Milat 2009 Zinfandel (California)

This Wine hails from St. Helena California in Napa County, a mecca of amazing wineries. Milat Vineyards is a family-owned and operated winery, situated on 20 acres of estate vineyard just south of St. Helena in the Napa Valley.

Ageing was in 80% American oak and 20% French barrels(20% new) 100% Zinfandel, 15.4% alcohol.

I had this wine at a Christmas Party. I love to see what other wine lovers drink and the Doc had quite a bit of Milat Zinfandel, it was her favorite Zinfandel.

Garnet red in the glass, I just love a dark red wine. The nose was rich with hints of spice, pepper and oak. The palate was fruit forward, dark cherry with intense blackberry spice mid palate and finishes smooth, slightly tannic. This wine would cellar well for a few years. Pairs well with grilled meats, Italian dishes or drinks well alone.

Domaine Lafond Rhone Roc Epine Lirac Rouge 2009 (France)

This wine hales from the Rhone region in France so for all you French Wine lovers I am sure you know about this region.

Funny story when we purchased this wine, we intended to get the Chardonnay but mistakenly grabbed this bottle instead but we were pleasantly surprised nonetheless.
 
This slightly opaque and dark ruby colored red blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 5%, Carignan & 5%, Mourvedre
Opens with a strawberry licorice and mild oak bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, very nicely balanced, and smooth. The flavor profile is a very tasty black currant and mild oak blend with hints of boysenberry. The finish is dry and its moderate dusty tannins linger for quite some time. 

The Lafond family dates it's history back to 1780 when a forefather of the owner today settled in Tavel as a winegrower.
In 1948 Jean-Pierre Lafond’s grandfather, Valery Taulier, built the first private cellar in Tavel. In 1978 Pascal joined his father at the estate and they started to bottle wine with their own label. The name Roc-Epine is the name of a famous race horse. The grandfather of Pascal had a great interest in horse racing.
Domaine Lafond is mainly producing Tavel and Lirac from a total of 85 ha. by which 39 ha Tavel, 24 ha Cotes du Rhone, 18,5 ha Lirac and 3,6 ha. Chateauneuf du Pape.

Kimmel Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (California)

What a fabulous Cabernet!

Dark ruby color with a garnet edge. Complex nose of sandalwood, cedar, cassis, black cherry, dark chocolate and a touch of spice.

On the palate, it is extremely rich and mouth-coating and has a long finish of concentrated fruit, smooth, like velvet on your tongue with medium tannins. This wine is remarkable in how it continues to evolve in the glass over the course of a meal enticing you to drink more, and I did!

For more information on Kimmel Vineyards visit their website at

http://kimmelvineyards.com/

 

Kimmel Cabernet Franc 2010 (California)

Father of Cabernet Sauvignon perhaps Mother....

As Janice Robinson said "I can see that Cabernet Franc might be described as the feminine side of  Cabernet Sauvignon. It is subtly fragrant and gently flirtatious rather than massively muscular and tough in youth.

Being a huge fan of Kimmel Wines I was excited to get a bottle of their Cabernet Franc. Wow..what an amazing wine! Kimmel has done it again!

In the glass this wine is rich indigo with dark amethyst hues. Aroma wafts from the bottle upon un-corking, violet, ripe black cherry and spiced plum. Silky tannins caress the palate with big fruit, luscious blackberry, baked cranberry, ripe wild berries, bits of dark chocolate and a touch of spice. The finish is long, supple and lands softly with hints of gentle raspberry. This is an elegant sexy wine to be enjoyed young or cellar and enjoy later. We enjoyed ever last drop in the bottle and wished we had another.

I served this wine with baked dill salmon, vegetable medley cous cous and roasted butternut squash...perfect pairing!

For more information on Kimmel Wines, go to their website http://kimmelvineyards.com/

Chateau St Jean 2010 Fume Blanc

First and foremost what is Fume Blanc?

Fume Blanc is a quality white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc grape in California. It began as the brainchild of renowned winemaker Robert Mondavi, as a way of cultivating the negative image held by the Sauvignon Blanc grape in California at the time. Not anymore of course but at one time..I know..I know hard to believe!

So I decided to try something different and purchased this bottle for $15 and some change at a local wine shop. I was not sure what to expect and really it was not half bad.

This wine has a terrific nose of kumquat oranges and melon with a very light hint of dried herbs. The flavors change across the taste buds first starting with lemon zest, a touch of lime and Bradford pear notes, developing into melon notes and finishing with a terrific fresh fig flavor, perhaps a bit of grass. Sort of reminded me of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc which always seems to have grassy notes. The oak comes through in a subtle smokiness with a touch of fig flavors. This wine would work well with menus of chicken or pork in a creamy mushroom sauce or butter sauteed sea foods.

Faust Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (California)

And, when the soul is touched with passion's flame, We look around and ask- Who burns the same?" — Faust (Goethe)

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I'm excited to present another wine from Augstin Huneeus (Vintner of Faust Wines) among others. At some point in your wine drinking career you stop following individual grapes or regions and begin chasing individual winemakers and importers.  In 2010, the Huneeus family partnered with winemaker Dave Phinney and Orin Swift Cellars to take ownership and direct sales and marketing of two edgy wines, The Prisoner a Napa Valley red blend, and Saldo, a Zinfandel from some of California’s most revered vineyards.

78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot

In the glass this wine was dark cherry red with a nose of cedar, black cherry, and a touch of tobacco leaf. Rich black cherry flavors with a bit of dark chocolate and mild tannins follow. It's a great wine to savor and the second half was just as nice. We consumed the entire bottle but I am sure it would have held up for another day.

The name of the wine comes from Goethe's play, in which a man makes a deal with the devil Exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. 

I served this wine with grilled strip steaks, twice baked potatoes and grilled asparagus..perfect meal to compliment such an amazing wine.


I don't know much about history, and I don't know much biology either. But I do know this: this wine is splendid....Amadeous said.

Cline Zinfandel 2010 (California)

I have yet to try a Cline wine that I did not like, needless to say this wine was no exception and I really enjoyed it. Cline 2010 Zinfandel. I am a huge fan of Zinfandel wines and this wine was well worth the $15 of so I paid for it. Cline Cellars is actually pretty well known for their zinfandel.  It’s their specialty, along with Rhone varietals, and they produce seven different zinfandels, that I know of, maybe more.

The grapes in this wine come from Lodi 46%, Contra Costa County AVA in Oakley 43% and the rest comes from Sonoma and other regions.  The wine was aged for eight months in 30% medium-toast new French oak.

Dark amethyst red in the glass, the color will tell you alot about a Zinfandel, at least from my experience. I like a wine to speak to me color wise and of course taste and this Zinfandel did. The first thing to stand out on the nose of this wine is the cherry aroma, big and intense. The nose also shows some vanilla, spice and cola aromas. The palate had great spice, cherry and plum flavors.  The tannins are sufficient, as is the acidity. It finishes relatively long, with a nice, spicy sour cherry flavor. I will remember this wine as I do many that I enjoy as much!