2012 2 Copas Spanish Red Blend

So a week or two ago I was at my favorite local wine shop, G. B. Russo's and as they usually do on Saturdays they had a small tasting of three or four wines, and of course how could I resist?  And one of the wines they were tasting was a 2 Copas, a label I've tried before and it was always a pretty descent value wine.  But this one was different, as it was a wine from Spain, so why not try it?  I'm glad I did, because I wasn't disappointed and it was as good or better value than I remembered!

The wine is a nice deep ruby color in the glass, suggesting it might be full of ripe fruit, and it is!  The nose is chock full of rich ripe fruit, blackberries, cherries, plum and cassis overlayed with just a hint of leather and cedar (enough to make you think about it!).  Despite the distinct jammy character of the nose, the taste takes a different direction.  There is great ripe fruit up front, with some lovely notes of plum, cherry and anise, but the fruit transitions effortlessly to some green grass and minerality midpalate.  The finish is surprisingly nice, with some tight tannins and mild acidity that accents the wonderfully dry finish.  It's really a best of both worlds sort of wine, very fruity up front yet still with a nice dry finish that you don't even notice unless you're thinking about it.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's not so much a spectacular Spanish red as it is a good Spanish red at a spectacular value!  I bought this wine for just under $6 including tax!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a last gasp of summer meal, a rare grilled Angus T-bone (though to be fair, looking at the filet this is really a porterhouse), baked heirloom potato and some grilled baby carrots (that I grew myself) and some grilled brussels sprouts that I picked up at a farm stand yesterday in South Haven.  Those grilled veggies really married the Autumn with the steak of Summer, which is a great testament to this wine.  It would be great with a summer dinner, but it could be fabulous with turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries and all the trimmings of the holidays which are fast approaching!  Cheers!

Domaine Serene Rockblock SoNo Syrah

Once again the weekend is coming to a close, so why not make the best of it with a bottle of Northwest wine?  Tonight's selection is a little different, as it's a multi-vintage wine from Domaine Serene, produced from the best grapes and vintages from two vineyard sites in the Walla Walla region of Oregon.  And for those unfamiliar with the area, Walla Walla is just a few miles north of the Oregon border and fortunately good wine grapes don't stop growing once you reach Oregon!  The fruit for this wine was sourced from the Seven Hills and Stone Valley Vineyards in Oregon.  As a non-vintage wine, this one should be interesting.

The wine has a nice deep, inky purple color at the center, leading to a bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is at first a spicy sweetness, with black pepper and blueberries that ease into some hints of smoke, cocoa powder and a touch of lavender.  The taste is wonderfully complex, with some spice and floral notes up front that transitions smoothly to blueberries and black plum midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat rustic and smoky that suppose a silky finish that lingers on the palate.  Very pleasant to sip at the end of a long day!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a lovely example of Walla Walla Valley Syrah that shows a lot of complexity.  The only real negative I can see with this wine is the price, as I paid $33 for this bottle at my local wine merchant, G.B. Russo's, so it's clearly not an everyday wine if you're on a budget!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a simple Sunday dinner of salad, herb roasted chicken breast and some steamed fingerling potatoes with butter and parsley.  The rich blue fruit and spice of this wine make a nice foil to the more subdued flavors of chicken and potatoes.  Cheers!

2009 Vina Bujanda Rioja Crianza

Well, it's a rainy afternoon, and surprisingly I still didn't get much done today!  Very frustrating, and what cures frustrating rainy afternoons better than a glass of wine?  Today I am enjoying a nice bottle of 2009 Vina Bujanda Rioja Crianza that I sampled earlier today at my local wine merchant, G.B. Russo's.

The wine is a classic rioja red in the glass, beautiful ruby color with great clarity.  The nose is a lovely combination of ripe fruit, cherries, blackberries and cassis over a subtle background of cedar.  The taste is classic rioja, with a burst of red fruit at the outset, followed by some lovely floral notes.  Midpalate presents some nice minerality and wonderful dried herbs over a wonderful earthiness.  The finish is quite nice, as the tannins are well structured with mild acidity that combines for a wonderful, mid-length and very dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a solid example of rioja, but it was also a nice value at $14.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine before dinner with a simple cheese course of Romano Locatelli sheep's milk cheese from Italy, which has a salty and nutty flavor that really accentuates the red fruit and minerality of the wine.  Cheers!