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Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label

This year we opted to shake up familiar holiday traditions and decided to embark on a limo ride around Rochester to look in on some of the city’s most festive and “craptacular” light displays.  Our three-hour ride took us from North Chili to Henrietta, Irondequoit, Pittsford, and Gates (maybe others too?) as we gazed on lights that were plentiful, tasteful, and tasteless.  Secular and nonsecular alike were visible as we cruised in the comfort of our eight footer…

…oh yeah, the libations.  What could be better for a limo tour of the holiday lights than Veuve Clicquot Brut?  Four of us tackled a first bottle of Yellow Label lightning-quick and savored a second as we rolled in comfort through Rochester’s finest and flakiest displays, noshing on cheeses, beef stick, crackers, and shrimp cocktail.

A new tradition is born?

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2011 Zonin Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

The 2011 Zonin Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a dry Italian red wine, was opened to welcome us from our NJ home to my mother’s place in Rochester, NY.  She had enjoyed courtesy of a work colleague and had a bottle uncorked and ready to roll upon our arrival on a chilly December Sunday.  I sampled this red and enjoyed it despite feeling less than my best after the long journey…I opted for this Zonin over a chilled white that may have gone better with the hors d’oeuvres (i.e., spicy crab sushi and sashimi).  Welcoming a second glass with the entre–an Asian-spiced chicken with sticky jasmine rice–I was pleased by my choice and looked forward to more of this grape later in the Christmas festivities.

2011 Zonin Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy.

2011 Zonin Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy.

The winemaker describes this as “brilliant, attractive, and warm ruby-red” in color, with an “ample bouquet, with scents of plum and wild berries,” and flavor that is “dry, full-bodied with notable personality.” I think the above a tad overstated, but generally on point…will be curious to hear what others have to share on this too.

Given some of the amazing bordeaux and pinot noirs that we’ve been having lately, this montepulciano had a hard line to toe.  It did its share.  Very solid but not supreme.

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2010 Buena Vista Ida’s Selection Pinot Noir

Broke open this bottle of Buena Vista pinot in the stretch run toward Christmas and a much-deserved vacation. You could tell the difference between this bottle and others as soon as it was uncorked–the fragrance of this Pinot Noir was immediate and stunning. I had it with a medium-rare Omaha steak, a great green salad with onion, bleu cheese, and apple, and a baked potato that had in it bits of bacon. Perfect pairing. I know the coming week will be packed full of great wine, delicious food, and plenty of good company, but this sets a pretty good standard to measure against.

2010 Buena Vista Ida's Selection Pinot Noir, Sonoma, California, USA.

2010 Buena Vista Ida’s Selection Pinot Noir, Sonoma, California, USA.

Here’s the skinny from the guys at Buena Vista: “The 2010 Ida’s Selection Pinot Noir is a beautiful deep plum color, with concentrated aromas and flavors of raspberry, chocolate, and just a hint of toastiness. With a balanced structure, medium acidity, and an overall plush mouthfeel, this wine finishes with a medium to long, silky finish.”

This numbered bottle (#2741) is from just 247 total cases and the varietal is named for the fourth child (first daughter) of Count Agoston Haraszthy–the founder of Buena Vista and the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society, which he formed in 1863 to advance the winemaking prowess and expand its vineyards. The BVVS has been restored as a collection of small-production wines that, according to their press, “honor the winery’s pioneering spirit and contribution to California winemaking. Available only at the winery and for club-members, the diverse selection of Vinicultural Society wines explores clonal selections, varietals, vineyards and the incredible terroir of Sonoma County.”

All I could say is that it was the perfect end to a crazy work year…or perfect start to an enjoyable holiday season.

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2010 Chateau La Rose Saint-Sauveur Grand Vin de Bordeaux

This fun red hails from the Appellation of Haut-Médoc in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France, on the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary.  Consumed over the course of several evenings this week, this 2010 Chateau La Rose Saint-Sauveur was pleasant on the nose and the tongue…gaining some fullness, in my uneducated opinion, over the week.  My best friend has spoiled me on bordeaux, however, and this one didn’t quite measure up to others chronicled in this Notes blog.  They can’t all be spectacular, and this one thus comes in as a “working class” bordeaux in my humble opinion.

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2010 Chateau La Rose Saint-Sauveur Grand Vin de Bordeaux, France

The last glass I had with a seasoned pork loin, cooked to perfection, and a green salad of red onion, apple slices, mixed romaine, and bleu cheese–definitely with a Greek flavor.  And this bordeaux was serviceable in that capacity, and I was glad to give it a go, but it’s now off my To-Do List and enables me to enjoy others during this holiday season.

