Ty's Red - in a word, Wow.

So the hubs and I were doing our annual Sonoma area trip a few weeks back, and we had a little time to kill before meeting friends. We pull the rental car into this nondescript strip mall because the hubs says he saw a sign for a tasting room. In an office-parky strip mall? Yep. If ever a place lived up to the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, this was it.

The tasting room was modest, but the host was friendly and knowledgeable. Two makers share the room – Muscardini and Ty Caton. Both had some phenomenal wines. Ty's are sustainable. What a score!

One of the less expensive options was this fabulous red, called simply, Ty’s Red. It doesn’t need a gimmicky name when it’s this good. It’s a red blend of syrah, merlot, cab and petite sirah.

The 2009 Ty’s Red has a beautiful deep plum color and red fruits on the nose. I picked up Bing cherry, grass, and minerals. It has a velvety texture with a rich mouth feel that slowly builds with tannins, dark fruits like blackberry and some spice. In a word, wow. Two words: buy some.  We also fell in love with the Tytanium that day, but you’ll have to wait for a special occasion for that review!

Balvenie Single Malt Scotch "Whisky"

 

Last time I went out drinking Scotch, I was with an Englishman and the Scotches he wanted to drink reminded me of bogs and swamps. As a matter of fact, the more expensive they got the more they tasted of swamp.  

 

Balvenie Scotch is not like the Scotch whiskeys I drank at that time. Balvenie Scotch is pleasant, sweet and smooth.  The first thing we noticed at the wedding where we opened this bottle, was that Balvenie Scotch did not want any ice.

Balvenie smelled of spice and wood -- not peat and earth. It went down smooth and begged to be sipped.  The Scotch had a sweet and spicy taste with a hint of nut, that was really pleasing to drink.  If you like soda water or even don't like soda water, add a little to some Balvenie and WOW you will really understand how people can drink Scotch and soda.

Their website is TheBalvenie.com and if you love Whiskey, I highly recommend Balvenie 12-year old Double Wood Single Malt Scotch. It is truly an amazing Scotch Whiskey.

Amaretto Tea

So, I've come down with my first cold of the winter season - even though it's not winter yet! And the hubs and I went out for Mexican, figuring some spicy food would clear out the sinuses. Our trusty waitress, upon hearing we had colds, suggested starting off with an Amaretto Tea. It was a simple but tasty drink (recipe below) that definitely warms you up and helps clear the nose.

Our version:
1 cup hot water
2 ounces amaretto
hint of lemon juice

We've seen versions online that substitute whipped cream or regular cream for the lemon juice, but honestly, the extra calories aren't necessary, and when we have colds, we try to avoid dairy.

Amaretto is an Italian liqueur that has the flavor of Almonds.

Another variation: use hot tea instead of hot water, but you'll want to use a mild tea (Lipton is fine), or an English breakfast tea, lightly steeped. An herbal tea will be too sweet. Enjoy experimenting!

2008 Arizona Stronghold, Mangus Red

Ok, lest you all think we only review California reds, here’s a surprise: a red table wine from Arizona. What? Wine from Arizona? Yep, and surprisingly tasty, too.

This red blend from Arizona Stronghold comes from Cochise County. It features 55% cabernet sauvignon, 36% sangiovese grapes, and 9% merlot, so it’s striving to be in the Italian style, making it pretty drinkable with food, but less compelling as a stand-alone sipper.

It has a medium brick color, with a slight floral overlay on the aroma of berries, earth and trees. It sort of smells like a dry summer canyon high in the mountains. Very light tannins but with good texture, spice and medium length. I’m not sure I’d age it more than where it is now. Very drinkable with a nice variety of cheeses. (We paired it with an aged Wisconsin cheddar, a German cambozola, and Beecher’s No Woman. They all worked well together.)

While the alcohol content is over 14%, it doesn’t smack you on the nose like some do. So, yes, you can actually find good wine from Arizona!

Arizona Stronghold:

http://www.azstronghold.com/mangus.html 

Beecher's No Woman:

http://store.beechershandmadecheese.com/p-37-no-woman-1-lb.aspx 

Madonna Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002, Carneros Region

Madonna Estate is in the Napa Valley, with a friendly-staffed tasting room. The color of this cab is a deep plum-red. They’re reportedly organically grown with southern exposure. The aromas are bright and herbal. It has a structured mouth feel with medium to light tannins. If you like cabernets that aren’t overly fruity, this is a good choice. It’s very well balanced with red fruits, spice, clay and wood. The finish isn’t as long as some cabs, but it’s pleasantly mellow.

Porter Creek 2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, Fiona Hill Vineyard

This one starts bright and fruity on the nose. On the tongue, it begins with light berry flavors then punches you with warm tannins and spice, but in a nice way, balanced with light smoky hints and oak. It has a long finish that leaves you wanting more. Much of the Fiona Hill vineyard is on steep slopes and you can definitely pick up hints of minerals from the soils. Drinkable now through 2012. 

The vines photographed are right across from the entrance to Porter Creek's unassuming tasting room.

Enjoyed some Hornitos Añejo at a wedding this weekend

Hornitos Añejo: this is not your average Tequila; this is a smooth shooting tequila. A lot of people think Patrón is tops but I find it to be WAY over priced. This tequila is easily as good as Patrón, and one third the price. Hornitos Añejo has a fiery start with a pleasant tang that lets you know you have just knocked back a great tequila, but the real joy comes in the fact that there is no chemical feeling of hellfire in your mouth and throat -- just a smooth baritone tequila. This is 100% pure agave tequila that was done right, a hint of some smoke from the barrel and a lot of agave flavor.  Stick around tequila lovers; I have lots of weddings this month and I love my Tequila, so we shall be reviewing a couple more bottles this weekend. Then off to another wedding where we will be drinking Scotch!