Another video that I recently published on my YouTube channel, cooking some chicken hachis Parmentier (shepherd’s pie) with a twist : tomato with the meat, either chicken or beef, that makes it less dry. We enjoyed that warming meal with an excellent Montepulciano D’Abruzzo Cantina Zaccagnini wine from Italy. You can read the review of this wine on my wine blog here :
Cooking a chicken shepherd’s pie (hachis Parmentier) in the oven in order to warm up the house on a cold winter night, with my aunt visiting from France and enjoying family time together, and with this excellent Montepulciano D’Abruzzo wine from Italy.
Another video that I recently published on my YouTube channel, cooking some chicken curry and enjoying a Chardonnay wine from Washington State Columbia Valley. You can read the review of this wine on my wine blog here :
Cooking a chicken curry served with oven baked potatoes with my aunt visiting from France and enjoying family time together, and on top of it this excellent Chardonnay from Washington Sate, Wine of Substance Ch.
Substance Washington State Columbia Valley Ch Chardonnay 2019
I had read good things about this Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc on LifesVoyager’s blog, and it was available at my usual wine store, Stirling Fine Wines in New Jersey for $16. LifesVoyager’s post can be read here : https://lifesvoyagercom.wordpress.com/2023/07/11/two-summertime-whites/
Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough New Zealand 2022
Very pale yellow with pale translucent rim. No legs.
Nose : apple, citrus, herbal like angelica or artemisia (armoise / wormwood), a tad of anise-like scent. Very herbal but in the angelica/artemisia type of flavored herbs.
In mouth : crisp and fresh, very clean taste, green apple, citrus like lemon and also ruby grapefruit. A bit fizzy at first. Very light and pleasant to drink. A good summer wine or any season as far as I’m concerned.
Then after the green apple taste, some herbs (not the ones from the nose though). Very pleasant dry crisp and fresh wine for a very decent price here in the US ($16 and it’s imported). Some lime zest in the end of mouth, ruby grapefruit comes back at the end.
I enjoyed it a lot, a nice change from the other white wines even Sauvignon Blanc from elsewhere because it’s so light and fresh to drink.
After tasting we paired it with chicken orzo, another excellent recipe from Sheree from the blog View from the back, another of her recipes that has become one of our favorites. The recipe can be found here on her blog : https://viewfromtheback.com/2023/08/19/the-musette-chicken-orzo/
This chicken orzo is sprinkled with truffle oil as per Sheree’s recommendations and my ! does it get the recipe to another level !
Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough New Zealand 2022
Bright pink leaning towards salmon. Small translucent rim, no legs.
Nose : lollipop, raspberry, strawberry, both on the powdery side.
In mouth : slightly fizzy at first (then the fizziness disappears), a bit watery, crisp and fresh. A slight bitterness on the middle mouth. There is not much to it this year, not very fruity in mouth as opposed to the nose. Overall the nose was better than the mouth. It’s just crisp and fresh that made it pleasant on a cold New Jersey evening. However I will return to my usual trusty rosés, like the two Miraval wines from Provence or the Apothic rosé from California to cope with the upcoming winter weather.
Beaujolais Nouveau Georges Duboeuf 2023 (red and rosé)
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Washington State 2016
Another wine from my favorite wine region in the USA, Columbia Valley in Washington State. I have reviewed their red H3 line here : https://wineinamerica.wordpress.com/tag/h3/
This time it’s their other line of wines, sold under the name Columbia Crest Grand Estates. They have different varieties, for now this review is about their Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Crest Grand Estates from the Columbia Valley region in Washington State. 13.5% vol, vintage 2016, another bottle that « fell » at the bottom of my wine rack and that I forgot. I have been drinking Columbia Crest wines since 2003 or 2004 though : they are quality wines at a fair price. That’s how Washington State and Columbia Valley more specifically became my favorite wine region for American wines.
That’s the reason for the older vintage. Price was $9 when I bought it a couple of years ago (in 2019) at my usual wine store, Stirling Fine Wines in New Jersey. Then I forgot all about it (and its sister bottles, I didn’t buy only one bottle of course).
Tasted in my in my Karen McNeil « Bold and Powerful » glasses, as I expected it to be so.
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Washington State 2016
Purple red color, leaning toward violet (the color), long medium legs.
Nose : plum, blackcurrant, cooked like in a preserve, caramel and other cooked black fruits, fruit esters and varnish.
In mouth : fruit esters, a tad acid, cooked red and black fruits. This is excellent as expected (I have been drinking this wine for almost 20 years and keep returning to it, never had any bad surprises). This 2016 is even a tad young, with some green-ness : green wood in middle mouth so it can be held for some more time (this particular tasting was done somewhere in spring or summer 2022). A very good wine to forget at the bottom of the wine rack, specially for the price, to retrieve in a couple of years.
Some brown notes in the after mouth, such as cocoa and coffee too, with black fruits popping, all very subtle and well balanced.
