2017 Pepper Bridge Vineyard Walla Walla Red Wine

Well, things just continue to get weird during this whole pandemic.  Today I stopped at Walgreens and they finally had toilet paper in my preferred brand so I picked up some, but then I went to the grocery store and was informed that I was buying too much meat as I had three packages of steak and they are only allowing two...so now I'm really getting worried!  If it took two months to get toilet paper back on the shelves, I shudder to think how I'll survive months without steak!  This may turn in to a wine and ramen noodle blog!  In any case, to celebrate the two steaks I got, I've decided to open a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from Pepper Bridge Winery, the 2017 Pepper Bridge Vineyard red wine.  This wine is a blend of Merlot (52%), Malbec (23%), Petit Verdot (13%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (12%), all from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  So let's see how this vintage is tasting!

The wine is an inky affair at the center, with bright fuchsia along the edges, as you might expect from a Merlot- and Malbec-heavy blend.  The nose is a pleasant combination of ripe blackberry, currant and blueberry with hints of leather and anise.  The taste is a rush of blueberry and blackberry in jammy quantities, that transitions to some mineral and earthy notes midpalate.  The tannins are stout, which combined with the surprising acidity provide for a vibrant, and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's drinking nicely now, but will likely soften a bit with some time in the cellar.  This wine would pair with a variety of dishes, from barbecue to pasta, pizza to steak, as the fruit just makes a great partner for great food.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled Madras curry rubbed T-bone on a bed of grilled leeks, with a baked potato and some steamed broccoli.  Cheers!

2017 Robert Mondavi Rum Barrel Aged Merlot

Happy Wine Wednesday!  Tonight I had the pleasure of doing a virtual wine tasting with some of my colleagues from the office and it was such a great bit of fun, we all had a chance to see each other and sample some wine and no one needed to worry about driving home!  So the first wine we tasted was the Rose I reviewed yesterday (see here) and tonight I'm reviewing the red wine we tasted, the 2017 Robert Mondavi Rum Barrel Aged Merlot.  Now you know I'm a big fan of Merlot, but I've also become a fan of these specialty wines aged in a variety of hard liquor barrels, whether bourbon or in tonight's case rum. So let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of leather, vanilla, blackberry and a bit of tart cherry.  The taste is a rush of ripe black fruit, with some plum, blackberry and cherry that give way to some notes of vanilla bean and toasted oak midpalate.  The tannins are nicely integrated to provide appropriate backbone to the long, smooth and very dry finish, that has a warm reprise at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a pleasant everyday drinking wine that can be found routinely for about $15.  This wine would pair well with some hearty pasta or just about any steak, and we're in luck!  Tonight, I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled ribeye, with grilled leeks, some steamed asparagus and a big honkin' baked potato with sour cream and chives.  Cheers!

2018 Band of Roses Washington State Rose

Happy Tuesday!  I know this is a confluence of events with Cinco de Mayo happening on Taco Tuesday, but I've decided to go in a completely different direction tonight.  As it happens during a lockdown, I've decided to host a virtual wine tasting with a bunch of my work colleagues tomorrow night and I've decided to go with a sneak preview of one of the wines tonight.  The 2018 Band of Roses Washington State rose is a nice, irreverent wine from Charles Smith, which is one of the larger producers in Washington that has gained nationwide distribution.  The wines are very well priced and I know that no matter where I pick one up, the quality to value proposition almost always favors us consumers.  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a very soft peach color in the glass, almost like a Chardonnay, but still clearly rose.  The nose is a wonderful cascade of tropical fruit, pineapple, mango, honeydew and citrus that seems as refreshing as s bright summer day.  The taste is a rush of citrus, strawberry and melon, with just a hint of minerality.  The tannins are somewhat soft, but unyielding, with subdued acidity providing for a wonderfully crisp, dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a pleasant drinking summer rose, that I could see myself sipping on the patio, if it wasn't cloudy and 47 degrees (where are you spring!?!?).  This wine would pair with summer barbecue, burgers, or salads, but tonight I am going in another direction.  I am enjoying this wine with a recipe I found randomly on twitter (!) for chicken paprikash, a Hungarian chicken dish simmered in paprika and finished with sour cream to make a lovely sauce, served with a bit of jasmine rice.  Cheers!