2017  Salmon Run  Chardonnay-Riesling  Finger Lakes  NY  (Dr Konstantin Frank)  Est.1962

I first visited this winery about 25 years ago, along with a half dozen other wineries that I had read about at the beginning of my journey of learning about wine. I was inspired by the writings of Hugh Johnson and a few other journalists who spoke highly of the white wines coming out this area. And it was a place I could drive to, and afford to stay out there for a few days.

At the time they offered around 7 or 8 wines, and it was still low key as people hadn't really heard about the area yet. More often than not if you were there during mid week the Winemaker or owner would be pouring your sample, and you could really ask some in depth questions like which vine clones they were using, what type of soils, how they fermented different grapes etc.
These days they offer 45 different bottlings including sparkling... all quality wines.

These days the Finger Lakes wine region is on a lot of people's radar, when wines from this area are poured at the White House for various functions, it's noticed.... several wine magazines now routinely include this area in their reviews of wines from around America.

Good for the region, but now during the summer months there are a lot of visitors, at times it's downright crowded in the tasting rooms. But it's still fun to go if you're interested in seeing the process of how a wine is made from the vineyard to when it's bottled. And it's less busy in the morning, (most wineries open by 9:30 am, so eat a good breakfast) or go visit after the Labor Day weekend, much less people and the weather is still nice. There are a ton of other things to see and do in that area as well.

This wine opens with a distinct note of pear, a hint of melon, and a hint of citrus that makes me think of tangerines in the nose, the palate has the melon, a mix of tangerine and white grapefruit, and the pear comes through on the finish. There is a nice level of palate cleansing acidity that is just right, it makes you want another sip.... all of these components of the wine were even better on day 2.

I would pair this wine with grilled seafood with fresh lemon or lime squeezed over it, bacon wrapped scallops, cheese fondue, fettuccine alfredo, maybe even grilled stuffed pork chops...

Available currently on sale at the NH Liquor outlets for $9.99 per bottle, there's also a case discount of 15% thru this Saturday, that drops the price to $8.49 per bottle. A great deal from a good producer that's in our region. They also have other Salmon Run wines in West Lebanon, along with the best selection of Finger Lakes wines I've seen in this area, go in and ask one of the staff where they are.

If you try some of these, let me know what you think of them....

Cheers!

Ed

2016  CATENA  Malbec - Vista Flores Appellation - Argentina

The Catena family has been producing wine in Argentina since 1902, and had a pioneering role in high altitude grape growing. They also had the conviction that Malbec could produce good wines in the combination of sandy soils and the intense sunlight that comes with vineyards above 2500'. This particular area is at 3300' in elevation.

The wine opens with notes of blueberry, plum, cherry and a hint of black licorice in the nose, the palate has matching flavors with a nice spicy note that fades pleasantly into a mixed berry finish.

After an hour the fruit notes evolve into a mixed berry pie nose along with a brightness that is quite attractive, and the wine develops a nice medium to full mouthfeel with similar berry pie flavors. The tannins are fine grained and compliment the wine beautifully, and there is just the right amount of acidity to keep it balanced.

This is a very good Malbec at a great price. I recommend you try a bottle of this to guage for yourself the difference between the $8 Malbec you can find everywhere, and a well made wine from an area with a long history of producing great fruit.

This wine begs for a thick cut steak, grilled medium, finished with a dollop of garlic herb butter. Grilled garlic Rosemary lamb chops would also work, dry rubbed ribs cooked low and slow sound like a good match too...

Available at most of the NH Liquor outlets for $13.99, it qualifies for the January sale of 15% off 12 bottles or more. That makes it $11.89 per bottle.... a steal at that price, and a wine you could drink over the next couple of years..... if you can leave it alone.

Let me know what you think of it, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this wine.

Cheers!

Ed

2014  William Hill  Bench Blend  Napa Valley  California

This is a very interesting red wine, most of the grapes are sourced from the William Hill estate vineyard, with additional grapes coming from Monte Rosso, Thomann Station, Sage Canyon, and Snows Lake vineyards. These vineyards all have distinctive soils which add to the complexity of this wine.

William Hill Estate is part of the Gallo Group, which gives the winemakers access to over 3000 acres of vineyards. The website says Bordeaux varieties make up the blend, but I could only find data on 2 of the grapes used to make this wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, and 24% Petite Syrah.
So I'm not really sure what they used to create this wine, but it's tasty.

