Holiday Wines

Most of the wines that I had during these holidays were repeats. And, I still like them. Here is the list.

1. 2006 Villa Antinori Toscana (Italy)
2. 2009 Montgras Reserva Carménère (Colchagua Valley, Chile)
3. 2007 Ortman Family Vineyards Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR, USA)
4. 2009 Rabbit Ridge Vineyards Allure de Robles (Paso Robles, CA)
5. 2006 Las Rocas, Calatayud Garnacha (Spain)
6. 2009 Petraio Nero d'Avola

I also imbibed the following new wines.

1. 2006 Windsor Sonoma Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, CA, USA) - Unlike other Zins that I have tried, this was not a fruit bomb. Pleasant berry aromas on the nose and quite smooth. I am still trying to get Zins.
2. Roux de Beauces Grande Reserve Champagne (France) - We cracked this open just as the new year (2011) set in. Smooth with balanced acidity and good bubbles - we liked it. Looking forward to an occasion when I can open the other bottle I have.

For the new year's eve, we went for an eight course (each course paired with a different wine) dinner offered by Executive Chef Vytauras Sasnaukas (a personal friend and one of our wine club member) at Americano. The dinner was absolutely delicious and a flavor-poluzza. Vy had worked wonders with these unique ingredients. Top notch. I highly recommend this restaurant and chef.

Wines and Steakhouses

This past week has been a week of steakhouses. I went with bunch of co-workers to two highly rated steakhouses in Indianapolis - Eddie Merlot's and St. Elmo's. Eddie Merlot is an upscale steakhouse with a great decor and ambiance, very attentive service and great food with great presentation. St. Elmo's apparently is an Indy institution in downtown - established in 1902, it is currently housed in an old downtown building with retro signage and ambiance, crowded and noisy dining halls leading to what I considered not so attentive service, good food with presentation that left a lot to be desired. Of course, being a modernist, I preferred Eddie Merlot's.

Of course, we had some good wine at these steakhouses.

1. 2006 Villa Antinori Toscana (Italy) - My first super tuscan and I liked it. This wine is a blend of Sangiovese (55%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Merlot (15%), and Syrah (5%) and is aged in French, American and Hungarian oak. Full-bodied, Blackberry on the nose with a very soft, velvety palette.
2. 2006 J. Vidal-Fleury Côtes du Rhône (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France) - Decent Côtes du Rhône with red fruits on the nose and a smooth palette and a short finish.

Besides these two wines, I had the following wines in the homy ambiance of my home-sweet-home.

1. 2009 Hall Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley, CA, USA) - All I can say is, I am still not so sure about this varietal.
2. 2009 Montgras Reserva Carménère (Colchagua Valley, Chile) - Deep purple in color with spicy aroma and soft tannins. Did I mention before - I LOVE Carménère

Another week in the journey

Here are the wines that I had last week. Nothing noteworthy except for the pleasure of drinking wine in good company.

1. 2007 Murrieta's Well Red Meritage (Livermore Valley, CA, USA) - A Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Quite Good.
2. 2006 Argyle Winery Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR, USA) - A decent Pinot
3. Andretti Winery Merlot (Napa Valley, CA, USA) - Very smooth and balanced
4. Ventosa Vineyards Saggio Series V (Finger Lakes, NY, USA) - A blend of 40% Finger Lakes Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Long Island Merlot, 20% Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc, and 5% Finger Lakes Syrah; IMHO an average wine with nice nose and an average palette and finish.

A Week in wines ...

This past week, I had the following wines:

1. 2008 Raven's Glenn Winery Chardonnay (Central Ohio, USA) - Oak and tropical fruits on the nose with a dry palette and balanced acidity
2. 2009 Rabbit Ridge Vineyards Allure de Robles (Paso Robles, CA) - a cheap Cotes du Rhone style wine from California; Quite good I must say
3. Cherry Hill Winery Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR, USA) - A fantastic Pinot. I consider this second best after Domaine Serene
4. Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR, USA) - Quite expensive but I did not think much of it; May be it needed to breathe a bit. I will have to give it another try but I am not sure I want to pay for it dearly the next time
5. Andretti Winery Merlot (Napa Valley, CA, USA) - Very smooth and balanced