Shannon Ridge  2015 Cabernet Sauvignon  High Elevation Collection  Lake County CA

I remember trying a bottle from this winery a few years ago somewhere, it was okay and interesting but not available locally at the time. I found this bottle in the powerbuy section at the West Leb Liquor outlet store. There is also another offering from this winery in the same section, a reserve bottling that I haven't tried yet...

The '15 Cabernet High Elevation bottling sources grapes from 3 different vineyards that are between 1200' and 2400'   the areas are; High Valley, Red Hills, and Big Valley. The wine is aged 12 months in French and American oak.

When first opened, notes of blackberry and cranberry, a hint of black plum, and there is something in the nose that reminds me of other wines i've tried from the Lodi area.... I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but it's interesting. I taste blackberry, cranberry, cherry, the tannins are slightly chalky in texture but not overly so. The finish is pleasant and lingers nicely...

Day 2 the nose has become more balanced between the 3 berries, I think the cherry is more noticable. The chalky texture in the mouth has smoothed out, and the palate has a nice, slightly thick mouth feel with the cherry flavor first, then the blackberry and plum follow. Pleasantly tart on the finish with nice tannins.

Right now at not quite 3 years of age, this wine would be nice with food that has some fat in it, grilled sausages, steak tips, a nice Demonico steak, boneless chicken thighs marinated in olive oil, fresh garlic and sea salt.... bbq chicken from the grill would be okay too.

I am intrigued enough by this wine to consider buying 6 bottles and lay them down in the cellar to see what evolves over the next 4 to 5 years, I don't think I'll be disappointed... in the meantime the pricepoint in the powerbuy section is $9.99 per bottle (half price), and until July 1st you get an additional 15% off if you buy a case or more... are you kidding me?!  go try a bottle and tell me what you think.

Cheers!

Ed

 

2010 Rodney Strong Rockaway Vineyard Alexander Valley CA

When I first tried this wine 4 years ago upon its release, it had very vibrant blackberry notes in the nose and palate along with hints of blackcherry. The tannins were surprisingly smooth for a young wine of this caliber, but the winemaking team there is top notch and have the added benefit of Dave Ramey as a consulting winemaker. Dave is a master at making wines of power and grace that are accessible early in their life, but can also age very well.

At almost 8 years of age the blackberry is still dominant, but the  blackcherry has come forward more in both the nose and taste, and possibly a hint of blueberry as well. There are the telltale herbal notes that good Alexander Valley Cabs have, the tannins are still smooth, with a nice balance of fruit and barrel notes on the lingering finish. I believe this bottle had the ability to hold in the cellar for 10 or more years from the vintage date.

 Just a delight to savor, and now more of a match for a piece of bacon wrapped beef tenderloin grilled medium, lamb chops from the grill, or herb crusted pork roast done on a rotisserie. Sides of marinated grilled zucchini, portobello mushrooms, or summer squash would be nice as well I think.

This is not an everyday wine, more of a special occasion treat. I thought Father's day was a good reason to enjoy a bottle of it.... (Mothers day next year also qualifies) I hope all of you Dads out there had a great day, and you or your kids made a special day of it.

Available from the Rodney Strong winery for $75.00 per bottle, also at Total wine in Natick MA for $64.00 per bottle, or $58.00 per bottle if you buy 6 or more "pick 6" qualifying wines... ie; 5 more bottles at $8 to $10 each gets you the discount....

Cheers!

Ed

2016 Fossil Point Rose' Cenral Coast California

I do enjoy a good Rose wine during the summer months, for me it's lighter than a red wine but still gives me the impression I'm drinking more than a white. A good one can stand up to various meats from the grill, and pairs nicely with grilled veggies including grilled Portobello mushrooms.

Fossil Point sources their grapes from various Central Coast vineyards which have soils that are composed of old oyster shells and Calcareous shale and coarse sand. They get breezes from the Pacific ocean which keeps the temps moderate and allows the fruit to mature slowly and evenly.

When I first opened the bottle it had distinct notes of citrus and red berries in the nose, the palate had the citrus with a slight bitterness I wasn't in love with. The bitterness fades after 20 minutes or so and the wine fills out more. I decided to put the cork back in and try it the next day, as it seemed out of sync.

What a difference waiting has made, the nose is a delight to smell with the citrus, a raspberry/strawberry note and a hint of rhubarb. The palate has the citrus (sweet mandarin orange, ruby grapefruit) a hint of peach, and finishes with a pleasant crispness from balanced acidity. It also has a nice slightly thick mouthfeel that begs another sip...

I enjoyed this with some leftover chicken schnitzel, red cabbage and sauerkraut from the Von Trapp brew pub, my wife had a smoked turkey and Cabot cheddar sandwich with her glass. The wine tasted good with both dishes, and l can't wait to try it with some slow cooked ribs, or bbq chicken.

62% Grenache, 38% Syrah, both red grapes that can make a Rose full of flavor....this is one non-red wine that would benefit from opening the bottle an hour ahead of time, or pour the bottle into a carafe or decanter and keep it chilled until serving.

Available at the NH Liquor outlets for $8.99, and it qualifies for an additional 15% off during the American wine sale if you buy a case or more. That drops the price to $7.64 per bottle... can it get any better?

Cheers!

Ed

Vigilance  Cabernet Sauvignon  Red Hills Lake County  California

I have tried some wines from Lake County in the past, this AVA growing area is not as well known as Napa or Sonoma but produces some good wines. It's kind of flying under the radar at the moment but as prices continue to rise for the more popular regions I think you'll see more of the wines show up on shelves.

When first opened, notes of cherry, spice, bell pepper, black currants, and hints of chocolate in the nose. The palate has matching flavors from the nose, with additional dark berry/plum flavors. The tannins are not excessive, with just enough acidity to keep things balanced.

After 30 minutes the wine comes together nicely in both the nose and palate, with a bit more of the dark berry flavors in the mouth. I found myself taking another sniff of the glass as the nose evolved, trying to identify the notes in there...

I think this wine would be best enjoyed with food at the moment, but I have a feeling this will be quite good on its own in 12 to 18 months. Try some herb crusted grilled pork, garlic/rosemary lamb chops, beef stew, a peppercorn crusted sirloin steak....

Available at NH Liquor outlets for $9.99 in the powerbuy section, it's a good value at that price and it qualifies for an additional 15% case discount if you buy 12 or more American wines. That drops the price to $8.49 per bottle, at that price buy a case and drink well during the summer bbq season!

Cheers!

Ed