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2010 Michael Pozzan Special Selection Annabella Cabernet Sauvignon

This fantastic cab we purchased from one of our favorite wine stores in Ridgewood, NJ, based on its display and it hit the mark in every which way.  A very affordable Napa County cab, it served in part as a “test” sample for a Christmas gift that we’ll be sharing with my folks in a few weeks.  This 2010 is actually a blend of 75% Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Napa Valley Merlot, 5% Sonoma Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, and it’s aged in French oak for 16 months.

2010 Michael Pozzan Special Selection Annabella Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa County, USA.

2010 Michael Pozzan Special Selection Annabella Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa County, USA.

Rich in its color, you could tell the Annabella was going to be great as soon as you started to pour it. It smelled fantastic…a mix of dark berries and hearty spices that were a knockout.  Already I want another…and here some initial thoughts from its producer:

“This medium plum-colored Cabernet Sauvignon is from one of the best places in the world for producing the varietal–Napa. The aromas are textbook Cab, from the fruit profile being dark cherry with ripe cassis notes…”

It would absolutely kill if served with a nice medium rare steak, but I simply had a single glass(ish) on several nights this week rather than a meal.  Next time it’s served with blood and will be part of the night’s highlights.  If you have a chance to pick this up I strongly recommend–you will NOT be disappointed.

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Monte Degli Angeli Piemonte Pinot Noir 2011

Needed a passable yet affordable red to take along to the neighborhood Christmas party and the Monte Degli Angeli Piemonte fits that bill.  This pinot could not be mistaken for one of our favorite Napa or Sonoma pinot noirs but did help get me into the holiday spirit.  Sampled this with all kinds of fun foodstuffs and have just one more remaining from our original case.

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Clarendelle 2005 Red Bordeaux, Clarence Dillon

Over the past several evenings I’ve slowly worked my way through a new bottle of the Clarendelle 2005 Red Bordeaux from Clarence Dillon.  In most instances this bordeaux served as a delicious before-dinner beverage that put the dust of the day behind me and settled me in for a relaxing evening at home with the family.

Photos I’ve captured elsewhere in this blog, and more detailed tasting notes too.  Suffice it to say this has been a great investment to date…

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Eclipse 2006 Heron Hill Red Blend

Starting off this cool yet sunny Fall weekend was this red blend – a 49% Cabernet Franc, 48% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon from New York’s Finger Lakes (Keuka Lake) region.  Labeled as a “table wine” I was concerned it would be more of a dessert wine and overly sweet but as soon as we opened the bottle you could smell that wasn’t the case.

Eclipse 2006 Heron Hill Red Blend, Finger Lakes region, New York, USA.

Eclipse 2006 Heron Hill Red Blend, Finger Lakes region, New York, USA.

The Eclipse–a Christmas gift from my wine-loving folks–was pretty excellent.  Settled in like a good cab once it had a chance to breathe for a few minutes and was ample accompaniment for an iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese and a perfectly cooked steak.  Dark berries, tannins that provided initial bitterness before settling into a nice warm comfort, and an easy aftertaste.

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Clarendelle 2005 Red Bordeaux, Clarence Dillon

Started this bottle on Friday night but it needed just a bit of time to breathe before drinking.  While it was more acidic and less fruity immediately upon uncorking, its true colors (and tastes!) were evident a day later when I repoured it for the neighborhood poker game.  Still a big fan!

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2008 Buena Vista Ramal Vineyard Merlot

Fantastic.  Perhaps the best merlot I’ve ever had, and by no means an overstatement.  I hadn’t pulled a merlot since we started logging these tastings, and that’s a mistake when it comes to grapes this good.  As soon as the cork was out you could smell the dark berries wafting up…scents of blackberry and spice all mixing together.  It tasted even better–rich, fruity (and yet not too sweet), and almost cabernet-like in its composition.  The spice was a great undertone and made me pull the label to see what my taste buds were experiencing.  This merlot could have been perfectly paired with everything or nothing, but I had it with a great steak, covered with a butter/wine reduction sauce, and sides that included broccoli and a mixed white and wild rice combo.  Here’s what the winemaker offered:

“With 112 small vineyard blocks, the 564-acre Carneros Ramal Vineyard Estate offers a gorgeous palette of aroma, flavor, and texture.  Winemaker Jeff Stewart layers wine selected from individual barrels to create this elegant Merlot.  Alluring aromas of blackberry, plum, and cherry introduce concentrated flavors of black cherry, spice, green tea, and tobacco that linger on round, soft tannins.”

Just amazing.