Tag Archives: cabernet

Red Wine Review: Grey Single Block Cabernet Sauvignon

Vina Ventisquero Grey Single Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 | Trinidad Vineyard | Maipo Valley, Chile

Vina Ventisquero Grey Block Cabernet Sauvignon wine bottle imageThis is a very pleasant, easy drinking wine, but I have to admit that at first it was a little disappointing. My problem is with expectations — for many wines, I have expectations. And for this wine, seeing Cabernet on the label, I expected firm tannins, bold acidity, good structure. In short, a big wine. I stacked up a lean filet mignon, broiled rare, to pair with it, and it fell on its face, turning into sweet grape jelly juice. However, once my expectations left, I tried it again the next evening. After 24 hours of breathing, and tasting it again without food, the wine showed much better. It has a spicy nose of vanilla, licorice / anise, cloves, wet earth, tobacco, bell pepper, black and red berry fruits — quite complex, and enjoyable to sniff. Similar flavors flood the palate, finishing with a good balance of tangy acidity and mild tannins. Refreshingly, there’s no heat at the end despite all the ripe fruit upfront. On its own, this is enjoyable and a wine I will drink again. However, to me, it’s not what I expect from Cabernet Sauvignon; I think it’s the tannins missing that make it incomplete for typical food matching. Don’t get me wrong — it will match with food, but go leaner than you would normally with a Cab. Instead of beef, go with barbecue chicken or roast turkey; I might even try this with a strongly flavored fish dish (crispy salmon? blackened catfish?).

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

This wine was also reviewed by StonedWino (2008 vintage), Gabe’s View, Vine Geek, Dallas Wine Chick, and At First Glass.

Disclosure: I received this wine as a press sample

American Wines for July Fourth: Macari Merlot, Macari Rose

What’s an ideal wine for the Fourth of July? Depends on your perspective, but my suggestion is a wine that is a chillable, crowd-pleasing quaffer that pairs with picnic plates, barbecue, and finger foods. If it’s a red, make sure it’s light on the tannins. Whites — or better yet, rose wines — should have a soft mouthfeel, with enough acidity to stand up to outdoor party dishes but not so tart that they taste sour when drunk alone. Then there is the Independence Day theme: the wine doesn’t necessarily have to be from the USA, but it would be a nice touch. At the very least, it should embody the spirit of American independence — perhaps represent rebellion.

With those factors in mind, my specific suggestions come from Macari Vineyards in Long Island, New York. American, obviously, so check that off. Independent? Check — the winery and vineyards are owned and operated by the Macari family. Rebellious? Not necessarily, but certainly, the Macaris fit the mold of what we like to think of Americans: bold, brave, pioneering, responsible, and always striving to improve. Only an American would try to grow French grapes on a potato field in Long Island — and succeed. Oh, and by the way this was accomplished naturally and organically, without pesticides or chemicals, using biodynamic methods and sustainable farming techniques.

Macari Rose 2010 | North Fork, Long Island, New York, USA

Mostly Merlot with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec blended in. The nose, to me, is expressing red wine, and similar to what I normally associate with Beaujolais — cherry, ripe overripe banana, hint of orange marmalade — but it also has some bright citrus. In the mouth the citrus fruit is most apparent; it’s a juicy, tasty flavor that resembles a mix of lemon, lime, blood orange, and a bit of ripe red cherry. Good chalky acidity holds the fruit together and makes it ideal for food matching. The finish has a nice mixture of red berry and citrus peel. I matched this perfectly with a curried chicken salad recipe found online, and it was also delicious on its own. I reckon it is equally good if paired with meaty fish, other chicken dishes, and pork, as well as just about anything coming off the grill. Hmm … the grill … it’s from New York, it’s friendly for food pairing, and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser … I’m gonna go on a limb and say this is PERFECT for a July 4th barbecue!

But what if you’re a “tough guy” who doesn’t want his friends seeing him drinking pink wine at the picnic? Luckily, Macari also makes a Merlot that you can bring to the party.

Macari Merlot Estate 2008 | North Fork, Long Island, New York, USA

Bright, ripe strawberry, raspberry, and cherry aromas jump out of the glass at first sniff, with some hints of earth and mineral. The palate is wide open and full of sweet strawberry and cherry upfront, followed by a dry cranberry and pleasantly sour black cherry flavor in the finish. Tannins are there but understated and mild; acidity is also fairly mild but enough for food matching. This reminds me more of Pinot Noir than Merlot, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, particularly if you don’t like the bell pepper aromas and flavors typical of Merlot (that element does not exist in this wine).

