2013 Ida’s Selection Pinot Noir, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA; Santa Margherita Prosecco, Italy; 2012 Avant Chardonnay, Kendall Jackson, California, USA; 2013 Avant Chardonnay, Kendall Jackson, California, USA; 2013 Vintner’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Kendall Jackson, California, USA; 2013 Ruffino Pinot Grigio Delle Venezia, Italy; 2013 Trivento Malbec Reserva, Mendoza, Argentina.
I blind-tested a fragrant red blend last night, not sure of what grapes, vineyard, or region from which it originated. A fairly decent test of my wine tasting prowess, this red devil. Even as a wine neophyte, I could tell I was having no Cabernet, no Syrah, no Merlot, no Zinfandel or Pinot. It had a hint of vanilla and a bit of a tannic bite to it in the glass. What’s in the glass? I wasn’t sure if this was maybe a Malbec or a Bordeaux, but I could tell it had some initial sharpness that pointed me more to France than Argentina.
Sounds like a World Cup match, right? We’ll come back to the wine in a moment.
I sipped my glass of red along with a dinner of roasted shrimp, asparagus, and hash browns—the latter made with peppers and onions and mixed with shredded cheddar cheese, melted butter, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup. It was all delicious, and though conventional thought may have pushed me more toward a white for the shrimp, their spicy seasoning made me feel like the red was a better call. At least for this guy.
2010 Chateau Marin, (Right Bank) Bordeaux, France.
At this point, I’m fairly convinced I’m drinking Bordeaux and was pleased to see it was–in fact, the Chateau Marin 2010—a mix of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. The blend surprised me, as the Merlot was sort of overshadowed on that first evening. The Chateau Marin hails from a Right Bank vineyard (thus my surprise at the Cab’s forwardness) just 50 kms south east of Bordeaux and is supposed to show “ripe red fruit flavors on a sound and balanced palate.”
That didn’t come through Friday night, so I suspect we needed to either let it breathe for a longer spell or decant. On day two, however, the tannins had mellowed considerably and the 2010 probably showed its true colors and notes—even though we polished off the bottle long before a celebratory dinner. And, as you glance at the photo here, you’ll see it had company (the KJ Chardonnay I didn’t have myself and thus you’ll have to look up some other blog if you’re interested in that wine). Overall I liked the Marin and enjoyed learning a bit more about Right Bank flavors in preparing these notes for you. Enjoy…
It is just a short flight from JFK to the ROC tonight and I wasn’t originally going to have a cocktail on the trip. We were delayed while the ground crew flipped the late-inbound flight, however, and by the time we got this silver bird rolling I had already power napped for a few moments on the tarmac and was excited to get to Rochester. So, okay, an excuse for a glass of vino…
…I also chose this drink because I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Wente in the past, a worthwhile field trip with my good bud and his wife out in the Livermore Valley. This is an airplane red, and those of you in the know are already picturing it being served just a bit too cold from the galley to really enjoy. That’s sort of the case here, but you make up for lost time by eagerly splashing your plastic cup–easily warmed stemware at its American Airlines finest.
2014 Merlot, Wente Vineyards, Livermore Valley, California, USA.
It’s a young grape, one without the deeper flavors (you can tell even before checking the year) or nuances yet juicy and fruity nevertheless. Enjoyable. The 2014 Merlot from Wente and its Selected Estates isn’t going to medal in any competition this weekend, but the family does good work, and you know some effort went into this red. It’s comforting. I sipped contentedly and wished away the miles and the encumbrances of a long work week–thoughts on the horizon and the fun weekend in store.
This week, a record-breaking scorcher for June (or Hell, for that matter), I found myself craving Pinot Noir as I thought about a good red to wedge its way through the heat. The 667 from the Delicato family answered the call, first with a down home Thursday meal of chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn, and again tonight with grilled steaks and crispy crowns.
