Poggio alla Sala Chianti Colli Senesi, 2007

Poggio alla Sala Chianti Colli Senesi, 2007

Yesterday, I decided to visit Total Wines at the Desert Ridge shopping mall in Phoenix. We are down in Scottsdale enjoying some great sunny weather and time with family. Our plan was to watch a video and to take home a large pizza from Yo Pauly’s. I was on a mission to fine a fun wine for the evening. I selected this DOCG Chianti from a producer from Montepulciano, Italy in the hills southeast of Sienna and hence the Colli Senesi designation.

This wine has a medium ruby color and appears unfiltered. This Chianti is highly aromatic with dried cherry, prune, dirt and cellar floor. This is old-world style with flavors of sour cherry, strawberry, figs, straw and cedar. This is a medium bodied wine with moderate acidity and gentle tannins. Overall, a good wine, but nothing to brag about. However, our pizza from Yo Pauly's ( half "Whitestone Bridge"/ half "The New Yorker" ) was fantastic!

Novelty Hill Red Wine, 2006

Novelty Hill Red Wine, 2006

Novelty Hill wines are made by Mike Januik, one of Washington’s most acclaimed Winemakers. He was head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle for ten years before starting his own winery in 1999 and he’s been making wine in the Columbia Valley since 1984. This 2006 Novelty Hills Red a blend of 33% Syrah, 18% Mourvedre, 18% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot. The result is a wine with a deep red color being nearly opaque. On the nose are spicy cherry, blueberry and currant. The mouth feel is full and rich with flavors of dried black cherries, ripe blackberry, and dark chocolate with cinnamon spice. There is subtle oak, good acidity and smooth tannins that complete the package. This is a rich red wine for lovers of chocolate covered cherries. There is no real evidence of terroir. This wine will pair well with a nice brick of quality dark chocolate or a big rib-eye steak. This wine is available at Pete’s Wine Shop, in Bellevue, for about $13. This is an interesting Washington State blend.

Bodegas Ateca Garnacha de Fuego, 2008

Bodegas Ateca Garnacha de Fuego, 2008

This Garnacha from the Calatayud region of Spain represents another great value wine that proves you can get interesting and delicious wines on a tight budget. The Garnacha grapes are from old vines that really excel in the high elevation and gravely soil vineyards of Bobegas Ateca. This is another fine wine from the Jorge Ordonez Selection. This is a medium bodied wine with a deep red color and a nose of fresh raspberry and fresh orange. On the palate there is ripe red cherry, raspberry and some spicy black pepper. There are supple tannins and crisp acidity with no evidence of oak or earth. The fruit driven style is delightful and refreshing without being too much like candy. This wine shows a zesty, focused personality that will pair well with any spicy dish. This is a great value that can be found at Pete’s Wine Shop, in Bellevue, for about $7. If you are a New World fan, give this a try.

Poyares, 2005

Poyares, 2005

Earlier this year we tried a bottle of this Portuguese red wine and were impressed by the quality and flavors. We bought two bottles from ambassadorofwine.com and cellared one until this weekend. This is a blend of grapes indigenous to the Douro including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinto Roriz. The 2005 Poyares has a dark blood red color with purple hues. The nose is packed with blackberry, toast and earth. This is a full bodied wine with abundant tannins and moderate acidity. The flavors are bold and intense with dark fruit, roasted herbs and espresso with nuances of licorice and coco. This is a well balanced wine that finishes dry and firm. Although more “New-World” than “Old”, this wine deftly controls the abundant fruit and tannins to create a full-throttled, multilayer palate. This wine should cellar well for many years. We are hoping to obtain a few more for that effort!

Monte Antico Toscana, 2006

Monte Antico Toscana, 2006

The 2006 Monte Antico Rosso is a blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from various Tuscan vinyards. This wine is blended then aged in oak for about one year. This everyday Italian red is imported by Neil Empson and created by acclaimed oenologist Franco Bernabei. The wine has a deep ruby color and a nose of dark berries and earth. This is a medium bodied wine with flavors of ripe plums, chocolate covered cherries and dried currents. Tannins are soft and supple and there is gripping acidity that lingers on a mineral accented, toasty finish. This wine screams out for a wood fired pizza or a bowl of Pasta Bolognese. This is a great “go-to” wine for any casual Italian dinner. This wine is available at Pete’s Wine Shop, in Bellevue, for around $12.

Hatch Chile Salsa

Hatch Chile Salsa

The town of Hatch, New Mexico is the self proclaimed chile capitol of the world. This year our local QFC supermarkets brought in hundreds of cases of fresh Hatch chile peppers to spread a little love in the Seattle area. I bought my fare share of these medium hot red and green chilies and made some large batches of this great salsa.