This is a 2008 vintage, and it may be peaking right now. It’s delicious on its own, but I found it more enjoyable with simply roasted turkey. Try it also with other poultry (grilled chicken drumsticks!) and full-flavored fish such as salmon. This wine is really well done and is a great ambassador to the red wines of Long Island.

Use Wine-Searcher to find Macari Rose and Macari Merlot at a retailer on your way to the barbecue.

You can also learn more about these wines and the winery by visiting the Macari Vineyards website.

Disclosure: I received these wines as press samples from the winery.

Red Wine Review: Murrieta’s Well The Spur

Murrieta’s Well The Spur 2008 | Livermore Valley, California

Lately I’ve been spending too much time at my very awesome job, commuting, blogging elsewhere, giving baseball lessons, and doing other things in life that take me away from writing here. I took a look at my list of “drafts” and there are now two dozen waiting in the hopper — but, not all are necessarily “ready” by my standards, which is why they’re not yet published. However, I’m going to make an effort to get some of the reviews out — even without much editing — because if I wait any longer you won’t find some of these wines at your retail shop any longer.

So without further ado, herewith a review of Murietta’s Well The Spur, tasted far too long ago and likely tasting even better now.

A Bordeaux blend — 54% Cabernet Sauvignon 23% Petit Verdot 10% Petite Sirah 9% Cabernet Franc 4% Malbec — from California, but I wouldn’t confuse this with a true Bordeaux. The nose is expressive, dominated by chocolatey spice notes and black fruit — plum, cassis, blackberry. In the mouth you get some sweet oak spice upfront, with blackberry, cassis, black raspberry, and plum flavors following. Decent acidity and dry tannins appear in the finish, which also brings in dusted dark chocolate. For me, this was a hard one to match with food because of the sweet oak character, but it’s a nice “cocktail” wine to drink on its own. For me, it profiles similarly to a modern (i.e., American oak-aged) Rioja. At about $20-$25, this is a good deal.

Visit my friend Christopher Null’s site “DrinkHacker” to read a review of Murrieta’s Well The Spur 2009 vintage, which is more likely to be found at your local retailer.

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NOTE: I received this wine as a sample

Red Wine Review: Hob Nob

Hob Nob wine wheelA full line of Hob Nob red wines were sent to me for review: Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. They came in stylish, modern packaging including those dandy new artificial corks that are spongy and easy to remove. There’s even a snazzy website with a clever “spin the bottle” navigation format (though, being an old drongo it took me a few minutes to figure out how to find details about the wines; as it turned out, the details weren’t terribly useful to me — there were “matches” for “Mood”, “Music”, “Books”, and “Social Mastery”, as well as foods. Again, the drongo that I am can’t understand why Shiraz is “loud” and a match for the book Running with Scissors. But I digress …)

Instead of spending much more time letting the HobNob website make me feel old and un-hip, I moved on to the actual wines. Continue reading →

Red Wine Review: Montes Cabernet – Carmenere

Montes Cabernet – Carmenere Limited Selection Apalta Vineyard | Colchagua Valley, Chile

Why the sudden Carmenere kick? Well, because I was the beneficiary of a selection of Carmenere blends as a result of being included in a “twitter tasting” hosted by the Wines of Chile a few months ago. Yes, I’m sometimes (often?) slow in getting my reviews published to the blog. But hey, better late than never, right? Anyway, on to the wine.

It’s kind of funny that the label explains the wine as a “Limited Selection” — I mean, if it’s so limited how could it sell for under 15 bucks? But as a person in the business of marketing wine I understand the power of such words, ergo the reasoning behind the nonsense. Heck, I’m guilty of promoting similar types of “fantasy” hype on labels, and California wines have been doing it for decades. But I digress …

Beyond the fancy language on the label, we have a very nice wine here — which doesn’t surprise me, as I’ve enjoyed nearly every bottle I’ve Montes I’ve ever tried; they are a “reliable producer” in my book. Bright, open, and expressive red and black berry fruit aromas jump into the nose, with a slight touch of earth and bell pepper. The palate does not disappoint, offering similarly forward fruit that is ripe with red berries, sweet black fruits, and hints of earth, spice, and mild tobacco. Tannins and acidity are both soft, but there’s enough structure to keep the wine from being described as “fat” or out of balance. The finish is kind of quick but that’s hardly a complaint, considering all the juicy delicious fruit at the front end.

I matched this successfully with a smattering of dishes, including chicken pot pie, cheese and potato pierogies, and stuffed cabbage (yes, I had take-out from the Polish restaurant). It’s enjoyable on its own but also completely versatile with a variety of victuals. At around or about $15, it’s a good value.

Find Montes Cabernet-Carmenere Apalta Vineyard Limited Selection at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap