Kalder Syrah (2005)

February 25, 2009 — Tom & Melody

kalder-syrah-2005It is a Wednesday night in Michigan. The weather is mild and we had some rain today. Spring is going to come to Michigan; I just know it.

We chose this Kalder Syrah 2008 from California for tonight to accompany our dinner of pot roast. (I got home early today, so took advantage of the extra time by preparing a pot roast with potatoes, onions and carrots. I am also baking acorn squash and I mixed up a batch of biscuits, which I just put in the oven with the squash.)

This is a great wine for slow-cooked beef. This Syrah is gushing with ripe fruit — on the nose and the palate. The finish is different; definitely peppery, but also somewhat thin for a Syrah. I asked Tom for his opinion and he said it was an “odd finish — peppery, a tiny bit bitter with not a lot of fruit.”

Well, my oven timer is beeping; the biscuits are done baking. Cheers!

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

Luzon Jumilla Spain (2007)

January 22, 2009 — Tom & Melody

luzon-jumilla-2007I stopped at the Plum Market in Ann Arbor on my way home from work tonight. I bought one large bag of groceries, mostly produce. But, of course, I slithered by the wine aisles to see what looked interesting. I bought two bottles, one of which we are tasting tonight.

This Spanish beauty Luzon Jumilla 2007 is 65% Monastrell and 35% Syrah. The color is inky with a violet rim. The aroma is spice and cherries with a bit of freshly ground peppercorns. The taste is refreshing and crisp, bursting with cranberries, plums, and mild spice. The tannins are subtle  but balanced. The finish is a curious combination of spice, tobacco, and thyme.This is quite a find! It was on sale at the Plum Market for $6.97. (I also purchased a $40 bottle on sale for $19; can’t wait to try it!)

For dinner tonight, I made a dinner from the groceries I picked up at the market: a steak stir fry with steak, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes (marinated in olive oil, cracked salt, and pepper), served over penne pasta and fresh beets, which I steamed for one hour (during cocktail hour, natch). It was delicious! Now, I am waiting for our son Tommy to come and eat the leftovers! He usually does a pretty thorough job! :)

Posted in Blends, Blogs, Monastrell, Spanish wines, Syrah, Under $10. Tags: , , , , . 2 Comments »

Prestige Cotes du Rhone (2007)

December 14, 2008 — Tom & Melody

prestige-pont-du-rhone-dotes-du-rhone-2007It is Sunday night and we are relaxing with a glass of wine. Trigger is next to me, the Christmas tree is lit and the Boze is playing a lovely relaxing CD. I have a roast simmering on the stove with potatoes and carrots peeled, washed and ready to put in the pot.

Tom chose this Prestige Cotes du Rhone 2007, a French blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, for our evening. This has a pretty high alcohol content — 14% — but the taste is not at all hot or alcoholic.  The nose is lushly floral. The palate is chocolate and spice, while the finish is gentle with notes of bitter chocolate and vanilla. This is going to be a great accompaniment to our pot roast dinner. I think this wine is wonderful. . .I hope that we have more, and I think we do!

Posted in Blends, French wines, Grenache, Mourvedre, Over $10, Syrah. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Syrah (2006)

November 22, 2008 — Tom & Melody

robert-mondavi-private-selection-syrah-2006This California Robert Mondavi Private Selection Syrah 2006 was on sale today at our local grocery store and Tom picked it up along with milk and orange juice (the three essential liquids). Yum, this is good! It is fruity with a velvety texture on the finish. This is an easy-to-drink wine that would pair well with lots of different foods.

Tonight I am making a steak stir-fry — nothing fancy. I have one steak that I took out of the freezer and cut into chunks. I will sauté the steak in my trusty cast-iron skillet coated with olive oil. Then I’ll add asparagus, ground salt, and pepper, and then mix it with some cooked Barilla thin spaghetti and olive oil.  Like I said, nothing special. I didn’t go grocery shopping today so I needed to make do with what I had on hand.

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

Ramshead Ridge Carneros Syrah (2006)

November 18, 2008 — Tom & Melody

ramshead-ridge-carneros-syrah-2006Tom and I couldn’t remember where we purchased this Ramshead Ridge Carneros Syrah 2006, but we think it was included in a shipment from our wine club’s wine consultant. (She put together a case of red wine for us.)I must admit, when Tom brought me the glass of wine and presented the bottle to me, I didn’t have a good first impression. I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I was pre-judging this wine by its label (and I didn’t like the label). Don’t ask me why, but it just didn’t appear to be a very impressive wine.

Well, happily (not to brag) I am a good taster and don’t allow the appearance of a bottle to cloud my impressions. This wine is quite delicious. This is a California wine from the region of Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Immediately, I was aware of the full body and the luscious fruit on the palate. It is bursting with plum flavor! The finish is also fruity with an assertive bit of pepper. Really, this is quite spectacular!

It is Tuesday night and 19 degrees in Michigan. I am sitting here with Trigger at my side and an afghan on my lap! I have made a skillet of goulash for dinner tonight. I am going to steam some spinach and call it good. A good, cold-weather dinner. . .let me know if you want my goulash recipe. I made it up and it is delicious!

Posted in California wines, Over $10, Syrah. Tags: , , , . 4 Comments »

Francis Ford Coppola Rosso (2006)

October 13, 2008 — Tom & Melody

francis-ford-coppola-rosso-2006The Francis Ford Coppola Rosso 2006 is a full-bodied, vivid, tangy blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. I really like this wine because it is bursting with fruit flavors. The tannins are grippy and the finish is woody. I bought this wine on sale at Kroger’s in Ann Arbor. I would definitely purchase this again if I can find it for under $10. I believe this was priced at around $13 and it was on sale for $9.99.

Tonight’s dinner is nothing to brag about: leftovers! I am going to heat up some leftover chicken and brown rice casserole and make a vegetable. I don’t know about you, but sometimes Mondays can be brutal and this is all I feel like doing tonight.

Posted in Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, California wines, Syrah, Zinfandel. Tags: , , , , . 2 Comments »

Velazco (2007)

July 18, 2008 — Tom & Melody

Velazco Aminga Valley La Rioja 2007This Velazco Aminga Valley La Rioja 2007, an Argentinian red, is a blend of 85% Bonarda and 15% Syrah. We have had this wine before and I loved itl. Tonight it is Friday and we have both had a long and hectic work week. I will be teaching this weekend, as well, so I requested a special wine for tonight. Tom chose this wine because he knows that I am a fan of the Bonarda grape. This is a delicious full-bodied, lip smacking blend of spices, plums, and green peppers. So yummy.

For dinner tonight, I browned chicken in a skillet, added diced potatoes and chicken broth, covered and let it simmer. It has been an hour and a half and it is smelling yummy. I also went out to my little garden and harvested lettuce, green onions and cucumbers for the salad. My neighbor gave me some fresh Swiss Chard, which I will steam. All in all, I think this will be a delicious and fragrant Friday night dinner. But, more importantly, a relaxing and nurturing respite from a busy week.

Posted in Argentine wines, Blends, Bonarda, Syrah, Under $10. Tags: , , , , . 1 Comment »

Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red Wine (2005)

June 21, 2008 — Tom & Melody

Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red Wine 2005It is a beautiful June Saturday evening. We started the evening with a refreshing gin and tonic with plenty of fresh-squeezed lime. Now, we are having a glass of this Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red Wine 2005, a delicious blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon. This Washington State blend is luscious and fruity. The nose is a delicate whiff of vanilla and cloves. The taste is plums and spice. Tom purchased this wine for about $8 from Polly’s (our local grocery store).

I harvested some lettuce from my little garden for our salad tonight. I am also marinating pork chops, which we will grill. I have brown rice steaming now. Cheers and happy summertime!

Posted in Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Syrah, Under $10, Washington wines. Tags: , , , , . 4 Comments »

Pico Syrah (2005)

May 30, 2008 — Tom & Melody

Pico Syrah 2005Tom chose this Pico Syrah 2005 for our Friday night cocktail hour. I just came home from watching the EMU baseball team play in the first round of the NCAA championship game. We played Arizona. We were ahead in the 6th inning but we did eventually lose. It is double elimination so we play again tomorrow at 2:00 — we’ll play the loser of the U/Michigan vs. U/Kentucky game, which is being played right now.

This Syrah has a lovely nose — black licorice and mint.  The taste is full of fruit — cherries and blueberries — as well as some good old black dirt. The finish is buttered toast and pepper. Yum, yum.

We’re having leftover pizza tonight — it’s Friday night and it was a good night to take a break from cooking.

Posted in California wines, Over $10, Syrah, Under $10. Tags: , , , , . 2 Comments »

Velazco Red Wine (2007)

May 24, 2008 — Tom & Melody

Velazco Aminga Valley La Rioja 2007This Velazco Aminga Valley La Rioja 2007, an Argentinian red, is a blend of 85% Bonarda and 15% Syrah and, oh, is it wonderful. We actually opened it last night (Friday night) and we finished the bottle, but I took notes. (Our son, Tony, would love this one!) We know, of course the smoky, peppery flavor of Syrah, but the blend of the Bonarda grape produces an exciting mouthful of cherries, plums and spice.

This wine was perfect for our dinner of marinated steak on the grill with grilled orange, yellow and red peppers, steamed brown rice and asparagus. By the way, this is the first time I have grilled peppers. I know it is not novel to most, but it was to me. I drizzled olive oil on the peppers and we grilled them — probably about 3 minutes a side. They were splendidly delicious! This will be a standard now for the summer.

Posted in Argentine wines, Bonarda, Syrah, Under $10. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »
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