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Category: Wine
- Wine On Wednesday: Catch Up
  
  Posted at 7:30 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Mar 28th
  Hello Friends! I have a large amount of catching up to do on my wines. There’s been too many to write about all in one sitting so I’m going to give you a brief rundown just in time to choose the perfect wine for Easter or any other special gathering you have in the near future.
  
  Chateau St. Michelle Indian Wells Merlot. This wine was actually picked up by mistake by yours truly. It turned out to be a very good oops. It is dark purple, plush and so quaffable, you’d think it was a red blend of mostly Cabernet. Make sure you read the label carefully because the Indian Wells location gives this wine the greater impact tastewise than the plain old Chateau S.M.
  
  Price: $17.99
  
  Rating: 🍷🍷🍷.7 out of 5
  
  BonAnno Pinot Noir. I tried this one at the Wine Exchange and came back to buy more. I discovered that the second time I tasted it, this wine is tightly wound so give it some time to open up before you drink. Use an aerator or let it breathe for a half hour before pouring. The color is a ruby red in the glass. It’s velvety and complex with flavors of tart cherry, cocoa, black licorice, earth and vanilla that shine through.
  
  Price: $25
  
  Rating: 🍷🍷🍷.9 out of 5
  
  6th Sense Syrah. Michael David does it again with a beautiful Syrah from the Lodi region of California. Very dark, almost black in the glass with notes of blueberry buckle, a hint of baking spices and a long, smooth finish. Yummy!
  
  Price: $18.99
  
  Rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷 out of 5
  
  That’s my super quick rundown of wines with more to share again soon.
  
  Cheers my dears!!
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  Posted in Wine | Tagged 6th Sense Syrah, BonAnno Wine, Indian Wells Merlot
- Spain
  
  Posted at 4:48 pm by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Mar 16th
  Break out the castanets because Spain is next on the list of wines.
  
  Juan Gil Blue Label comes from the Jumila region of Spain. The soil there is mostly limestone and the climate is very dry which makes their wines more concentrated in flavor. The grapes used in this wine are Monastrell, Cabernet and Syrah. When poured, Juan Gil is purplish/black in color. The aromas and flavors are packed with vanilla, blackberry and balsamic. It was nicely balanced and the finish was very smooth like the moves of a flamenco dancer. Ole!
  
  We enjoyed this with some baked goat cheese and sundried tomato on crostinis.
  
  Price: $12.99
  
  Rating: 4 out of 5
  
  The Infinito is also from the Jumila region of Spain. This wine is 75% Monastrell, 20% Cabernet and 5% Petit Verdot. This wine is a dark cherry color with purple edges. The flavors of dark fruits, licorice, tobacco and spice round this wine out nicely. This one was my husband’s favorite. He went out to Costco to buy another bottle the next day! I’ll willingly assist on the endeavor of drinking this bottle with him. Plus, it gives me a chance to try this wine on its own since it was the last one I had tasted that night.
  
  Price: $14.99
  
  Rating 3.8 out of 5
  
  Thank you Senora and Zorro for the fantastico vinos!
  
  Cheers my dears and happy drinking this festive weekend!
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  Posted in Red Wine, Wine | Tagged Infinito, Infinito Wine, Juan Gil Blue Label
- South African Wine
  
  Posted at 5:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Mar 15th
  Hakuna matata! Moving on to South Africa.
  
  We first sampled the Chocolate Block. I’ve had this wine a few times before, but it’s always been at a large wine tasting and by the time I tried it I couldn’t taste much so I’m not sure my initial thoughts of it were accurate.
  
  When I looked up some background information on the wine, the winemaker’s website stated that this is a wine with secrets to keep. A graphic novel is about to debut and they wouldn’t divulge the meaning behind the name. A little odd, but okay. I do know that the grapes are from the Mediterranean Cape. This wine is a blend of 79% Syrah, 11% Grenache Noir, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cinsault and 1% Voignier. The nose and taste had a major spicy kick to it. A little bit of cedar and chocolate (ta-da, the name!) on the finish. Overall, a good wine, but the peppery spice was a little much for me.
  
  We paired this with some African stew that had chickpeas and peanut butter in it with a hit of spice. Really good stuff!
  
  Price: $24.99
  
  Rating: 3.3 out of 5
  
  The next wine is a Bordeaux blend that’s 39% Cabernet, 22% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot, 14% Malbec and 9% Petite Verdot. The grapes are grown from the mountains of Elgin (cool to know there’s lots of Elgins out there) to the area of Bottelary. I love the picture on the label. It reminds me of our English Springer Spaniels we had growing up. They were my dad’s faithful hunting companions for pheasant and quail so the name of the wine is perfect. It also tastes masculine like tobacco, moss and the smell of the woods after a rain. This wine might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I really liked it.
  
  We paired this up with meatballs, but it would be great with grilled steak or lamb too.
  
  Price: $17.99
  
  Rating: 3.7 out of 5
  
  Thank you Simba and Mark for hosting a fun evening filled with many laughs from That’s What She Said. I’m still laughing at some of those answers. 🙂
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  Posted in Red Wine, Wine
- Wine On Wednesday: Argentinian and Chilean Wine
  
  Posted at 5:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Mar 14th
  A bunch of wines were sampled by many last weekend for an international wine night complete with appetizers and costumes from four different regions. Here’s an overview of the first: South America.
  
  The Gascon Colosal Red Blend is from Argentina and comprised of 61% Malbec, 16% Bonarda, 13% Syrah and 10% Cabernet. This wine is full bodied and deep purple in the glass. Flavors of oak, blackberry, leather and cherry kept it balanced. It was smooth and mellow like a lowriding Impala. Awww, yeah.
  
  Drink this up with some fried plantains or beef brisket.
  
  Price: $12.99
  
  Rating: 3 out of 5
  
  The second one is from the Rapel region of Chile. The vineyard is located at the basin of the Cachapoal River. The wine is 90% Carmenere and 10% Cabernet. The grapes from this area are harvested in May and aged for 13-14 months in American and French Oak barrels. The color was an intense purple in the glass. I tasted flavors of cigar box, chocolate and plum.
  
  A solid wine choice to pair with steak, carnitas or anything spicy.
  
  Price: $15.99
  
  Rating: 3.3 out of 5
  
  A big thanks to Chola and Cholo for introducing us to these la hermosa wines from your chosen region. 😉 Gracias!
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  Posted in Red Wine, Wine | Tagged Concha Y Toro, Gascon Red Blend, Gran Reserva Carmenere
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