Tom and Melody's wine blog » California wines

William Knuttel

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:13:10 +0000

Saturday night and I worked most of the day. I had this spaghetti casserole in the freezer so I took it out this morning for our dinner. I sautéed carrots with brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and baked some garlic toast. We had this great wine with our dinner. Lots of layers of flavors from the blend of Cabernet, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Smooth, pungent and fragrant. An unusual finish. The words Play Doh come to mind as a descriptor. But in a good way! Cherry, licorice and caramel to be specific. Very satisfying and a good choice for our dinner tonight.

Penumbra Petite Sirah Petit Verdot (2010)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:18:39 +0000

It has been awhile since I took a sip of wine and did a retake. . .like, “wait, need another sip!” This was one of those nights. I opened this bottle and tasted while cooking dinner for one (Tom is out of town) and it made me sit up and take notice. It is splendid! Inky black color, understated nose but huge taste. Full of fruit with subtle spice and chewy tannins. I really love this!

I am making a steak stirfry with my local cow, local broccoli and tomatoes and whatever else I have in my refrigerator. It is me and the Wall Street Journal (and this delicious wine) for dinner tonight. Cheers!

Ramsden Estate Reserve

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:41:48 +0000

I am tapping out this blog on my phone so it will be short. We like this wine because it is complex with mellow flavors and smooth feel. For dinner I brined then roasted a chicken. I made mashed potatoes with gravy from the drippings. Savory and filling after a good run today.

Ramsden Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:08:30 +0000

We are home from a wonderful Christmas with Tom’s family. We drove 10 1/2 hours today through pouring rain, wind and then snow so we are very happy to be safely at home. We ordered pizza and opened this special bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet. Earlier this month, during a weak moment, I said “okay” to a sales pitch to upgrade our wine club membership to a reserve level and this is our first bottle from that selection. Although I was kicking myself for saying yes, I now see it was a good decision. This is a fine wine. Structured tannins and rich flavor. Very smooth and rich.

Silver Palm Cabernet Sauvignon

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:04:38 +0000

It is Monday of Thanksgiving week and we are enjoying a spicy bowl of chili with whole grain bread and some white cheddar cheese. It really warms us up. Tom chose this California Cabernet Sauvignon for our chili dinner, which I happily thought to be a bit extravagant for a Monday night (but did not complain). I like extravagance! This is a very nice Cab in a beautiful bottle, decorated with a Platinum palm leaf. This would make a good gift wine to give as a housewarming gift or to give to the host when you are invited to someone’s house for dinner because it is a good wine with a very attractive presentation. The wine is deep purple in the glass, light to medium bodied, a taste of blackberries with a tobacco finish. This is a nice, smoky wine that held up very well with my spicy chili.

R Collection by Raymond Lot No. 7 Field Blend 2000

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:37:53 +0000

We’re having steak stir fry with this nice, dry red blend. Very pleasant with a red fruit, cherry taste.
Eastern Michigan lost a close football game today but they played hard and lost in the last seconds.

Wente Cabernet (2009)

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:37:12 +0000

We are having a late supper tonight at our local favorite restaurant “The Common Grill.” The wine is spicy with flavors of cherries and red berries. The Chef chose a great wine to complement our smoked chicken and pancetta capellini pasta with plum tomato sauce, calabrese peppers and fresh basil.

House Cabernet Sauvignon (House)

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:38:18 +0000

I am out of town and found this quaint restaurant downtown. The decor and ambiance are nice and this house wine is good. The bartender tells me it is a Lohr from California. I just asked to see the bottle. It is called Cypress and is from the Central Coast. Simple but very drinkable. My meal is disappointing but I will make do. I can’t wait to get home tomorrow.

Ramsden Estate Napa Valley Reserve Merlot 2010

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:01:27 +0000

Melody is on the road again, so I rooted around for a weekday wine. I found this Ramsden Estate Merlot 2010.
It’s fairly tannic, has a red fruit cherry taste, and a touch of pepper and a touch of sweetness.
No cooking tonight: reheated pizza and the World Series.

Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:34:08 +0000

We are big fans of Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon. For some reason it puts us in particularly good moods. It’s big, tannic, and drinkable.

We are back from a great visit to the Upper Peninsula with some of our sibs. We saw the Ben Daniels Band in Marquette, had some great meals in Au Train, and hiked Pictured Rocks in Munising. We had a blast.

We had the Hess Cab with chicken legs, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Excellent.