Chateau Ste. Michelle 2009 Columbia Valley Guwurztraminer

This is an ok Washington State Guwurztraminer. It was a nice pairing with our Indian spiced pork tenderloin. The color was a clear straw. There were aromas of honeysuckle, pear and sweet spice. The flavor profile was of pear, honeysuckle, and nutmeg with a little smokiness. It was medium bodied, and this helped it hold up well to the tenderloin. Not exactly a glowing endorsement, but it's hard to find a good Gurwurztraminer at a decent price. This one was $9 at Ashes.

Wine dinner with friends

Hello all!! We had friends over last night for our monthly wine dinner. I don't often blog these dinners, as there as many wines and my memory of specific labels is just not there the next morning. However, this time it was our turn to host. This means that it is my responsibility to make a few notes for others in our group, and bottles are generally left with the host, so I have the information needed for making those notes (no excuses, ha-ha).

We started the evening with a non vintage Irtalian Prosecco Riondo Spago Nero. It was semi-sweet to semi-dry (depending on who you ask). It had a lightly floral effervescent nose with some apple and pear components to the flavor. 10.5% alcohol and a very pleasant, easy to drink, fairly inexpensive Prosecco. I picked this up at Bob's because it was labeled as the #1 Prosecco in Italy and had a 90 pt rating and was priced at about $15(?) a bottle. It was pleasant and would make a nice summer sipper for the back deck.

Next was a pair of Pinot Grigios. The first was 2008 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio from the very Northern region of Italy, bordering Austria. It was light and crisp, citric, but not too lemony. This wine was a classic Italian Pinot Grigio. It was smooth and balanced, very elegant. The other Pinot Grigio was a 2008 Il Papavero from Sicily! It was bolder, fruitier, and more aromatic. It lacked the elegance of the Northern Pinot Grigio, but was still very pleasant. This was an interesting wine, since Pinot Grigio is typically from Northern Italy, and is generally thought of as a cool climate grape. The fuller body and bolder flavor profile is consistent with the warmer terrior of Sicily. These wines were served with mushrooms stuffed with bread crumbs and parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Delicious! We also had stuffed shells with gorgonzola and walnuts. Fabulous!

Next, we had a Primativo, also from Southern Italy. It was a 2007 Matane from Puglia and cost about $13. The wine was very good. I described it as halfway between a zinfandel and a merlot. It was very fruit forward with flavors of cherry, plum, and vanilla. The aromas were also of plum and vanilla (it reminded me of plum pudding on the nose). The tannins were smooth and plush. This is a very food friendly wine, and if I remember correctly, it was inexpensive enough to qualify as a great everyday wine. It's a good example of why Primativo is a varietal worth exploring. We also had this with the mushrooms and continued to sip it between food courses.

Next was a green salad with shrimp and lemon juice dressing. It paired very well with a 2007 Pieropan Soave Classico. This wine was labeled as their 40th vintage. It was an excellent Soave. It had lovely floral and fruit aromas. It was very smooth, well balanced, with a medium body. It tasted of soft fruit along with some almond. There was pleasant, but well balanced acidity. It had a lingering finish. This is a very food friendly wine and would pair well with a number of fish and lighter chicken dishes. If you've never had a really good Soave, try this one, or Pio Cesare, if you can find it. Soaves got a really bad rap during the 80's and 90's because there were some really poor ones on the American market. Fortunately, there are some really nice examples available now. They are worth seeking out. It's a great wine for when a Pinot Grigio or Sauv Blanc is too light and a Chard or Riesling is too fruity. I like these wines, but I sometimes have trouble finding them.

Next, we had a 2006 Santa Margherita Chianti Classico. This was a terrific chianti. It had medium, body and was very aromatic. Lots of cherry and vanilla with a really nice component of smoke and spice. The tannins were firm, but smooth. 2006 was a great vintage for chianti and this particular wine is on sale at Campbell Station for about $20. I hope it's not all gone by the time I get there. We had this wine with smokey sauteed potatoes and tasty cheesy focaccia.

Next we had a 2004 Gattavecchi Montepulciano di Nobile. I've actually blogged this wine before. It's 100% Sangiovese, and full of deliciousness. This is one of our favorite wines, and '04 is a highly rated year. This wine came from Total Wines in Atlanta and was a little less than $30 a bottle. We had this with home-made bolognese lasagna. The wine and the lasagna were both very good.

Finally we had a 2001 Bellini Santo del Chianti. This wine was also from Total Wines in Atlanta and was purchased for Christmas Eve dinner. We never got to it then, so we opened it last night. I think I paid about $20 to $25 for a 500 ml bottle. It was very pretty, with a peachy rose color. It was very sweet, even on the nose. It tasted of golden raisins and was well balanced, reminding me of a tawny port, but with more subtle fruit flavor. We had it with cherry-almond biscotti and dark chocolate covered strawberries. It paired especially well with the dark chocolate.

