Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

This week’s selection:

Winery: Beringer
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Price Paid: $18.00 - $20.00
Vintage: 2007
Area: Sonoma, CA
Alcohol: 14.3%
Purchased: Costco

Overall: Simply the best Cab in this price range I have ever had in almost 20 years of drinking mainly Cabs. Right now I am drinking the late 90’s vintages out of my cellar. I learned the aging potential of this gem from Ron Edwards, Master Sommelier. Serve this to company with grilled meats, roast beef, etc. and no one will be disappointed. I poured this 2007 through an aerator before drinking and found the 2007 outstanding and delicious. If you don’t have an aerator you may want to decant.

Reviews
K & L Wines
According to Robert Parker: "Several other great values emerge from Beringer, including the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Knight’s Valley. A major sleeper of the vintage, this $27 wine will probably be marked down at discounters, making it a terrific value. This sexy North Coast Cabernet offers copious quantities of black cherry and black currant fruit intermixed with smoky barbecue, roasted herb, sweet cassis, and blackberry scents. Round and gentle with silky tannins, this is a plush red to drink over the next 5-8 years." (12/09)

89 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Good deep, bright ruby. Black cherry, licorice and fresh herbs on the slightly medicinal nose. At once dense and juicy, with lively acidity and a firm tannic spine keeping the bright dark berry and licorice flavors under wraps today. This has good weight and balance and finishes with broad, serious, building tannins that call for a year or two of patience. Already showing a bit of flesh, but give this another year or two to round out in bottle." (May/June 10)

Airfield Estates 2008 Riesling

This week’s selection:

Winery: Airfield Estates

Varietal: Riesling

Price Paid: $15.99

Vintage: 2008

Area: Yakima, WA

Alcohol: 14.1%

Purchased: Colasanti’s Market

Overall: I like my Rieslings on the dry side but this had a pleasant sweetness with enough acid to balance it out. Apple, citrus and a good Riesling to have with Chinese or Curry in particular.

Reviews

Winemaker’s Notes:

A family owned and operated winery located in Prosser, Washington -- in the heart of the Yakima Valley AVA. Great wines begin in the vineyard! Airfield Estates uses 100% estate grown fruit. Our first vines were planted in 1968 by Don Miller. Today, the estate vineyard spans over 860 acres and includes 26 different varieties.

The vineyard is located at the foot of the Rattlesnake Mountains in the Yakima Valley. All of the vineyard blocks are situated within a 3 mile radius of the original WWII airbase. Within this range, there is a considerable amount of diversity of soil and microclimatic conditions. To maximize quality, we carefully match grape varietals to the most suitable sites.

Well balanced with impressive acidity, this slightly sweet Riesling offers a bouquet of citrus and apple with a touch of minerality. It begs for Asian inspired foods, oysters, shellfish, and salads.

From Fullpullwines:

http://fullpullwines.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/2008-airfield-states-riesling/

This Riesling comes from a block of 30-year-old vines that also goes into Ste Michelle’s Eroica Riesling program, routinely recognized as one of the state’s premier Riesling bottlings. Lots of citrus notes on the nose, with just the barest hint of petrol adding attractive complexity. On the palate, there is zingy acid that immediately hits the sides of the tongue, bringing flavors of lemon, flower, and clay. The 1.7% residual sugar is almost imperceptible, balanced beautifully by all that acid.

Maipe 2008 Malbec

This week’s selection:

Winery: Maipe

Varietal: Malbec

Price Paid: $11.19

Vintage: 2008

Area: Mendoza, Argentina

Alcohol: 14%

Purchased: Bella Vino Fine Wines

Overall: Another enjoyable bottle of wine at a good price point. As my friend Rinart has said, this varietal when from Argentina (originated in Cahors, France as Auxerroix not Malbec, the grape does so well in Argentina that they have made it the up and coming wine that it is today) seems to have more consistency than most and he really hasn’t had a bad one. Pour in the glass and let sit for at least 20 minutes. Calls out for grilled meats. The Pascual Toso Malbec reviewed several months ago was even more enjoyable.

