Wine Thoughts: 2013 Miro Pinot Noir

So, what's in my glass tonight is something I've already reviewed here. 2013 Miro Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma California.

Normally, I wouldn't post it again except for the fact that I have to reiterate how incredibly good this is. I'm going to use a word I never use. This Pinot Noir is "fabulous".

Very light and soft on the tongue, but it explodes with airy flavors of fruits and florals with perfect balance and acidity. In my opinion, this wine is a deal at $80, but it can be purchased for as little as $28 US.

I only know of one place that has it (you cannot get it from the winery website anymore) and selfishly, I will not share that location. Unselfishly, I will say this, if you can find a bottle (or a case) of it. I would jump all over it. It will reward you for your efforts.

Cheers!

Tasting: 2007 Bodegas Luzon Jumilla Alma de Luzon

Today's wine is a blend from Spain called Alma de Luzon.  70% Monastrell, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Syrah.

How I came across this wine was actually quite interesting.  Originally, I was in search of 2006 Tandem Ars Mácula which I had been recommended by a friend.   I searched wine-searcher.com to find it and found a local wine shop carried it.  

So, once I got that I started looking around and a woman giving a wine tasting in the shop asked me if she could help me and I told her the wine I was looking for.  She eyed me wearily and asked me if I was kidding.  I said no, she she pointed at one of the bottles she was giving tastings of and it happen to be exactly what I was looking for.

Anyway, we spoke for a while and she told me that Mácula was in their portfolio then helped me retrieve three bottles of Mácula.  While we were at it, she recommended the Alma de Luzon (of course another product in their portfolio).  She said it was very good, but also warned me that the corks were less than they should be.

Anyway, the Mácula was great (I've already posted about that tasting), but I'm opening the Alma de Luzon today and I have to agree.  This is a very good wine also and she was on the money.  The cork basically came out of the bottle like Gorgonzola cheese.    Not happy about that, but the wine is good!

Anyway, aromas of blueberries, fig, and minerals.  Deep flavors of red fruits, nutmeg and toasty oak make this a beautiful wine if you're willing to deal with the hassle of pulling (and filtering) the poor quality cork out.   It starts out a bit acidity, but within 15 minutes of opening the bottle.  It calms down into a nice balance.

While I wouldn't fight a case of corks, this wine was definitely worth it for at least one (possibly two) go around.

Tasting: 2013 L'Ecole No.41, Chenin Blanc

This Chenin Blanc is from the Columbia Valley, Washington State.

Semi-sweet and crisp. I believe this would be a great wine for a beautiful spring day. It gushes bright and lively fruits with a slight tartness and acidity near the finish that can cut through the sweetness of a tropical fruit which I would suggest pairing with it.

Tasting: 2011 Two Hands Bella's Garden Shiraz

Bella’s Garden is a dark garnet in color.  The legs are medium and it smells of blueberry, black cherry, and plum.  It tastes of vibrant blueberry, black cherry, and allspice.  The body is medium full and the wine has a silky texture.  Medium plus finish and a spicy acidity to finish of the bold flavor.

Result: Not to heavy with bold and spicy flavors that leave a lasting impression.  Fantastic.

Tasting: 2012 Michel Schlumberger Pinot Noir

I came across this wine at a local wine shop during a wine tasting.

Within a few minutes, the acidity drops to give the wine a good balance. The floral and fruit flavors make this wine quite savory with a lasting finish. I believe this would make an excellent choice for a dinner wine with the right pairing.

Tasting: 2013 Meiomi Chardonnay

The wine is greenish-gold in color.  Very close to a mid-stalk area of lemongrass.  It smells of lemon, honeydew, and garden hose while tasting of papaya, lemon and straw.  It's medium bodied with a satin-like texture.  I would say the acidity is slightly higher that it should be for a good balance. 

It was good, but not great.

Paired with a shrimp scampi with red pepper flake.  The bright lemony flavor would cut straight through the scampi butter sauce and douse the spiciness of the red pepper flake which was nice.

Tasting: 2010 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ~ Black Label

This Cabernet Sauvignon is like dark red ink with crimson at the edge.  The legs are slow and it almost tastes just like it smells.  Blueberry and raisin though the taste also has a bit of licorice in the finish.  I would say it has a leathery texture and a medium finish.  The acidity gives it a decent balance.

