2007 Robinson Family Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Let the weekend begin!  And to celebrate I've opened a nice bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the impressive 2007 vintage, the Robinson Family Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, a great wine from the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley.  A bit on the winery, which I've borrowed from Dave Russo at G.B. Russo's in Grand Rapids:

After retiring from the U.S. Army in the late 60’s, Norman Robinson bought land in the Stags Leap district of Napa Valley with the intention of planting a vineyard and starting a winery.  He picked a good spot because his neighbor was Napa vineyard pioneer Nathan Fay.  (The Fay Vineyard bottling of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars now sells for around $200 a bottle.)  Robinson now has the next generation of his family running this tiny hillside estate winery (less than 500 cases of the Cabernet is made) selling most of their wines to restaurants and collectors.  One of the specialties for the Robinson Family Vineyard winery is library releases for their wines.  They hold back a certain amount of their production to be released to restaurants when they feel the wine is ready to drink (restaurants don’t like aging the wines themselves).  

The wine itself has a beautiful, classic deep purple Cabernet color in the glass, leading to some bright ruby along the edges.  The nose just explodes with rich aromas that immediately signal to my brain that a great glass of wine is on the way, blackberry, cassis, leather, oak, red meat and some hints of tar.  The taste is a subdued blast of fruit up front, some plum and raisin flavors that transitions to some smoky spice and coffee midpalate.  The tannins are incredibly well structured, providing for a long, smooth dry finish where the flavors continue evolve right up to the end.  Simply wonderful!

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's just simply a great Cabernet from a great vintage that is drinking spectacularly now!  Granted, it's not an everyday wine, as I happened to luck out getting some of this one from Russo's since it was delivered to a restaurant in Michigan by mistake (they wanted the 2005 vintage).  So even though the regular price on this wine was $60, I bought it for $45!  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine (perhaps a little too much) with a rare New York Strip, grilled Brussels sprouts and some roasted purple potatoes.  This is a perfect wine for a big ol' steak, cheers!

2012 La Chosa Joven Rioja

Ahhh...hump day of a holiday-shortened week, what could be better?  How about a bottle of Rioja?  You know how I love the tempranillo, so tonight I've opened a bottle of 2012 La Chosa Joven Rioja, a wine I got a month or so ago from Wines Till Sold Out, so I figure what the heck, I'll give it a try.

The wine is a lighter ruby color in the glass, with nice clarity.  The nose is quite aromatic, with aromas of red fruit, cherry, strawberry and currant overlaid with some floral and spice notes, black pepper, hints of anise, as well as some earthy notes of grass and cedar.  The taste is very fruit forward, with a blast of cherry and strawberry that quickly transitions to some mineral notes of iron and graphite midpalate.  The finish is quite warm, with some spice notes intermingled with the subdued tannins providing a bit of structure for the moderately dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7, it was a nice example of the varietal at a terrific bargain price of just $10!  Tonight I am pairing this wine with some chicken, baked potato and some grilled vegetables, but it would also pair nicely with a variety of soft cheeses and olives for a pleasant appetizer, as the fruit and spice notes practically cry out for something smooth and creamy to pair with.  Cheers!

2013 Charles & Charles Post No. 35 Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah Blend -Columbia Valley

Well here we are, my first post of September.  I'll freely admit I've been slacking off at the end of August and should have made a number of posts, but with family visiting from out of town and holiday excursions it was a tough life!  But now I'm back in the saddle and tonight I've opened a rather young wine, the 2013 Charles & Charles Post No. 35 Red Blend, a nice little blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from the Columbia Valley of Washington.  I admit that in my visits to Walla Walla, I've been past the Charles Smith tasting room, but have never had the opportunity to stop in, either I was on my way somewhere else or they were closed when I came by, but at least now I've tried one of their wines!

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose is a wonderful combination of ripe fruit, leather and lovely warm spice notes, over just a hint of tar and cut grass.  The tastes is actually reasonable given its youth and immaturity (oh for the days when I was youthful and immature!), with a nice bit of black fruit, currant, black cherry and cocoa power with just the faintest hint of rose petals midpalate.  The finish is somewhat subdued, as the fruit and spice subside, the young tannins give structure to a soft but very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 7.5, it's a very nice table wine blend at a great price - I bought this at G.B. Russo's in Grand Rapids for just $10!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with leftovers from all the labor day grilling we did over the weekend, some brats, grilled veggies, dill pasta and cucumber salad and broccoli slaw.  But this wine would work just as well with a nice steak or big beef dish, or some nice pasta with red sauce, as the wine has enough character to stand up to those big flavors without being overpowering.  Cheers!