Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

Bottle of Novelty Hill
Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Novelty Hill
Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Washington, USA
28.95 USD

A classic, full-bodied Cabernet with dark fruit aromas and a hint of spice.  Generous layers of fresh currant, black cherry and ripe blackberry gain concentration across the palate before leaving a balanced, richly-textured impression that lasts. 

(Mike Januik, Winemaker)

I tried this wine at the Vintage Cellar yesterday.  It had a velvety layer to the nose and some hints of fruit, which I couldn't place.  I also got hints of wood (oak-ish) and a lot of chocolate.  The taste was robust, yet smooth.  It had a lot going on but had a nice balance to it.  At the time, I couldn't really place any of the particular fruit flavors in the taste.  Seemed to be an off 

tasting day for me.  

Luna Nuda 2006

Bottle of Luna Nuda
Chianti 2006

Luna Nuda
Chianti 2006
Blend: Sangiovese 90% + Canaiolo 10%
Tuscany, Italy
9.00 USD


Luna Nuda translated means "naked moon" produced at one of Tuscany's oldest wineries (established in 1865).  This luscious blend exhibits a fragrant bouquet of bright cherry flavors.  Soft, with a remarkable smoothness, it is ideal with light cheese or red-sauced pasta dishes as well as a variety of frilled meats (bottle label) 


It's Friday wine night again!  And so here we [Derek, Marie and I] are with a bottle of Luna Nuda Chianti that Derek had purchased from the Vintage Cellar a few weeks ago. We are pairing it with a delicious starter of caprese crostini and oddly enough a caprese pizza.  There seems to be a recurring trend of caprese in our diet as of late.  Anyway the wine certainly had a very pronounced cherry smell to it.  There were hints of other dark red fruit smells as well and I was thinking plum but not to certain on that.  The alcohol was pretty evident on the nose and the oak was coming through as well.  On first sip the cherry aspect came though clearly.  There was a strong tannin presence to the wine, which paired with the fruit kinda reminded me of cranberries.  The alcohol was present in the wine at first but mellowed out after a while.

Quinta das Heredias 20 yr. Tawny Port

Bottle of Quinta das Heredias
20 yr. Tawny Port

Quinta das Heredias
Tawny Port 20 year
Douro, Portugal
Port Blend
~50.00-60.00 USD

This spectacular 20 year Old Tawny Port has an amazing pale copper colour. Its alluring mellow character shows waves of dried fruits, hazelnut & toffee on the nose that slips seamlessly into long, mellow flavours of mocha, caramel, dates & almonds that are lifted by a vein of orange zest & spice. A really enjoyable rarity.

To continue the Valentine's Day extravaganza I decided to order a glass of this 20 year Tawny Port to pair with my chocolate torte with raspberries.  It had an amazing deep amber color.  It was rich with smells of vanilla, dried fruit which I thought was mainly raisins and a maple or molasses under note.  I was kind of disheartened to be able to really smell the alcohol in it though. It had a strong raisin taste from start to finish but was accompanied by the maple towards the finish.  On the first sip there I was surprised by how much I could really taste the liquor.  However, after taking a sip of water to kind of clear my palate and then going back to the port I found that it was a much smoother and the alcohol really did seem to disappear.  After that it really was a complete pleasure to drink this port...I even found myself sitting there just swishing it around in my mouth enjoying the flavors. 

Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Raymond

Sommelier Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Bottle of Raymond
Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Blend: Cabernet, Cabernet Franc + Merlot

California, USA

35.00 USD

The winemaking team, along with Jean-Charles Boisset hosted the blending series at Raymond with eight influential sommeliers. From this blending session, the 2009 Sommelier Selection was crafted. The blending session started with background on the individual components, and the framework for the blending exercise. Teams of two were paired together and asked to submit their preferred blends from two Napa Cabernets, one Napa Cabernet Franc, one Napa Merlot, one Sonoma Cabernet, one Sonoma Merlot, and one Lake County Cabernet. Each team crafted two favorite blends, and submitted them for review by the panel of sommeliers and the Raymond winemaking team. A blind taste test and ranking revealed the winning blend

Aromas of Herbs de Provence, black cherry, brambleberry, and tar mingle with layers of spices.

