18 February 2015 2009 Chateau de Chamirey Les Ruelles Mercurey Rouge 1er Cru

2009 Chateau de Chamirey Les Ruelles Mercurey Rouge 1er Cru

February 18, 2015 By

2009 Chateau de Chamirey Les RuellesI sampled this wine at a tasting dinner and loved it as it paired well with just about everything.

In the glass, it’s a lovely semi-transparent raspberry color with brick around the rim. The nose is earthy with red berry aromas laced with a bit of oak. In the mouth, it offers flavors of dark cherry and raspberry with hints of vanilla. Medium finish with some youthfulness – drink soon.

Pairings: Duck/roasted poultry, pork, salmon

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): Pinot Noir

Region: Burgundy, France

Price: $44

 

Filed Under: France, Pinot Noir, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , ,
11 February 2015 2009 Doukénie Winery Merlot

2009 Doukénie Winery Merlot

February 11, 2015 By

2009 Doukenie MerlotA friend brought this Virginia wine to a pizza party and it was only my second encounter with wines from that area.

Doukénie, located on a 500-acre farm in Loudoun County, Virginia, is a popular winery that has garnered much praise for the region for its award-winning wines.

We uncorked this wine and gave it no decanting or time to open up. Deeply purple in the glass, this wine offers big floral aromas with notes of ripe, dark berries and stone fruit. This Merlot is medium-bodied with plummy, jammy blackberry flavors and notes of mocha. The finish is short with faint tannins.

Pairings: Burger, grilled meats, pizza

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): Merlot

Region: Loudoun County, VA, USA

Price: $33

Filed Under: Merlot, United States, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
21 January 2015 1991 Château Montus Madiran Cuvée Prestige

1991 Château Montus Madiran Cuvée Prestige

January 21, 2015 By

1991 Château Montus Madiran Cuvée PrestigeOn a recent visit to Quebec, my dad dug deep in his cellar for this purely wonderful bottle. While I’ve read this wine should have drunk before 2011, its perfect storing condition extended its life. In the glass, it’s a beautiful brick color with the type of barnyard funk I absolutely love. In the mouth, it’s round with plummy fruit that’s held up nicely. Long gone are the high tannins typical of this grape.

Yum, just yum.

Pairings: Lamb, duck, mushroom-based dishes.

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): Tannat

Region: Madiran, Southwest France

Price: $60

Filed Under: By Country, France, Red Wine, Tannat, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , ,
14 January 2015 2012 Esporao Reserve Red

2012 Esporao Reserve Red

January 14, 2015 By

2012 Esporao Reserve RedDark fruit, spicy nose with a bit of smokiness. Lots of ripe dark berry and plum flavors. Firm tannins on a dry finish. Like this wine a lot at this pricepoint.

Will improve with some time in the bottle and with decanting.

Pairings: Burger, pasta with tomato sauce, grilled meat.

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): Cabernet Sauvignon, Aragonês, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet

Region: Alentejo, Portugal

Price: $20

Filed Under: By Country, Cabernet Sauvignon, Portugal, Red Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , ,
7 January 2015 2010 Giuseppe Mascarello Barbera D’Alba

2010 Giuseppe Mascarello Barbera D’Alba

January 7, 2015 By

2010 Mascarello Barbera D'AlbaRound, rich, full-bodied Barbera that’s inky in the glass. Floral nose with a hint of smokiness. Lots of juicy fruit flavors with mocha and licorice notes on the palate with nice acidy.

Decanted half the bottle for an hour and it improved an already super wine.

Pairings: Game, pasta with tomato sauce, grilled meat.

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): Barbera

Region: Piedmont, Italy

Price: $35

Filed Under: Barbera, By Country, Italy, Red Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , ,
31 December 2014 2011 Jonata The Hilt The Vanguard Pinot Noir

2011 Jonata The Hilt The Vanguard Pinot Noir

December 31, 2014 By

2011 The HiltBold, rich and deep wine that’s really pretty perfect.  The medium-bodied Pinot Noir offers aromas of ripe blackberry with spiced notes in the glass. Dark cherry with earthy, minty flavors on the palate with a very dry, slightly peppery finish. Could use a few more years to fully come to its absolute best.

