2018 Forgeron Anvil "The Minnick" Proporietary Blend

Happy Sunday!  I've been mostly relaxing today, though I did spend an hour or so out on a bike ride through the neighborhood.  So, now it's time to contemplate dinner and what wine to enjoy with it.  As for dinner, Sundays make for some special dinners, so more on that in a bit, but the wine is a recent wine club selection from Forgeron Cellars Anvil label, the 2018 Anvil "The Minnick" Proprietary Blend.  This wine is a classic Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, all sourced from the Minnick Hills Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington.  So let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine looks like a classic Bordeaux, with a deep ruby color in the glass, edging toward dark indigo at the center.  The nose is more of a New World Bordeaux style, with hints of mint and green grass under bright fruit of raspberry, blackberry and plum, with the faintest hint of leather at the end.  At first sip, this wine brings back memories of sipping wine at a sunny table in front of a cafe in Paris, with tart cherry and blackberry rushing over the palate, transitioning easily to some notes of smoke, and sharp mineral.  The fine grain tannins are still a bit underdeveloped, but provide a nice base for the long and smooth dry finish that lingers for a minute or so.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a pleasant drinking example of a New World Bordeaux-style blend that only Walla Walla can do.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of dishes, from steaks and barbecue to pasta and salmon.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with an herb crusted rack of lamb with oven roasted baby potatoes and pearl onions, broccoli rabe and blistered cherry tomatoes.  Cheers!

2012 Forgeron Columbia Valley Merlot

Today was a bit of a lazy day, running a few errands, going to the farmer's market (I bought way too many tomatoes!), hanging out with some friends and going for a bike ride before settling in for the evening.  There were some thunderstorms that came through last night, so it cooled off quite a bit today and I'm hoping to have a fire on the patio later on.  But for now it's time to enjoy a glass of wine, and in my last-minute effort to live up to Sean Sullivan's Washington Merlot Challenge, I've opened a bottle of 2012 Forgeron Cellars Columbia Valley Merlot, so let's see how this one has matured!

The wine exudes aromas that brings me back to the barrel room, cool air and musty aromas of French and American oak intermingled with jammy fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum.  The taste is complex continuum of smoke, black fruit and dusty minerality that circle your palate.  The tannins are exceptionally smooth and well integrated to bring forth a delightfully dry finish that practically begs to be paired with food.  I think I can accommodate, but first I am going to enjoy the remaining sips in this glass as I cook.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a wonderful Merlot that has matured to the point where it would be hard for it not to be a great drinking wine.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of dishes, from steaks and chops to pasta and risotto, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with some steak tacos topped with some of the aforementioned tomatoes, fire roasted peppers, baby lettuce and avocado.  Cheers!

2018 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère

 Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a while since I've posted as I've been on a vacation road trip over ten days, driving from Indiana to Yellowstone and stopping at all manner of sites in between.  Tonight I hosted a virtual wine tasting with some of my coworkers and since we were focused on tasting a single varietal (Carmenère), I needed to find a bottle that everyone could find at their local market.  So, I chose the 2018 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère from Chile.  I was inspired to do this varietal tasting based on one held by Chuck Reininger a few months back that highlighted this lost Bordeaux varietal.  Let's see how this one is tasting!

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass, typical of a nice Carmenère.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, raspberry, green grass and a bit of Bordeaux style funk.  The taste is far less fruit forward than suggested by the nose,with subdued flavors of blackberry and currant that transitions to some earthy notes of tar and graphite intermingled with cocoa powder and black pepper.  The tannins are well structured providing a base for the soft dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a 7.5, as it's a nice everyday drinking wine at a value price of just $10.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from steak and lamb to chorizo tacos.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a truffle salted filet mignon along with some roasted baby potatoes I picked up at the farmers' market in Douglas, Wyo. last saturday and some steamed green beans with slivered almonds.  Cheers!