2006 Ridge Zinfandel - Pagani Ranch

Happy Memorial Day everyone, in honor of the holiday, I thought to keep it American as possible tonight. In one word: Zinfandel.
Thought to be Americas great grape, until genetic testing revealed it to be related to primitivo that was brought to the Americas at some point in our foundation. Be that as it may, winemakers in The States have truly exalted this varietal to new perspectives.

As much as we would all love to drink Caymus, Shafer Hillside Select, and Ridge Montebello; The zinfandel from some of these vineyards tends to be a more entry level pricing, of the Cabernets of the same vintner.
Tonight’s selection I have pulled a wine from my stash; a 2006 Ridge Pagani Estates Zinfandel. While classified as zinfandel (88%) it has been blended with 7% Alicante Boushchet, 3% Petit Sirah, and 2% Caragnan.
This bottle retails for 38 us dollars at my lws, however I received this bottle as a gift from my sister and brother in law, for cooking for my nephews baby shower. Being that my nephew turned one this week, I thought it would be a perfect time to drink!
I decanted the wine for one hour before drinking, however, the aroma was overwhelming as soon as opening the bottle. The red fruit came straight at me.

The aromas consisted of strawberries dipped in chocolate, and with almost a little nutmeg and pepper. The flavor did not disappoint either, long lingering flavors of red berries and spicy notes. The color and texture of the wine was inky, mostly contributed to the little petit sirah. Rating:93

For dinner tonight; cheeseburgers with caramelized onions and cheddar, homemade BBQ potato chips and corn on the cob, followed by some watermelon.

We consumed a couple additional beverages this evening. It was quite warm today, so a little PBR was in order.

2007 Chateau Mont- Redon Cotes Du Rhone

I took my son, Hayden, on a bike ride up to the local wine shop (lws) to look for some wine for this first post. I selected this 2007 Chateau Mont-Redon Cotes du Rhone. I knew nothing about it, but with the 2007 vintage having an excellent reputation and it coming in at $15 bucks, why not.

The varietals are composed of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah.

Home to taste. I always open the bottle before I begin to cook the meal.

Tasting:

Aromas of Cocoa, and licorice and toast. Flavors of bright red juicy fruit; strawberries, and cherries..., not quite jammy, but some serious fruit coming through. Nice grippy tannins, very drinkable. *Note the fruit did not come through as strong on first taste, but rather after dinner almost 2 hours later.

The wine has a lovely garnet color. Very enjoyable red. A nice wine to start out with. At this price point I would definently recommond. I wasn't sure where to got with the scoring route on this review site, but I think I will stick with the tried and true 100 point scale. With that in mind I would rate this wine an 88.



First Monday Meal

Inspired from the so far rare appearance of sun, and Haydens love of helping daddy with the grill, grilling tonight is a must. I selected a nicely marbled sirloin steak, and harvested some herbs (rosemary, thyme, chives, shallots) from my small container garden to make a compound butter for the steak.

I was very happy to finally see some morels in the market today. I was looking for some sort of mushroom to go along with this wine. In the past, I have found that mushrooms and red meat pair really nicely with Rhones, and the same is true tonight.

Sauteed the morels with some white asparagus (another spring treat) with some brown butter and a sprig of thyme.

Introduction

The start of a new week. The beginning of the wait for the weekend. The wife and I have always tried to treat Monday nights with an extra nice meal, and as good of a bottle of wine that we could afford. It has always been a nice way to extend the weekend, something to look forward to, and ease back into the monotony of the workweek.

I have always foraged for value wines, mostly from Spain and the Rhone region of France. Sometimes I get a lucky find, and sometimes utterly disappointed. I am not a sommelier, or an expert, while others will disagree that I am, but I have worked in the service industry for the the last 13 years, and I have had the fortunate ability to taste quite a few glasses of wine. I will share my Monday night wine experiences with you and maybe sometimes my food as well. Now I am off to the liquor store for the first review. I hope you enjoy!!