2014 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose

Happy Easter!  I've spent much of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying this wonderful holiday.  Now most people do traditional things like ham or lamb for Easter dinner, but I decided to go a bit off the beaten path, but more on that in a minute.  For those traditionalists that go for a nice glazed ham, this wine might be an ideal solution to please both those who prefer a red and those who prefer a white, the 2014 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose.  I recall the 2009 vintage of this wine was the one that got me fully onto the rose bandwagon for the summers, so let's see what five years have done to improve this already great rose.

The wine is a lovely orange peach color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of strawberry, pink grapefruit and papaya, with just a hint of green grass over the top.  The taste makes me long for summer on the patio, with a nice rush of fresh fruit, strawberry, citrus and some tropical notes that transition to some lovely notes of honey and lavender midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, very dry, yet still presenting a reprise of the sweet fruit notes from the beginning.  A summer afternoon in a glass!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it continues to be one of my favorite roses of all time (something about Grenache makes it ideal for rose).  Tonight I am pairing this wine with my non-traditional Easter dinner, as I bought an extra piece of corned beef at St. Patrick's Day and decided to do another round of corned beef and cabbage for dinner today!  The lovely fruit and acidity of this wine makes it perfect to cut through the richness of such a fatty dinner.  Cheers!

2011 Spring Valley Vineyard Frederick

So, the last weekend of Washington Wine Month and I've decided to go out with a bang!  Tonight I've opened a bottle I bought in Walla Walla last year, the 2011 Spring Valley Vineyard Frederick, named for Frederick Corkrum, the second son of Uriah and Nina Lee, the farmers who came to the Walla Walla Valley in the nineteenth century.  This particular vintage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Cabernet Franc (30%), Petit Verdot (6%) and Malbec (4%).

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of strawberry, marionberry, some white floral notes and hints of baking spice and clove, just the type of aromas that signal to your body that you're about to taste something really good!  The taste is just lovely, with a rush of ripe fruit up front, berries, cherry and plum that transitions to a bit of green herb and mineral notes midpalate. The finish is wonderful, as nicely structured tannins support the long and velvety dry finish that reprises some of the subtle floral notes from earlier.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's one of my personal favorites from Walla Walla, and surprisingly available (though somewhat pricey) throughout the country.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with what it begs to be paired with, a rare grilled prime sirloin, with some steamed organic rainbow carrots and a baked potato.  Here's to Washington Wine Month!

2013 Forgeron Zinfandel

Oh happy Monday!  I just returned from the gym and now I'm ready for a glass of wine before dinner.  Tonight I've decided to help celebrate Washington Wine Month with a bottle of 2013 Forgeron Zinfandel (and you know how I love a good Zin!).  This wine is a blend of Zinfandel from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills (83%) and Primitivo from the Stone Tree Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope.  So let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is a deep ruby in the glass, with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of cedar, anise, clove and allspice with an underlying layer of black fruit.  The taste is lovely, with a rush of ripe fruit up front, plum, blackberry and cassis, that transition nicely to some mineral and spice notes intermingles with cocoa powder midpalate.  The finish is quite rustic, with supple tannins supporting a long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.  This is way beyond the fruit bomb style of many Zinfandels, this one is well structured and well thought out in blending.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's one of my all-time favorite Zinfandels from the Columbia Valley.  Although I'm enjoying this wine with leftovers tonight, it would pair very nicely with a variety of easy favorites, from grilled steak to pizza to barbecued ribs.  Cheers!