Reviews

From the K & L Wines Website: (www.klwines.com)

90 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2008 Malbec is a glass-coating purple color with a striking perfume of violets, black cherry, and black raspberry. Exhibiting surprising complexity for its price category, the wine has gobs of fruit, savory flavors, and excellent depth and length. It is an outstanding value for drinking over the next 3-4 years. Alberto Antonini (think Altos Las Hormigas) is a consultant at Maipe which in and of itself is an indicator that the winery is focused on quality." (12/08)

The largest selling wine in the history of K&L, in terms of bottles sold, was the 2006 Pascual Toso Malbec for $8.99. I'm sure many of you remember this spectacular value. Well, I think I've found the next Toso. For the same price here is another Malbec that you can afford by the case and drink on a nightly basis. With its big nose chock full of cacao, espresso, violet, bitter root and gobs of wild berry fruit, this is aromatically packed for a wine at this price point. With air the nose becomes brighter and more high-toned, expressing more of a raspberry and cinnamon note. Full weight and with a plush feel, this is full of ever-so-slightly jammy blackberry fruit laced with cedar, chocolate cream and coffee bean flavors. Bursting with flavor, the finish is packed with black pepper, tar and mocha. Inexpensive, full of character, ready to drink, what more can you ask for? (Bryan Brick, K&L)

Red Sangria Recipe

Recipe for Red Sangria:

2 Oranges, divided
1 bottle of young fruity red wine
1 ripe peach sliced or 1 cup of frozen peach slices
1/4 cup of Spanish or Mexican Brandy
2 tbls, sugar
1 1/2 cups club soda
ice
1 orange, thinly sliced as garnish for glasses

Chill all ingredients before combining with ice. Thinly slice 1 orange and squeeze juice from second orange. Combine orange slices and juice, red wine, peaches, brandy and sugar in a large pitcher or nonreactive container. Stir until sugar is dissolved and refrigerate. Just before serving, add club soda and stir gently to combine.

Place a few ice cubes in tall glasses and pour sangria over ice. Make certain everyone gets a slice each of orange and peach in the glass. If you like, float a little Triple Sec or orange liqueur on top of each glass before serving.

Makes 2 quarts or 8 to 10 glasses.

Chateau des Karantes

This week’s selection:

Winery: Chateau des Karantes
Varietal: Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre
Price Paid: By the glass or bottle at Leaf, Barley and Vine (link on the right) also for $18.99 Whole Foods
Vintage: 2007
Area: Languedoc, France
Alcohol: 14.6%
Purchased: First tried by the glass at Leaf, Barley and Vine. Go and try a glass you will not be disappointed. Also, for you non-Michiganders by the bottle at Whole Foods.

Overall: Wonderful nose, great flavors described well below, and overall just delicious. Want to escape? All you have to do is read the setting described below…

Reviews (Past Vintages -Nothing on the 2007 that I could find)

WINE SPECTATOR:
92 Château des Karantes Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape 2005 Very spicy and rich, with lively flavors of raspberry, red cherry, cream and mocha. Finely balanced, with a long, vibrant finish of spice and chocolate. Drink now through 2014. –K.M.

DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS: BRONZE MEDAL
CONCOURS 2008 DES VIGNERONS INDÉPENDANTS: GOLD MEDAL INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2008: BRONZE MEDAL

From the Chateau
Production: 5000 bottles
Location: Coteaux du Languedoc - La Clape
Soil: Clay and Limestone

Vinification: Hand harvested and sorted, the grapes are transferred by gravity to 60 hL oak vats. The fermentation and maceration lasts from 3 weeks to one month. The wine is aged in 300 Liter and 600 Liter French barrels and in oak tanks for 12 months.

Tasting Notes: This wine pairs well with light meats such as roasted pork, poultry, grilled meats as well as soft cheeses. A high class wine, ready to drink or to age.

This delicious wine presents notes of ripe plums and cherries. The nose portrays typical Grenache character with caramel, tobacco and toasted accents. Well balanced, round and supple.

