2018 Luna Vineyards Rosé  Napa CA

We enjoy a good Rosé during the warmer months of the year, and also offer one before, and during holiday meals for those who want something different to sip on.

This wine has a screw top, but don't be put off by that. The color has good eye appeal, and it has notes of strawberry, watermelon, and a hint of raspberries in the nose. The palate mirrors the nose, with a hint of honeydew melon as well. It's not overly dry, but not sweet either, and there's a hint of spice on the finish.

This was very enjoyable to sip on by itself, I also tried it with a salad that had kalamata olives, Feta, and dilly beans (nice) my wife tried it with her garlic grilled chicken and mixed vegetables, she said it was very good with those flavors as well.

I couldn't find any info on which grapes they used to make the wine, but the winery leans towards Italian varieties on their list of wines for sale. So I wonder if they used Sangiovese as part of the blend of grapes for color and flavor. They also were the first to plant Pinot Grigio alond the Silverado trail according to the website, so there may be some of that as well....

It's a very good value of a wine at the price, This would pair well with appetizers, or the main course as well. For me it would be fun to try a number of pairings to see what would work.

Available at the West Lebanon Liquor outlet, Claremont, and most of the southern tier of Outlet stores for $8.99 per bottle. If you like a Rosé wine you should try a bottle of this, if it's the first time for you, this would be a good way to introduce your palate to how tasty they can be....

Cheers!

Ed

 2015  4 Cellars  Red Blend  Columbia Valley   WA State

By now most of you who have read my blog know that I like wines from Washington State, so when I saw this red wine blend in the powerbuy section I took a bottle home with me to try.

It was good when I opened it, and even better on day 2. So I went back and bought a case of it to have a few bottles in my cellar for enjoying over this fall and winter with hearty stews and oven roasted chicken dinners.

This wine is made by Browne Family Cellars located in the Walla Walla area of WA State for the Country music group Little Big Town. The group is friends with the owner Andrew Browne, and through trying different wines realized that their passion for good wine was more serious than they thought. So in partnership with the Browne family started 4 Cellars wines.

The nose greets you with blackberries, black raspberries, purple plums, and a hint of Mulberries,  the berry smells get more intense as the wine breathes and opens up. The palate has all of the berry flavors, it's a bit tart initially but that goes away the longer it's open. There are some fine grained tannins, but any food with a bit of fat will balance that out.

On day 2 this wine was very smooth, with a nice plush mouthfeel and could be sipped by itself.
I think this wine would be a great complement to a Prime rib dinner, Beef Stroganoff, Beef Bourguignon, a good Venison stew, Lamb chops, or a grilled bacon cheeseburger....

It available in some of the NH Liquor outlets for $9.99 per bottle, 

 

2016  TAPIZ  Malbec  Organically farmed grapes  Uco Valley Argentina

I spotted this wine in the Powerbuy section of the West Lebanon Liquor outlet, when I saw the combination of Malbec, Uco Valley, and Argentina I decided to try it. The Uco Valley has several sites that arguably produce some of the best Malbec wines in the world.

The Tapiz winemaker, Fabian Valenzuela, was previously employed by Bodega Catena of Argentina, which led the way for bringing the wines of Argentina to the attention of the world. He learned how to make wine with Pepe Galante, who was the head Winemaker for many years at Catena.

 The consulting winemaker of Tapiz, was the winemaker for Chateau Petrus in Bordeaux France from 1964 until 2008. He was responsible for making one of the most revered, and expensive wines in the world. Jean Claude Berrouet brings a world of knowledge and expertise to the team so they can optimize the potential of the excellent sites under cultivation.

The back label of the bottle says the wine has flavors of cherries, raspberries, spice and violets. I can't describe the wine any better than that, the nose has the cherries, raspberries and spice when first opened. Day 2 brings deeper flavors and scents in the nose, I thought there was a hint of red plums in both nose and palate. The tannins are fine grained, and the wine still has some youth to it even at 4 years of age. I'm tempted to buy 6 bottles and open one every 6 months to see how it develops.

Right now I would enjoy this with grilled chicken basted with bbq sauce, slow cooked ribs with a dry rub. I think that this would also be good with a Thanksgiving dinner, there are so many varied flavors that make up that meal and enough fat to balance the tannins of this wine. Of course a well marbled steak grilled medium would be a classic pairing for this wine as well....

Available at the West Lebanon Liquor outlet for $9.49 per bottle in the powerbuy section, they have changed the website, and I can't see readily which stores carry certain wines anymore. So it appears that you will have to select a store near you to see if they have this one.

This is a well made wine in my opinion at a good price, let me know what you think of it.

Cheers!

Ed

 

Charles De Fère  Cuvée Jean-Louis  Brut Rosé  vin mousseux  NV

Whew, that's a lot of words to describe a sparkling wine, but it seems like the French have a fondness for elaboration at times....

We like a tasty Brut Rosé in certain situations, and sometimes just because. They usually are a bit softer, and have more flavor than a white grape based bubbly. The website doesn't say which grapes are used for this Non Vintage sparkling wine, but I would say Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier for the color, and Chardonnay for balance.

This wine isn't produced in the Champagne appellation, and as such can't legally say "Champagne" on the label. But they can use "traditional method" or vin mousseux to indicate sparkling wine made outside of Champagne.

This wine is in the powerbuy section of the West Lebanon Liquor outlet store, and some of the other NH outlets. At a purchase price of $6.99 per bottle I figured "why not", and I'm glad I did.

This opens with notes of strawberry, watermelon, and other red fruit notes in the nose, the palate tastes of strawberries, raspberries, along with a hint of white grapefruit. The bubbles are surprisingly fine for a sparkling wine at this price, but then again it's made in France and they do know a thing or two about making wine.

Day 2 the red fruit flavors become a bit more complex, and the nose picks up an additional note of melon, and raspberry. There's a hint of sweetness on the tongue when first sipped, but it finishes dry without being tart. This wine drinks well above the price point, and would be nice to serve around the holidays, or perhaps on any weeknight when it's been a trying day and you need something nice to remind you that life is not all about work....

You could enjoy this wine before a meal, something to start the evening as an apero. Or serve it with steamed lobster and a side of drawn butter (my preference) I believe that it could also be enjoyed at the end of the meal with chocolate dipped strawberries, or a fruit salad that had a splash of Kirsch in it....

Go try a bottle of this bubbly, I think you'll find it a great deal.... and they'll think you spent a lot more on it....

Cheers!

Ed