2012 Koyle Gran Reserva Carmenere

Happy Thursday!  I've been on the road this week and just got home.  I really need a nice steak and a nice glass of wine, and of course I'm in luck since I'm home!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of a future office wine club selection and one I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2012 Koyle Gran Reserva Carmenere from the Alto Colchagua Valley of Chile.  This wine is a blend of Carmenere (86.5%), Malbec (8%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (2.5%).  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a lovely deep garnet color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of green grass, tart cherry and spice box, typical of a nice Carmenere.  The taste is a rush of rich black fruit up front, blackberry and currant with a overlay of fig that transitions nicely to some mocha and dark chocolate notes midpalate with a peppery spice reprise.  The tannins are nicely structured, providing a wonderful backbone for the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's drinking very nicely now, but likely has just about reached it's peak.  This wine was also a very nice value for just $12!  It would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from big steaks to chili to rich pasta.  Tonight I'm enjoying it with a rare grilled prime porterhouse that I bought at Eataly in Chicago earlier in the week along with some steamed broccoli and a big baked potato.  Cheers!

2017 Alamos Malbec

Ah, what a busy day spent in Chicago for a meeting, but the good news is that I had a chance to visit Eataly while I was there!  I love Eataly and especially in early fall when they have a big sale on so many things from limoncello to proscuitto to buffalo mozzarella, it was outstanding!  So tonight I arrived back late on the train, what with the hour time change and all, so I'm working on dinner feverishly, but still need some time for a wine decompression, and tonight it's with a relatively young wine, the 2017 Alamos Malbec from Mendoza Argentina.  Now given the different seasons down there, with harvest coming around the same time we have bud break, the '17 vintage is really more like a '16 vintage for northern hemisphere wines, which just helps me over the psychological barrier of drinking a red wine a year old!  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of warm spice, green grass, blackberry and cherry.  The taste is quite a departure from the aromas, as you are hit with a rush of black cherry and blackberry right up front which transitions nicely to some warm spice and notes of mocha and caramel midpalate.  The finish is somewhat subdued as the youthful tannins are somewhat erratic but supportive of a smooth dry finish, that's a bit brief.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's not the most spectacular Malbec I've had, but it's a great everyday wine, and a good value.  I bought this bottle at Trader Joe's for about $10 if I remember correctly.  So the wine tonight is clearly in a supporting role with my dinner of a nice pan seared veal loin chop with some roasted giant mutant Brussels sprouts and a loaded baked potato (yes I didn't plate it perfectly, but give me a break I was starving!).  Cheers!

2015 Chateau Vieux Robin Medoc

Happy Saturday!  I have to admit, I've been battling a cold all week long, so I've been hesitant to taste any new wines figuring if I can't smell that might impact my view of the wines.  But I'm now well on the road to recovery, so I've decided to open a bottle of 2015 Chateau Vieux Robin Medoc.  I am a big fan of Medoc, and I found this one at Costco for under $15 (so this could well be a future wine club selection for my office mates).  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass just as you'd expect from a nice left bank Bordeaux with heavy concentrations of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  The nose is classic Bordeaux, with wonderfully earthy notes of leather and peat intermingled with ripe black fruit, plum, fig and just a hint of floral overtones.  The taste is fruit forward, with some notes of black plum, blackberry and currant that shift to a bit of tart cherry and caramel midpalate.  The tannins are still a bit tight, providing a nice base for the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very nice example of a quality Medoc at a very attractive price point.  This wine would pair well with a lot of hearty fall dishes, from braised short ribs to beef stew.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime cowboy cut ribeye (also from Costco) over a bed of grilled leeks with some grilled broccoli rabe and a baked potato with all the fixin's.  Cheers!