A full-bodied elegant wine brimming with blackberry, cherry and cassis flavors. The Cabernet blend is comprised of fruit from the Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and Lake County. Napa Valley is the backbone of the blend, with its terroir providing the fullest expression of black fruits and integrated tannins; Sonoma County’s fog influence produces grapes that give the wine structure, balance and acidity; Lake County’s growing season is short, making for red, jammy wines that are easy to enjoy.

Ideal to pair with a fine steak.  (boissetfamilyestates.com)

It was February 14th and we all know what that means.  I made reservations at 622 North Main Street for dinner.  I wasn't aware there was going to be a special dinner menu before hand and was surprised to find that was actually the case when we got there.  However, after the initial shock of the price wore off I decided to just go with it.  It's not every day we do this kind of thing.  So to go along with our [Marie and myself] five course meal I ordered the Raymond Sommelier Selection Cabernet Sauvignon.  I thought that it might make a good pairing with the lamb chops served over mashed potatoes that I had, and Marie's rib-eye medallions served over mashed potatoes and topped by lobster and shrimp.  

The nose had a fairly dry not overly sweet or fruity feeling although I did imagine it to be a very full bodied and almost silky kind of wine.  There were hints of dark cherry, oak and some vanilla coming through on the end.  There was a bit of a bite from the alcohol and and fairly present tannic component to it on first try but over the course of the meal it mellowed out a lot and became much more silky/velvety.  The alcohol heat that it had was mainly present from the mid-pallet through the finish but was actually, at least for me, a nice effect that held its own against the lamb.  The dark cherry was coming though very strongly in the beginning then turned more to an oak and vanilla finish.  It was a delightful wine to have a glass of and I was very taken aback by the change it went thought in the small amount of time it was open and out in my glass. 

Cooper Vineyards Noche 2011

Sweet bottle of Cooper Vineyards
Noche 

Cooper Vineyards
Noche 2011
Norton Grapes
Virginia, USA
17.00 USD

Best Dessert Wine 2011 Wine Lovers Spring Classic. A Virginia Norton dessert wine infused with chocolate, Noche is a decadent treat. Hints of black cherry and raspberry complement rich aromas of cocoa with a chocolate ganache finish. (Cooper Vineyards)

I was very excited when I saw that the Vintage Cellar had this ice wine for tasting.  This was a dessert wine if I have ever had one.  Before the glass was even a foot from your face you were hit by an amazing chocolate smell.  In fact it completely overwhelmed all the other smells in there.  However, when I tasted it the fruits came through and did a great job of balancing out the chocolate. I did have a hard time pinpointing exactly what fruit it was but no matter, the chocolate really takes center stage in this wine.  All in all this was an amazingly sweet wine perfect for dessert pairing--or simply the dessert itself!

Monte Antico 2007

Bottle of Monte Antico 2007

Monte Antico
Tuscan Blend 2007
Blend: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon + Sangiovese
Tuscany, Italy
13.95 USD


Plenty of blackberry and chocolate character, with hints of plums.  Full and very velvety with a bright and fruity finish.  Always one of the best values in Tuscany.  Screw cap. Delicious now. (vintage cellar)


This wine had a very distinct smell to it.  It was a very earthy smell to it.  It wasn't dirt or mold or moss, it was just earth.  It had a nice component of some sort of red fruit.  I guess it was plums but I want able to pick that out myself.  There was also a hint of a smooth vanilla as well.  As for the taste.  It was sweet with a bit of acid to it.  With no heat and smooth all the way through it left a surprisingly dry aftertaste.  All in all I would really like to get a bottle of this to have again.  

Grayson Chardonnay 2010

Bottle of Grason
 Chardonnay

Grayson Chardonnay 2010
Chardonnay 100%
California, USA
9.95 USD


The 2010 Grayson Chardonnay is brilliantly ripe and shows aromas of bright, brisk acidity with notes of peach and Asian pear. The palate offers green apple with a crisp finish showing gentle hints of apple pie and tropical fruit. (Grayson Cellars)


This was a fun wine to try.  The green apple aromas just leap out of the glass at you before your nose gets anywhere near it.  There is also a nice undertone of either pear or peach (couldn't decided which) that served to mellow out the the tartness of the green apple at least for me it did.  It was nice a sweet but very light and crisp.  A very enjoyable aromatic wine.  The green apple again hits you immediately when you finally taste the wine.  It's like liquid green apple with hints of vanilla.  It was crisp and hangs with you a good while after swallowing and I'm not sure if it's what I had to eat before or the wine but I swear I tasted avocados a little while after finishing the tasting.