Famed Jonata winemaker Matt Dees uses 45% new oak on this stellar Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir.

Pairings: Mushroom risotto, roasted duck or pork.

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): Pinot Noir

Region: Santa Barbara County, California, USA

Price: $50

Filed Under: Pinot Noir, Red Wine, United States, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
14 December 2014 Fergalicious Holidays by Food & Wine Chickie

Fergalicious Holidays by Food & Wine Chickie

December 14, 2014 By

Ferguson CrestFerguson Crest is the pet project of Fergie Duhamel, singer of the Black Eyed Peas, and her father, grower Pat Ferguson. Ferguson Crest vineyard is located in Solvang, in Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara County, California. Winemaker Joey Tensley turns the fruit grown by Pat Ferguson into wine, and Fergie and sister Dana join in at harvest every year.

Fergalicious is Ferguson Crest’s signature blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Grenache. I was asked to taste the 2012 vintage, Fergie’s favorite, then pairing it with a recipe of my creation. Here’s the recipe I paired with the delicious wine.

Bacon, Mushroom Pasta with Light Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp. each red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper
  • 1 cup sliced Cremini mushrooms
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 10 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
  • ½ pound dry penne pasta, cooked one minute less than recommended on the packaging
  • 1 cup cubed, fresh Mozzarella
  • 4 slices of bacon, cooked then roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Warm the oil in a deep, large skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the spices to the oil and cook for 15 seconds.
  2. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the Cremini and cook for 3-4 until softened.
  3. Add the tomatoes to a food processor and pulse for 10 seconds until a chunky salsa is created (alternatively, chop the tomatoes to that consistency). Pour the tomato mixture into the hot oil and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add the cooked pasta and the basil to the sauce and gently stir to coat. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add the Mozzarella to the pasta and stir to combine.  Cook an additional minute.
  6. Add the cooked bacon, stir and serve with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

Makes 2 servings.

2012 Ferguson Crest Fergalicious

Dark ruby in the glass, this red blend offers ripe blackberry aromas with a bit of pumpkin pie spices. The medium-bodied wine has flavors of jammy blueberry with traces of cherry cola and notes of black pepper on the short finish.

Pairings: Pasta with meaty sauce, duck, roasted mushrooms, burgers

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): 56% Syrah, 25% Merlot, 13% Grenache, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Santa Barbara County, CA, USA

Price: $40

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, By Country, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cheese, Entrees, Grenache, Italian, Merlot, Mushrooms, Pasta, Syrah / Shiraz, United States Tagged With: , , , , ,
21 November 2014 2008 Marco Marengo Barolo Brunate Annata

2008 Marco Marengo Barolo Brunate Annata

November 21, 2014 By

2008 M. Marengo BaroloKnew as soon as I sniffed this wine that it’d be right up my alley. Garnet in the glass, the earthy aromas were sweetened with dark fruit. In the mouth, it’s round and velvety with plummy, dark cherry flavors with mocha notes.

Pairings: Pasta with meaty sauce, duck, roasted mushrooms

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): Nebbiolo

Region: Piedmont, Barolo, Italy

Price: $60

Filed Under: Italy, Nebbiolo, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
8 September 2014 2013 Villa Puccini Pinot Grigio

2013 Villa Puccini Pinot Grigio

September 8, 2014 By

Villa PucciniPalest yellow in the glass, this easy-drinking wine is both affordable and food friendly. Both the aromas and flavors are light with floral and tropical notes that would make it ideal for a sipper before a meal or for pairing with light dishes. The finish is dry and clean.

Pairings: Aperitif, light fish and seafood dishes.

Style: White Wine

Grape Type(s): Pinot Grigio

Region: Veneto, Italy

Price: $10

Filed Under: Italy, Pinot Grigio Tagged With: , ,
1 July 2014 WITS Virtual Wine Tasting 2014

WITS Virtual Wine Tasting 2014

July 1, 2014 By

WITS WinesI’ve explained the concept of virtual wine tasting in other posts and I enjoy participating in a few of them each year. Last night was the Wine Industry Technology Symposium (WITS) and a virtual tasting hosted by my friends at WineTwits of six California wines.

