Bordeaux Blend

This is a proprietary Red wine from Napa.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, dark chocolate, black cherries and cedar.  Clean.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis, cedar and chocolate.  Long finish.  Deep and complex.  This is still drinking young, so if opening soon, give it some air.  It should drink well for twenty to thirty more years.  Great on its own, this is the quintessential steak house wine.  

This is, of course, the second label of Chateau Latour.  In recent years the price on the seconds has sky-rocketed as well.  That said, this is an excellent wine in a really nice place right now.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, tobacco, leather, slight graphite and spice.  Also a bit of the funk.  Full bodied.  Great balance.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is drinking well.  Nots of cassis, slight dried cherries and a bit of leather.  Some underlying char and funk.  Long finish.  Complex and deep.  Drink over the next twelve to twe

Beautiful wine.  This is a proprietary blend from one of Napa's top producers.  Bettina is the name of the owner's wife.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, chocolate, slight coffee, dust and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Nice balance.  On the palate, this is more on the elegant/Bordeaux style of Napa.  Cassis, black cherries, leather, and coffee with some underlying char.  Lively.  Long finish.  This is drinking well and should continue for another fifteen to twenty years.  Nice on its own, this will work with bigger foods such as P

This was from the crazy hot, 2003 vintage. Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, tobacco, slight leather, damp earth and spice.  Full bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is ripe but certainly not over ripe.  No prunes or raisins.  A really amazing Bordeaux that is just getting to maturity.  Loads of cassis with some spice and a bit of Bordeaux funk.  Long finish.  This should continue to drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  Nice on its own, but better with food.  This went well with roasted root vegetables and rice.  

It northeast Ohio, it can be difficult to grow Cabernet Sauvignon and get it ripe.  The spring often limits when budbreak occurs, and cold autumns don't often allow sufficient hang time.  In an experiment to deal with this, the North Coast Wine Club, utilized the Appassimento method from northeast Italy, in an attempt to get a bit more volume and alcohol.  This means the grapes are allowed to partially air-dry out which reduces volume while raising the sugar levels.  it is the way Amarone is made, but in this case, instead of Italian grapes, this wine is made in that method but using Bordea

This is a blend of 50% Tannat 30% Merlot and 20% Tempranillo.  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, plums, chocolate and spice.  Medium tannins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this drinks like a bold, young Bordeaux (which is a compliment).  Cherries, black cherries, cinnamon, and plums.  There is a nice complexity.  Its is drinking well but may still improve.  Either way, it should drink well for the next ten to fifteen years.  It drinks well on its own and will work well with roasted meats and vegetables.  

The 2005's are really starting to come into their own now and this is one more data point supporting that.  This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, char, slight cigar box, leather and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is complex.  Flavors of cassis and black cherries, slight leather and char.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This is about at peak but should stay there for another ten years.  Nice on its own, but better with food.  This would wo

This is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc from Washington.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, cedar and spice.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is a big, ripe wine (especially for Walla Walla) but there is some depth.  Black cherries, some cassis and cedar notes.  This drinks well now and should continue for another ten to fifteen years.  It drinks very well on its own but should work well with food to go with the ripeness (i.e. Duck a L'Orange).  

First time trying this winery.  This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc from Washington.  Inky purple in color, slight ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, spice, and slight char.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is not super ripe.  Black cherries with a mint/herbal note that is nice.  Nice finish.  This is nice on its own, but better with food.  This would be a nice wine with a grilled Portabella sandwich.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

Another slowly developing 2000 Bordeaux.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cigar box, leather and spice.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  On the palate, black cherries and cassis with some leathery notes and underlying forest floor.  Nice complexity.  Good finish.  Drink over the next five to seven years.   Better with food, this would work nicely with Beef Wellington.