Tag Archives: $10-$15

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2012 Mark West, Pinot Noir

The Mark West Pinot Noir has long been a staple of Notes Of Note, and several vintages have been covered in these pages (just do a quick search) previously if you’ve got some Magellan in your blood. This is the first 2012; somehow we went from the ’11 to the ’13 until this weekend.

2012 Mark West Pinot Noir, California, USA.

2012 Mark West Pinot Noir, California, USA.

Compared to the 2011 Stemmler Pinot covered here last week, the West is much lighter in color and in its fruit forwardness. Yes the West is even, but I’m slightly biased toward the Stemmler in overall quality. The 2012 Mark West is a fine, affordable option for Pinot Noir but when you have others to compare and contrast it doesn’t quite measure up. And that’s okay; not every wine can be an over-the-top tasting experience.

I had a glass Friday evening after returning home from work travel, and the rest found its way to our Saturday evening bonanza. The latter consisted of grilled turkey burgers, treated generously with blue cheese, sautéed and/or raw red onions, and a mustard-washed lettuce mix along with one of our potato favorites. The Mark West did not fill you up; that role was covered by the delicious (and healthy!) burgers.

Next trip to our local store I’m going to grab another bottle of this Pinot Noir as it’s a safe, middle-of-the-road option whenever the prospect of a Malbec or Cab is just a bit heavier. You’d do well to do the same.

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2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Winery

Labor Day treat–a dark fruity Washington Cabernet Sauvignon (and was that a hint of chocolate that I tasted?) for the cocktail hour, my favorite company, and a hotly contested round of jarts. Hope you’re all having a great holiday weekend and cheers!

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Winery, Woodinville, Washington, USA.

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Winery, Woodinville, Washington, USA.

 

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2013 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay

I’m polishing off this cool, refreshing Chardonnay in the waning moments of tonight’s cocktail hour. Hiding as it was in the bottom of the fridge, partially consumed from some previous evening, this 2013 Kendall-Jackson has lost a bit of its crisp, fresh tone but still pulls a smile from my weary face.

2013 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, California, USA.

2013 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, California, USA.

Pear is present and accounted for, as is a nice easy finish that is hinting at a possible turn in the near future. Fortunately, she’s been liberated from the bottle just in time. The 2013 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay will accompany grilled tuna steaks, seasoned with lemon and a Mediterranean spice mix, white rice, and medley of scallions and mushrooms. Very promising stuff.

The Kendall-Jackson family always makes a good effort, and I’m sure this is one too. Excuse the brevity; the next time around we’ll be sure to polish with less of an interval between tastings and look forward to sharing those findings with you.

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2013 Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon

Lot on my mind these days, and seemingly less time for Notes. That, combined with delicious summer beers to beat back the nearly oppressive heat, and I find myself playing catchup tonight. Our focus is the 2013 Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon, first Cab that I’ve had from this winery; I’m fairly sure I’d just tasted their whites previously.

2013 Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon, Yolo County, California, USA.

2013 Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon, Yolo County, California, USA.

The Toasted Head had interesting taste pockets. It was a Cabernet equivalent of the summer pond–you know the one I mean? It’s cool, its refreshing, and then you hit this warm spot and the water changes all around you.

This 2013 is similar in that you are sipping some fine red wine, and then you hit this berry patch and your taste buds go crazy for all the cherry and dark berry flavors. We started on the Toasted Head yesterday and tonight are finishing it off with some great leftover steaks (not too proud to say Frank’s Red Hot was liberally applied to it) and white rice seasoned with fresh scallions. Good stuff, just like the vino.

Yolo County, from where this wine hails, is between Napa to the west and Sacramento to the east. This AVA is on the eastern side of the Coast Range Mountains–sounds like the usual “cool nights warm days” magic that does so right by California wines. Scanning the winemaker’s comments, and I see we agree on a couple relevant points that I share here for you:

“This wine opens with ripe plum and dark berry fruits on the nose, accompanied by a graham cracker toastiness from oak aging. On the palate this Cabernet focuses on ripe blackberry and dark cherry surrounded by bourbon vanilla and caramelized sugar notes.”

