2014 Seven Hills Summit View Vineyard Clone 191 Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  My favorite weekday, just ahead of Taco Tuesday, so what's on the menu tonight?  Well it's a very limited production wine from one of my all-time favorite wineries in Walla Walla, Seven Hills!  This is reported to be a big, bad Cabernet Sauvignon from the Clone 191 block of the Summit View Vineyard.  There were only 57 cases produced, so let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is just a deep, inky black color at the center with a tint of bright ruby along the edges, just as you'd expect from a larger-than-life Cabernet.  The nose is surprisingly subdued, with modest notes of leather, black currant and a hint of sweet vanilla.  The taste is interesting, with some ripe black fruit up front, blackberry, currant and a bit of cherry, that transitions to some some warm spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are young, but show good structure as they shape the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish that offers a reprise of black pepper spice at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, understanding that it's still quite young and will no doubt improve with some time in the cellar (I'm likely to put the rest of my bottles away and revisit this one sometime after 2020).  This would be a great steak wine, but it would also go well with some hard cheeses out on the patio (you know summer is just around the corner!).  Tonight I'm enjoying this one with a simple grilled steak, some grilled Brussels sprouts and a baked potato.  Cheers!

2012 Concha y Toro Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon

Ok, I confess, I've been on a weekend run on wines from Chile, from last night's edition from the Maipo Valley, I've decided to open another Costco bottle tonight, the 2012 Concha y Toro Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon from the Marchigue region of Chile.  So let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a somewhat lighter color, with some deep purple transitioning to bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is somewhat of an old world sort of blend of blackberry, cassis, intermingled with dried herbs and spice. The taste is a dichotomy of rich black fruit married against some fairly tart acidity, so that based on the aromas, you expect some dark fruit but are quickly flipped around by the acidity, before relaxing into some dark chocolate notes.  The tannins are tightly wound, leading to a more modest but very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very pleasant Cabernet, and a good value, as I think I recall paying something around $15 for this one.  This wine would be great with steaks, roasts or lamb, but tonight I'm enjoying this with a little bucatini with spicy red sauce.  Cheers!

2014 Perez Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva

Well it was a classic Saturday where I went over to Mishawaka to Costco to pick up a few things, including some wine.  I tend to find some interesting and value priced wines over there and tonight I have an interesting one from the Maipo Valley in Chile, the 2014 Perez Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva.  South America offers a nice variety of wines, perhaps the most famous being the Malbecs of Argentina, but I've found that Chile produces some very high quality Cabernet Sauvignon, so let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a deep purple at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is a rich combination of leather, oak, green grass and a hint of rosemary over subdued note of ripe black fruit.  The taste a rush of ripe, jammy fruit, blackberry, cherry and currant this at first is more reminiscent of a Zinfandel.  The fruit transitions nicely to some wonderful earthy mineral notes of tar and graphite midpalate. The tannins, while young are quite subdued, but still provide nice structure to the long, smooth, dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's drinking nicely now and might improve a bit over a few years, but it was also a great value at just $12!  This wine would be good with steak (as I'm proving tonight) but would also be great with barbecue, tacos, or a nice pasta dish.  Tonight I'm enjoying it with a prime sirloin grilled rare, with some grilled veggies and potatoes.  Cheers!