Archive for the ‘Wine’s Under $50’ Category
Well I’m back, but I have to say that I had a great time on my vacation with my wife in San Francisco. Now, what trip by your resident wino to the West Coast would be complete without some time spent in wine country? Exactly. My wife and I spent two days visiting vineyards during our vacation and they were both amazing. Our first day was spent in Russian River Valley where the call of the Pinot is strong and enticing.
Rodney Strong Vineyards
George and April outside Rodney Strong
We started our day at Rodney Strong Vineyards, in no small part because I had enjoyed spending time with them during the Wine Bloggers Conference back in July and also because as a big name in the area we both figured it was as good a place to start as any.
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Cabernet Franc)
Region: Sicily
Cost: $43
Dark red color with aromas of wild berry, black cherry, leather, earth, and mineral. Palate carries over the flavors with the addition of spice and balsamic notes. Pairs well with meaty pasta, meats, and some cheeses.
Recommendations: This bottle was given as a gift to me, and I have to say it was pretty enjoyable. I had been holding off on opening it until I could pair it with something Italian in nature, and I finally got around to it last Friday. My wife decided to make these lasagna rolls that are stuffed with Italian sausage and ricotta cheese, then topped with red sauce and mozzarella and thrown in the oven to bake. Very tasty.
As for the wine itself, the dark color was appealing in the glass, and the aromas of berry and black cherry with a hint of earth were enticing. On the palate, I continued to get black cherry, and a bit of the spice did come through at the finish for me. Nice tannins on the finish made it a great pairing with the lasagna rolls. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (Syrah; Carginan; Grenache; Mourvedre)
Region: France
Cost: $41
Deep reddish brown in color and featuring aromas of plum, rose, violets and black fruits. Full-flavored dark fruit on the palate that pairs well with beef, lamb, poultry, or BBQ.
Recommendations: When I got this bottle it almost seemed a shame to open it. A 10 year old bottle of French wine doesn’t exactly find it’s way into my wine cellar every day and I kept trying to think of something special to pair it with. Then I realized that if I kept trying to find something spectacular to enjoy it with the wine was never going to get opened.
Dark reddish-brown in color (I hate saying brown, but the complete lack of purple and the shade of red make it about the only real descriptor I can use), with subtle aromas of fruit and florals, calling this wine full-bodied would be an understatement. The flavors of dark fruit are big and soft at the same time, and the slight tannic finish fades away as the bottle is allowed to open up – not that it needs to much.
Paired with a dinner of pasta and red sauce with some fresh herbs thrown in, the Domaine de Villemajou did a great job of neither overwhelming or being overwhelmed by the meal (I have yet to see anything or anyone be just whelmed). After the meal it was great by itself, being full of flavor, but not demanding food to be enjoyable.
This bottle was described to me as a party wine, and I can see how it would be easy to just keep opening bottles of it while entertaining family and friends. Bold and smooth all at once, this is a great wine for just about any meal and any company. While I can understand that the price point may give the value wine shopper pause, it’s definitely one worth getting for a special occasion.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine for this review.
While my wife and I are back from our vacation to San Francisco, I’m just now getting around to writing about our trip, mostly because we were having so much fun I didn’t have time to sit down and write. Fortunately, I take good notes.
While we spent the first three days in the city, on Tuesday we finally ventured out to wine country, starting off with Napa. The drive out there was beautiful, much like the weather we had the entire time we were on the West Coast (much to the chagrin of all of our friends back home on the East Coast).
Our first start was Trefethen Family Vineyards where we tried four different wines. Their 2007 Chardonnay was nice and light and very refreshing, with flavors of apple pie and a nice crisp finish. After that we tried their 2006 Cabernet Franc, which I found to be much smoother than the Cabernet Franc that we have in Virginia, with silky tannins following hints of white pepper and chocolate covered cherries.
Our third taste was their 2006 Double T Red Wine, a Bordeaux blend made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. This wine had a great body and my wife and I actually bought a bottle to bring back to Virginia with us. Read the rest of this entry »