I’m nodding in agreement. Good berry, full mouth flavor in the 2013 Toasted Head. I’m up for another one…

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2012 TintoNegro Malbec

From the Mendoza region of Argentina comes the 2012 TintoNegro, a sharp-smelling Malbec that is actually much smoother to taste. My wife picked out this inky beauty and allowed me to sample it throughout this work week one glass at a time.

2012 TintoNegro Malbec, Ugo Valley, Mendoza, Argentina.

2012 TintoNegro Malbec, Ugo Valley, Mendoza, Argentina.

It accompanied grilled chicken one night (with our summer favorite orzo pasta and arugula salad), tuna and salmon sushi another evening, and pepperoni pizza on a third. My favorite was probably the chicken, maybe because it was the best “traditional” pairing and perhaps because the pizza was just too heavy in combination. I didn’t get heart burn–but it wasn’t far away, either.

The TintoNegro had some good things going on. It’s sourced from the Uco Valley, a “cool climate” high-altitude Malbec, and is aged for nine months in French oak barrels. The vineyard’s approach yields some enticing fruit flavors and dark colors in the glass. You taste for sure black raspberry–dark fruit but a hint of tang–and a full, textured finish. This 2012 definitely has some oomph to it.

If I can find another 2012, I think I’m going to give the TintoNegro another try to see if I can pin down more of its profile. I’m still intrigued and determined to delve deeper.

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2012 Ergo, Martín Códax Rioja

Just finishing an enjoyable glass of 2012 Ergo, a last cocktail for the weekend. Fitting, perhaps, as the Ergo also ushered in our Friday evening. Like a few other youthful wines we’ve had of late, the Ergo smelled tart at first…an acidic sharpness that was not actually present in the drink itself.

2011 Ergo, Martín Códax, Rioja, Spain.

2011 Ergo, Martín Códax, Rioja, Spain.

My wife picked this wine out, possibly to accompany a Mexican chicken soup that we had earlier in the week (at which time I opted to finish an open Pinot instead), and had the same vibe as to the Ergo’s tart notes. You can also smell dark cherry and maybe just a hint of pepper in this mix of Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes?

I liked it very much. You think you’ll have a tough finish when you get a whiff of this wine’s acidity, but it’s much smoother and lighter. At the same time, it was able to muscle up nicely to thin grilled steaks–which featured a new spice rub that is still much the topic of debate in our house. (We are not sure if the rub worked or not.)

My initials jump right off the label, so I knew I was going to be a fan from the start. I have no decent photo to share this evening…at least of the 2012 Ergo. Give this wine a shot and taste for yourself.

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2013 Noble Vines 446 Chardonnay

This is the second Noble Vines wine we’ve had in recent weeks, this one a white–not a frequent Saturday night beverage in our house but one to which we both surrendered this evening.  In the interest of time I’ll explain that the 446 originates from the San Bernabe AVA, one termed the “cool climate Monterey” by the winemaker.

Your label on the 446 gives simple instructions – “Enjoy with grilled fish, chicken or pasta with creamy sauces.” And we did. Tuna steaks, so fresh and tender, we had alongside orzo pasta, peas, and asparagus. The pasta and vegetables were a contrast in styles and tastes, intertwining hot and cool elements into a great accent for the fish.

2013 Nobel Vines 446 Chardonney, Monterey, California, USA.

2013 Nobel Vines 446 Chardonney, Monterey, California, USA.

Fresh citrus is the best way, in my limited vocabulary and experience with whites, that I can describe the 2013 vintage of the 446. It doesn’t have a “buttery” taste to it, and in that way is similar to the Simi that we had not too long ago.  In Notes for both I find myself struggling for specifics, for nuances that help differentiate among California Chardonnays and am determined to improve on my palate so as to offer more useful advice on whites in the future.

This is not that occasion, though, so let me close simply by saying it brought a smile to my face to know we both were giving a go to the 446 on this sultry Summer evening. Hoping you and yours had a good Saturday too!

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2013 Noble Vines 667 Pinot Noir

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.

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.