2018 Helix So Rhô

Happy Memorial Day!  This is a day that we honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.  It's a day that I spend each year heading to the cemetery to plant flowers on the graves of my family members.  But in addition to the more somber aspects of this holiday, it's also a time for parades and spending time with family and friends enjoying the first cookouts of the summer.  Today I am definitely participating in the food aspects, and to set the mood I've opened a bottle of 2018 Helix So Rhô, a southern Rhône style blend of Mourvèdre (42%), Cinsault (30%) and Grenache (28%) from the Stone Tree Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope AVA of Washington.  So let's see how this one is tasting.

The wine is a beautiful garnet color in the glass, with nice clarity.  Raise the glass and you're greeted by aromas of black raspberry, currant and strawberry intermingled with an intriguing blend of dried herbs that hint at the adventure that awaits.  Take a sip and your palate is awash in ripe red fruit flavors, cherry, strawberry, plum and currant that take a easy detour to some notes of dark chocolate and black pepper spice midpalate.  The fine grain tannins make an ideal base for the long, smooth dry finish with just a slight kick of acidity at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's just another stellar vintage in a long line of successful Rhône style blends the Chuck and his team have produced.  This wine would pair well with some hard to pair dishes, like Indian curry, Moroccan dishes or even barbecue.  Which is fortunate as tonight I've made some South Carolina style barbecued chicken breasts, with a tangy mustard barbecue sauce, along with corn on the cob, pasta salad and Sriracha cole slaw.  Cheers!

2020 Healy Rose

Well, it's officially the first holiday weekend of summer, and I can confirm that I really needed this!  So, on the first day of the three day weekend, I've taken advantage of a sale at my local market which spurred a bit of a challenge for an appropriate wine pairing.  Fortunately, I received my Bledsoe Family Wine spring club shipment not long ago, which had an ideal solution in the 2020 Healy Rose.  Although the blend is proprietary, the fruit was sourced from some solid vineyards in the the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington.  So let's see how this first taste of summer is tasting!

The wine is a lovely peach color in the glass, almost welcoming summer, though around here we've had several false starts, with the lows reaching the 30s just a couple days ago!  A modest swirl in the glass releases a load of citrus notes, grapefruit, lemon and a hint of blood orange, that eases into some lovely herb notes.  Take a sip and you're greeted with a lovely mix of citrus, ripe melon and persimmon that transition easily to some earthy mineral notes with bright acidity throughout.  On the finish, we the texture and acidity continue for a crisp dry finish that just screams summer.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a super pleasant and easy drinking rose that I could see myself enjoying on the patio all summer long.  This wine would pair well with a fresh caprese salad, a warm orzo with fresh herbs or a wide range of seafood.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a steamed live Maine lobster (thanks to my local market for only $9.99!) and some fresh corn on the cob with lots of butter and some Srirach cole slaw.  Here's to summer!

2019 Forgeron Cellars Estate Cabernet Franc

Happy Sunday!  I spend a good portion of the afternoon volunteering to package meals for food insecure youth in the three counties surrounding where I live at Cultivate Culinary Food Rescue.  It was two hours of hard work to pack over a thousand meals, so at least there is that!  So now I'm ready for Sunday dinner and a bottle of wine, and I guess I'll make it a complete weekend of wines from Forgeron Cellars, as tonight I've opened the second wine from the recent wine club shipment, the 2019 Estate Cabernet Franc, which is sourced from the Equinox Ridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  This is the first wine I've had from this vineyard, so let's see what it has to offer!

The wine has a deep inky center with deep ruby along the edges, as you might expect from the varietal.  A swirl of the glass releases aromas of blackberry and leather, with floral undertones of rose petals and lavender.  Take a sip and blackberry, plum, black cherry and currant wash over your palate, a scintillating combination of black fruit sweetness, that gives way to notes of charred oak and bright acidity midpalate.  The tannins are well structured to the long, smooth dry finish that will have you reaching for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a really well executed expression of this often overlooked varietal.  This wine would pair well with a broad range of hearty dishes, from lamb chops to steaks, roast beef to hearty vegetable stew.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled bone-in ribeye with some bacon roasted Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!