THE SETTING
Château des Karantes is a magnificent vineyard situated in Languedoc-Roussillon. The domaine is in the heart of a small valley located two minutes away from the Mediterranean between the seaside resort towns of Narbonne Plage and St. Pierre sur Mer. The estate offers a beautiful panorama of the Mediterranean Sea with the Pyrenees Mountains visible in the distance. The vineyard is named after a former Bishop of Carcassonne, owner of the estate hundreds of years ago.

THE VINEYARD
The terroir of château des Karantes is distinguished by its proximity to the sea and its South-East/East exposition. The inland side of the vineyard is surrounded by the cliffs of La Clape which protects the grapes from the drying ‘Vent du Nord’ (North Winds) while the cool breeze from the sea assures the balance and freshness of our wines. The soil is predominately Clay and Limestone and allows the production of rich, powerful and aromatic Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre based wines. At the entrance of the estate an area of sandy-silty soils produce delicate and elegant red and white wines.
The Vineyard is planted with the traditional varietals of La Clape, (17.8% Carignan, 29.3% Grenache, 32.2 % Syrah, and 16.6% Mourvedre) and a small one hectare parcel of a white varietal called Terret and Bourboulenc 4.1 %. The Terret are the oldest vines planted on the estate, dating back to 1927. There are Carignan vines that can be traced back to 1928. The vines are planted 5000 per hectare. In our goal to improve the vineyard, 5.7 hectares of Syrah were planted in 2005 and then 3.4 ha of Syrah and 1 ha of Mourvedre in 2006.

Estancia 2006 Reserve Pinot Noir

This week’s selection:

Winery: Estancia
Varietal: Reserve Pinot Noir
Price Paid: $24.99 on Sale
Vintage: 2006
Area: Santa Lucia Highlands, CA
Alcohol: 14.5%
Purchased: Meijer
Overall: Very nice Pinot Noir for $25. More substance than the Oyster Bay and drank well four days later. Classic cherry, cola and spice flavors.

Reviews
Wine of the week: 2006 Estancia Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
Published: February 12th, 2010 01:05 AM ADN.com, Alaska’s Newspaper

While the fruit coming out of Napa and Sonoma may command fame and fortune, Paul Masson knew long ago that the bench lands in Monterey were perfect for growing grapes. In the mid '80s, Augustian Huneeuns purchased the older vineyards and Estancia was born.

The 2006 Estancia Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is a clear bright red. The powerhouse nose is classic pinot noir velvet. Instantly apparent are the aromas of blueberry, cherry and spice. Medium full, the mouth has excellent sweetness of fruit and a mild tannic grip. Its layered finish runs from blueberry-cherry to raspberry-stem. This wine is continuously giving all it needs. Serve with lamb or duck to maximize its full potential. Costs about $25.
-- Michael McVittie reviews wines available locally

Read more: http://www.adn.com/

From www.PrinceofPinot.com
2006 Estancia Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
14.5% alc., $24. • Sourced from the Stonewall Vineyard Estate. Moderately deep reddish-purple color. Bright black cherry and strawberry perfume. Earthy dark red fruits with a hint of raisin, tar and oak on the palate. Medium-weighted with respectable silkiness and easy drinkability.

This week’s selection:

Winery: Foxglove
Varietal: Zinfandel
Price Paid: $13.99
Vintage: 2007
Area: Paso Robles, CA
Alcohol: 14.2%
Purchased: Colasanti’s Market

Overall: Meets the flavor profile of a Zindandel, jammy and pepper, overall it wasn’t bad. Parker gave it 90 points. Personally would not buy again.

Reviews
K and L Wines
2007 Foxglove Paso Robles Zinfandel

90 points in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Fifty Super Domestic Wine Values:" "The outstanding 2007 Zinfandel (86% Zinfandel and 14% Petite Sirah) is another winner and phenomenal bargain. This is classic Zinfandel with loads of berry fruit, pepper, earth, and roasted Provencal herbs. The wine is pure, full-bodied, ripe, with not a hard edge to be found. Drink it over the next 2-3 years. These are absolutely spectacular bargains from the very high-quality Varner Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This is their less expensive line-up of wines, and I encourage readers to try them-- they are true winners." (Sept. 2009)