2008 Marques de Caceres Crianza Rioja

What a momentous day!  Well, it wasn't that impressive, but I did get a lot of work done in the yard and I managed to change out all 6 florescent lights in the garage so now I have a well lit work space rather than a dim flickering one!  So to celebrate little victories, I've decided to open up a bottle of Rioja, specifically a 2008 Marques de Caceres Crianza that I bought a couple weeks ago.

The wine is light in the glass with great clarity, almost reminiscent of a pinot noir, but not quite.  The nose is pure Rioja, with bright fruit notes blasting forth, cherry, plum and cassis overlaid with a but of tart apple.  The taste is somewhat different than I was expecting, it was fruit forward, but bursting with tart cherry rather than jammy berries.  The initial fruit transitions effortlessly to some herb notes and earthy notes of dusty limestone midpalate.  The tannins are still quite pronounced lending structure to the long, smooth dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as you know my penchant for Spanish reds, plus I found this one in the bargain bin (literally a shopping cart at my local market full of discontinued wines!) for only $12!  Tonight I am pairing this one with a classic summer cookout of grilled brats with sauteed onions and peppers on a pretzel roll along with some broccoli slaw and grilled corn on the cob.  The fruit of the wine is such a great pairing with the spice of the brats, so yummy!

2011 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon

Well the weekend is here, I left work, went to the gym, picked up something for dinner and now I'm ready to relax with a bottle of 2011 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  I bought this one from G.B. Russo's up in Grand Rapids, and here is what Dave Russo had to say about the wine:

"When I visited Napa Valley a couple of months ago to taste wines in advance of release, I was very impressed with how the 2011Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon tasted.  It reminded me of the elegant, classic style Phelps Cabs used to have twenty years ago, before the production of their top wine, Insignia, was expanded.  My guess is, like other Napa wineries, they made less of the flagship wine Insignia in the difficult 2011 vintage and put a lot of that juice into the standard Phelps Cab.  This wine is drinking beautifully now.  It has a silky black-fruit character and very polished tannins, and a gently earthy finish.  I like the fact that this is a more classic style, not the high octane – sharp tannin style that so many Napa Cabs seem to have these days."

 Needless to say, I bought some for me and my boss but tonight is the first I've opened a bottle so here goes nothing!

The wine has such a rich color, dark crimson in the center leading to a bright ruby along the edges, classic of a Napa Cabernet.  The nose is at first somewhat fruity and spicy, with notes of black cherry and anise, but then it transitions to some earthy notes of leather, iron and moss.  The taste is a quick blast of dark fruit, plum, blackberry and cassis, which then transitions to some lovely warm spice notes of white pepper, dried herbs and Asian spice.  The finish was quite nice, with velvety smooth tannins supporting a long, smooth, dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.  The wine is certainly drinking very well now, and I agree with Dave, this is much more of a classically styled Cabernet.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a beautiful Cabernet, but it's definitely not for your everyday table wine as I bought this one on sale for $65 a bottle.  Tonight I am enjoying it with a thick Hereford ribeye grilled rare and served with some grilled zucchini (thanks Emily!) and a giant Amish baked potato (you should see these things, there were 4 potatoes in a 5-pound bag!).  Salut!

2012 Castlebank "Vivian's Vineyard" Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday everyone!  And of course to start the weekend we should enjoy a nice bottle of wine, and tonight I'm having a bottle of 2012 Castlebank "Vivian's Vineyard" Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a bottle that I just received today from the fine folks at Wines Till Sold Out.

The wine is a nice deep ruby in the glass and the nose is a rich, jammy combination of raspberries, blackberries and cherry cola with some interesting floral notes and vanilla over the top.  The taste is quite nice, but somewhat surprising as the nose tricked my brain into expecting somewhat more of a jammy sort of Zinfandel type wine but this was nothing of the sort.  There was good fruit at the outset but it quickly transitioned into some wonderful mineral and spice notes, dusty limestone and smoky oak with a hint of white pepper.  The finish was sublime, as some wonderful cherry cola notes mingled with the firm but well integrated tannins to provide for a long smooth and very dry finish that had me wanting more.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very solid Cabernet at an absolutely fantastic value at about $14!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rather non-traditional pairing, but still a classic summer supper of jalapeno brats with some fresh grilled corn on the cob and fresh sliced tomatoes.  The wine stands up nicely to the rich spiciness of the sausage but brings out the freshness of the vegetables.  It would also be great with a big ol' steak or some hearty pasta dishes.  Cheers!