For those of you who are new to virtual wine tastings, this is what it entails:

  • Get a bottle of the wine varietal or brand being featured in the virtual tasting.
  • Invite fellow wine enthusiasts to join you to share the tasting, or simply snuggle solo in your pajamas in front of the computer.
  • Swirl, sniff, sip then share your wine thoughts with other global tasters using the designated hashtag on Twitter and Facebook!

The virtual tasting was well-attended and the wineries whose wines we sampled were very active with the virtual tasters. Cheers to Kendall-Jackson, Jamieson Ranch Vineyard, Franciscan Estate, Wente Vineyards, Garnet Vineyards and Renwood Winery for interacting with us to the extent they did. I’ll follow up and connect with dozens of new wine friends today as a result of last night’s tasting.

Here are my tasting notes from the featured wines:

2012 Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay

For those of us who enjoy moderately-oaky Chardonnay, this is a nice option. 50% of this wine was barrel-fermented in French oak and the other 50% was fermented in stainless steel tanks creating a wine that’s not overly oaky/buttery and has some fruit freshness to it.

Aromas of Asian apple and lychee jump out of the glass. In the mouth, the 2012 Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay is medium-bodied with Meyer lemon and tropical fruit flavors. Finish lingers with some oaky notes and a nice level of acidity.

Pairings: Roast chicken, salmon, pasta in light creamy sauce

Style: White Wine

Grape Type(s): Chardonnay

Region: Livermore Valley, CA, USA

Price: $13

2012 Garnet Vineyards Monterey County Pinot Noir

Garnet pinot noirs have garnered rave reviews over the years and the 2012 Monterey County Pinot’s no exception. The wine is a tad more transparent in the glass than I would have suspected, it doesn’t lack in aroma and flavor. On the nose, the strawberry aroma is more prominent that the expected cherry. In the mouth, it’s silky and there’s lovely cherry flavor with notes of vanilla and oak.

Pairings: Roasted duck, chicken or turkey, mushroom dishes

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): Pinot Noir

Region: Monterey County, CA, USA

Price: $14.99

2011 Renwood Winery Premier Old Vine Zinfandel

This is a big, beautiful baby. I really enjoy this style of Zin. It’s a big mouthful of dark, ripe berries with mocha and a bit of pumpkin spices on the finish.

Pairings: Barbecue ribs, grilled beef or lamb

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): Zinfandel

Region: Amador County, CA, USA

Price: $19.99

2011 Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Leggy in the glass with ripe berry aromas with a bit of oak and pepper. Rich and bold with mocha and dark chocolate layers. Light tannins, elegant, long finish.

Pairings: Grilled meats

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): 94.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.4% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Merlot, 0.2% Cabernet Franc

Region: Sonoma County, CA, USA

Price: $28

2011 Jamieson Ranch “Double Lariat” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Gorgeous deep-red in the glass, this wine offers red berry aromas with complex licorice, spice and leather notes. Cherry and dark berry flavors abound with light-jammy fig and mocha notes – touch of oak on the long, velvety finish.

Pairings: Grilled beef, cheese plate

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Napa Valley, CA, USA

Price: $55

2011 Franciscan Estate Magnificat Napa Valley

Inky in the glass with fabulous dark berry and stone fruit aromas. The dark berry continues on the palate with ripe cherry mixed in – rich, elegant with a long, round finish from the Merlot.

Pairings: Barbecue ribs, grilled beef or lamb

Style: Red Wine

Grape Type(s): 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, and 3% Malbec

Region: Napa Valley, CA, USA

Price: $50

For those of you on Twitter, search for #WITS2014 and see all the fun conversations folks had during the virtual tasting. You’ll likely find interesting wine fans to connect with.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Food & Wine Events, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Red Wine, Sousao, United States, White Wine, Wine Reviews, Zinfandel Tagged With: , , , , ,
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