2016 Forgeron Facon Rouge Syrah

Ahhh...Sunday, a chance to catch up on my relaxation!  Today I relaxed by mowing the grass after church, and now I am ready to do a little cooking for Sunday dinner.  Of course cooking goes better with wine and tonight I've opened a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from Forgeron Cellars, the 2016 Facon Rouge Syrah, a 100% Syrah from the Blue Mountain Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.  Now I was a bit surprised by this wine as the past few vintages of Facon Rouge have been GSM blends, but this one leaves out the G & M, so let's see what it has to offer.

The wine is a wonderful deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect from a Syrah.  The nose is a breath of fresh air from the French countryside, with aromas of lavender, blueberry and a hint of spice.  The taste is rush of ripe fruit, blackberry, blueberry and plum that transition to some wonderful warm spice notes midpalate.  This wine has a lot going for it, as at first it seems quite powerful in its fruit expression, but then it mellows to some soft tannins and a smooth, dry finish that completes the journey.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's just a wonderfully balanced Syrah.  You might expect this to pair well with strong dishes like roast lamb or pasta with spicy sauce, but tonight I'm taking a different approach, as I think the lovely fruit and spice notes of this wine need something more subdued to pair it with.  So tonight I'm enjoying this wine with an olive oil poached trout (my first ever attempt!) served with lemon along with wild mushroom risotto and steamed sugar snaps.  Cheers!

2016 L'Ecole No. 41 Ferguson

Well, it's been a busy day as I drive all the way to West Chicago to see the Union Pacific "Big Boy" locomotive, which is doing a Midwest tour, so this was the closest it came to where I live and I figured why not spend a Saturday to see the world's largest operating steam locomotive?  At any rate, it was certainly a fun day and worthwhile trip, but now I need dinner and a glass of wine!  Tonight I've opened a perennial favorite, the latest vintage, the 2016 L'Ecole No. 41 Estate Ferguson, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (62%), Merlot (26%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Malbec (6%) from the Ferguson vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  So let's see how this vintage is shaping up!

The wine is a lovely, deep, inky purple at the center, with bright fuchsia along the edges.  The nose is a complex and layered affair, with some lovely floral notes, black berry fruit, cedar and basalt that create an interesting dynamic.  The taste is a rush of cherry cola and blueberry at the outset that transition to some notes of dark chocolate before embarking on some mineral notes of dusty limestone and basalt.  The fine grain tannins are present throughout, making for a very dry finish, but one that can in some ways shock the senses.  So definitely let this wine breathe a bit as it really opens up nicely after an hour or so.

Overall, I would rate this wine an 8.5, it's definitely not my favorite vintage, but given it's youth, I expect it to mellow with a few years in the cellar.  This wine is a solid wine for a lot of hearty meal selections, from classic grilled steaks to braised short ribs, to pasta with spicy red sauce.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic steak frites, a prime New York strip grilled Pittsburgh rare, with some fries tossed with parmesan and parsley.  Cheers!

2016 Reininger Malbec

Thank goodness it's Friday!  It's been a long week and I'm definitely in need of a weekend.  So to start things off right I've decided to open a bottle from one of my favorite Washington wine makers, Chuck Reininger.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2016 Reininger Malbec, a 100% Malbec from the Pepper Bridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.  So let's dive right in, the weekend is wasting away!

The wine is a deep, inky purple color in the glass with bright garnet along the edges, just as you'd expect from a nice Malbec.  The nose is a wonderful, warm cascade of ripe fruit intermingled with earthy notes of leather and cedar.  The taste is classic Malbec, with a rush of black fruit, blackberry, boysenberry and currant that envelops the palate befoer giving way to hints of mint, cedar and black pepper spice midpalate.  The finish is delightful, with the fine grain tannins providing for a soft and supple finish that is dry but not nearly as sharp as I've found on many Argentine interpretations of the varietal.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a really wonderful example of a Malbec with somewhat of a softer side.  This wine would pair very well with grilled steaks and chops, a smoked beef brisket, or barbecued beef ribs, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with pacific northwest steak, or a coho salmon steak as they call it here!  The salmon steak is served with a molasses bacon glaze along with some steamed wax beans and wild rice.  Cheers!