I always enjoy the perceived  irony of finding a very good screw top wine.

Tasting: 2006 Compañía Vitivinícola Tandem Navarra Ars Mácula

Tandem's 2006 Mácula is an unfiltered  blend of 60 Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 24 months in concrete vats and 26 months in French oak.

Garnet in color with a nice ruby red at the edge. I would say a medium legs with aromas of black cherry, minerals, and a mid-level toastiness to it. The flavor boasts a bouquet of raspberry, black cherry and spices. A nice medium / full body with a juicy texture and very well balanced with a great acidity. The wine has a good level of tannins and early acidity so I suggest decanting. The tasting occurred after 24 hours of decanting

I believe this is a great value at $25US.

Tasting: 2010 Bodegas Olarra Rioja Cerro Anon Reserva

Definitely needed decanting.  It took almost an hour before it really started to pop.

I paired this with a roasted red pepper, red onion, and eight month old Manchego cheese Quesadilla.  It paired rather well, but I felt the Manchego cheese was a bit underwhelming for the Quesadilla.  I switched the Manchego to a Chipotle Gouda and the Quesadilla was much better, but the wine didn't pair as well.

Next time I make these Quesadillas, I will pair the wine with the Chipotle Gouda.

Tasting: 2010 Schild Estate Shiraz

The color is somewhere between ink and garnet in color. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like cherry, raspberry and twinge of apricot. The taste is much more pungent than the smell.  It tastes of a smokey cherry plum flavor with a third flavor that I can only describe as a variation of cedar. The body is medium/full. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes long has medium acidity. 

I was very surprised by how much more pungent the taste was to the smell.  I would have to say I do like this wine and probably for the reason given.

Tasting: 2014 White Oak Chardonnay, Russian River Valley

I didn't record detailed tasting notes for this wine when I drank it, but this had to be one of the most buttery Chardonnays I've had with almost no acidity.  Actually, it seemed almost all buttery and not much other flavors. (well, some honey also)  I can and do appreciate the buttery oak flavor of some Chardonnays.  This one just seemed rather weird.   That said, I did still enjoy it.

Tasting: 2009 Harmonique Pinot Noir, Oppenlander Vineyard

The wine is a light ruby in color. The legs are medium plus. Smells of strawberry, cranberry, and rose. The taste of cranberries comes out immediately with a mineral, pine, and straw overtones. The body is medium, with a very juicy texture. The finish is short to short plus and a small amount of acidity.

Tasting: 2007 Castello del Terriccio 'Tassinaia' Toscana IGT

Dark garnet in color with medium plus legs. It smells of blueberry, cherry, plum, a touch of vanilla and lavender. Tastes of blueberries, prunes, cherry with a kind of wet wool finish. The body is medium plus and the wine feels very polished. The wine has a fairly low acidity and a medium finish.  Decanting was not required.

I paired this with my homemade spaghetti with Italian sausage.   It paired beautifully, but this wine is great all by itself also.   I definitely would recommend this wine.

Tasting: 2011 Pech Merle, Zinfandel

2011 Pech Merle Zinfandel is from the the Dry Creek region of Sonoma County, California.  It's a blend of 96% Zinfandel and 4% Petite Syrah.  There were 312 cases produced and each bottle is marked with which case it came from. This particular bottle came from case 148.

The Zinfandel is Garnet in color with crimson at the edge with slow legs.  Fragrant aromas of strawberry, blueberry, and prune are present.  It tastes of cranberry, strawberry jam, plum and hints of nutmeg.  The body is medium/full and the wine has a sort of fleshy texture.  The finish is medium plus with a medium acidity.  I decanted this wine for about an hour.

I paired this wine with a homemade chipotle with beef and smoked sausage chili.  (Super Bowl leftovers to be exact :) )

The wine is very good bordering on great after an hour decanting.  I believe it's a steal at just under $20.  The pairing was decent, but didn't coalesce as well as I had hoped.

Tasting: 2014 Caymus Conundrum 25th Anniversary Release

I had several friends over last night so I didn't do a proper first tasting, just opened these bottles to share with my guests.

