a dark indigo towards the center, classic Cabernet.  The nose is not at all what I expected, rather than a blast of fruit like so many Cabernets today, this one had aromas of plum, raisin and graphite, overlaid with some notes of vanilla.  The taste is quite nice, very warm and approachable, some nice fruit up front, raspberries, currant and cassis, which transition to some lovely mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are young but still nicely structured, providing a nice foundation for a long, dry finish that surprises at the end with a bit of residual fruit than lingers on your palate.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very nice example of a classic Napa Valley Cabernet, at a decent price (I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $30).  Tonight I am enjoying this wine out on the patio with a rare Angus ribeye, some garlic mashed potatoes and a classic wedge salad with tomatoes, bacon and bleu cheese.  Here's to summer!

2011 Ravenswood Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel

Tonight I've decided to have an old fashioned cookout, and what's better with a cookout than a fabulous Zinfandel?  And of course we know the best Zins come from Lodi, and specifically from old vines and that's what I've opened tonight, the 2011 Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with very nice clarity.  The nose is classic Lodi Zin, rich ripe black fruit, blackberries, black cherry, blueberries and plum over a smoky layer of leather and cedar intertwined with some green grass and herbs.  The taste is just a pleasure from the first sip, with rich jammy fruit bursting forward that transitions effortlessly to some black pepper and Asian spice notes midpalate.  The finish is warm, smooth and very dry with well structured tannins that give this wine a backbone that's ideal for summer barbecue fare.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a great example of a classic Lodi Zinfandel, and at a spectacular price of only $12 at my local wine merchant, G.B. Russo's.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a classic midwest cookout of grilled brats on pretzel buns accented with spicy brown mustard, horseradish, sweet pickled red cabbage, and some egg and mustard potato salad on the side.  Summer is such a great time for food!

2007 DaMa Walla Walla Sangiovese

Well, it's Memorial Day weekend, time for grilling out and why not enjoy a bit of wine as well?  Tonight's selection is almost a year in the making, as I first tasted this at the DaMa tasting room in Walla Walla in late June 2013 and I'll admit I fell in love with this wine at first taste!  It was really the best Sangiovese I found in Walla Walla (though to be fair this is an up and coming varietal that more producers are experimenting with even as I write this).  So after tasting the wine I bought 4 bottles (at only $25, I should have bought a case) and wanted to have it shipped to my home since I had no more room on the case to check on my return flight.  And that's where the story ends until a month or so ago, when I realized that I never received the wine, so I called but wasn't much help since I've moved since then, had no receipt and all I could track down was a nearly year-old credit card statement with a charge, but thanks to the wonderful folks at DaMa, that was enough for them to find it in their records and send me the long awaited wine!  HOORAY!!!

And now to the wine, it's a deep purple in the glass with ruby along the edges and a good bit of opacity at the center.  The nose is just how I remembered it, rich dark fruit, blackberry, plum and black currant with an overriding aroma of smoke, leather and spice, with just a hint of dark chocolate.  The taste is absolutely lovely, with a subdued rush of dark, ripe fruit at the outset that quickly transitions to some smoky, mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is wonderful, with some firm but sophisticated tannins that support a warm, spicy dry finish that seems to last a good 30 seconds. This is a Sangiovese that I am convinced would stand up quite well to some of the nicest Chianti in Tuscany!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a super example of the varietal and a terrific value at only $25.  Tonight I am enjoying this with a toned down version bistecca alla Fiorentina, a nicely seasoned and grilled T-bone with some grilled leeks and asparagus and a baked Yukon gold potato.  The spice and smokiness of this wine is the perfect accompaniment to a grilled steak while the fruit enhances the flavors of the veggies. If you can find this wine grab it and enjoy in with your grilling tomorrow, but it's sold out at the winery so it might be a challenge to find.  Cin cin!

2010 Mirror Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Well here we are at the beginning of a long weekend, and what better thing to do than open a nice bottle of wine!  Tonight I've opened a bottle of wine that my boss gave me, as he recently discovered this winery run by a fellow football player with roots in our area who is making great wine and giving a portion of his sales to a charitable foundation focused on children's charities tied to health and education.  The football star turned wine maker is Rick Mirer, a former Notre Dame quarterback who was born in Goshen, Indiana and eventually played in the NFL (of course my boss played football at Purdue, so there is a natural connection).  And the wine?  It's the 2010 Mirror Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon!

