2020 Forgeron Sagemoor Vineyard Barbera

Well, it's Taco Tuesday, and I thought a nice Barbera would be a good wine for this evening.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of 2020 Forgeron Barbera, a 100% Barbera sourced from the Sagemoor Vineyard in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington.  I have enjoyed Forgeron's Barbera for a long time, from the 2008 Vintage all the way to the 2021 vintage though to be fair, although I went out of order (not the first time) the '21 vintage was not sourced solely from a single vineyard.  Let's see how this wine is tasting nearly five years on!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with nice clarity, the perfect weight for the varietal.  The nose presents a lovely homage with the wines of northern Italy, with aromas of leather, ripe cherry, pipe tobacco and dried herbs.  The first sip is a rush of tart cherry that quickly gives way to some boysenberry and some bright acidity before transitioning to some earthy notes of toasted oak and peppery spice midpalate.  The tannins are supple and subservient to the acidity on this rather abrupt but very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a pleasant drinking, food friendly wine that is comfortable in a supporting role.  This wine would pair well with a variety of pasta dishes, summer barbecue, tacos or steak.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with may classic Taco Tuesday dinner, with chorizo and steak tacos and all the toppings, especially some fresh jalapenos.  Cheers!

2019 Forgeron Anvil "The Minnick" Proprietary Blend

Sunday has been a rather relaxing day, I did a couple loads of laundry and now I am having an early dinner before heading out to an audition at my local community theatre.  For no reason other than it's been sitting on my counter for months or maybe years, tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2019 Forgeron Anvil "The Minnick" Proprietary Blend.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, meant to pay homage to the classic Bordeaux-style blends, so prevalent in the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington.  Let's see how this one is tasting.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, a testament to the influence of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the blend.  The nose presents aromas of black raspberry, currant and cherry with undertones of eucalyptus and hints of floral.  The first sip is a surprising rush of tawny black fruit, intermingled with hints of forest floor and white pepper spice, before easing into some hints of vanilla bean midpalate.  The fine grain tannins present the ideal structure for the velvety smooth dry finish that seems to linger for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, having enjoyed the vintages going back to 2017, this is a perennial favorite for Walla Walla blends.  This wine would pair well with a range of dishes, from hearty pasta to lamb, steaks to barbecue.  Tonight, I am going a bit off the beaten path and enjoying this wine with some herb crusted cod and bucatini tossed with asparagus and broccoli rabe sautéed in garlic and olive oil.  Cheers!

2020 Reininger Walla Walla Malbec

Happy Sunday!  I have been making a regular habit, for the past two weeks at least, of making classic pot roast for comfort food Sunday dinner.  Last week it was a bison chuck roast, and this week it's a beef round roast.  So, choosing a wine is fairly straightforward, it should be red, but then the nuance kicks in.  Should I go with a big Cab? A subdued Merlot?  A Bordeaux?  Well, if you haven't already looked at the title of this post, I settled on a 2020 Reininger Walla Walla Malbec!  This wine is Malbec (98%) with a but if Cabernet Sauvignon (2%) sourced from the Pepper Bridge (49%), Stone Valley (49%) and Seven Hills (2%) Vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  Let's see how I did choosing a Malbec with beef!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect from the varietal.  The nose presents aromas of leather, violet, blackberry and just a hint of anise, opening up to invite you to an exotic dance of flavors.  The first sip is a cascade of ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and currant that is at first a bit sweet, before turning a bit tawny with other earthy notes. The tannins are well integrated, providing just the right amount of structure to the wine and its long, smooth dry finish with just a bit of acidity at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very solid effort for a varietal that can be hard to get right.  This wine would pair with about any beef imaginable, as I just picture this wine going so well with the endless train of beef served by the gauchos and a Brazilian steakhouse.  As you likely guessed, tonigth I am enjoying this wine with my Sunday comfort food dinner of bacon lattice wrapped beef round roast, with carrots, celery and pearl onions and a heap of mashed potatoes and gravy.  Cheers!