2014 Conundrum is a semi-sweet white blend with enough standout flavor to give it some distinction.  It was a decent table wine to share with friends.

It is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscat Canelli, and Viognier.

Tasting: 2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Clos St. Landry

A golden straw in color with medium legs.  The aromas consist of honeydew, fresh cut St. Augustine, and garden hose. The flavors of apple, not so sweet honeydew, moss, oak, pine, and a touch of pistachio.  I would say it's a medium bodied and very silky in texture.  It has a long finish and a fairly low acidity.  The wine is very well balanced and is decently distinctive.  I like it.

Tasting: 2011 Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon

The wine is barn red in color and the legs appear to be medium.  The aromas of blueberry, fig, and clove pervade the nose.  The tastes of cherry, clove, with a smoky tar and plum essence.  The body is medium/full. The wine beautifully polished with a medium plus finish and low acidity.

Pair with strip steak topped with Gorgonzola, rosemary potatoes, and steamed vegetables.  Everything about tonight's dinner was top notch.  Not just the incredible wine!

Tasting: 2013 T-Vine Petite Sirah, Napa Valley

This Petite Sirah is dark as ink and has slow legs.  It smells of plum, fig and generally of dried fruit.  It tastes of a smokey plum, passion fruit with hints of lavender.  Body is full and the wine has a sort of leathery texture.  Finish and acidity are both medium.

Decanted about 30 minutes before I started drinking it.  It got better as time passed.  Paired fairly well with pot roast.

Tasting: 2010 Bodegas Ramirez Rioja Selección Crianza Ramirez de la Piscina

This Rioja is garnet in color with medium legs.  It smells of cranberry, strawberry, and black cherry.  It tastes of blueberry, prune, with a hint of pine and a tarry finish.  The body is medium full, texture is pretty even with a medium finish and minimal acidity.

Paired well with a Rigatoni with red peppers and Italian sausage.

Tasting: 2013 Miro Cellars Pinot Noir, Orsi Vineyard

Beautiful ruby color with medium legs.  The wine is clear of any sediment.  I can smell cranberry, raisins, plum, and a hint of raspberry. The taste of strawberry strikes you immediately followed by raspberry and cranberry.  The body is I would say medium light.  The texture is silky and the finish is medium as is the acidity.

Decanting was not required.

I have to say, I haven't drank all that many Pinot Noir.  Of the ones I have tried.  This is by far the best.  It's wine finds like this is the reason I always buy at least two of every wine I purchase online.  I wish I had paired this tonight.

Tasting: 2012 Sbragia Home Ranch Chardonnay ~ Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County

Greenish gold in color.  Pears, green apples, rubber, and a buttery oak.  Feels great in the mouth and has a medium plus body and a long finish.  This is a very good Chardonnay!  I'm glad I have another bottle of it!

Tasting: 2013 A.J. Adam - Dhroner Hofberg Riesling Spatlese

Wine with Christmas dinner. 

It paired very well with our Jumbalaya.

Tasting: 2013 Chateau Roc de Minveille

It is a decent budget Bordeaux.  This is a wine you would want to pair with food as it comes off a bit flat by itself.  With barbecue pork ribs, it definitely has a more life.  With the pork, I give it a thumbs up.

Tasting: 2013 Napa Valley Chardonnay by Agnitio's Wines

Light and refreshing with pears, apples, and citrus flavors. Not very dry and only a little oak. Definitely a keeper at just under $20. 

A light fish or maybe a spicy pork would go great with it. 

Tasting: Fonseca Porto Finest Reserve Bin #27

Fonseca Porto Finest Reserve Bin #27, 2012 with a piece of Godiva Milk Chocolate.

Absolutely fantastic after dinner or for a night cap!

Tasting: 2013 Equilibrio 4 Monastrell

A blend of 80% Monastrell and 20% Shiraz.

A bit of a flat spiciness with a tarish like raisin overtone though it's not very sweet. A light oak finish.

It went well with a homemade pizza consisting of spicy Arthur Ave salam, red onion and spicy chiles.

I actually recieved this wine as a door prize for a wine tasting fund raiser I attended for a local animal welfare society.  I'm pleased with it.