All of the pairings were very good. It was especially fun to do the comparison pairings, like the mushrooms with the two Pinot Grigios and the Primativo. It was interesting to see how individual palates varied. All in all, another successful wine dinner.

2007 Cameron Hughs Lot 192 Napa Valley Merlot

Hello all!! We had this wine a few nights ago with pork chops and cherry sauce. This was a very, very nice pairing. The color on this wine was deep purple-ruby. The aromas were of vanilla, toasted oak, and raspberry. The raspberry darkened into blackberry as the wine opened. The flavor profile was similar and developed into blackberry, dark cherry, vanilla and a touch of cocoa. The tannins were soft and plush, but became firmer as the wines opened. And the finish started as a little short, but lengthened nicely as it opened. As expected with a merlot, this was very fruit forward and not too complex, but very enjoyable, especially with the cherry sauce on the pork chops. At $13 a bottle at Ashes, I think I'll get some more for everyday drinking. Merlots pair nicely with fruit sauces such as this, but also with spicy foods, so we're drinking them more than in the past.

2008 Cataldi Madonna Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Hello all!! I enjoyed this wine with Al several nights ago. We have had this wine before in earlier vintages. It is available locally at Ashes and McScrooges and probably at other liquor stores, and tends to cost about $20 a bottle. It had a very dark violet-ruby color. The nose started out as fairly tight, but it became more aromatic as it opened. There were aromas of violets, blueberry, plum and cherry. The flavor profile was true to the nose, with more cherry and vanilla developing as it opened. There was current and spice on the finish. This was not a big heavy wine, but had a light to medium body. It was interesting, and it became better as it opened, developing more spice on the finish and softer, smoother tannins. I liked this wine! It's a nice, honest wine with lots of personality. It would be very good with lighter Italian dishes prepared with mushrooms.

2006 Ruffino Ducale Chianti Classico Riserva

Hello everyone!! We enjoyed a fabulous meal tonight! We had duck with rice and lentils, and an arugula and grape salad. I love duck and this one came out particularly well. The wine was very good. I chose this wine because 2006 is supposed to be a terrific year for chianti and it's getting hard to find. I really enjoyed the wine and it was an excellent pairing with the food. The color was a deep brick red. The nose was of cherry, blueberry, a bit of licorice or horehound and a hint of forrest (cedar?). The flavors on the palate were true to the nose. The tannins were very smooth, giving the wine a silky feel (unusual for a chianti). It had a soft finish of cherry, vanilla, and black tea. It was not real big, allowing the delicacy of the Sangiovese grape to come through. It was of light to medium body, making it a nice accompaniment to the food. I really liked this wine. It managed to express a lot of personality, and do so without "shouting". I have another bottle, and while I believe it will age well for a few years, it's certainly ready to drink now.

2004 Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Savignon

Hello all!! We had this wine last night after dinner. We wanted something nice to sip on a very dreary Friday night. So we lit the fireplace and broke out the cheese and crackers, then moved on to dark chocolate. The wine was very good. It was inky dark with brick-red color at the edges. The nose was fairly big with aromas of dark cherry, vanilla and licorice. To me, it was a little too oaky. This did mellow out as the wine opened. On the palate there was cherry, solid but fairly smooth tannins, vanilla, licorice and dark chocolate on the finish. Again, it was very oaky. This was a really big wine that wanted a big juicy steak. It improved significantly as it opened. The oakiness really smoothed out as it opened and the wine became smoother, more velvety, and more elegant. We don't drink a lot of these big California Cabs, partly because of the price and partly because we don't eat a lot of steak, roast beef, and grilled meats. This was a very delicious wine, especially after opening. And, while it's a style we don't necessarily seek out, I certainly understand why so many people love these wines. This winemaker has an outstanding reputation and I'm really excited about having had the opportunity to try this cab. This was actually a gift from a friend. I believe it retails for at least $60 to $70 a bottle. Sorry the review wasn't more of a rave, but I have to call it like I see it. And I see it as something many people would rave about, just a little too big, and a little to oaky for my palate right now. Too bad we didn't open this with a big Porterhouse steak (but we only ever get as far as Kansas City strips). If I had the opportunity to have this again, I wouldn't pass it up, but I wouldn't buy it at this price point.

2007 Horse Heaven Hills H3 Merlot

Hello all!! We had this wine tonight with pork tenderloin, marinated in paprika and garlic, with peach chutney, and salad. The color was deep plum. The aromas were somewhat faint, and consisted of dark cherry and some oak. On the palate there was blackberry, firm tannins and cocoa. This sounds pretty yummy. And this wine had good reviews, particularly at this price point ($14 at Ashes). It was disjointed at first, but the flavors mellowed as it opened. Still, I didn't care for this wine. To me, it was thin on the mid-palate. It was described as having a velvety finish, but I found it to more closely resemble a thin flannelette. Disappointing. I prefer the 2008 Berringer Estate Founders and the 2008 Chateau St. Michelle Indian Wells to this wine. The St. Michelle's, in particular, was very good.