Tom and Melody’s wine blog

Castillo De Olleria Valencia

This Spanish Castillo De Olleria Valencia is made from 75% Bobal and 25% Tempranillo.  This is a delicious red wine. The nose is licorice and the taste is a lovely fruit and spice. In the glass, the color is a lovely deep red. I have a meaty spaghetti sauce simmering in my old, cast iron skillet for dinner tonight. I will also steam some fresh spinach from my garden.

I participated in a golf outing today (a fundraiser for the women’s golf team) and it was a lot of fun. I was called in last minute to complete a foursome. I enjoyed golfing with Bob Conlin and his son Bob and Bob’s wife, Julie. They were so much fun and I hope our paths cross again.

This Castillo De Olleria Valencia 2007 is a wine from Spain that is made from 75% Bobal and 25% Tempranillo. Yum, yum, yum. Delish. The wine is fragrant with cloves on the nose. The taste is fresh and spicy with a crisp finish. I like this very much!

Tomorrow I am taking the day off and will drive to Mackinac Island (with my son, Tommy) to visit my youngest son, Tony, who is working there this summer. It will be a lot of fun to spend time with the boys!

It is Saturday night. I have chicken in a skillet and brown rice steaming in the saucepot. We have both had an active day; Tom raked the front yard, took Trigger for long walks, and ran 3 miles. I did a 10-miler this morning and then went to a sport banquet in the afternoon. But, now it is time to relax. We enjoyed watching our neighbor’s daughter get picked up in a limo for her senior prom.

This Corral De La Villa Tempranillo 2005 from Spain is a beautiful violet color and bursting with spicy aromas. On the palate it is very crisp, clean and dry feel with hardy tannins. The finish is long with a taste of blackberry. I like this wine very much. It makes me think of our son, Tony, who also loves Tempranillo.

This Iglesia Vieja Reserva 2003 from Spain, a blend of 68% Mataro, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Tempranillo, is just my style. The color is purplish in the glass. The nose is a refreshingly soft spice. And the taste is fruity and luscious with a peppery finish. This is really a delicious wine. And probably too lovely for a Thursday night, but oh well!

This is a beautiful Michigan evening; children are all out romping around the neighborhood because it is 48 degrees! We can smell spring and we are all giddy about it. Trigger had an active day outside today and now she is sleeping soundly by my side.

Tom: This a great big red: chocolaty and tannic. Some fruit taste, but not fruit forward. Very nice.

This Sibaritismo Tempranillo 2005 is an interesting wine. I can’t say that I love it, but I appreciate it. It has a distinct leather quality on the nose and palate. The taste in the mouth is full of cherries and plums with lots of spice, tobacco, and leather.

I must say that the wine grows on me as it breathes. It taste better now than it did 15 minutes ago. I am serving this wine with chicken, brown rice, spinach, and fresh salad tonight.

We are having this Montecillo Crianza Rioja 2003, a Spanish red made with Tempranillo grapes, on this lovely, autumn Sunday evening. I am typing with my arms over Trigger as she is stretched out on my lap. I have made a big kettle of beef-barley soup, which smells delicious and I just took a loaf of homemade wheat bread out of the oven.

We had so much fun today visiting with our two sons and Leena Karsan, who is visiting from the University of South Carolina. Leena was the reigning homecoming queen and came back this weekend to Eastern Michigan University to crown the new queen!

It was a fun homecoming game and then Tom and I left to go to dinner at the home of Mike and Denise Long. Agatha and Tim were there and fun was had by all! We drank lots of wine and enjoyed a delicious dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, sauteed green beans, and a delicious salad. Then for dessert Denise served cream puffs with ice cream and hot fudge! Wow!

But back to tonight. This Montecillo Crianza Rioja 2003 wine is simply wonderful. I have already asked Tom to buy more. It is fruity with a good dose of tannicity. This is a well-balanced red that, while very fruity, is not your typical New World fruit-forward wine. This is Old World, dry and delicious. Yum, yum, yum. Definitely on the “buy more” list!

