Posts Tagged ‘tobacco’
This past Thursday I, along with some family and friends, got to engage in the most recent iteration of the Wines of Chile Virtual Blogger Tasting. The theme this time was Carmenere & Curry, and when I got the invite I was intrigued as I’ve enjoyed Carmenere since the first Blogger Tasting I was invited to and my wife and I have increasingly enjoyed curry and while we’ve never combined them I had read that they did pair well.
As usual, the kit included 8 bottles of wine along with a wealth of information both about the wines and the regions, along with some spices for making curry dishes and a USB thumb drive loaded with recipes and even more information about the winemakers and the vineyards. If there’s one thing I can continue to say about this tasting as that there’s no lack of information, something that I greatly appreciate. As for the wines.
Varietal: 36% Cabernet Sauvignon; 33% Merlot; 14% Syrah; 11% Cabernet Franc; 6% Malbec
Region: Washington – USA
Cost: $25
Winemaker’s Notes: Flagship wine of the estate, the HFE Red Mountain consistently displays dense color, firm tannins, and well-defined acidity. Always a majority blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this wine is suitable for drinking upon release, but will reward those with the patience to age it. This wine represents all vineyard blocks farmed within the Hedges Family Estate vineyard portfolio. A true chateau-production bottling, the HFE Red Mountain is the epitome of classic style, and one that represents the Terroir of the Red Mountain AVA in a pure and elegant form.
My Review: Oh big red wines, how I enjoy you. A couple of weeks ago the folks over at Hedges Family Estates sent me a sampling of their portfolio to check out, and included in that was two bottles of the 2008 Red Mountain. On my wife’s recent trip to South Carolina with her parents to visit her brother and his wife I sent one of those bottles with her to share with her brother. Her early report was that it was a steak wine, so the other night we grilled up some steak and lobster tails and popped open the other bottle.
Varietal: 80% Zinfandel; 10% Mourvedre; 8% Carignane; 2% Petite Sirah
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: This is a refined pleasure with intense flavors of blackberry mingling with soft creamy touches of oak, vanilla, and dry herbs. It’s full on the palate, but not heavy and the fruit is constant from the first sip to the end of the finish. Pairs well with grilled pork, pasta Bolognese, and barbecued ribs or chops.
My Review: It’s taken me a while to get around to sampling/reviewing this wine. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to, but rather because I knew what I wanted to pair with it and took my sweet time getting and then cooking up some ribs. This past Saturday I finally got around to it.
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Chile
Cost: $10-12
My Review: So as they are want to do, on a recent trip to my parents’ house they insisted on sending home some wine with my wife and I as they are big supporters of this site and of my drinking habits. I love my mom and dad.
In the glass the wine was a dark purple color that can only be described as inky. It was so dark (how dark was it?) that the only way I was actually able to pick up some of the color was thanks to some bubbles on the surface right after I poured the wine. On the nose I got jammy aromas of dark fruit with a little spice and a smoky/tobacco note.
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Mendoza – Argentina
Cost: $12 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Ruby color with purple hues of good intensity. Complex aromas of ripe fruits such as cherries, black cherries, and plums as well as vanilla, leather, tobacco, and spices such as black pepper and paprika. Full-bodied, sweet tannins, rich red wine with good balance and complexity and a long finish. Pairs well with grilled red meat and pastas.
My Review: If you’ll recall, a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend a lunch featuring several Santa Julia wines. During that lunch, the third course was a steak paired with a reserve cabernet sauvignon and a reserve malbec. While I enjoyed them, and the steak, the chimichurri topping on the steak had quite a bit of heat to it, and sorta fried my palate a little, making it hard to be sure I’d gotten a good sense of the wines. Fortunately, I was able to get a sample of the wines sent over so I could check them out again without my mouth being on fire (though that steak was still delicious).
This past weekend my wife and I decided to do a surf and turf dinner (gorgeous weather makes me want to grill), and since it’d had originally been paired with a steak, it seemed appropriate to that I should do so again. After cooking up a couple of NY Strips and a lobster tail, we sat down with our dinner and bottle of wine.
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 »
