Madonna Estate 2007 Pinot Noir

This Madonna Estate pinot noir from the Carneros region is organically grown. The pour looked a bit watery in its appearance; we did a big glass so the dark cherry color would show well.

On the nose, it’s fruity with light spring grasses and a touch of oak.

The flavor includes red fruits: raspberry jam, cherry, strawberry… it would probably do well aging further or decanting longer. We picked up strong acids and few tannins. Uncomplicated but drinkable; we didn't get the long finish promised in the tasting notes. It went well with a simple cheese plate of softened Boursin on thin crispy crackers. 

The tasting room is housed in an attractive Spanish style building at the intersection of routes 12 and 121, so the Estate is a convenient stop for those traveling between the Napa and Sonoma valleys.

2007 Armida Sryah

This lovely syrah comes from the Flora Ranch, Chalk Hill, in Sonoma County. We always stop at Armida because they do these divine wine-filled chocolates. The chocolates make a great gift.

Service at the Armida tasting room has been hit or miss (if it isn't crowded, service tends to be nice, but they seem disorganized and overwhelmed by crowds). That said, it is a great spot to open a bottle of wine (or a box of chocolates) and enjoy the valley view from their large deck.

But back to the syrah... It has a pretty dark cherry, slightly brick color. We got a ton of crystals on the cork. The scent includes blueberries, plum, clay and floral notes, as well as a woodsy scent. The syrah isn't overly fruity, but rather sweet, almost like dessert, though not at all syrupy. The tannins start to grab your tongue and then they back down. A really pleasant surprise.

Also worth noting, if you have a Halloween party to attend, or biker friends, or a pirate lover on your shopping list, their Poizin is tasty and has a skull and crossbones on the label ~ kinda fun. Clearly, they don't take themselves too seriously, and really, life is too short if you're not going to enjoy it.

Muscardini Zinfandel - 2009

This zin from the Monte Rosso vineyard in Sonoma valley is tasty! Did I spoil the ending?

The Muscardini Zinfandel has a rich, plum color. The scent is dark berries (blueberry pie according to the winemaker's notes), grass and herbal scents, some bright hillside notes, and warm oak. There's a high alcohol content in this Italian style wine.

On the palate, it's fruit-forward with plum and other dark fruits (berries), then a warm building of tannins with medium mouth feel. The zin has a nice peppery, long finish.

We're not giving away any secrets here, the Sonoma Sommelier rated it a 91! And it just took the Gold Medal at the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

“Does the world need another winery? Perhaps not, but the world does need to taste my wine.” -Michael Muscardini

I couldn't agree more!

El Mayor Tequila

I bought this bottle a while back to enjoy with a good friend of mine in celebration of his birthday, and it was truly excellent Tequila.  El Mayor Tequila comes with these cute little labels telling you the batch number and how many bottles were made, which is a great artisan touch.  

The smell is like hay with under tones of earth and caramel - no strong smell of distilled spirits that one gets with a less pure alcohol. Now for the sweet taste: first off, there is no sting or burn. It is smooth and rich, and you can taste the oak barrel.  There are some flavors of spices (cinnamon, clove, etc.) and the finish is great - it lies on the tongue allowing you to savor this tequila.  El Mayor goes down smooth with no serious burn, just a rich luscious feel on the tongue and some pleasant spicy notes.  

This would go well with some caramelized pineapple dusted with cinnamon, or with an acidic sweet fruit.  I would have to say that this moderately priced tequila is well worth adding to your bar or sharing with friends over the holidays.

Cavaliere from Toscano, 2003

This review is going to be cruel, in that this wine is going to be super hard to find if you decide you want to try it. We initially sampled this on our honeymoon cruise, on the day that we went wine tasting in Tuscany. (Rolling hills of Tuscany in the photo at right).

It was a fabulous day that started with a tour through Siena, then on to some wine tasting, followed by free time to wander another small Tuscan town (see photo below) that had the best gelato!

One of the wines we sampled that day was this Cavaliere from San Gimignano, Tuscany, which has a beautiful deep burgundy red color. (See photo, below). The aroma hints at olive groves, with clean, earthy, woodsy scents, cherry fruits, slate and slightly floral notes.

The taste begins with dark red fruits that are quickly overwhelmed by a building peppery taste, which grabs your tongue and gives it a squeeze. It's like a hug from Italy!

We paired this beautiful red wine with a cheese plate containing Anton's Liebe Rot from Germany, Beecher's Marco Polo, and some Le Delice de Bourgnogne.

It went phenomenally well with this range of cheeses, which should all be available at New Season's. If not, the cheese monger can point you in the right direction for a scrumptious plate. The liebe rot is a medium-strong cow's milk; the marco polo is wonderfully peppery; and the delice is rich and creamy.

I'm making myself hungry. Is it wine o'clock yet?

Gingerbread Cookie Martini

If you like gingerbread, you'll love this tasty snack in a glass.  Outback makes this drink so good, you will think you're drinking dessert!

The taste of the drink is like a  light gingerbread cookie with a hint of cinnamon and spices, and when you lick the rim you get some crunch of gingerbread cookie.  This drink went down like a gingerbread milkshake, no taste or feel of alcohol, but that's what this drink is all about. Sweet, creamy goodness.

I recommend that you give this drink a try, especially if you want something sweet, with a great hint of holiday spices, that does not taste or smell of alcohol.

If you cannot get yourself to an Outback Steakhouse, here are the ingredients for your experimentation at home!

Monin Gingerbread syrup, moninstore.com
Absolut Vodka, absolut.com
Kahlua, kahlua.com
Baileys Irish Cream, baileys.com

Line the rim with graham cracker crumbs and top with a gingerbread cookie and some whipped cream.

