Wine Tasting: 2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Cold Creek Vineyard

My last wine tasting update was also a Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon.  The 2013 Indian Well I believe it was.  Today it's the 2011 Cold Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tasting Notes:
Dark violet in color with lavender and dark fruit rind on the nose.   Medium to medium plus body,  fairly smooth with tart raspberry, cherry, with a medium wet granite finish.

Final thoughts:
Good, but not great.  I had noted in the Indian Wells tasting notes that Chateau Ste. Michelle had better wines than the Indian Wells, this is definitely one of them.  Though, this one comes with a larger price tag too boot.  I still feel the QPR is a little low on this wine though.

Wine Tasting: 2011 Stag's Leap Hands of Time

Given I'm making a Stag's Leap Merlot in my home winemaking, I wanted to give a try to Stag's Leap Hands of Time red blend.  The friends I've made in winemaking, gave great reviews to the Merlot kit, so I had high expectations for this wine.  (well, higher than expected)

Tasting Notes:
Dark crimson in color with red fruits and all-spice on the nose. Sour plum, cranberry and radish on the palette. The sour verges on slightly bitter. Medium legs, A smooth base, but thrown off a bit by the sour and acidity.

Final Thoughts:
Not really a fan.  I checked the bottle/cork.  The bottle was fine.  2011 was a bad year for Napa, so I expect it was definitely part of the issue.  I still would have expected better of Stag's Leap.

Vin de ce soir 2011 Château Cormeil-Figeac Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.   I picked this up at a really nice wine shop near my house.  The shop owner commented when I was checking out that it was a good choice.

Tasting Notes:
Luscious red fruit along with an earthen potting soil and wet gravely aromas.   On the palate, more red fruit just more flat than the aromas were.  Again, more earthen flavors this time more volcanic rock than wet gravel.  I expected more, but am not getting it.

Final Thoughts:
Not bad, but more plain that good.  I wonder if maybe something is off about the bottle since I expected better with the recommendation from the owner who I know is a good judge of wine.  I did not taste anything off about it.  Just tasted like a rather plain jane red blended wine.

Wine Tasting: 2011 Banknote Counterfeit Zinfandel

Today's wine is comes from one of my favorite value wine producers.  Banknote's Counterfeit series wines.

Banknote is an interesting story.  They do not have their own vineyards.  They produce their wines from purchased grapes.  The proprietor is a graphic designer who re-creates old bank notes as art.  When he was trying to decide on a name for his wine, his son or daughter (can't recall who, I was told the story by the wines local distributor) said that Pete should use his art on the bottle and Banknote Counterfeit was born.

Tasting Notes:
Gorgeous ruby red in color, classic rose petals and radish on the nose.  Vivid raspberry jam and earthen spices with a tart finish.  Fifteen minutes in the decanter softens the acidity to reach a very nice balance.

Final Thoughts:
Just like Banknote's Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is an excellent value wine.  Well worth it's price point. ($18 US)

Wine Tasting: 2011 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonight's wine was a gift from a co-worker of mine.  I haven't tried Louis Martini wine before, so I'm happy to have it.

Tasting Notes:
Dark garnet and full bodied.  On the nose and palate there is dark cherry and plum.  There is also nutmeg and other spices that give it a more earthen warmth in the flavors.

The wine is quite juicy and the texture feels lighter than you expect from a full bodied wine.  Less tannic.  The acidity is very good.

Final Thoughts:  I like it, though it's not a great wine.  Very easy drinking.  A great table wine.

Wine Tasting: 2011 Fattoria Petrolo Torrione Toscana IGT

Today's vino-visit is to Italy.  Of the countries I've visited, (approximately twelve)  Italy is definitely my favorite thus far.

Torrione is a Tuscan red blend consisting 80% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot, and finally 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

My tasting notes are as follows:

Cherries, rose petals, and red apple rind on the nose. Strawberry licorice with a woody essence and a spoke in tartness leading in the the finish.  Smooth, but doesn't have the depth to have a silky texture.  For this wine, I think that maybe superfluous as it certainly doesn't detract from it being a great wine and at it's price point. ($23US) It's an absolute steal.

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: 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: 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!