Skip to main content

2008 Hellcat by Airfield Estates

Snow yesterday, sleet today, which makes for very treacherous roads in the Columbia Valley. Trapped in our own home, what is a family to do? It's a perfect excuse to raid the wine cellar and enjoy comfort wine with comfort food.
Spaghetti with 2008 Airfield Estates Hellcat.

For lunch today my wife cooked spaghetti with a robust red meat sauce, garnished with flakes of Parmesan cheese and garlic bread on the side. She also selected the wine, an Airfield Estates 2008 Hellcat. We purchased this bottle at their family owned Prosser, Washington winery during Spring release weekend in April 2010.

Lunch was most enjoyable. The 2008 Hellcat complimented our comforting meal and left me glowing with contentment. I stuck my head out the front door to snap the photo below and quickly retreated to the warmth of home and another glass of wine.

Snowy Pagoda.

The 2008 Hellcat is a dark, clean garnet color. I love the nose on this wine: lively aromas of candied dark fruit, resin, tar, a whiff of Arabic incense specifically Ood Muattar and molasses. Round flavors fill the mouth, with cherry, raspberry and road tar. The  balanced acidity and tannins compliment this medium/full bodied wine, it is dry, firm, with a lengthy finish. My inner lips are most content. This wine opens up beautifully, it is fully enjoyable when you remove the screw cap, but it gradually gains in character the longer it is open.

An aromatic red wine, with plenty of flavor and complexity to please most. It also pairs very well with spaghetti. I recommend drinking now or over the next couple of years if you have this vintage. Lovely.

A blend of 88% Tempranillo, 6% Grenache, 6% Syrah.

13.9% ABV

 Learn more about Airfield Estates at: http://www.airfieldwines.com/ 

Cheers!

Popular posts from this blog

Three Albariños and Several Food Pairings | Taste Rías Baixas

As promised, more reviews of  Albariño wines from Rías Baixas.  My previous post ( My Favorite White Wines this Summer are from DO Rias Baixas ), I emphasized more traditional food pairings, grilled shrimp, Ceviche, and watermelon. This time, I wanted to try some different pairings to see how well Albariño wines would match. I love seafood, but I was curious about the flexibility of this variety. My test pairings began with a series of mini quiche I made at home, spinach, hamburger, tomato, dill and steak. Following are my tastings notes on the wines and the food pairing results. Results were mixed. Map of DO Rías Baixas and sub-zones. While twelve grape varieties are permitted in DO Rías Baixas, the white Albariño grape represents 96% of all plantings. Albariño refreshes as a drinking wine and appeals to diverse cuisine. Albariño from Galicia delivers for me on many levels. Bright acidity, refreshing citrus flavors and that compelling salinity which in...

Spirit Review: Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine White Lightnin' @OleSmoky

Today I have crossed the line from wine to spirits. At 100 proof the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine is definitely turning up the volume (ABV 50%). "Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, and Tennessee white whiskey are terms used to describe high-proof distilled spirits, generally produced illicitly...The word "moonshine" is believed to derive from the term "moonrakers" used for early English smugglers and the clandestine (i.e., by the light of the moon) nature of the operations of illegal Appalachian distillers who produced and distributed whiskey." Source Wikipedia My family is no stranger to Moonshine.  That is, my great-grandfather and grandfather were not strangers. Evidently the family occasionally produced their own spirits on their Oregon ranch. My grandfather told me about his younger brother getting into his dads stash with predictable results. Grandmother also told me stories about midnight runs and secretive deliveries d...

Review: Sho Chiku Bai, Unfiltered Sake

Last month in Seattle, I purchased a bottle of Nigori sake at Uwajimaya. Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been visiting Uwajimaya for almost 40 years. When I was much younger, I’d buy model ship and plane kits, Japanese comic books (manga) and I never left without at least one steaming Humbow in hand. Today I buy the manga for my son; while I still enjoy the tasty steamed Humbows, now I never leave without at least one bottle of Sake in hand. Uwajimaya has a terrific selection of imported sake. This most recent visit, I left with a bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake. Nigori sake is generally the sweetest of all sakes, with a fruity nose and a mild flavor, making a great drink to complement spicy foods or as a dessert wine. Typical sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process; however Nigori sake remains unfiltered, resulting in a cloudier beverage. Before serving, the bottle ...