2016 Stolen Horse Syrah

Happy Sunday!  I spent the afternoon reading and doing laundry after a day of yard work yesterday, so now I'm ready to relax with a nice glass of wine.  Tonight I'm opening a recent wine club selection from the Bledsoe Family Winery, the 2016 Stolen Horse Syrah.  I've been a fan of this Syrah for a while so I'm looking forward to seeing what the latest vintage has to offer.  This wine is a Syrah (93%) that was co-fermented with viognier (7%) from the Loess and Lefore Vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley.  So let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a deep violet color in the glass, with a bright fuchsia along the edges.  The nose is a lovely combination of blackberry, blueberry and plum, intermingled with some wonderful dusty mineral and smoke.  The taste is a rush of fruit up front, blueberry cobbler, blackberry and plum that transitions wonderfully to some earthy notes of leather, dusty limestone and a hint of mint midpalate.  The tannins are well developed, but youthful, providing a solid base for the long, smooth dry finish which features just a bit of black pepper spice at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's drinking well now, but it will likely improve considerably with a year or two in the bottle.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from steak to barbecue to tacos, but tonight I am going in a completely different direction.  I am enjoying this wine with an alder planked coho salmon filet with lemon and dill, some oven roasted candy stripe beets and a four cheese risotto.  The earthy flavors of the wine really complement the salmon, while the rich fruit and acidity are perfect foils for the richness of the risotto.  Cheers!

2014 Glenelly Glass Collection Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  It was another busy day, but tonight I have a chance to enjoy a new wine and a mainly Costco dinner.  The wine is also from Costco, purchased last weekend, the 2014 Glenelly Glass Collection Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa.  I have to admit I haven't tried many South African wines, though I've heard some good things, so let's give this one a try!

The wine is deep inky indigo at the center, with bright garnet along the edges, classic for the varietal.  The nose is an interesting combination of green grass, mint, blackberry and currant.  The taste is a pleasant surprise, with a rush of cherry cola and dark chocolate up front which transitions to some tobacco and spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured, providing for a long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's very mass produced (11,000 cases), but it doesn't taste mass produced (that's saying a lot).  It's also a solid value as I think this one was $10 at Costco.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty beef and lamb dishes, ideal for fall.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a mostly Costco meal of prime sirloin cap steak with green Thai curry seasoning, mashed potatoes and gravy and haricots verts almondine. Cheers!

2015 Catena Malbec

Hooray for Taco Tuesday!  I bet you'll never guess what I'm having for dinner, so to go with that marvelous food, I've opened a bottle of 2015 Catena Malbec that I bought at Costco last weekend.  Catena is a well regarded Malbec producer in Mendoza, Argentina, and this particular wine is sourced from the family vineyard in the foothills of the Andes.  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is an inky black at the center with bright garnet along the edges.  The nose is a wonderful combination of earthy leather, black cherry, mocha and dark chocolate with just a hint of lavender over the top.  The taste is a rush of ripe black fruit up front, blackberry and cherry that transition almost imperceptibly to some coarse mineral notes of dusty limestone midpalate.  There is a hint of tart cherry on the finish, as the well developed tannins provide the base for the long, smooth and very dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a remarkably smooth Malbec that meets my taste (I'm not a big Malbec fan so that's a big deal!) and it's a solid value at about $16.  This wine would pair with a variety of steaks, beef short ribs, or just about anything you can imagine a gaucho eating.  But given the day, I am enjoying this wine tonight with some chorizo and bean tacos with all the trimmings.  Cheers!