Excellent : a classic and a safe bet.
After the tasting I paired it with some hachis Parmentier with a layer of tomato (that makes it smoother and less dry than the regular beef-and-mashed-potatoes-only one).
After dinner I paired another glass with a classic James Bond movie, Diamonds are Forever.
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Washington State 2016
Lalande de Pomerol Château La Croix de la Chenevelle 2016
Continuing the exploration of my parents Bordeaux wine collection when I went to visit this spring 2023. Another wine chosen and bought by my late mother, a wine from the Bordeaux region, a wine region she used to enjoy a lot. I found a couple of cases she had bought but apparently she never got to try nor enjoy it as all the carton boxes were still sealed. It must have been one of her last purchases.
Vintage 2016, 13.5% vol.
Lalande de Pomerol Château La Croix de la Chenevelle 2016
Deep bright purple red with wide pink purple rim and medium legs.
Nose : a bit closed, green tannins and green wood.
In mouth too it’s a bit closed and green overall. Some red fruits in middle mouth.
It may be too young therefore would need to be opened and aired before drinking. This is a bit disappointing as usually Lalande de Pomerol are great wines with a lot of layers and mellowed tannins and structure.
This wine has to be left alone for a couple years, at least one or two and we’ll have to revisit it at that point. When I revisit it next year, I’ll make sure to let it air and even carafe it to make it air further.
Lalande de Pomerol Château La Croix de la Chenevelle 2016
Now that rosé season is well upon us, I want to review a new Côtes de Provence rosé I discovered last year and that I enjoyed a lot. I had read about it on the Drunken Cyclist blog and he said good things about it. Furthermore I was seeing this bottle all over, in every merchant in my surroundings, so I figured I should try it. The tasting was done last summer 2022 just after I bought it and I never got to publish it. Spoiler : like the Drunken Cyclist, I enjoyed this wine a lot and made a mental note to have it as a regular rosé along the Miraval ones. Then I travelled at the end of summer (2022), so I figured I would buy it the following season, in spring and summer, this year 2023. However I haven’t been able to locate it in any of my local shops here in New Jersey, as opposed to last year where it was prominently in display everywhere. Oh well, I’ll just keep casually looking every time I’ll browse the rosé section of my local wine stores. This is a bit frustrating but New Jersey alcohol laws being what they are (overdue for a revamp for sure) it’s hard to get any wine or liquor outside the wine stores, which can also carry only what the middle wholesalers / importers want to offer at any given moment of the year.
So here are my tasting notes from last year and if you like rosé wines and can find it, go for it. Tasting was done in my LeDeux wine glasses.
Les Sarrins, Côtes de Provence rosé, vintage 2021, 13%vol. Under cork. I paid (last year, summer 2022) $20 for that bottle, which stretches a bit my usual price range, specially for rosé wines but it was praised so much by the Drunken Cyclist that I decided to try it.
Les Sarrins Cotes de Provence Rosé 2021
Pale pink in glass, almost pastel color.
Nose : fresh, red fruits, strawberry, citrus, grapefruit mainly.
In mouth : very fruity, red fruits, strawberry and raspberry, very rounded, soft and not too acid. Some citrus and silex notes. A bit powdery : powdery strawberry as a finale. Some grapefruit bitterness also at the end, that makes it crisp and refreshing.
This Côtes de Provence rosé is just excellent. It is so delicious that I will make it a regular of mine for as long as they carry it [note from the future, one year later : I regret not stocking it last year before my travels, so I would have some left that I could enjoy this summer].
Here is a side note I wrote last year in my tasting notes and that proved unfortunately true in the end for this wine : sometimes those excellent rosés I have reviewed over the years and made favorite and vowed regulars, suddenly disappear from the shelves from my local wine stores in New Jersey and I don’t know why.] The key sentence here was indeed « as long as they carry it ».
Anyway, if you can find it in your neck of the woods, I highly recommend it. Just excellent !
Les Sarrins Cotes de Provence Rosé 2021Les Sarrins Cotes de Provence Rosé 2021
Substance Washington State Columbia Valley Ch Chardonnay 2019
Charles Smith Winemaker. 14% vol. Around $13.
Today I review another Chardonnay that’s not from California but from Columbia Valley, Washington State, one of my favorite wine regions in the USA, the Chardonnay Wine of Substance Ch from Charles Smith.
Substance Washington State Columbia Valley Ch Chardonnay 2019
Under cork, 14% vol. $13 here in New Jersey. The tasting was done some time this past spring 2022, but I never published the review. I revisited it tonight (December 2022) with another curry, a chicken and mushroom curry this time and it paired as well as the first time with the vegetable curry.
Tasting was done in my LeDeux glasses.
Deep bright yellow, with wide translucent rim, some long irregular legs.
Nose : pear, fruit esters.
