I would not hesitate to recommend this wine; we will definitely buy this again.

Nonetheless, here we are enjoying the soft rain, windows open with a gentle breeze. I took advantage of the cooler evening to put a chicken casserole in the oven (a basic chicken and rice combo).

While completing our weekly “Wall Street Journal” crossword puzzle, we are enjoying this Sonoma, California blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The nose is subtle and takes awhile to reveal itself but with some decanting it offers chocolate and blackberries. The taste is a deliciously complex mix of fruit, spice, flowers and chocolate. Very yummy. This wine was $13.99 but on sale for 9.99, which is an excellent value. Had I paid the full price, I would have been satisfied but at this price it is a real find.

Now, back to the wine. One of our readers recommended the Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir, which we enjoyed so I thought we should try the Cabernet. (Also, it didn’t hurt that this wine was on sale and I was, truthfully, looking for wines that were priced right.) I would conclude this is a good value for a great wine. Quite delicious with a cheerful ruby color and a nose of raspberries and wood. The taste is a delightful blend of blackberries, oatmeal, rosemary and caramel. The finish is wonderful. There’s nothing not to like for a mid-week red wine (or even a special occasion, actually).

We arrived home last night and unpacked. Today we were both back to work. On my way home, I stopped at Kroger’s and did grocery shopping and, natch, I looked at the wine. This Dancing Bull was on sale for $6 if purchasing 4 or more bottles (normally $13.99). So, I bought 3 of the Cabernet and 1 Zinfandel. I opened this Cabernet tonight to go with our dinner of hamburgers on the grill and salad. (By the way, we are under a heat advisory up here in Michigan; it was in the mid-90′s today.)

I like this wine. The nose has some leather along with strawberries and dark chocolate. The taste is very fruity — more so than most Cabernet’s for which I am familiar, but I think this would be a real draw for wine drinkers who generally drink and enjoy Australian fruity reds. The fruit is plummy with strawberries. The slightly smoky finish is enjoyable. This is a great wine to accompany your cookout with grilled meats.

Cheers to the Werner family. We miss you . . .

Tonight Tom volunteered to finish off the bottle of “Quail Creek” Cabernet Sauvignon, which was good but a little heavy on the caramel taste and a tad too sweet for me. Happily,  I opened this bottle of Argentine Cabernet Sauvignon. This has a nice complexity of flavors, including blackberries and pine needles. I really like the grippy tannins and the peppery finish.

For dinner I put some leftover (delicious) baked chicken in the oven to reheat. . .and I served it with a pasta side dish that was scrumptious. Basically, this is the recipe:  I sauteed minced garlic and onions in olive oil and added about a half pound of asparagus (cut into 1″ pieces).  I tossed everything in the hot oil and once the asparagus was crisp tender, I added everything to freshly cooked, drained,  thin-spaghetti pasta. I mixed everything with olive oil, Parmesan cheese and freshly ground salt & pepper. Delicious! It really extended the life of the baked chicken; I didn’t think we would have enough but it was more than enough for the three of us.

I started my day with a run with our youngest son, Tony, who is home briefly. We had a great run in the pre-storm, hot, sticky air. I then continued on with a very enjoyable day (I am on vacation this week), including lots of reading, which I love to do during stormy weather. This afternoon, I attended a visitation service for Joel Gentz , a hero in our hometown. Joel was a classmate of our oldest son, Tommy. Joel was killed in action in Afghanistan. I knew Joel when he was a baby and I have been friends with his parents. My heart goes out tonight especially to Joel’s mom, Judy. My heart is heavy for her. She and her husband, Steve, are strong but I know their hearts are breaking.

I am looking forward to tomorrow when my friend, Pat, will be coming over for a 9:00 a.m. run and then we’re going to ZouZou’s for coffee and catching up. I LOVE my vacays!!

So, tonight we are going to have hamburgers on the grill and salad. I asked Tony to pick the wine tonight and he chose this California Cabernet. Yum. It is excellent. Predominantly blackberries on the palate with licorice mingling with fruit on the finish. Nothing not to like with this wine. Absolutely scrumptious.

It’s a delightful June summer night in Michigan. The sun is shining, everything is uber-green, the flowers are in bloom and the birds are chirping and the frogs are croaking.

This Bordeaux is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet; I recognize the sharp taste and the structured tannins of the Cabernet. At the same time, I detect the mellowness of the Merlot. Together, they create a lovely purple color and a nose of plums and tobacco. The taste is plummy with a touch of pepper and spearmint.

The wine is very nice. It is a good value. I’ve had better — but at a higher price.  I’ve had other wines at this price that were too simple or downright objectionable. This one is good. The predominant taste is blackberries with a vanilla finish. A very adequate California Cabernet.

For dinner, I am reheating a leftover grilled pork chop (we will split it), some freshly mashed red potatoes, a leftover homemade biscuit (again, we’ll split) and a fresh salad. I also have homemade chocolate/walnut brownies. I’m going to hand my computer over to Tom to get his thoughts. . .

Tom: Big blackberry fruit on the nose of this Beringer Founder’s Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. Very nice; not at all skunky or hot. A pleasant, fruity, medium-tannic, New-World cab. A nice Monday table wine.

Sadly, this is my last day on vacation and I am back to work on Monday. Usually, I am celebrating “TGIF” but tonight I am sorry to see Friday arrive. . .however, it’s been a delicious week for me and I enjoyed every minute. And, while I hate to see it end, I will enjoy getting back to work (once I get there- haha).

Tom: A friend, calling from a supermarket wine aisle, recently asked for a wine recommendation and I said, “Anything from Chile is good.” My thinking was that more-expensive Chilean wines, both reds and whites, are great and the less-expensive are at least OK. This Walnut  Crest Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 is a test case. It was under$6. I think it proves the rule. It’s at least OK. It has dark fruit and some tannins (although a bit too much sweetness). But it’s an OK table wine, and better than many other fruit bombs that your $6 -$7 could buy. If you’re underwhelmed, for $11-$12 you can pick up a Casillero del Diablo Carminere and have a pretty darn good Chilean.

I chose this Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 for our cocktail hour. This is a superb California Cabernet. The predominant flavor is raspberries. It is on the nose and on the palate and even on the finish. . .however, in addition to the berries, this is a particularly balanced wine — fruity, yes; but also silky and full bodied. I believe for the first time in our married life, we are not going to have dinner because we had a sandwich on the way home from a trip “up north.” Neither one of us is hungry, so I think we’re just going to skip dinner. If I had to choose a meal to accompany this wine, it would be spaghetti and meatballs! Cheers!

Tom: This Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is an interestingly different cabernet: its taste is red fruit, medium body, fairly tannic, and with a hint of sweetness. We often write about “big” reds, but this isn’t big; it’s ‘medium-sized,’ but in a pleasant way. It’s a fun, tasty, sipping wine that’s been pretty perfect for our cocktail hour.