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Okay, so we dug into the 2-yr-old CC Showcase Amarone. I am well pleased!

It is dark, I'd say inky. (It is funny: the Petit Verdot described above, which is normally a very dark grape variety, was very thin and light. This one is practically black by comparison.) The Amarone is full-bodied, fruity, dense, perhaps a bit hot. A bit of leather and tobacco, but not much. I had a commercial Valpolicella ripasso the other day, and this wine exceeds that one by a fair margin. The only tweaks were BM45 yeast and I added 8 grams FT Rouge tannin to primary.
 
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Pairing for tonight's Bucatini all’ Amatriciana!

2010 Spring Valley Vineyard Uriah (right bank) Bordeaux blend. 94pts WS and still going strong! Also popped a cork on a 2012 Baer Star (right bank) Bordeaux blend. 91pts WS and this really seemed to stand out perhaps due to its youth. Both were excellent with dinner!

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Had a bottle of 2012 Bell Winery Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon last evening, WA 88+ rating in barrel. Couldn't find any other professional reviews, but the 88 seems accurate for my taste. This was a good wine, well made, medium + body, a little light for my taste, smooth nice tannins (on the higher side), medium finish, pretty good wine. Right in the middle of it's expected life cycle now, still have another bottle which we'll try next year.

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Last night we had a bottle of Educated Guess cab but I forgot to snap a picture before removing the label for my batch in progress. I'm turning into a bottle savage haha. Today we have a 2005 Altamura cab 14.2%, a 2002 Duckhorn merlot 14.5%, and a 2013 Cade cab 15.5%. We have Cabot extra sharp cheddar, smoked cheddar, prosciutto, and olives to go with them.

We had the cork crumble on the Duckhorn but we got it out with a pocket knife down the edge and luckily caught the sediment with the screen in the Aerator. The Altamura was my favorite, what a smooth dry cab with a plum finish. The legs on this wine made it look like we sprayed the inside of the glass with Rain-X. Probably in my top 3 wines I've ever had. The Cabot extra sharp cheddar paired perfectly with it. I see why Altamura's 2007 cab was #5 on Wine Spectator's wine rankings list in 2010 even though we had the 2005, Altamura is selective and does it right!
 
Update.

Popped one of these last night under the guise of the elusive "third bottle"...... LOL

Long evening to say the least. Very happy to report that this is definitely a 5 Star QPR wine. Nice tannins and really nice oak for a wine at this price point ($12-14) After about 15-20 mins it was even better. Definitely a bulk buy if you have the room and can find it.

Well since it is TBT why not show off a 50th (yes you read that right) Anniversary Edition wine from Chateau Ste. Michelle! Hard to believe they have been around since 1967. They were certainly a gateway wine for me back in the late 80's and early 90's. This label is an exact replica of their first wine produced 50 years ago and has the now famous map on the back label showing WA State at the same Latitude as Bordeaux, France. One to drink sometime soon and one to hold for posterity.

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Since it was like 75 degrees F today it was time to break out some...... ROSE'!

2016 SODO Cellars Love Birds Rose' Wine. Great acid, loads of red fruits especially berries, lots of red berries! LOL

Paired very well with the NM Chicken Alfredo!:db

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A small Lake Chelan winery. Judy and Don are a hoot and Judy knows how to make wine! Dusky, some dark fruit, but it is fading to minerality, nose of cedar wood, forest floor and blackberries. And yes, it is good with pizza :ib

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Tonight we are having a Don Amado Cellars Chardonnay. Vinted by Geek, i.e. Varis. As the label says " Citrus scents & tropical flavors for a long crisp finish" Awesome! Thanks Varis. THis is a wine we traded over the Christmas Holidays. Wine Talk friends are the best! Roy

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Tonight we are having a Don Amado Cellars Chardonnay. Vinted by Geek, i.e. Varis. As the label says " Citrus scents & tropical flavors for a long crisp finish" Awesome! Thanks Varis. THis is a wine we traded over the Christmas Holidays. Wine Talk friends are the best! Roy

Gravity defying!! :)
 
Tonight we are having a Don Amado Cellars Chardonnay. Vinted by Geek, i.e. Varis. As the label says " Citrus scents & tropical flavors for a long crisp finish" Awesome! Thanks Varis. THis is a wine we traded over the Christmas Holidays. Wine Talk friends are the best! Roy


Thanks Roy, glad you enjoyed it.