It's so tasty, you won't mind lots and lots of trials and errors to find the right mix!

Penfold’s “Rawson’s Retreat” Shiraz Cabernet blend, Australia

This was the waitress’ selection at Outback Steakhouse when I asked her to pick a red for me. Figured we’d see how well she could pair a wine, since the menu says they all get training in doing just that. She looked a little frightened at the request, so clearly the training doesn’t build much confidence.

The color of this Penfold’s wine is a dark cherry red. This shiraz-cab blend from Australia has bright red fruits on the nose, including cherries, berries, some plum, spice and hints of clay and oak. It has a tight, spicy finish with medium tannins. Generally, fresh and drinkable. 

It was nice with the blooming onion, good with steak, mediocre with the BBQ ribs.  

Here’s what Penfold’s says about it:

“The desired fruit profile that the winemaking team looks for is one of lovely primary fruit characters with some spice…This classic Australian shiraz cabernet blend is best matched to grilled meat and vegetable dishes.”

http://www.penfolds.com/en/Wines/Rawsons-Retreat/Shiraz-Cabernet.aspx

Here’s what I ordered at Outback (photo at left courtesy of their website):

http://www.outback.com/menu/outback-special-and-ribs.aspx

Stay tuned for hubby’s review of the Gingerbread Cookie Martini (also from Outback). 

I don't want to spoil it, but make sure you get an opportunity to try it before the season is over!

Arista Russian River Valley 2007 Syrah

Arista is my favorite winery, so let’s admit to that right away. The setting for the tasting room is lovely, the staff friendly, and the wines wonderful. When the hubs and I went on our Alaska cruise, we took a case of wine with us, and about 9 of the 12 bottles were from Arista. We even shared tastings with the crew, which for some reason, knew us by name in very short order and invited us to an exclusive chef’s dinner (photo at right) on one of the last nights on board. 

But I digress.

Arista’s Syrah, we call it ‘3 clubs’ since there are three clubs on the label, has a gorgeous plum color. The best way to describe its aroma is that of a hot summer day in Sonoma County. It’s earthy, fruity, woodsy and spicy. The flavors are a nice blend of dark cherry, oak, clay, pepper, chocolate, and black raspberry. It has more acidity and less jamminess than most California syrahs. But don’t think you’ll be missing a nice mouth feel; its tannins build slowly and linger for a long time. Then the finish is bright and clean.

We enjoyed this syrah with two vastly different pairings:

 

1. It completely held its own (and shined way brighter than our recently-reviewed Porter Creek zin) with a cheese plate consisting of Rivers Edge’s Sunset Bay Logsden Oregon, and two soft cheeses from France (Corsica and Le Delice de Bourgogne).

2. It was super-tasty with a basic meatloaf and mashed potato dinner that we got from Costco. (We’re not that snooty, after all!)

LINKS:

Rivers Edge Chevre – “A fiery orange line streaks through this luscious cheese beneath its coating of ash.” Three Ring Farm Sunset Bay

Arista Winery – “Produced in small lots of several barrels, the wines are deliciously balanced with fruit, tannins, acidity and oak in harmonious proportion.”  Arista

Corazon Blanco

Well I have a lovely tequila to tell you about as I sip my Rum and coke…  

 

Corazon Blanco - This mid to high priced tequila actually is worth the money; usually that is not the case.   I took my first shot of this amazingly smooth Blanco and my first thought was "wow no gin/chemical taste". After the smooth, silky liquor ran down my throat, I thought "hell this tequila is damn drinkable."  

Corazon has the smell of Agave, and citrus fruits, and none of the odors of processing or adulterating that lesser tequilas have.  Corazon taste like a Blanco tequila should: clean, light, with a little lime or lemon - crisp with a smidgen of cactus. It goes down smooth with a light fire in the throat.  This is a tequila I highly recommend that you add to your bar. At the very least, give it a go if you see it on a menu. I am definitely adding it to my bar and will probably be reviewing the Anejo and Reposado soon.

About that Rum and Coke I mentioned in the beginning it's a LOVELY Cuban made Anejo rum that mixes great with coke; 2 ounces or more rum to about 8 ounces coke. 

2006 Porter Creek Zinfandel

My husband’s favorite winery is Porter Creek, so they’ll be well featured here. My favorite is just down the street from them, so clearly the soils are good in this neck of Sonoma County. 

The Old Vine zin has clay and woodsy aromas that deepen into dark red fruits. The color is a pretty deep plum-brick. On the palate, it is spicy and acidic at first, with building cherry tones and then it gives a tight pucker to the tongue. This is what people expect from a Sonoma County zin. It was super-peppery after nibbling a chocolate chip cookie; really grabbed my attention. Looking forward to enjoying it with some meatloaf and mashed potatoes tonight (if it lasts that long). 

This wine is “produced from hillside grown vines and blended with 10% Carignane and 2% Syrah for texture and overall harmony” according to their website: Porter Creek Vineyards

2008 Edgefield Cabernet Savignon

Enjoyed a glass of this very drinkable cabernet with the McMenamin’s warm brie plate. (Wish the brie had actually been warm – all they'd done is barely take the chill off). But back to the wine: it had a nice garnet color. Aromas included plum, blueberry, and black cherry. It had a nice mouth feel with medium tannins, and you definitely picked up the dark fruits. I was a bit disappointed in the short, uncomplicated finish, but it’s a very approachable, drinkable wine.  

McMenamin's is hosting a vintage treasure show next Saturday. Link below provides the details.

http://www.mcmenamins.com/events/95544-Plucky-Maidens-Junk-Fest