Wine Tasting: 2013 Orin Swift Department 66 Grenache

A tough day at work deserves a great wine to enjoy!

Today's wine is a 2013 Orin Swift Department 66 Grenache. (D66)

Tasting Notes:
Beautiful dark maroon in color. Gravel and dried fruits in the nose. On the palette a very adventurous almost sweet balsamic like flavors without the high acidity and stewed fruit flavors. Long finish and very well balanced.

Final Thoughts:
A stunningly bold out of the gate makes this wine a real eye opener. It is fantastic.

Wine Tasting: 2009 Château La Cardonne

I've been slacking a bit and not taking or posting my notes.  It's been quite busy, but I need not let that stop me.

Tonight Vive la France!

2009 Château La Cardonne

Tasting Notes:
Deep currant in color, with scents of pomegranate, cherry and a wet slate. Flavors of black cherry, sage, Brazil nuts, with a late tobacco finish.

Final Thoughts:
Bit acidic early, so even at seven years old, it still needed a few minutes to breath.  Better paired than on it's own.

Wine Tasting: 2012 Domaine de la Janasse Côtes du Rhône Villages Terre d'Argile

Time to practice my French!  Well, French wine drinking anyhow!  Tonight's fare is 2012 Domaine de la Janasse Côtes du Rhône Villages Terre d'Argile.

Tasting Notes:
Dark garnet in color with a medium plus body.  Licorice, red fruit, with a light minerality in the aromas.   Juicy and smooth sporting black cherry, red plum, and cranberry on the palate.  Nice acidic balance.

Final thoughts:
Not too bad.  French wine is gaining a stigma where you have to spend a lot to get a decent French wine.  Given that France is supposed to make lots of great wine you would expect to find decently priced wine that is very good.  Thought it seems many French wines come with bloated price tags that do not match their quality.  This one I'm happy to say is well worth it's price tag coming in at under $20US.

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: 2012 Château Fleur Cardinale

Tonight's wine is a 2012 Château Fleur Cardinale Saint-Émilion Grand Cru.  It was paired with a Pasta Rigatoni with Italian Sausage.

Tasting Notes:
Dark inky like purple with scents of bramble and dark fruit.  Black cherry, raisin, black current and a bit of peat moss on the palate.  Not only full bodied, but a ripe full flavor with good structure to match.

Final Thoughts:
This is beautiful now, but I bet it will only get better. It's a keeper!

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: 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.