The wine is a deep purple color in the glass with a bit of opacity.  The nose is a pleasant blend of dark fruit, black currant, plum and cherry with a layer of earthy notes, cedar, forest floor, dark chocolate and spice over the top.  The taste is a bit tightly wound at first, but if you let it breathe for 45 minutes or so, it really opens up with concentrated black fruit flavor and a richness that really presents a nice counterbalance to the intensity of the tannins, resulting in a warm, but smooth, dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's drinking very nicely now but I think it has a lot of potential to age very nicely over the next 5-10 years.  Tonight I am enjoying this with a rare grilled T-bone steak along with some steamed fingerling potatoes and some fresh grilled asparagus.  This is the type of Napa Cabernet that really plays well with a sizable piece of rare beef, I highly recommend it!

2011 Helix Stone Tree SoRho

It's been a crazy busy week, so nothing could be better than opening a bottle of nice Washington wine to continue the celebration of Washington Wine Month!  And tonight's feature is the 2011 Helix Stone Tree SoRho, a southern Rhone style blend of Mourvedre (52%), Grencache (31%) and Cinsault (17%) produced for Reininger's second label.  I can't wait to try it out!

The wine is a lighter style and color in the glass, typical of many Rhone blends.  The nose is just warm, with lots of sweet fruit aromas of strawberry, cassis and cranberry, a perfect match for our first true spring-like day (did I mention we broke past 50 degrees today?).  The taste is warm and inviting, with rich black fruit up front, strawberry, pomegranate and blackberry that gracefully transitions to some earthy notes of mushroom and peat midpalate.  The finish is warm, smooth and dry, as the tannins are nicely structured to balance the rather sharp acidity on the finish.  This is a perfect spring wine after our long, bitter winter!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a great drinking wine, ideal for a meal of small plates, olives, soft cheese and cured meats.  Tonight I am enjoying this with some lovely portobello torteloni and rich Italian sausage marinara topped with shaved parmesan.  The warmth of the wine reminds me of the beaches of the Cote d'Azure and a perfect accompaniment to classic Italian fare.  Salut!

2012 La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir

Here we are at the second wine of the Snooth virtual tasting of the wines of La Crema, a quality producer of wine from Santa Rosa, Calif.  The next wine is the 2012 Monterey Pinot Noir, now of course having lived for a while in Portland, you know my bias towards Oregon Pinot Noir, particularly those from the Willamette Valley, but I'll still keep an open mind on this effort from California!

The wine is a lighter color in the glass, quite typical of pinot noir.  The nose is classic pinot, tart fruit notes, cherry and blackberry, and a hint of leather and tar.  The taste is warm and pleasant, makes me feel like I'm enjoying a nice summer evening on the patio.  Very nice fruit, blueberry and strawberry notes with some nice minerality midpalate.  The finish is quite nice with some tartness but very smooth and dry, very creamy and quite reminiscent of many Oregon pinots. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a really nice example of a fine pinot noir, very light, warm and smooth.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some oven roasted pork loin chops, mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts, but I could see this one being lovely with some poached salmon with wild mushroom risotto as well.  Cheers!

 

2009 Château Sigognac Medoc

It's a Wednesday evening, so it must be time to open a bottle of wine to celebrate "hump day"!  Tonight I've decided to open a lovely bottle of Bordeaux from the exceptionally hyped 2009 vintage, the Château Sigognac Medoc!

You know how I love a nice Bordeaux, and the characteristics of a lovely Medoc really bring my mind back to my printemps au Paris!  This wine is a lovely, deep ruby color in the glass, and the nose presents aromas of licorice, spices and a hint of gravelly limestone, but there's also something warm and syrupy that I can't quite place.  The taste is classic Medoc, with the faintest hint of fruit at the outset, quickly transitioning to a gravelly earthiness midpalate before the delightfully structured tannins leave you with a long, bone dry finish.

Tonight I am just enjoying this wine with my appetizers of sliced ripe tomatoes with 25-year balsamic and some aged cheeses as I think about what to have for dinner (sorry for my lack of pairing recommendations!) but I think this wine would pair quite nicely with a variety of steaks, or perhaps some lighter pasta dishes with grilled seafood, even though I know that might sound wierd to some of you!  Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, though it might have gone higher but it was somewhat expensive at $17, marked down from the normal price of $22.  In any case, I'll enjoy this one all evening long!