2013 Noble Vines 667 Pinot Noir, Monterey, California, USA.
The 667 Pinot Noir is a bit deeper in color than the Buena Vista on which I often comment (see here, and here, and others that should be in the Related Posts below), and it had a little more of a cherry vibe instead of a strawberry taste. This Pinot Noir, harvested and produced in Monterey, California, also has some earthiness to it and vanilla too. I know, I know–since when does this guy give a nod to vanilla? It works here. You get an easy finish, and ripe flavors that are very enjoyable. Thursday night is a “school night” so it took some restraint to have just a glass(ish) of the Noble Vines and leave the bottle for the weekend.
I read of the awards it’s won (i.e., the 2015 Monterey Wine Competition; 2015 Consumer Wine Awards; 2015 Toast of the Coast Wine Competition) and understood how the 667 performed so well. Several other Pinots are now here in the house so it’ll be some time before I get to circle back to this one, but that will be a good day too.
2014 Cigar Box Reserve Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina.
Still very much in a Petite Sirah place, and a nuanced wine like this makes me glad that I am. This 2013 offering from Shannon Ridge is made using sustainable farming practices, and it tastes even better than my predispositions thought it would. Never heard of this delicious red wine before, but it’s one that I will definitely know when I see it again.
2013 High Elevation Petite Sirah, Shannon Ridge, California, USA.
The tasting notes, with apologies for cribbing these (I do hope they help you get up to speed quickly) from the Shannon Ridge website, are as follows: “This rustic varietal shows off dark fruits of blackberry, blueberry, and hints of cranberry. Black pepper, cedar, warm spices and toasty vanilla notes come out after aging this wine on a combination of French and America oak.” This bottle sounds good, right? Tell me you don’t want at least a flight for yourself after reading about all the berries and spices in the mix?
We had ours with a couple of different meals, finishing it tonight with juicy T-bone steaks and a mixture of green and wax beans…the former came off the grill right on time and the latter I seasoned with fresh crushed black pepper and butter. The spices of the steak come alive in the 2013 High Elevation Petite Sirah from Shannon Ridge; the earth tones of the Sirah really flourish in the glass and on the nose. The wine is aged for 9 months in both French and American oak, and the grapes are grown on the mountains sides (i.e., the “High Elevation Collection”) of Lake County, California. A couple of non-sequitors, perhaps, but good information for you as a reader and fan of good wine all the same. Enjoy the read and the Shannon Ridge!
The Cooper Zinfandel caught my eye, not because it’s named for the winemaker’s support of rescue animals (which I wholeheartedly applaud), but because its original description in my email inbox sounded perfectly attuned to my tastes in wine. That being said, Baron Cooper is a Manchester Terrier that the Habashi Family adopted from their local Humane Society, and a percentage of its sales go to Best Friends Animal Society. Good idea and a good wine.
2012 Baron Cooper Wines Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi, California, USA.
Our rescue is a hound retriever mix, and he’s eying me right now as I think about this 2012 Zinfandel from the Tamura Vineyard. I have several of these delicious bottles ready to go, and the first I enjoyed with pork chops and a mixed green salad. Apples, blue cheese, and candied walnuts helped bring the salad round, and citrus pepper seasoning did much the same for the chops. We’re on a good grilling streak right now, having cooked up pork chops, salmon, and steaks all with just the right temperature and timing.
I’ll leave some of the wine tasting notes for the next entry on the 2012 Baron Cooper Zinfandel. For now, let me just share with you that it’s rich, it’s got some pepper notes, and it’s got some great flavor that starts slowly. Its dark berries sit for a moment but ultimately come shining through as you sip it contentedly. Stay tuned for further updates and thanks as always for your readership of Notes.
This 2013 Simi Chardonnay, originating from Sonoma, California, is more pear and citrus than it is buttery. Most Chardonnay that I have is more of the latter…but I think that’s perhaps because I rarely buy white myself, except in wine shipments from Buena Vista. Whites are more the purview of my lovely bride.