It opens with notes of cherry, blueberries, black cherry with a spicy note in the nose. The palate is a bit restrained at first, but after 30 minutes developed matching flavors along with hints of blackberries. The nose developed a hint of tobacco leaf, maybe licorice. And the wine has some tannins on the finish, but nothing that a food with some fat in it wouldn't offset.

I tried some extra sharp Cheddar and good Parmesan with this, both were good but I liked the Cheddar better. Meat lasagna, red sauce pasta, grilled steak, beef stew, oven roasted chicken dinner, and prime rib would all be good with this wine.

There is a limited amount of this wine available in the NH Liquor system, the West Lebanon Liquor outlet has 12 bottles, and there are a few other stores that have it.

The price is $17.49 per bottle, there is also a case sale that gives you an additional 15% off on 12 or more bottles, which drops the price to $14.87.... a great price for a wine that normally retails for $35.00.

Cheers!

Ed

2017  Cape Mentelle  White blend  Australia

This blend of Sauvignon blanc and Semillion comes from the Margaret river region of Southwest Australia, the winery was one of the first to plant grapes in this area. They started with 15 hectares of vines, not far from the coast, and today the vineyards total about 150 hectares (300 US acres) planted to a number of grape varieties.

The wine opens with notes of grass, citrus (grapefruit) honeydew melon, and hint of flowers in the nose, the palate has flavors of lime juice, tangerine, nectarine, gooseberries, and there's a slight creaminess to the mouthfeel due to a percentage of the wine being fermented on the lees.

The wine opened up after 10 minutes or so in the glass, the nose and flavors became more complex. This is one of those white wines that I would decant into a carafe, put it back into the fridge and wait 30 to 40 minutes before serving with the meal.

We paired this wine with grilled chicken breasts that had been marinated in Price Choppers house recipe, (pre packaged and in the marinade) red and white baby potatoes seasoned with fresh Rosemary, Thyme, crushed garlic, onions, salt, pepper, and some olive oil cooked in a foil pack on the grill, and steamed broccoli.

The wine was a good match with all the flavors of the food, but didn't overpower the food. It had enough acidity to cleanse the palate after a bite or two, and make you want another sip.

I would also pair this wine with garlic lime grilled shrimp, the Tortelloni Brunelle dish from Lui Lui that has a lemon caper sauce, grilled scallops wrapped in bacon, pork roast, I might even try it with baked boneless chicken breasts stuffed with a mixture of cheddar and prosciutto....

Available at most of the NH Liquor outlets on sale for $9.99, and with the case sale of 15% on 12 or more bottles you pay only $8.49 per bottle! Now is the time to stock up on summer wines if you can, there are a number of red and white wines marked down, and when you add the discount on top of that, it's a win win situation.

Cheers!

Ed

HESS Collection  2017  ALLOMI  Cabernet Sauvignon  single vineyard  Napa Valley

I have liked the wine that comes from this vineyard site for a number of years now, as the vines mature, the quality of the fruit continues to improve. The vineyard is in Pope Valley, an offshoot of Napa Valley with warm growing conditions which favor the red varieties used in this wine.

I tasted the bottle over 3 days to see how it would develop, and it didn't disappoint. There were some rough edges from the tannins at first, but there were notes of cherry, black raspberries, and another fruit note I couldn't quite identify in the nose. The palate had similar flavors of the fruit notes in the nose, with a bit of blackberry, and plums.

After day 2 the tannins subsided a bit and the black fruit flavors evolved more, and had a hint of blueberry in the palate. The finish has nice lingering fruit notes and spiciness that fades pleasantly. I think this wine would benefit from another 18 to 24 months in the cellar, to allow for everything to blend together better. I'll probably buy 6 or so bottles and open one in a year to see where it's at, and open one every 6 months after that to gauge its best time to enjoy.

The 2017 Allomi is a blend of ;

81% Cabernet Sauvignon

12% Petite Sirah

3% Petite Verdot

2% Malbec

2% Merlot

This would be a good match for the Sunday chicken dinner, prime rib, meat lasagna, or a beautiful grilled steak with garlic herb butter...


This wine is available at most of the NH Liquor outlets for $26.99 per bottle (regular price $37.99) thru Dec 31st, Total wine in Natick has it for $22.97 per bottle everyday price. Not a wine for everyday, but for a special occasion it would be a nice choice.

Either price is a very good deal for a quality Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, most other Napa Cabs this good will run you at least $20 to $30 more per bottle.....

Wishing all of you the very best for the Holidays and beyond,

Cheers!

Ed

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