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Red Wine Review: Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

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Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2008 | Napa Valley, California, USA

On first whiff the nose expresses enticing black and red berry fruits — both fresh and mature, but then as it sits in the glass it’s chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. In the mouth it is similarly dominated by a milk chocolate flavor mixed with blackberry and sweet black raspberry. It has a pleasant finish of more chocolate, vanilla, sweet red berry, black cherry, and boysenberry flavors that linger. There is ample, mouth-puckering acidity and mild tannins. Texture is smooth, with good weight, feeling almost syrupy.

I’m not sure what to make of this wine. It’s clearly complex with enough acidity to match with food, but when I drank it with a juicy ribeye, all I got from the wine was chocolate. Sometimes I like the taste of chocolate, but not when I’m eating steak, so perhaps it should be more of an after-dinner wine with a cheese plate. Though the acidity was ample, the tannins were surprisingly mild. Despite all the ripe fruit upfront, there was no heat on the finish, which was nice.

Also surprising was the sediment; generally I don’t expect that from a 4-year-old wine. Sediment doesn’t bother me and I don’t consider it a flaw, but I do find it curious.

My thought is this wine was going through a “dumb phase” when I poured it — a time in its evolution when it wasn’t integrated, and showing less than its full potential. I say this because there is clearly a ton of fruit, complexity, and attractive aromas and flavors, but for whatever reason it isn’t hitting on all cylinders. If you have a bottle of this vintage, keep it in the cellar for at least another 6 months to a year before giving it a try. How long can it age? Hard to say, as the acidity will hold it together, but the lack of tannin — which with acid is also a preservative — suggests that this isn’t a wine for decade-holding. On the other hand, maybe I don’t understand what this wine is — which is possible (probable?) as I consider myself a novice when it comes to California wine.

Find this wine at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher

Disclosure: I received this wine as a press sample

This wine was also reviewed by Drinkhacker, Bigger Than Your Head (2009 vintage), Pull that Cork, and The Wine Cask Blog, among others (if you’ve seen another review or written one yourself, let us know in the comments).

Red Wine Review: Murrieta’s Well The Spur

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Murrieta’s Well The Spur 2009 | Livermore Valley, California, USA

A few months back, I reviewed the 2008 vintage of Murrieta’s Well The Spur. Now, the 2009.

The suggestion was to enjoy this wine with food from the grill. Unfortunately, I live in a place where grills are verboten — which kills me, because I love grilling — so I had to improvise.

Since I don’t have a grill, I instead turned the toaster oven on “broil” and popped in a sliced vidalia onion and small filet mignon. Those two items were joined by fresh kale sauteed with bacon and onions and a sweet potato. Guess what? The Spur was a wonderful match with everything. As you might expect, it was particularly tasty with the beef, as it unlocked delicious flavors of sweet red raspberry, some black fruits, licorice, and cocoa.

The fruity nose and juicy, almost jammy upfront flavors of this wine threw me off, because my initial impression was one of “typical sweet California blend.” However, that thought flew out the window quickly, as the midpalate and finish whacked me with ample acidity and firm tannins — so much so that this wine became difficult to enjoy on its own. For me, that’s a good thing, because in my mind, wine belongs on the table, to be drunk with food.

The PR kit suggested barbecue, and I agree. The screwcap closure certainly makes it especially BBQ / picnic friendly. Would I buy this and bring it to an outdoor dinner party / picnic / barbecue? Absolutely — and I’d expect it to be a crowd-pleaser.

Find this wine at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher

Disclosure: I received this wine as a press sample

This wine was also reviewed by The Frugal Wine Snob, Drinkhacker, and Pull That Cork, among others (if you reviewed it, or see another review, let me know in the comments).

Red Wine Review: Torres Celeste Crianza

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Miguel Torres “Celeste” Crianza Ribera del Duero 2007 | Spain

No, this is not a wine made by the mixed-martial arts fighter — though it is similarly intense and packs a punch.

“Celeste” Crianza is made by Miguel Torres the wine producer — a diverse family-owned company that makes wine in Spain, Chile, and California. This particular bottle comes from the Ribera del Duero region in Spain (the company also owns vineyards in Penedes, Jumilla, Priorat, Toro, Conca de Barbera, and Priorat). Torres has the largest winery in Spain and is its largest producer, exporting to 140 countries.

This wine is the family’s first foray into Ribera del Duero. The name “Celeste” is translated from Spanish as “celestial”, “heavenly”, or simply, “sky”, and refers to the fact that the vineyards are located 895 meters above sea level — in other words, way up in the sky and close to the heavens. To me this 100% Tempranillo wine is more like a modern Rioja than a Ribera del Duero, because it is clean, has upfront juicy red berry fruit, and has a distinctive vanilla oak element. But then again, I haven’t really been “into” Ribera del Duero in a while, so maybe that region is modernizing their wine as well.

The nose has an opulent floral fragrance with ripe red fruits and a hint of cassis. Rose petals, cherry, sweet blueberry, and boysenberry. In the mouth it is ripe and juicy with flavors of blueberry and boysenberry. The texture is creamy smooth. Tannins are mild as is the acidity; this is borderline “fat”. The finish is a bit hot, but that’s what you get with such a ripe flavor profile.

Due to the fatness and heat this is a little difficult to match with food. But, I like it as a “cocktail” wine or “fireside” wine; something to drink on its own.

Find Torres Celeste Crianza at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap

Disclosure: I received this wine as a press sample