Brick Kiln Cabernet Sauvignon (2006)

December 8, 2008 — -

brick-kiln-cellars-cabernet-sauvignon-2006Delicious, yummy! We opened this wine on Monday night to accompany a dinner of braised pork chops, brown rice and a TBD vegetable. . .

Wow, this is such a wonderful Cabernet. This California Brick Kiln is a 2006 red that tastes great immediately after the pour.  The nose is fresh and minty and the taste is blackberries, bramble and nutmeg. The tannins are firm and the finish is dry, but long. This is my kind of wine. I like this much better than the Malbec we had last night.

Michigan is getting an icy mix of snow and rain. Safe driving, everyone (especially my son!!).

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California wines, Over $10. Tags: , . Leave a Comment »

Ramirez De Velazco Malbec (2008)

December 7, 2008 — -

ramirez-de-velazco-malbec-2008This Argentinian Ramirez de Velazco Malbec is our first 2008 wine of this year. The color is  ruby with violet hues.  The nose is blackberry, cherry and spice. The taste is smooth in the mouth with ripe plums and cherries drenched in milk chocolate. The finish is strong vanilla taffy. I have never tasted a wine with this kind of finish before. This reminds me of drinking flavored coffee, which I do not like. So, although I appreciate this Malbec, I am not immediately fond of it.

I chose this wine because I was eager to try it — not because it was the perfect choice for our dinner. Experts would say this is probably not the best choice to serve with our dinner of soup and whole wheat bread. I am finally using the turkey broth that I accumulated at Thanksgiving — when I cooked the giblets and when I boiled the carcass — all of that rich and savory broth has been waiting for a night like tonight. I started tonight by chopping carrots, celery, garlic and onions and sauteeing in olive oil. I then added the chopped giblets. I added that to my pot of turkey broth and let that simmer during cocktail hour. Now, I have put the bread in the oven and, at the same time, I added the rest of our leftover turkey to the broth, along with some chopped potatoes and slow-cooking barley. This should end up being a decent pot of soup!

It is Sunday night and we are cozy. Our tasks are done and we are ready for another work week.

Posted in Argentine wines, Malbec, Over $10. Tags: , , . 1 Comment »

Deepwater Point (2007)

December 5, 2008 — -

deepwater-point-zinfandel-2007This California Deepwater Point Zinfandel arrived today in a wine club shipment. Tom chose it for our Friday night to accompany a dinner of spaghetti with meat sauce and sauteed spinach. This is quite a spectacular full-bodied wine showing richness and depth with structured tannins. The taste has hints of strawberries and vanilla with pepper and cloves on the finish.
I am so glad it is Friday!

Posted in California wines, General, Over $10, Zinfandel. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments »

Zarafa Pinotage (2007)

December 4, 2008 — -

zarafa-pinotage-2007It’s a Thursday night and I worked all day and then taught a class tonight. So, I need to get some dinner started because it will soon be 9:00 p.m. So, I’ll use my brother-in-law’s words for this post: “It drinks good.”

This Zarafa Pinotage 2007 is delicious but definitely needs to breathe to be at its best. Cheers!

Posted in Pinotage, South African wines, Under $10. Tags: , . Leave a Comment »

Kíona Washington State Proprietary Blend (2002)

December 3, 2008 — -

kiona-washington-state-proprietary-blend-2002It is a Wednesday evening and I had to work late and drive to a school downriver in Detroit to give a presentation. Driving home was dark with rain mixed with snow. I am so happy to be home. Tom poured me this glass of Kiona Proprietary Blend red wine, which we opened last night. It’s made from 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc.

I have had to get accustomed to the Washington State wines and this one is no different. This wine does not make me swoon, but that is probably because of me, not the wine. I have grown accustomed to a certain kind of wine and I have discovered that Washington State wines are different from what i am used to. I find Washington wines sharp and woody. This is not a fruit forward wine but the finish is bursting with cherries. For me, this wine requires a bit of concentration to appreciate. The work is worth it. As it breathes, and as I savor the complexities, I find I like it very much.

Weekend — hurry and get here!!  Cheers. . .

Posted in Blends, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Washington wines. Tags: , , , . 4 Comments »

Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon (2006)

December 1, 2008 — -

beringer-cabernet-sauvignon-2006We have had this California Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon recently and blogged about it. But, every night is a new night with wine tasting!

Tom chose this wine for our Monday night. It is snowing, it is dark. It is a December Michigan winter night. This wine is very nice and a good value (I believe Tom purchased it on sale for $5.95 at our local grocery store). The wine is rich with blackberries and a vanilla finish. It is dry with structured tannins. This is lovely and will go well with our dinner tonight. I am reheating a beef stew that I made yesterday. For those of you that are interested, I took a 3 lb. beef chuck roast, cubed it, dried it on paper towels, seasoned it with salt & pepper and then browned it in a very hot skillet with about a tablespoon of hot olive oil. Once the beef was browned, I added a chopped onion and chopped garlic (2 cloves).  After the onion and garlic had softened, I added about 4 oz. of tomato sauce, the rest of a bottle of merlot (probably 6-8 oz.) and a 14 oz. can of chicken broth. I also added bay leaves and thyme. I covered the skillet and let that simmer for about 2 hours. Then, I transferred everything to a large, covered pot and added cubed red potatoes (unpeeled) and sliced carrots.  Once the vegetables were cooked, I thickened the broth with flour mixed with chicken broth. and added green beans. It is a savoury and comforting meal.

Tony just IM’d me on Skype. . .yay!

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California wines, Under $10. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments »
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