Posts Tagged ‘chocolate’
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Region: Russian River Valley – California – USA
Cost: $25 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Cherry red color with aromas of cherry, raspberry, peppery spices, and a touch of oak. In the mouth an elegant to full body Pinot Noir with elegant balance and good depth. Pairs well with pork tenderloin, salmon, and filet mignon.
My Review: I’ve had this wine sitting on my racks for a while, which is a bit weird since I usually don’t let Pinot last that long in my house. Regardless, last week on an evening the wife was out and I was home alone, I finally got around to opening up the bottle and I definitely regretted taking so long to get to it.
Varietal: 100% Petite Sirah
Region: Livermore Valley – California – USA
Cost: $15 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: 2008 Petite Sirah, Conservancy has fantastic depth and character. It exhibits a rich nose of fresh berry fruit, and the flavorful palate shows blackberries, chocolate, mocha, and plums. Subtle notes of molasses, cedarwood, and rip mulberries are complemented by soft, creamy oak tones and a smooth, silky finish. Pairs well with barbecued chicken or your favorite lamb recipe.
My Review: It’s been a little less than a year since I tried the 2007 Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah, so I was pleased to see the 2008 vintage show up at my office recently, as there’s something to be said for seeing how a wine changes from year to year. Unlike the previous vintage, the 2008 Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah is 100% Petite Sirah, with none of the Petit Verdot that made its way into last year’s vintage.
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Argentina – Maipu’
Cost: $20.99 (SRP)
Ruby red in color with red and black berries, violet, and chocolate aromas. Fruit on the palate, including cherry. Pairs well with roasted or grilled red meat and hard cheeses.
Recommendations: I had received a pair of samples some weeks ago. One was this wine, and the other was a 2008 Finca La Linda Cabernet Sauvignon that I very much enjoyed, so I was looking forward to opening the Luigi Bosca. With everything finally calming down from the craziness of the holidays, last night seemed like a good time to cook up some steaks and pop the cork on this wine.
Before I’ve said how I hate saying that a wine has hints of brown in it, and last night I think my wife came up with a better description. Rust. The Luigi Bosca was a deep red color with just a few hints of rust coloring in it, and the aromas I most got where red berry and cherry. In the mouth, the cherry was still prominent, as was a general fruity flavor, but I also got a hit of bitterness at the end that I most closely associate with dark chocolate. It was nice actually, and I’m not a chocolate person. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Tempranillo (60%); Cabernet Sauvignon (40%)
Region: Spain
Cost: $10 (SRP)
Fruit aromas with flavors of raspberry, cherry, plum, and blackberry. Pairs well with grilled eggplant, grilled skirt steaks, vegetarian chili, pork, and tapas.
Recommendations: Last month I did a review of the 2009 Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo Shiraz, and while I enjoyed it, if push came to shove and I had to choose between the Shiraz blend and the Cabernet blend…I’d have to go with the Cabernet blend. The aromas of the wine were of berry, and based on the nose I was expecting a fairly fruit forward wine, but that’s not what I got.
Sure, there were flavors of berry, but there were also hints of chocolate and a smoothness to the wine that I found incredibly enjoyable. Paired with a dinner of pork tenderloin and risotto, this wine was a perfect compliment, and quite honestly was great just by itself. This may actually be one of the best value wines I’ve had in a while, and I definitely recommend trying it out if you come across a bottle of it. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Blended Red (Sangiovese, Syrah, Carignan, Barbera, Zinfandel, Mourvedre, Montepulciano, Petit Verdot, Tannat, Aglianico, Petite Sirah, Nero d’Avola, Grenache)
Region: California – USA
Cost: $7 – $10
Cherry, raspberry, blueberry, cassis, and chocolate flavors all blend together. Pair this wine with chicken, ground beef, pizza.
Recommendations: I’ll be the first to admit, my wife and I first paid attention to this wine because of the bottle. We thought, if nothing else, it would look good over our cabinets (see my previous post if you haven’t already). Having looked over the list of what was in the wine, we decided that the wine would go better with pizza, and so when we ordered a pizza one evening, we opened the bottle.
I wanted to like this wine, I really did. I’m a fan of most of the varietals that they used to blend it, and I’m a firm believer in table wines that aren’t impressive, but aren’t bad. Unfortunately, the Big House Red just left me shrugging. It wasn’t terrible in a pour the bottle out kind of way, but it just didn’t do anything to make me pay attention – good or bad. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc)
Region: California – Sonoma – USA
Cost: $19.50
Deep purple coloring with aromas of berry fruits. Blueberry, blackberry, chocolate, vanilla, and smooth oak are found on the palate. Pair this medium-bodied wine with pasta, ravioli, pork barbecue, meatloaf, and even moderately spiced Middle Eastern food.
Recommendations: Taking a cue from the name, I shared this bottle with my wife and a friend of ours over a meal of cheese and meat pizza. This proved to be wise as the high alcohol content (14.2%/vol) needed the sauciness of the pizza to cut down the alcohol finish and make the wine much smoother and enjoyable.
The blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Franc was very enjoyable, with some pepper coming through, along with ripe berry. The deep purple color was impressive, and reminded me once again that the Cabernet Franc they grow in California is much different than what we grow in Virginia (where I live).
I certainly enjoyed this wine, and would recommend it so long as you’re enjoying it with a saucier meal such as pizza or pasta – the kind of meal that makes you want to invite family and friends over for a big meal – to cut the alcohol on the finish.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine.
