MONTES  ALPHA  Cabernet Sauvignon  Colchagua Valley  Chile

I had read up on Chilean wines after trying a few bottles 8 or 10 years ago, most of what's available to us are the entry level bottlings. They are good, reasonably  priced, everyday wines that are perfect for most foods. But in Hugh Johnson's pocket guide to wine he talks about the next levels of bottles that for a while weren't available to us in this area.

So when I visited the Total wine store in Norwalk CT 4 years ago, and saw this mid range offering from Montes I had to try it. That vintage was definitely a cut above the basic bottlings, and I added some bottles to my cellar.

Now that we have a big new NH Liquor outlet in West Lebanon, both the entry level and the Alpha bottles are on the shelves. For a few dollars more the Alpha is the better deal (when it's on sale)

Montes dry farms the vineyards sustainably, resulting in a 65% decrease in their water footprint. The soils are healthier, which makes for happy vines, and they produce grapes with better flavors and aromatics. And we get to drink delicious wine... win win.

The Alpha opens with notes of mint, plum, cherry, and other red fruit in the nose, the palate has cherry, plum, fine tannins, and a delicate spiciness on the finish. It has a beautiful deep red color, still clear at the very edge of the wine in the glass.

 I drank this bottle over 3 days, and it continued to develop and open with new elements in the nose and palate. Day 2 the mint was more prominent, along with an added note of currants and blackberries, a hint of black raspberries in the palate, and more of a full mouth, almost creamy feel by day 3.

I think this would pair well with a peppercorn crusted steak, grilled garlic/rosemary lamb chops, a traditional roast chicken dinner, I might even try stuffed pork chops with garlic smashed potatoes and brown gravy....

Available at the NH Liquor outlets on sale currently for $11.99 per bottle, (regularly $20)  Total wine has it for $16.99, and it's probably about the same price over in the Glens Falls area of NY.
Give it a try for something different from the California wines, if you have a decanter or carafe decant for an hour or so before the meal at this point in its development. I think a few more years in the cellar will bring out some other flavors in it also.

Cheers!

Ed

2016  MONROSSO  Tuscan Red Blend  Estate grown grapes

I ran into a good friend of mine at the West Lebanon Liquor outlet Friday night after work, he's taught me a lot about Italian wines and food over the years. He recommended that I try this wine from Monsanto, he felt like it was a good value for the money. And after trying the wine with both a red sauce pasta, and a supreme pizza, l would have to agree.

Al has been a guest of the winery in Italy during his time as an employee of a major wine distributor in the USA, and has seen first hand how this iconic Italian winery produces the award winning wines they're known for (Their Chianti is very good) You can find him from time to time in both the West Lebanon outlet and the Centerra outlet. He is now a representative for the NH Liquor commission, and is very knowledgeable about a wide range of wines. He can help you find whatever type of wine you're looking for, you'll recognize him from his curly white hair. And he looks Italian as well...

The Monrosso opens with cherry, plum, and a whiff of tobacco leaf in the nose. The palate had matching flavors and felt a bit thin when first opened. After 45 minutes there is more of a full mouthfeel, the cherry and plum are still there, but now there's a note of blackberries as well in both the nose and palate. It finishes with pleasant lingering fruit notes and a touch of tartness.

The wine is composed of 60% Syrah, 32% Cabernet, 5%Merlot, and 3% Sangiovese

This is a well made wine, one that will pair well with a number of different foods. There's a spicy note on the finish, so foods with some pepper or other spices will bring out some other flavors in the wine. I think it would also be great with the foods you'd find on the Thanksgiving dinner table, but decant for an hour prior to the meal.

Available at most of the NH Liquor outlets for $14.99 per bottle, and for $13 to $15 per bottle in various retail outlets across NE and NJ.

Cheers!

Ed

2018  INDOMITA  Gran Reserva  Pinot Noir  Casablanca Valley  Chile

Having liked the INDOMITA Cabernet Sauvignon, I decided to try the Pinot Noir tonight and I am glad that I picked up a bottle of this wine.

This Pinot is made in an old school style, not overly extracted but full of aromatics and flavor.

The Casablanca Valley is a cooler climate growing region, allowing for slow, even ripening over the growing season. This region is also known for producing good Chardonnay, which benefits from the same slow ripening conditions.

The Pinot takes about 20 minutes or so to open up the nose, with notes of flowers and red fruit at first, which then become more identifiable as cherry and strawberry. The palate has flavors of the cherry, strawberries and a hint of ripe raspberries. I also got a bit of red plums after an hour of being in the glass.

It has a slightly thick mouthfeel, and the fruit notes fade pleasantly away on the finish, begging for another sip to taste the flavors. This is a wine for people to try who appreciate a food friendly Pinot, and a red wine in my opinion for those people who normally don't drink reds to try....

This will be nice on the holiday dinner table, or equally at home with grilled veggies, a roast chicken dinner, herb crusted pork roast, venison stew, or any number of foods...

Available at the West Lebanon Hannaford grocery store on sale for $7.99 per bottle, and I'm sure at other Hannaford stores as well. And if you buy 6 or more bottles you get another 10% off the price, that makes it $7.20 per bottle.... a steal at that price!

Let me know what you think....

Cheers!

Ed

INDOMITA  2017 Grand Reserva Cabernet  Sauvignon  Chile

My neighbor dropped off a bottle of this wine at my door for me to try, he had found it in one of the local grocery stores. He knew that I have a fondness for good quality Chilean red wines, they are a great value and a good match for grilled foods, especially over charcoal or wood fires.

