It Starts With A Grape

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Though not labeled Bordeaux, this is a Bordeaux style blend out of France composed of %60 Cabernet Sauvignon and %40 Merlot. It also happens to be made with organically grown grapes, and if I do say so myself, this is a shining example of what organic wine should be. If I were to blindly taste this wine there would not be the slightest of chances that I would guess it was organic. That being said, lets delve on into this beauty… Its deep ruby hue is so dark its borderline opaque, and its legs clung to the side of my glass like half-set jello. The nose on this scrumptious blend presented blueberry pie, warm vanilla creme brulee, and toasted almonds, it smelled so delicious my mouth was nearly watering. The first sip was bursting with fresh juicy blueberries and ripe red raspberries. As the upfront fruit dissipated it left behind a most pleasant toasty oak, which made it presence known but wasn’t overbearing.  In addition to the warm oak brought to my taste buds on a wave of wonderfully soft tannins, its finish possessed just a touch of molasses. This is one meticulously balanced red, with no need to aerate before enjoying. I paired it with bourbon glazed salmon fillet, and a side of garlic and butter sauteed green beans, which is a super easy, quick, and tasty meal by the way. Just let the salmon sit in a bourbon marinade for about a half hour, preheat your oven to 350 and stick it in, skin down on a well greased pan. Give it roughly 10 min for every inch thick your salmon is. As for the green beans, mince some garlic, chop your green beans and sautee them in butter till tender. Anyways, the fat in the salmon coats your palate and allows a wonderfully spicy side of this wine to emerge, filled with freshly cracked black pepper.

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Cotes Du Rhone (Coat-do-rone) is traditionally a blend made of any of the fallowing grapes: Syrah, Grenache, Mourverde, and Carignan. Its called Cotes Du Rhone because of where its grown in France, as is the case with the majority of French wines. This particular Cotes Du Rhone, Saint Esprit, is made up of 75% Syrah, and 25% Greanche. Its a beautiful deep shade of garnet, and opens with a nose of black cherry and tart plumb. Fallowed by light smokey oak and just a hint of cinnamon. With a medium body, its tannins are silky smooth, but maintain enough oomph to give it a fair amount of backbone. Flavors of juicy raspberry and an array of black fruit glide over your taste-buds, moving you gracefully into a finish of soft, smooth oak finish. This is one very well balanced red, that would lend itself well to a number of foods, or could be drunk on its own. Broiled, juicy steak in a garlic sauce with a side of herb-ed red mashed potatoes comes to mind, but it would go just as well with a mild cheese. One word of caution with this wine, I would recommend either decanting it or just giving it a while to open up in your glass, the tannins and acidity were a little much the first time around, but they calm down fairly quickly when aerated.

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This dry, yet refreshing Rose is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah. Its nose is filled with fresh strawberries, and orange blossoms, with hints of honey, and a delicate flutter of white tea. For being a fairly dry Rose, its rather juicy, displaying great upfront fruit, with slightly tart tendencies. Its light-medium in body, and has pleasant mineralistic undertones, wrapped up in a tangy finish of cranberries and tangerines. It pairs beautifully with grilled (or broiled) salmon in a light bourbon glaze, accompanied by a side of sauteed asparagus, delicately seasoned with black pepper and garlic. If your just looking for cheese, go with a soft, spreadable goat cheese.

Packing more of a punch than one would normally expect from a Frenchy, is this delightfully full flavored Cabernet. It opens with quite earthy aromas, nuances of freshly sliced green peppers, while maintaining enough fruit to achieve a nice balance. There’s plenty of diversity on the palate, and the longer you drink it the more the layers will unfold, initially revealing ripe cherries and smokey oak, moving on to blackberries and hints of strawberry, and finishing with ample oak and cassis. Its medium to heavy in body, and would lend itself excelently to smoked chicken with a side of grilled asparagus.

Upon my first sniff, it was apparent that this was going to be a delightfully spicy wine. Most distinguishably cinnamon, along with plum, and black currant. It had sort of a sweet and sour sort of thing going on with its bouquet.  Though this wine has ample fruit, I quickly realized it needed to sit open (or be decanted) for an hour or so, to really let the fruit shine through to the palate. Otherwise, its just a tad too tannic. After letting it sit for a while, its juicy fruit was fallowed nicely by a bone dry,spice filled finish. This is a good wine for sipping, but it would also pair perfectly with a hearty stew, or a berry glazed rack of lamb.

From France, this Pinot opens up with a lovely toasty oak on the noes, and jammy fruits including blackberry, and dark cherries. Id say its anywhere from light-medium, to medium bodied. Upfront, but pleasant fruit is first to caress your palate, with a subtle lingering oak on the finish. Its well balanced, and along the same strain as a traditional french Pinot, but with a slight new world twist. It would pair well with anything from roasted lamb, to a light beef stew. However you can certainly enjoy this one all by itself, it doesn’t need food.

Breaking away from the traditionally elegant and subtle French pinots, La Baume is big and bold. Its strong tannin structure beautifully compliments its super-sized fruit flavors, which include tart blackberries and just ripened black cherries. Wimpy it is not, filled with an array of peppery spices on the nose as well as the palate. It will stand up to such foods as grilled steak or nutty super sharp cheese. This pinot is a perfect companion for those chilly winter nights.