Neat Thoughts About Food, Wine, Travel & More
I served this Cote du Roussillon wine at a dinner party last week and a friend commented that this was the best wine she’d had in recent memory.
In the glass, it’s inky black and super pretty. On the nose, this Grenache / Carignan / Syrah blend is bright with lots of spicy, ripe cherries. In the mouth the juicy cherry continues. This wine is rich and opulent with notes of coffee, dark chocolate and plum.
Wine Spectator: 87 points.
Around $12.
Loving a big mouthful of ripe cherries with velvety feel and a smooth finish, I’m naturally a huge fan of Pinot Noir. The 2010 Brancott Marlborough Pinot Noir is not that kind of Pinot. What it is, is a bright, light-bodied Pinot Noir showing pleasantly tart raspberries with a slightly smoky finish. Do I enjoy this type of Pinot Noir from New Zealand? Yes – with a roasted chicken sitting on my deck on a warm summer night!
This Marlborough New Zealand wine is a dark strawberry color in the glass with tons of brightness and fragrant rose aromas.
A Pinot Noir for summer.
Around $10.
Enjoyed this wine with grilled steaks dusted with sea salt and it was super. It was perhaps even better than the cult California cab I picked as our lead wine, which was more than double its price.
In the glass, the 2008 Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon 815 is dark purple and very handsome. In the mouth, it’s juicy ripe berries, vanilla and dark chocolate. The finish is sweet and long with some tannins that made me crave another sip.
Around $17.
I uncorked this California Cabernet Sauvignon on vacation in Maine as we grilled some thick, juicy, peppery rib eye steaks. This is what you should pair this wine with.
The wine is dark ruby in the glass and initially pretty tart on the nose making me wish I had brought a decanter on my beach vacation. In the glass, this wine offers allspice and dark fruit. In the mouth, the 2006 Stag’s Leap Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is rich and full-bodied with vanilla and butterscotch notes. Really long finish with lingering spice.
Really nice wine that could have used a little decanting.
Around $40.
Enjoyed this Dolcetto at an outstanding Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, NY called Locanda Vini e Olii where it was served as what I’ll call the house wine.
This wine from Piedmont is light-medium bodied and is a good option at dinner where it must be paired with various dishes.
On the nose, the 2008 Enzo Boglietti Dolcetto d’Alba is fruity, a little musty and earthy. In the mouth, it’s not as light, fruity and sweet (Dolcetto translates to “little sweet one”) as this varietal typically is. It’s more structured with a good amount of tannins with unexpected earthy, wild raspberry and smoky flavors.
Nice (and somewhat atypical), no-nonsense Dolcetto that should please a wide array of palates.
Around $17.
This Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand’s most acclaimed winemaking region, is a dark garnet color in the glass and offers a slightly spicy, stone fruits and ripe cherries nose. In the mouth, I get tons of juicy, ripe dark raspberries and currents.
I served this affordable and approachable wine at my 4th of July party and it paired well with many of the dishes I was serving from blue cheese-topped sirloin burgers to sharp cheddar macaroni and cheese.
From around $14.
Brought this South East Australia Pinot Noir to a BYOB restaurant as I needed a wine that could be paired with multiple dishes and was pleased at how well it held up.
The wine is bright red in the glass and offers more of a strawberry jam nose than the cherry one typical of Pinot Noirs. The strawberry continues in the mouth, but with juicy cherry flavors with a hint of spice. Soft tannins give this wine some backbone and the finish is surprisingly long.
This very affordable Pinot Noir is perfect for any summer get-togethers and would pair well with grilled chicken or salmon, and also some light-sauced pasta dished.
Around $10.
This wine was provided to me for sampling and I’m adding to my repertoire as it’s truly enjoyable.
I chilled this wine a bit as it was a little warm. This was a good call, but what wasn’t, was not decanting it. This wine is big, sharp, tannic – just powerful, which I like, but would have benefited from decanter time to soften up or a few years in the cellar.
With that said, this Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the deepest ruby in the glass. The color is definitely a hint to what the nose and palate will be. Nose is all about dark, ripe berries with woodsy notes. In the mouth it’s herbal, earthy, black licorice, anise and leather that are reflected. Full body with strong tannins is what you should expect.
Robert Parker: 89 Points.
Around $29.
Friends asked what they could bring to one of my dinner parties and I simply said “wine to go with beef”. To my good fortune, they brought this little gem.
In the glass, the wine is a bright garnet hue. In the mouth, it’s rich with ripe berries, musky with nutty notes. Brought on some bouquet garni elements on the medium, dry finish.
Wine Advocate: 90 Points.
Around $21.
Nearly black in color, this almost full-bodied Italian wine offers dark berries and herbal undertones on the nose and big, bright, spicy berry in the mouth. Just layers upon layers of ripe fruit with a finish that lasts forever (or you wish it did).
Around $30.
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