3 Pounds Fresh Hatch Chile Peppers
6 medium Tomatillos, shucked
1 medium Onion, peeled (cut in half)
2 cloves Garlic, peeled
1 small bunch Cilantro
1 small Lime, juice only
1 tsp. Mexican Oregano, ground
1 tsp. Cumin, ground
1 tsp. Salt
1 tbs. Honey

Place chile peppers, tomatillos and onion halves on hot grill and cook until all are completely charred and soft. Place these vegetables in a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, allow cooling down for about 30 minutes. Remove and discard stems, seeds and charred skins from the chile peppers. Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until well blended and chopped. Serve with crispy tortilla chips or use to create savory dishes such as Chicken Chile Stew. Salsa can be stored in sealed container, in refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks.

Parris Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002

Parris Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002

This Parris Cabernet Sauvignon is a flagship reserve wine from Chandler Reach Vineyards of Benton City Washington. For the past 10 years, owner/winemaker, Len Parris, has been producing lovely wines from estate grapes grown on north-facing slopes adjacent to the Red Mountain appellation. We had cellared this wine for the past 3 years. The wine shows a deep ruby color with good clarity, but nearly opaque. The nose is packed with black fruit and hints of spicy oak. The flavors are bold, full bodied and intense. Flavors of red raspberry, blackberry, espresso and cassis are framed with tones of earth, leather and vanilla oak. The flavors are balanced by gentle acidity in fully integrated tannins creating a wine with excellent depth and length. Chandler Reach Vineyards should be proud of this elegant wine. The current vintage of this wine is being sold for about $40.

Dominio Dostares Leione, 2005

Dominio Dostares Leione, 2005

Last night we dined at Bourbon Steak, located at the Fairmont resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bourbon Steak is one of the highly acclaimed restaurants owned by the outstanding chef, Michael Mina. As I thumbed through their impressive wine book, I was trying to select a wine that would go well with our dinner and one that would not break the bank. I selected the Dominio Dostares Leione ($42), which is from the Castilla y Leon region of Spain. This wine is made from 100% Prieto Picudo grapes from vines more than 90 years old. This is a relatively obscure grape that is used to produce both red and rose wines in this region of Spain. On the nose is massive dark fruit and berries with a hint of vanilla and spice. The color is a deep garnet red with nice clarity and vivid legs. This is a fruit forward wine with black plum, cherry and currant. There are moderate toasty oak flavors along with cocoa and exotic Indian spice. This wine is modern in style, medium bodied, with abundant smooth tannins and a zesty acidity. It was and enjoyable wine to accompany rich food like Grilled Kobe Flat Iron Steak, Braised Shortribs with Garam Masala and a tasty order of crispy “duck-fat” French Fries!

Columbia Crest Reserve Syrah, 2000

Columbia Crest Reserve Syrah, 2000

Columbia Crest is one of the largest wineries in Washington and produces quality wines across a large price range. We purchased this reserve Syrah, from the winery, back in the autumn of 2002. This wine was highly acclaimed and made the Wine Spectator “Top 100” list in 2002. Last night we decided to open this wine to enjoy over the Labor Day Holiday. We decanted this reserve wine for about one hour before tasting. The color was a dark, opaque purple with black highlights and a ruby rim. The nose was packed with fresh blackberry, plum and spice. This was a big wine with plump flavors of dark berries, chocolate covered cherries and some white pepper. The mouth feel was thick and rich with abundant smooth tannins and gentle acidity. There was a cream cheese component that complimented the generous fruit flavors. This wine cellared very well over the past 6-7 years. This wine was produced from Columbia Crest's best syrah grapes, in small quantities, and was sold at the winery for about $25. This was a stunningly good wine from one of Washington States “Big Boys”.

WishWilling Pinot Noir, 2005

WishWilling Pinot Noir, 2005

One of the great things about living in the Pacific Northwest is the proximity to the Washington State and Oregon Wine Country. Throughout the years, we have tasted many great wines and had the good fortune of meeting many local winemakers. This bottle of WishWilling Pinot Noir, 2005, was given to us by winemaker Gary Bunker. The Pinot Noir grapes were picked from 30 year old vines on the south-facing slopes of the Murto Vineyard near Dundee, Oregon. This is a lovely wine with a dark ruby color, nice clarity, but nearly opaque. On the nose are fresh aromas of sweet strawberry compote, plums, cinnamon and flint. This is a medium bodied wine with a seductively smooth texture packed with cherry, raspberry and plum all wrapped up with a cloak of leather, black pepper and orange rind. There is a lovely balance of fruit, earth and spice along with gentle tannins and acidity that contribute to a long and persistent finish. This is an elegant Pinot Noir that is a true delight. Thank you for the lovely wine!