In mouth : fruity, buttery, creamy but good with me, with a hint of dry wood, honey, honeysuckle, pear, flowers and some other fruits such as yellow fruits. It is actually excellent, the buttery side is not putting me off at all. The buttery side even though present is not overpowering the wine at all, well done ! When I revisited it today, I found the same notes and I loved it the same as the first time, this is really an excellent wine and the price can’t be beaten at around 13 dollars.
A hint of wood, smoke and cream in the after mouth. This is excellent, I will buy it again and most certainly will make it my Chardonnay of choice.
Substance Washington State Columbia Valley Ch Chardonnay 2019
Back in the spring we paired it with a vegetarian curry (a recipe from Sheree in the blog View from the back https://viewfromtheback.com ) made with cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower, spinach and chick peas.
Tonight we paired it with another curry, a chicken and mushroom curry this time and it also paired wonderfully. I finished another glass with some wonderful cheeses, creamy bries and Italian pecorino cheeses and the combination was also a delight.
A wine to have at the ready in the wine rack for multiple occasions and meals. Absolutely delicious.
Substance Washington State Columbia Valley Ch Chardonnay 2019 with vegetarian curry
Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay Columbia Valley Washington State 2020
Today I review a Chardonnay that’s not from California but from Columbia Valley, Washington State for a change, the Chardonnay Indian Wells from Chateau Ste Michelle.
A for their white wines, so far I had reviewed 2 of their Sauvignon Blanc wines, but this time it’s one of their Chardonnay offering, the higher end one, the Indian Wells.
Under cork, 100% Chardonnay, 14% vol. $15 here in New Jersey. The tasting was done some time this past January, as you can tell looking at the background in the photos with the Christmas tree, but I never published the review which also happens to be the last one I hadn’t published from my tasting notebook number 7.
Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay Columbia Valley Washington State 2020
Pale bright yellow, short rim, no legs.
Nose : butter, extremely buttery that overwhelms every other notes, I can’t notice anything else.
In mouth : creamy, buttery, a bit smoky, This wine is actually super buttery, so it’s not for everyone. Then I found some oak, vanilla. This Chardonnay is very different from the California ones I have tested so far (it seemed that I had tasted only California Chardonnays on that blog at that time. Of course I am used to the French white Bourgogne Chardonnays but I think it was my first American Chardonnay outside the California region. Since then I have tasted others, reviews to come).
Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay Columbia Valley Washington State 2020
A lot of oak and wood, smoky and buttery. Very good if you like the buttery side, so it’s not for every one.
After the tasting we paired it with some highly aromatic meal, gnocchi with black truffle and cream. The truffle strong scent and taste calls for a wine that can hold its ground with it and this is certainly one of those wines. Furthermore it matched nicely the cream the gnocchi were cooked in. When I cook with truffles, I usually go for Bourgogne blanc, Chablis or Hautes Cotes de Nuits or also a Tavel from the Cotes du Rhone region.
Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay Columbia Valley Washington State 2020
As it is a wine I used to enjoy a lot, I decided to buy also the current vintage to make a comparison while it was still fresh in my memory.
As with the Tommasi wine, I had been drinking this Sangiovese regularly but a couple of bottles « fell » at the bottom of my rack and I forgot about them. So nice surprise, I have a couple of those that are « aged ». It’s a wine that’s readily available here in New Jersey and that my favorite wine store always seems to carry. It’s also easy to notice on the shelves with this Middle Ages painting on the label.
This is a red wine from Italy, an IGT only, a lesser appellation than the DOC one. IGT Terre degli Osci, 13.5% vol. 100% Sangiovese. The price back in 2014 was $9 and the price of the current vintage today is still $9, which is nice.
Tasting was done in my LeDeux glasses.
Red Wine of Molise Sangiovese di Majo Norante 2019 Italy
Medium dark red with brownish hues, large dark pink purplish rim. Long irregular legs.
Nose : red grape juice, fruity, overripe cherry and overripe dark red fruits (past ripe actually). A bit closed at first, then it opens up after a while. Some cherry candy like lollipop ones, red and dark fruits notes like the ones found in candies. The main note is lollipop cherry.
In mouth : leather, wood, red and dark fruits (mainly cherry), vanilla, some spices too (peppercorn). The acidity and tannins are not tamed yet and are on the green side (of course because this wine is still very young, 2019 tasted early 2022, as opposed to the 2013 vintage from my other post).
A slight bitterness at the end and a lot of tannins that are still rough (râpeux).
This wine is nevertheless excellent and has an excellent potential to become even better and smoother with more melted and blended tannins in just a few years. Don’t forget it too long though.
Still a bit green of course but excellent and excellent to be.
After the tasting I paired it with homemade pizza with cajun sausage and broccoli as toppings.
Red Wine of Molise Sangiovese di Majo Norante 2019 ItalyRed Wine of Molise Sangiovese di Majo Norante 2019 Italy
Wine in America 