2021 Seven Hills Walla Walla Carmenere

Happy Independence Day!  It's very hot today, but I still got a bunch of yard work done and now I'm ready for some cookout feast and a glass of wine.  Tonight I've opened up a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from Seven Hills, the 2021 Walla Walla Carmenere.  I needed a wine to go with 4th of July food, so let's hope this one fits the bill!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, just as you might expect from this lost Bordeaux varietal.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of ripe blackberries, blueberries and baking spice, with undertones of vanilla bean.  Take a sip and those warm spice aromas quickly succumb to cool fruit, as blackberry, blueberry and plum wash over your palate before transitioning to warm spicy notes of white pepper intermingled with cocoa and mocha notes midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated, providing for a velvety smooth dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a perennial favorite from Walla Walla and such a versatile, food-friendly wine.  This wine would pair well with steak, chops, pasta or hearty fish like salmon, we well as casual summer foods like barbecue and burgers.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some barbecued baby back ribs along with some roasted corn on the cob, mustard baked beans and cucumber salad.  Cheers!

2021 Anvil Chardonnay

I am very happy to have a long holiday weekend as I feel like I've been working too much and haven't had a vacation yet this year!  So at least I can enjoy some nice wine and food this weekend, and tonight I've opened a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from Forgeron Cellars.  The 2021 Anvil Chardonnay is an old-vine Chardonnay sourced from the French Creek Vineyard's "Old Wente Block" which was originally planted in 1981 in the Yakima Valley AVA of Washington.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a very pale golden color in the glass, a bit lighter than I would have expected.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of pear, green apple, lemongrass and hints of white floral.  Take a sip and you're greeted with a rush of persimmon, pineapple and citrus, with buttery undertones, that ease into notes of pear and gradient minerals midpalate.  The finish is crisp and inviting, providing for a subtle dryness that will leave you reaching for more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very different sort of Chardonnay, that portrays the crispness of a lighter white varietal, with the depth of flavor that can only come from old vine Chardonnay.  This wine would pair exceptionally well with summer seafood dishes, from light white fish, to shrimp, to chilled oysters.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some seared sea scallops along with linguine tossed with garlic scapes and broccoli rabe.  Cheers!

2007 Starmont Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Cellar Saturday!  It's the magical first Saturday of a new month where I open a bottle that's been in the making for at least a decade.  Tonight I've opened a bottle that's been in my cellar for at least a decade, perhaps longer, such that I am not even sure where I bought it.  The 2007 Starmont Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is from the second label of prominent Napa Valley producer Merryvale, and this wine happens to be from the stellar 2007 Napa vintage.  So, let's see if this wine was worth the wait!

The wine is a deep ruby in the glass with just a hint of amber along the edges, as you might expect from this teenager.  A gentle swirl reveals aromas of blackberry and prune with hints of cherry cola and mint.  Take a sip and you're greeted with a rush of anise, blackberry and white pepper spice that eases into some mineral notes of dusty limestone midpalate.  The tannins are still vibrant, providing for a wonderfully smooth dry finish with a hint of mint a the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as at first I thought it was just a bit past its prime, but after an hour or so it really opened up into beautiful expression of  vibrant, sweet fruit, earthy minerality and a lovely finish that had me wishing for another bottle at the end of the night.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled New York strip, topped with Béarnaise and grilled garlic scapes, with wild mushroom farro and steamed broccoli.  Cheers!