2013 Simi Chardonnay, Sonoma, California, USA.
That being said, the Simi went along with a simple Italian dinner. We had penne pasta, a little bit of ground beef, and a couple of forkfuls of sausage mixed in as well. The beef (we reheated) was only okay, but the sausage kicked a little bit of tang into the equation to good effect.
This was a weeknight meal and, though it was ultimately pretty tasty, this food was more about function than aesthetics. That’s kind of how I would describe the 2013 Simi Chardonnay as well.
This 2010 Meritage was part of a great gift set that I received from my mother for my birthday last month. It was not supposed to be the headliner of this trio (that was due to be The Mariner) of reds, but in truth it was. We enjoyed The Mariner to be sure, but whereas that wine did not quite live up to its reputation (I still think of its sharp notes) this Limited Production 201o wine very much did.
2010 Meritage, Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma, California, USA.
We uncorked the 2010 without much fanfare as part of our dinner preparations and did not let it breathe before tumbling it out, fresh, berry, and vibrant, into our waiting glassware. By contrast to the vineyard’s Mariner, it is much more even and less tannic in its makeup. You get a big whiff of cherry and black berry layered together, and a subtle little ribbon of vanilla that winds through the red blend. I’ve previously broken down the mix of this big red, and I think you get that vanilla from the Cab but am not really sure. Is it perhaps the Merlot that helps get that nice, meaty balance here? Try it and let me know.
The 2010 Heritage from Dry Creek Vineyard–one of the first post-Prohibition vineyards in Dry Creek Valley–accompanied a set of delicious steaks. My wife had doctored up the meat with a great spice rub of rosemary and sage, plus the usual salt and pepper, and I for a change remembered to pull the steaks from the grill with enough time to let ’em set up nicely on our plates. Complement that and the wine with some roasted potatoes (fingerlings?) and fresh asparagus and you’ve got quite a nice spread to enjoy with loved ones.
My only disappointment was the end of the bottle, and knowing that no more of these rest comfortably on our wine shelf for next weekend. Here’s to always leaving ’em wanting…
The 2013 Pinot Noir from Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal Estates lasted several nights at our place, which says several things about a wine. Usually it means a bottle that we opened on a weeknight. It can also be a more tannic red, particularly a Bordeaux or Malbec that needed some extra time, or even a wine that just didn’t stick the landing for one reason or another. In this instance, however, it was that the wine was opened on a night prior to a long work trip. If you’re a reader who also knows the joys–and poor night’s sleep–of an early morning flight, you know what I’m talking about here.
2013 Pinot Noir, Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal Estates, Rutherford, California, USA.
BV has been producing wine for more than 100 years, and the Latour name has long enjoyed a strong reputation for its Cabernet Sauvignons. A quick bit of research revealed that its founder Georges de Latour even sold wine to the Catholic Church during Prohibition (the only working Napa winery during that dark period of U.S. history), and his viniculturist Andre Tchelistcheff developed the first “cult” Cab in the first half of the 20th century. So you know they know grapes and how to get things done with a bang in the wine business.
Alas, this is not one of those smart-sounding Latour Private Reserve Cabernets but rather the 2013 BV Pinot Noir. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. As a matter of fact it was nice and smooth, and a bit more of a cherry finish than a strawberry taste. I rushed through the pre-trip glass, and was too tired upon returning to make better notes of its profile. I do know that I finished off this 2013 vintage with some pepperoni pizza, and that the wine was enjoyable.
This is how the Beaulieu team describes the 2013: “Classic in style, our Pinot Noir is elegant and graceful, showing intense varietal character over a soft, supple profile. Fresh cherries and summer plums open the aromas. On the palate, the fruit gains complexity and depth, adding subtle layers of leather and forest floor. French oak stitches the bright fruit together, leaving just a hint vanilla.”
Forest floor? Missed that. I’m interested in another bottle of this, particularly a Friday night bottle, but even more so one of the Latour Cabs! I’ll be ready with my signature any time the good folks at BV decide they want to ship one to this humble writer.
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