Posts Tagged ‘sonoma county’
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon (81.7% Cabernet Sauvignon; 7% Merlot; 6% Petite Sirah; 2.8% Malbec; 2.5% Petit Verdot)
Region: California – Sonoma – USA
Cost: $15
Garnet in color with aromas of black cherry, black olive, mocha and vanilla. Medium bodied showing flavors of mocha, raspberry, mint, plum, and tobacco. Pairs well with grilled meats.
Recommendations: So on Friday night my wife went out with some of her friends which meant I stopped at the store on my way home for a steak and bottle of wine. Sometimes a guy has to treat himself. My steak on the grill (after a comedy of errors involving having to run BACK out to the store to get my propane tank refilled), I opened up the wine to try a small sip. It really made me want my steak to cook faster.
While I didn’t really get the olive aromas that Sebastiani claimed (I’m not really a fan of olives, so maybe I just blocked them out), I did get the black cherry both on the nose and a bit on the palate. Flavors of mocha and tobacco were a great pairing for my steak once it came off the grill, and the tannins on the finish weren’t terribly big and bold, but they were enough to balance the grilled meat, and that’s really what I was looking for. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Region: California – Sonoma County – USA
Cost: $21
Lighter red in color with aromas of cherry and flavors of rose petal, pomegranate, and cherry. Time in French Oak barrels adds a hint of toasted spice on the finish. Pairs well with lamb, pork, chicken, steak, mild cheese…pretty much anything.
Recommendations: Ah Pinot Noir…my one true love (of wine – I love my wife very much). I’m always in the market for a good Pinot, and back in July, during a tasting at my local wine shop, I had the opportunity to try, and then buy, this Rodney Strong pinot noir. To be honest, I had almost forgotten it was on my wine rack until the other day when grilling some pork chops and I kicked myself for forgetting about it.
Nice and light in the glass, aromas and flavors of cherry were the most noticeable to me, with just a hint spice on the end. When paired with the grilled pork chops, the wine held up well, adding Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Chardonnay
Region: California – Sonoma County – USA
Cost: $11
Light in the glass with aromas of tropical fruit. Flavors of pear, apple, and pineapple with a creamy finish that pairs well with cream-sauced chicken, salmon, and mild cheeses.
Recommendations: While at Costco this weekend doing our monthly shopping trip, my wife and I picked up a bottle of the Simi Chardonnay to pair with the salmon we had already grabbed earlier in the shopping trip. The back label of the wine claimed it would pair well with salmon, and I’ve always liked Chardonnay to cut through the fat of a good piece of salmon so it sounded like a good idea.
When we cooked the salmon, we put it under the broiler with a mustard herb crust that was, at least in my opinion, quite tasty. My wife really outdid herself on that one. As for the wine itself – meh. The color was nice – a light golden color, and the flavors weren’t bad, pineapple, pear, and apple with just a hint of the creamy, buttery finish that I expect from Chardonnay, and while it did a good job of cutting through the richness of the salmon, I can’t honestly say that I would buy it again.
It’s a lowest common denominator wine. What I mean by that is that if I was having a wedding, and I had to select a red and a white to offer, this is the kind of white I would choose. It will satisfy the largest number of people, won’t cost a lot, and will go with chicken, fish, or cream pasta. It’s a generic wine. It reminded me a lot of a Yellowtail Chardonnay, which is another lowest common denomination wine.
So while the wine was ok with dinner, in the end, I know I could have done better for the price point, or at least the same for a few dollars less. Not worth picking up.
Varietal: Chardonnay
Region: California – Sonoma County – USA
Cost: $14
Aromas of stone fruit with flavors of pear and sweet melon with a clean finish. Pair with seafood or chicken.
Recommendations: Having set long enough in my wine fridge since coming back from California with my wife and I, this bottle of Chardonnay was finally opened this week to pair with a meal of ricotta and herb stuffed chicken.
A nice, slightly buttery flavor (thanks to 5 months in French and American oak), was a great final note to the flavors of pear and sweet melon. That being said, even with the time in oak, the wine still exhibits a very clean, crisp finish after the buttery notes.
A great wine to pair with well-seasoned white meat or seafood, this is a great everyday white wine that’s good for just about any occasion and is priced for it as well. A great one to pick up for dinner for two or a dinner party for a dozen people.
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.
