Tablas Creek 2008 Grenache

DATE CONSUMED

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

VINTAGE

2008

WINERY/PRODUCER

Tablas Creek Vineyard

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

100% Grenache

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

Grown and bottled on the estate

REGION/APPELLATION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Paso Robles, California (Central Coast)

ALCOHOL CONTENT

15.5%

PRICE PAID

$32.00

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We received this bottle from Tablas Creek’s (TC) wine club in March, 2011.

BOUQUET

This wine has a red-fruited (especially raspberries and strawberries), floral, spicy, herbal bouquet.  I’m also detecting quite a bit of earthiness as a recurring undertone, along with just a hint of a suggestion of a rumor of oak as well.  Can’t wait to taste this wine!

  

TASTING NOTES

Wow, this is one YUMMY wine!!  No doubt partially due to its high alcohol content (15.5%, the result of ripe fruit/grapes), there is a raspberry jam component up front, along with a red cherry and (some slight) plum and strawberry characteristics in the wine’s fruit profile.  In addition to the fruit flavors, there is an abundance of savory spices and black pepper, all supported by zippy acidity and crisp, smooth, supple tannins.

This wine is fairly light-bodied but it packs quite a wallop of complexity and depth-of-flavor.  It is very well-balanced, smooth, silky, and has quite a lingering, delicious finish.  There’s also some subtle oak and Calineuf-du-Pape earthiness running through the wine’s core structure as well.

This is one of the best California Grenaches I’ve tasted in quite a while.  It is deliciously fruity, spicy, earthy, and food-friendly beyond belief. 

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this beauty with racks of lamb that were cut into “chops” and seasoned with Kosher salt, a sprinkling of red chili powder, and freshly-ground cumin, grilled to medium-rare perfection on the grill.  This wine paired perfectly with the lamb chops/racks and would equally pair well with just about any other red meat dish (prime rib, pot roast, grilled steaks, meat loaf, etc.). 

Thanks to its light-bodiness, this wine would even pair well with salmon.

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine is drinking very nicely right now, but thanks to its acidity and tannins and sugar/alcohol content, this wine should age gorgeously for another 5+ years.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

92

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.tablascreek.com/

Siduri 2009 Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir

DATE CONSUMED

Sunday, November 10, 2013

VINTAGE

2009

WINERY/PRODUCER

Siduri

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

100% Pinot Noir

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/APPELLATION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley, Oregon

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.1%

PRICE PAID

$20

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We visited Siduri’s winery/tasting room in October 2011 during one of our sojourns through the Russian River Valley.  If I remember correctly, this wine was on sale, so we bought a couple of bottles as well as a bottle of their Novy Syrah (another one of Siduri’s labels).

BOUQUET

This wine has a classic Pinot Noir bouquet, exhibiting plenty of earth (and forest floor), red fruits, savory herbs, with suggestions/hints of oak as well.  Hopefully the wine will taste as good as it smells.

 

TASTING NOTES

We had never visited Siduri before but I had read several glowing reviews of some of their wines and wanted to give them a try.  Their winery and tasting room is in an industrial park in the Russian River Valley and their entire operation/business model reminds me of Loring Wine Company, another maker of fantastic Pinot Noirs that purchase their grapes from some of the best vineyards/viticulturists in California and Oregon. 

This Pinot is beautifully well-balanced, with smooth, silky tannins, red fruits like Bing cherries and raspberries, along with TONS of earth and savory herbs like star anise, rosemary, and both white and black pepper.  The wine is fairly light-bodied but packs quite a punch and possesses an abundance of depth-of-flavors and complexity, ending with a smooth, refined, lingering finish.  It has the perfect amount of red fruit, spices, tannins, oak, and acidity.  In the background is a sublime undercurrent of forest floor and sage brush, along with whispers and rumors of strawberry and raspberry jam.

This is a fantastic Burgundian-like Pinot Noir.  It has a fantastic spicy, herbal, earthy bouquet and has depth-of-flavor and complexity that most $75+ Pinots would envy.  At $20 a bottle, I am PISSED-OFF that we didn’t buy one or two cases of this gorgeous Pinot.  At $20/bottle, this wine is/was the buy of the year.  Nobody with an ounce of wine experience who would have blind-tasted this wine would have guessed that it cost only $20 a bottle.  I think most winos would guess that this wine cost at least $50 a bottle.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this beauty with a spiced pork loin stew.  It went quite well with the stew, but if we had another bottle (or case) of this wine, I would suggest pairing it with lamb shanks/chops/racks, duck confit, roasted chicken, salmon, a pork roast or chops, prime rib, or even a simply grilled steak.  Thanks to the wine’s complexity and depth-of-flavors, this wine would just about be a perfect match with any/every/all proteins, with the exception of light white fish dishes.  Want a great Pinot to go with that beef, lamb, pork, or chicken dish?  Start with this wine!

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine is drinking gorgeously right now and has the “legs” and structure to age beautifully for another ten years or so. 

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

92

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD  -  EXCELLENT

WINERY WEBSITE

http://siduri.com/