It Starts With A Grape

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This lovely Malbec, hailing from Argentina, displays a gorgeous, vibrant ruby hue. Given its relatively young age, this high altitude (5,900ft.) red boasts multiple layers. But lets start with its nose… Upfront there’s a wave of dark, mature black cherries which lays upon a smooth aroma of warm oak. Beneath the robust cherries lays jammy fig and a more subtle note of truffle, hinting at the presence of an earthy side on the palate. Intrigued? I am! But this nose doesn’t end there, there’s also a most lovely scent of warm vanilla, with just a smidge of anise lurking below. The first thing to hit my palate was a big, fresh, zippy strawberry, fallowed by dark, heavy blackberry preserves. As the fruit dissipates, warm vanilla emerges momentarily, only to give way to a bone dry charred oak finish, with a touch of (drum roll please) earthy kamlata olives. Though I did not personally enjoy this lively Malbec with any particular dish, next time its going alongside a thick and juicy, pepper rubbed, grilled steak, with a side of portobbelo topped red mashed potatoes.

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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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First and foremost, this wine needs to breath. Decant it, pour it a half hour before you drink it, or if you don’t have the time, pour it back and forth between two glasses a couple of times, just get some air on it.

This will reveal a bright nose of blueberries, ripe red, fresh off the vine raspberries, black pepper, and charcoal. This 100% Granacha is an almost electric hue of magenta, and even after vigorously aerating, this wine still bites (in a good way!). If you want to wake up your dormant taste buds this phenomenally robust red will do the trick! It delivers a spicy wave of flavors including cinnamon and tarragon, along with a wallop of tangy raspberry, and plenty of black pepper. If you could taste the smell of a smoldering campfire on a cool summer night, well, that’s the finish you will get from this Spanish firecracker. It makes me crave bacon and Gorgonzola atop grilled steak on a bed of sauteed spinach delicately seasoned with fresh garlic.

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Many people are not yet familiar with the tannat grape.  It got its start in the South West of France, but you could say it got its big break in Uruguay, where it is now one of the most widely planted grapes. This dark beauty in particular opens with a nose of dark chocolate, toasty vanilla, and a hint of baked pineapple. Its super deep, inky color only builds anticipation until it hits your lips, where it delivers a hefty dose of dark cassis. Soon there after follows thick molasses, and dried prunes, with a touch of black olives. Its finish is one of intense oak and mild sweet tobacco. Overall, in case you haven’t gathered, this is one very dark, inky wine and would stand up  nicely to smoked foul. Don’t even try it with anything light, you wont even taste the food.

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From the Languedoc region in France comes this terrifically blended red, consisting of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Carignan. It opens with a nose of blackberry jam, blueberries, and mild oak, with subtle aromas of roasted green peppers. Its medium-heavy in body, and a deep shade of cranberry in color. Plenty of blueberry carries over to the palate, along with a surprisingly fair amount of oak, given its subtle presence in the bouquet. It has an interesting layer of earth to it, reminiscent of a wet decaying tree covered in moss, but in a good way, if you can imagine that. Though i could see it standing up well to something as heavy and simple as grilled steak, I think it would be better suited paired along side grilled pork in a medium-sweet/savory tomato based sauce.

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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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Rolling in from Spain at the rock bottom price of $8.99 is this scrumptious Monastrell. Its deep plum in color, and its spicy dark nose is bursting with currant, jammy fruit, and black tea. Even though there’s an abundance of charred oak on the palate it remains smooth in your mouth. The cassis from the nose carries over well, accompanied by blackberry preserves, and a touch of raisin. If I could use just two words to sum this one up they would be dark and mysterious. The oaky finish is fairly dry with a surprising re-emergence of the aforementioned black tea lingering about. It pairs surprisingly well with fresh strawberries (a completely accidental find), really bringing out the fruit in the wine. It would also work well with a grilled steak seasoned liberally with black pepper in a berry glaze, sprinkled lightly with crumbled gorgonzola.

Because many people are still not familiar with this varietal (Monastrell) here’s a little info:

Monastrell also goes by the names Mourverde and Mataro. If you have ever heard the term GSM when someone was describing a wine, well its blend, and the ‘M’ stands for Mourverde, (the G and S are Grenache and Syrah). When its not being used in this popular blend, it produces big, deep, and sometimes earthy reds on its own, its also a favorite among winemakers for roses.

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Straight from Central Tuscany comes this this rather yummy red blend of Sangiovese(%85) and Cabernet Sauvignon(%15). Its not super fragrant, but there are subtle, pleasant aromas of plum, fresh fig, and mild oak, with just a nuance of vanilla. Its medium in body, super easy going, and its soft oak lends structure without being overbearing. Not to mention its smooth as silk tannins, this is one wonderfully balanced wine. Though the fruit isn’t ‘in your face’ it is quite juicy with plenty of ripe red raspberry, and strawberry jam. This smooth Tuscan treat is perfect for pizza night. I enjoyed it with bacon and onion toppings, but could see it working with a sweet sausage topping as well.

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Just in case anyone is wondering about the whole ‘old vine’ thing, it implies that the wine was made from grapes produced literally from old vines. There is no rule in place that says the wine really has to be from old vines, but reputable producers don’t use the term loosely. Just like you can taste when wine came from ‘young’ vines, you can also tell when it comes from old vines (generally). But enough with the tech talk, on to the good stuff…

This red beauty has a rich bouquet of raisins, blackberry jam, and molasses, with hints of eucalyptus and strong brewed chai tea. It has a ridiculously smooth and silky mouth feel, delivering huge deep fruit flavors to your taste buds.  Super soft, but structured tannins are the perfect vehicle for its jammy fruit flavors, reminiscent of a spiced fig tart. Clove and toasted oak linger on its lengthy finish. Enjoy it with chipotle-BBQ chicken, or super sharp cheese.

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My first reaction to this blend out of Spain was simply wow. It has an ultra fragrant nose, filled with spicy aromas of freshly cracked black pepper and clove, dried figs, warm oak, and just a hint of black olives. Add to that its beefy legs, and deep magenta hue, I couldn’t get the glass to my mouth fast enough. And oh what a mouthful…dried cherries, cassis, and oak dominate the palate.  Its got a pleasant bite to it, and notes of cinnamon and dark cocoa that sweep you away to its bone dry charred oak finish. Pair it with a creamy swiss for a mid day snack, or grilled spicy sausage and peppers for someting a little more substantial.