Indomita owns 2800 acres of vines between the Maipo, Bio-Bio, and Casablanca valleys, allowing them the ability to blend grapes of the same variety with different flavor characteristics depending on growing conditions.

The Cab opens with notes of mint, eucalyptus, red berries, and black currants in the nose, the palate has the red berries, plum, and a hint of black raspberries that finishes slightly tart, with fine tannins.

It's got a nice red color, medium body, and balanced by just right acidity, with the promise of enough structure that you could put some of them away in the cellar to try in a year. If you can resist...

This is nice to sip on by itself, but will shine with a wide range of foods starting with grilled meats. In particular a good Angus Porterhouse or Delmonico finished with garlic herb butter, or rosemary/garlic lamb chops, a marinated flat steak cooked medium, sliced thin....rotisserie chicken from the grill would also be nice with this...

Available at the Hannaford's store in West Lebanon for $7.99 per bottle, and if you buy 6 or more bottles you get an additional 10% off.... that makes it $7.20 a bottle.... its also available at some Total wine stores in CT and NJ for $13.99, if you live in that area.

Let me know what you think....

Cheers!

Ed

2016  Nine Hats  Riesling  Columbia Valley  WA

We always have several different types of Riesling in our cellar, from dry to semisweet and a few dessert wines. The grape is very food friendly, allowing it to pair well with a wide range of cuisines. Or it can be enjoyed by itself on a warm summer evening, as you relax and let the day fade away.

I spotted this in the powerbuy section of the West Lebanon Liquor outlet, and when I saw it was from WA State there was no hesitation about trying a bottle of it. The quality of fruit from this area is always consistently good, and occasionally excellent.

It opens with notes of citrus, peach/apricot, wet stones and white flowers in the nose, the palate has flavors of tangerine, peach, gooseberries, and a hint of spice. The mouthfeel has a slightly thick texture, with just right acidity and a pleasant finish. The color is a nice pale yellow with a greenish tint, and the wine is just slightly off dry.

This is a very well made Riesling, enjoyable with food or by itself. I would recommend this for the Thanksgiving meal for those who prefer a white wine over a red, or enjoy this with some szechuan as it has just enough sweetness to balance the heat.

It was perfect last night with some Jaeger Schnitzel that had shallots and Crimini mushrooms in a mustard cream sauce.....

Available at most of the NH Liquor outlets for $7.49 per bottle, a really great value at this price!
With the holidays fast approaching, go get yourself at least half a dozen bottles or a case of this wine.... you and your guests will be happy you did.

Cheers!

Ed

2015 Hedges  CMS  red blend  Columbia Valley Washington State

I have enjoyed this wine for a number of years now, it's always a good value and the vineyards  are farmed biodynamiclly. They offer a number of different bottlings that range from widely sourced grapes in the Columbia Valley to single vineyard sites.

The '15 vintage of CMS is composed of 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 65% Merlot, and 8% Syrah.

When first opened the Merlot shows first with bright notes of cherry, plum, and some spice in the nose, the Cabernet starts to show up with a hint of blackberry after 15 - 20 minutes. The palate was very pleasant with matching flavors, quite smooth, and a pleasant finish of fruit flavors that fade nicely.

Day 2 brought out the Syrah, with the deeper, wild notes that Syrah from WA can have. There's more blackberries in the nose, and a bigger mouthfeel with the cherry, plum, and blackberry flavors more evenly balanced, culminating in a spicy/peppery finish.

The wine on day 2 begs for a Delmonico steak with simple salt and pepper seasoning, finished with a pat of garlic herb butter, or a peppercorn crusted steak. Prime rib would also like a seat at the table with this wine...

Pretty good value for an entry level wine that is well made, and even at 4 years old could still last in the cellar for another 2 to 4 years. Available at Total Wine stores for $9.99 per bottle, $8.99 if you buy 6 or more bottles.  The NH Liquor outlets have it for $16.99, but it goes on sale there once in a while.

Cheers!

Ed

COLLIVO  2010  Merlot  Ticino  Switzerland

I bought this wine during one of our visits with family in Switzerland, it had been mentioned in Hugh Johnson's pocket wine book as one worth seeking out if you happened to be in country.

The reserve was only $5.00 more than the regular bottling, so that's the one that came home with me. I had purchased 2 bottles, and opened one there to gauge where the wine was in its development. Based on my impressions from other young red wines, I felt it needed some time in the cellar. It had great fruit and structure, but the tannins were very strong and needed food that had plenty of fat to balance them. So it's sat on a bottom rack in the cellar for 5 years, and I'm glad that I waited for it to come into balance.

At 9 years of age it's in the sweet spot, notes of cherry, raspberry, red plum and tobacco leaf in the nose, cherry and plum on the palate with just right tannins, acidity and a hint of underbrush that reflects the warm, dry conditions found in the Italian speaking region. A nice, not too thin or thick mouthfeel with a pleasant finish of the fruit flavors that fades nicely. So good...

You can sip it by itself, or enjoy it with food. I tried it with some good Parmesan, no bread or crackers, it was a very good match. I also had an antipasto plate that had herbed kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, Mozzarella pearls, fresh basil leaves, and a sliced, grilled Italian sausage.  It brings me back to evenings hanging out with my cousins on their patio on a nice evening... enjoying life one moment at a time.

You'll have to travel to Switzerland to find this wine, or any of the other very good wines that are produced there by dedicated Winemakers working small vineyards. The cost was about $20 for this bottling, a great value for a well made wine that reflects where the grapes were grown.

Put a visit to Switzerland's wine growing regions on your bucket list, and you'll understand why 95% of all wine production is consumed in country or within 20 kilometers of the border. They know a good thing when they taste it...

Cheers!

Ed