Did you take the picture with your flip phone again?? [emoji4][emoji4][emoji12][emoji12]
 
We tried Coopers Hawk last night. Got there about an hour before our reservation so I could do a tasting. We were presented with 3 tasting menus: 'Standard', 'Lux', and 'Sweet Red'. I liked that they had a separate tasting for the sweeter stuff. Ours started with Pinot Gris and off the bat, I was pleasantly surprised. Really nice and crisp, with wonderful citrus on the nose. Then onto Chardonnay. This was a really good all around Chard - a good balance of the buttery, fat, oaky style with a stainless steel aged, crisp style. And I really enjoyed that - a good all around white. Third was a Viognier. It was good, but frankly, the one about to be bottled in my basement is better. I'm used to Viognier smacking you in the face with floral and tropical notes on the nose. This one was more subdued - probably the most subdued of the three white wines I tasted. Then onto the Coopers Hawk Red. This is a blend of Cab, Syrah and Merlot. Overall decent, but very forgettable. After that, it was a Sangiovese/Merlot. I liked this - a good everyday red that I'd enjoy with or without food. Finally, it was the "Lux Meritage". I immediately looked at Jennifer and said "This is my kind of red.". Big fruit and tannins with a gripping acidity that just makes your mouth water. A little tight, but I think laying it down of a while or decanting prior to drinking would make this really nice. Then it was onto a sparkling raspberry. Wow! Put that glass anywhere near your face and the berry aroma just engulfs you. Not too sweet, but very bubbly - a little more than I prefer. Finally, 'Nightjar', which is their port-style wine: rich, with lots of fruit and cocoa. After that was all done, I noticed they have a Riesling and I asked to try a taste of that: another enjoyable, but forgettable wine. I asked about the source and was told its mostly CA with some OR and WA grapes as well. Then I noticed they have a Passion Fruit wine. With a Guava wine fermenting in the basement as we speak, I was really curious to try this one. It didn't disappoint. Just enough sweetness to bring the fruit out, but very well balanced.

Overall, I enjoyed the wines and for 'restaurant prices', they are very reasonable. The Pinot Gris, for example, is $17.99. Even their "Lux" reds are only $35-$40/bottle. They have a wine club, of course, and they promote it without shoving it down your throat. For $35/month you get two bottles and two free tastings, as well as discounts, etc. I wouldn't go out of my way for it. But I told Jen if we had a Coopers Hawk close by, I'd probably join.

When we got to our table, I had a glass of the Cabernet/Zinfandel. This was really jammy and pretty enjoyable - nice tannins and acid rounded it out. With the short ribs, I had a Petit Sirah - good, but pretty tame for what I've come to expect as a big, tannic beast. I have to admit though - at $8.75 for the cab/Zin and $7.75 for the PS I have absolutely zero complaints. Worth every penny. And like any good restaurant, they are more than happy to bring you a tasting sized pour of anything you want to try.

I liked this place. One complaint though is that they have no Rose - White Zin is as close as you can get. Otherwise, they have a good variety of wines, including several fruit wines: rhubarb, blueberry, passion fruit, raspberry and cranberry, and several sparkling wines.
 
Varis, LMAO! I took the pic with my I Pad, not sure why it's so blurry. Did not do your label justice, sorry. Roy

I think I know what happened....one bottle of wine, another one, then maybe some other sips here and there....and there you have it... :)
 
My Chardonnay from grapes and many other wines today.

Will open the limoncello from Costco soon.

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