Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti Superiore Le Orme, 2006

Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti Superiore Le Orme, 2006

For the past 45 years, Michele Chiarlo has be a reliable producer of wines typical to the Piedmont area of Northern Italy. They produce Barbera, Barbaresco, Gavi, Muscato and some local blends. This vintage of the “Le Orme” Barbera D’Asti is a good representation of a well made Barbera at a very good price. The color is a deep ruby/purple with nice opacity. The nose is packed with black fruit intermixed with some floral notes and fresh raspberry. On the palate this wine offers deep mineral accented plum, cherry and cranberry with a smooth mouth-feel on a medium bodied frame. There is little evidence of tannins and there is a gentle acidity that creates a zesty, focused personality. This is a straightforward Barbera that would definitely be called a “food wine”. Enjoy this wine with any hearty Italian fare. We bought this delicious every-day Barbera at Pete’s Wine Shop, in Bellevue, for about $11.00.

Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, 2000

Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, 2000

Don Melchor has been called the best Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile by both the Wine Spectator and Robert Parker. Named after the founder of the winery, Don Melchor of Concha y Toro, the wine has become a symbol of the best the land and the winemaker's hand can produce in Chile. Last night we went out for a romantic Valentines dinner at the Yarrow Bay Grill in Kirkland. We brought along a bottle of the 2000 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon. We had cellared this Chilean Cabernet for the past 5 years and it was time to find out what was in the bottle. This was one of the best wines we have enjoyed over the past few years. The color is a dark violet red with black hues. This wine has a flamboyant, exotic bouquet of red and black fruits intermixed with black olives, chocolate, espresso and a hint of toasty oak. This is a full bodied wine that delivers a broad mouthful of dark berries, licorice, chocolate covered cherries, prunes along with some tobacco and spice. There is impressive concentration along with abundant mature tannins that contribute to this wines opulence and long, chewy finish. This Chilean Cabernet was the perfect companion to the Beef Tenderloin and Duck “Two Ways” entrées that we enjoyed for dinner.

Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007

Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007

Hogue Cellars has been making a full range of Washington State wines for more than 25 years. This winery produces over 650,000 cases of wine per year with most of them being considered "value" wines, coming in below $16. This Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon sells for about $8 in the Seattle area and is widely available. This wine represents a great value in a Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon. The color is a dark saturated red with nice clarity. This young Cabernet exhibits an alluring nose of ripe plums, blackberry jam and chocolate covered cherries. This is a medium bodied wine with wonderful rich flavors of dark berries, cassis, espresso and spice. The mouth feel is smooth and balanced with nice acidity, well integrated tannins and just a hint of toasty oak. This wine definitely “over-performs” considering the $8 price tag. Not a “big” wine, but quite delicious. Seek out this 2007 Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon as an "anytime" wine.

Mas Donis Barrica, 2005

Mas Donis Barrica, 2005

The Capcanes Cellars Mas Donis red table wine is 85% Garnacha and 15% Syrah made from old vines. This wine is aged for 8 months in French and American oak before bottling without fining or filtration. This is another excellent wine from the Eric Solomon Europen Cellars Selection. The Capcanes property is situated in the village of Capçanes, in the Montsant region of Spain, and served for several years as the village cooperative. In the 1990’s, the co-op began making kosher wines for the Jewish population of Barcelona, and from that exposure the property began to attract a greater level of interest. In 1995, the winery was completely restructured and modernized. Eric Solomon was quite impressed with the quality of the wines and saw the potential for even further improvement. This wine is a custom cuvee for Eric Solomon and represents a new word approach to old world wines. This wine has a medium ruby color with violet hues. There are rich aromatics of ripe blackberries, cherries, blueberry and black pepper. This is a medium bodied wine with wonderful rich flavors of dark berries and red fruit along with some minerality and exotic spice. The flavors are balanced by nice acidity and full integrated tannins that give this wine extraordinary depth and length. This is a lovely wine that will pair well with any hardy meal or it can stand alone as a great sipper. We purchased this wine at QFC, in Bellevue, for about $13.