Tom purchased this Condesa de Leganza Crianza 2001 for $9.99 at Busch’s grocery store in Ann Arbor. This wine makes me think of my son Tony Reifel and his friend George Royce, just because it is a Spanish wine and both Tony and George are world travelers and speak fluent Spanish [brag, brag, brag]. I know that Tony is fond of Tempranillo (he showed me his bottle of a Tempranillo on display in his room at college).

This is a wonderful Spanish red. The Condesa de Leganza Crianza 2001 is 100% Tempranillo from Spain. The color is a deep garnet red with purple undertones. The nose is a give-away: it’s going to be good! It is complex with a hint of licorice. In the mouth it feels voluptuous, round, and velvety smooth with an expressive ripe fruit, subtle yet structured tannins, and a perfect degree of dryness. The finish lingers at the back of the throat with hints of pine-sap. Delicious!

As a side note, I must report that I attended the Bob Dylan concert in Ypsilanti last night. Tom was too sick to go with me (a nasty cold) so my son Tony agreed to go with me! We started with dinner at Cady’s in Depot Town then stopped at his house to say hi to a few of his roommates (Jake Smith, Chris Vronik, and George Royce). Then on to the concert where the opening acts were Amos Lee and then Elvis Costello. Tony and I enjoyed both of these musicians. Bob Dylan was also great, although his voice was very gravelly! Yet, in spite of his croaky voice, the music he made with his band was beautiful. We had a wonderful time. Thank you, Tony!

This Osborne Solaz 2004 is a Spanish wine with a blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon — two of my favorite wines blended together — surely I will like it, right? Right! It is a very tasty wine with well-balanced tannins and a nose of berries. I must say, these Spanish wines that Tom bought recently have all been surprisingly delicious — and my kind of wine — dry, tannic, big and bold.

This Osborne Solaz 2004 has a pronounced taste of pepper on the palate with a finish of berries and black tea. What a value. I know that Tom purchased this wine for under $10. I want to get more of this. It is wonderful — and a lovely treat for a Friday night after a long week.

Tom purchased this Rojo GranRojo 2005 from Spain at Busch’s grocery store in Ann Arbor. I can’t tell you exactly what he paid, but he told me it was under $10. This is a blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha (known as Grenache in France). When Tom first opened the bottle he was concerned I would not like it because the nose was light and he could tell it was not a big wine. Well, he is right — it is not a big red — but I do like it.

This Rojo GranRojo 2005 is pleasant and drinkable. It is just lighter than what we generally enjoy. The body is light and the nose is subtle, with a touch of licorice and red berries. It has the bluish appearance of crushed blueberries. With well-rounded tannins, it is refined and fresh with hints of minerals. There is a bit of thyme and minerals on the finish. We will have this wine with boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are simmering in a cast-iron skillet, with mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh-picked tomatoes (from my garden), and steamed green beans. Oh, and some whole-grain bread that Tom brought home from Busch’s.

Tom: We’re focusing on Spanish wines this week and they’ve been excellent. This Rojo GranRojo 2005 is a quite light red, a combination of the rosé-like garnacha and the medium-body tempranillo. It’s dry with pleasant berry fruit and should go very well with our chicken tonight.

I chose this Black Hawk Ridge Lodi Tempranillo 2005 from California to accompany our dinner of simmered pork loin chops in mushroom sauce. This wine is growing on me as I enjoy it this evening. Full disclosure: This is not my cabernet sauvignon. Okay? That is the wine I love the most. But, I am tasting this wine with an open mind and an appreciation for the qualities of this particular quaff.

The Black Hawk Ridge Lodi Tempranillo 2005 is a dark violet with an unusual bouquet — I wish I could describe it but it is difficult; the best I can do is to say it is that it has a Mediterranean yeasty, musty nose. The taste is plummy with hints of pepper. The tannicity is definitely there, a bit on the dry side, and the body is medium to full. The finish is, again, difficult to describe. Although this is a California wine, it certainly reminds me of a European wine, especially in the finish. It is long but it has none of the bitter, dark chocolate finish, but rather a plummy, fruity, and luscious finish.

I am happy to have Tom back home from his trip to California. We are toasting to the beginning of the weekend. Cheers to Friday night!