Tom and Melody's wine blog » Merlot

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.

The Patriots Merlot 2010

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:38:10 +0000

Melody is on the road, and she’ll be looking for some posts. This is The Patriots Merlot 2010 from Chile, a Wall Street Journal wine club wine. It’s pleasant enough, slightly sweet, tasting of cherries. It is going well with caesar salad and scrambled eggs.

Grande Reserve de Gassac (2009)

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:40:32 +0000

A dreary day in Michigan with gray skies and rain. . .and a Monday. Ucky. I felt low on energy all day. But, the work day ended and now we are home together and everything is AOK. I had nothing planned for dinner tonight but threw together a few stray ingredients: a lone chicken breast from the freezer, a pint of fresh pea pods from the vegetable co-op, a bunch of fresh asparagus, a fresh tomato from the co-op, some basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese. I did a quick stir fry of the chicken and vegetables and tossed with thin spaghetti, olive oil and parmesan cheese and it was delicious. The trick was not to overcook the pea pods. Their fresh crunch added just the right touch.

We had this colorful meal with this French Grande Reserve de Gassac 2009, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Smooth and easy-to-drink with a sharply-pungent finish. This would go very well with a chocolate brownie, which is waiting for us if we choose to indulge.

Grand Réserve de Gassac Languedoc 2009

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:14:58 +0000

We had this Grand Réserve de Gassac Languedoc 2009 (a wine club wine) with steak (from our farmer) and pasta.

It was tasty and meaty (as Languedoc wine is supposed to be). A blend (of Cab, Merlot, and Syrah), but a big blend.

A really nice wine and a great meal.

Melody has to work late on March 17, so we made March 16 our St. Patrick’s Day night.

The Full Fifteen (2010)

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:49:58 +0000

The Full Fifteen 2010 is a nifty Australian red with quite a spicy punch. It is abundant with fruit. Full bodied and delicious.

(It seems to be some kind of blend. Amazingly, no varietals are listed on the label.)

This went well with our dinner — a ground beef casserole and fresh sauteed spinach.

William Knuttel Cabernet Sauvignon (2008)

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:03:44 +0000

I was going to finish the dregs from last night’s wine, but Tom insisted that we open a new bottle because I am going out of town tomorrow and, of course, we have to enjoy our last evening together until Saturday. So I chose this William Knuttel Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, which I thought initially was a Napa Valley Cabernet . . . oh boy! I LOVE California Cabernets. But after we opened it and observed the color in the glass and experienced the nose, we knew it was not a pure Cabernet. Sure enough, when reading the “fine print” I discovered this is a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. That doesn’t make it an inferior wine, but it is clearly not what I expected. Still good, but very different. There is a distinctive nose and taste of a blend with Cabernet Franc and we pretty much recognized it immediately. Also, I have to brag about Tom, who correctly determined the year to be 2008 by the color in the glass.

This is a very good mid-week quaff with a rich cherry and plum nose. The taste is cranberry, licorice and tobacco. The finish is lengthy. We are going to have this tonight with some leftovers so instead of a picture of dinner, I decided to post a picture of Trigger in her new red shirt.

Cheers!

Vitiano (2007)

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:27:27 +0000

Happy Thursday . . .over-the-hump-day! Tom is out of town so I am having a quiet evening and trying to relax after a hectic day. I worked late and then stopped at Plum’s Market on the way home and picked up a few groceries for dinner. Of course, I couldn’t walk past the wine without looking. I only bought one bottle and this was it. The blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet intrigued me. Good choice, Melody! The texture is soft and the flavors complex. The initial impression is ripe fruit and black pepper. It took me awhile to nail the finish. . .but happily I did. . .celery! I can’t say that celery is a popular wine-tasting term, but I promise you, it is the perfect descriptor.

So, I grilled a burger for my dinner and had it with my fresh tomatoes from the garden. I have some watermelon waiting for me if I can find the room.

Sonoma Vineyards Merlot (2007)

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:36:06 +0000

This is a stormy, steamy Friday night. We are under a tornado warning and a severe thunderstorm warning. We’ve definitely had the severe storm but I think we have been spared the tornado. We are listening to Michael Crawford crooning and the thunder and rain pelting on the windows. Cozy, cozy, cozy!

We are looking forward to a stay-at-home weekend, although our get-a-ways have been stupendous. . .this weekend will be catch up on our tasks weekend.

Johnny, Melody, David

I have posted a picture from last weekend’s class reunion in Northern Michigan. Such fun!

So, in spite of the heat today, I am roasting a stuffed chicken with potatoes for our dinner. I selected this California Merlot. Although I don’t consider myself a Merlot fan, it works well with certain meals and this is one of them. The wine is soft, somewhat fleshy and feels round on the palate. Lots of fruit, too. In the words of my brother-in-law. . .this drinks good.

By the way, in the picture. . .Johnny and I attended a 2-room schoolhouse and sat at a round table with the rest of our kindergarten class! Every grade had a row. . .one room had kindergarten through 3rd grades (one row per grade) and the other room had 4th through 7th grade. Our teacher was Mrs. Goodrich.A stellar educator! I think the other room’s teach was Mrs. Bowen. How many of you attended a red-brick, 2-room school?

Sterling Vintner’s Collection Meritage (2007)

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:31:44 +0000

We are enjoying a lovely, July evening. Strangely, the sun is shining brightly, but it is raining. We are very happy to have the rain because we needed it badly. But it is odd to have the rain while the sky is seemingly clear.

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.

Chateau Labourdette (2006)

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:36:54 +0000

I am having a glass of this French Bordeaux (Chateau Labourdette) that we opened last night. It’s Tuesday evening. I don’t want to sound like a broken record so I won’t tell you how exhausting my work day was!

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.