Review: Los Vascos 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve, Colchagua, Chile, Domaines Barons De Rothschild (Lafite)

Los Vascos Grande Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009.

Real Value Chilean Wine.

The weather in the Columbia Valley is starting to improve. Our days are intermittently blessed with sunshine and spring showers - the mornings and evenings are still chilly. The other night, I decided to relax on the back porch and take in the last rays of the sun. Orange, pink, and purple lined the horizon, like splashes of wine. It was not warm. Bundled up in a sweater, cap and wool slippers, I kicked back and enjoyed a bottle of Los Vascos 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve.

Los Vascos is one of Chiles oldest wine estates. It is managed by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) which began modernizing the estate in 1988.

This was a brawny wine, very firm and deserved a grilled steak. On opening it had a classic Cabernet nose of cherry and vanilla, followed by tobacco and some chalk. It was dry with medium grip, and plenty of chocolate on the finish. After an hour, this wine exploded with flavor. It rocked! It was also quite good on day two. With a couple more years in cellar this wine should really show off. Big finish. I'm especially pleased by this wine based on store prices below $20. Truly a terrific value. This would be a good wine to help top off your wine cellar. It will be well received by friends at your next sunset dinner. Recommended.

ABV: 14%
Closure: Natural cork.
560 hectare vineyard located in Caneten valley, Colchagua province.
Ungrafted pre-phylloxera Bordeaux rootstock.
Sample provided by Pasternak Wine Imports
Price: $15 - $20

Contact Pasternak Wine Imports for pricing and availability www.pasternakwine.com

Cheers!

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 must

A Special Oregon Pinot Noir with Eastern North Carolina Inspired Ribs #OTBN #winePW 10

Open That Bottle Night - A great excuse for a Wine Pairing Weekend. February 28th was Open That Bottle Night - I selected a bottle of wine I helped blend using barrel samples of Pinot Noir from R. Stuart winery in McMinville, Oregon. I was saving this bottle for a special occasion and knew it was likely time to open and drink. I hoped it had improved. "Blending wine is no task for mere mortals." - William Pollard Jr. Our Wine Pairing Weekend group decided Open That Bottle Night would be an appropriate occasion to pair our selected bottle of wine with something special as well. After some consideration, I decided North Carolina ribs would likely pair well with my special bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir. For this post I'll review the wine first, then provide the recipe, and wrap up with the results of this wine + food pairing. *Note: What is Open That Bottle Night? Wife and Husband columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher invented Open That Bottle

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

William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Search This Blog