Posts Tagged ‘tannat’
Varietal: Petite Sirah; Tempranillo; Syrah; Grenache; Malbec; Mourvedre; Nebeillo; Tannat; Souzao; Aglianico; Barbera; Zinfandel; Petite Verdot; Cabernet Franc; Charbano; Nero d’Avola; Sanviovese; Sagrantino
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: This Big House Red lives up to that old Fruit Bomb moniker that you’ve come to expect. It starts with a nose full of blackberries and raspberries, with hints of leather and spices. The palate is clean, exhibiting flavors of cranberries, roses, and a touch of rhubarb. This finish lingers, with flavors of vanilla and a touch of dark cherries in the finish. Pairs well with all grilled meats, lasagna Bolognese, grilled vegetables, or even sashimi grade Ahi tuna.
My Review: The previous version of this wine was one of those that I was torn on. I liked what they were trying to do by creating a table wine with a little bit of everything that could then go with a little bit of everything, but I felt that the attempt created a wine that just fell flat. This vintage was different.
Varietal: Merlot (78% Merlot; 11% Syrah; 6% Tannat; 4% Petite Sirah; 1% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10 (SRP)
Ruby red in color with aromas of violets and bright raspberries. Flavors of plums, cherries, and blackberry with a long finish. Pairs well with spiced lamb chops, pasta salad, and roasted chicken.
Recommendations: If you’ve been following this site for a while now, you know of my decision to give Merlot another try, having had some bad experiences with it in the past, but having recently found some that I enjoyed. Because of that, I was happy when some samples for Blackstone included a bottle of Merlot to help me on the path to acceptance.
The wine was a dark ruby color in the glass, very definitely red without any real hints of purple. On the nose I got raspberry and a hint of tartness which was then carried through to the palate where it reminded both my wife and I of just under-ripe cherries. I was pleased with the nice smooth finish though, which was impressive given the 13.5% alc/vol (not high, but not low either). Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (55% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% Malbec; 8% Cabernet Franc; 8% Petit Verdot; 7% Tannat; 5% Merlot; 3% Petite Sirah)
Region: California – USA
Cost: $22 (SRP)
Deep red color with aromas of cherry, anise, dried herbs, and tobacco. Flavors of blackberry, caramel, and subtle notes of coffee with a lingering finish and firm tannins. Pairs well with lamb steaks, beef carpaccio, cheddar cheese potatoes gratin.
Recommendations: When I got this wine, I was instantly interested in it thanks to the blend. I’m a fan of most of the grapes in this wine as a single varietal, so I was hopeful that they would blend together well. As the tasting notes for this wine recommended pairing it with lamb, it took me a few weeks to finally open this, as I had never cooked lamb before and was slowly but surely psyching myself up to do just that. This weekend I did just that.
The wine was a beautiful deep red in the glass, and I got aromas of cherry and a hint of tobacco on the nose. Flavors of blackberry were most prevalent to me, but what really impressed me was the smoothness of the wine. At least in my opinion I cooked the lamb just right 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: Claret (50% Merlot; 20% Touriga; 15% Cabernet Franc; 8% Chambourcin; 4% Petite Verdot; 2% Tannat; 1% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $15
A medium-bodied wine of ruby/garnet coloring offering flavors of herb and berry, most notably raspberry. A slightly dry, tannic finish is reminscent of Chianti, but the overall smoothness of the wine allows it to be paired with a wide variety of foods.
Recommendation: My wife and I enjoyed this wine with a pair of steaks, and it was a great compliment to them. The wine didn’t overwhelm the meat, but the slightly dry finish was a great balance to the juiciness of the steaks. Even after the meal had been finished, I still enjoyed finishing the bottle by itself, a quality I find desirable in any wine I drink – being able to be enjoyed without food. What I liked best about this wine was that while the dryness on the finish worked great with juicy steaks, it wasn’t so dry as to require something like that, and would compliment a dryer meal as well. While I won’t go so far as to say that this is a substitute for Chianti if that’s where your tastes lie, this is a great blend to serve for guests when you’re not sure where their tastes lie. Definitely worth picking up, particularly at this price point.
Varietal: Red Table Wine (45% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 18% Tannat, 8% Touriga, 7% Chambourcin)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $13
Very simple, straight forward table wine. Lake Anna labels it as: ”No red cherries. No spicy berries. No toasty nuances. No suggestive notes.” Good for enjoying by itself or with a meal. Great value for the price.
Recommendation: I’m a big believer in the table wine, a wine that isn’t overly complex, but nice and simple that goes well with a simple meal and doesn’t cost much, and Lake Anna has been kind enough to supply us with one. The Totally Red table wine from Lake Anna is perfect for anybody looking for a bottle of wine that will go great with steak, pasta, chicken, pork, appetizers, chili….I think you get the point. As red table wines go, this definitely ranks as one of my top ranked ones, and is one that I am sure to continue to keep in my wine cellar, and that I recommend you do as well. Enjoy.
