Merlot with Chicken in a Mushroom Wine Sauce

October ever year is a nationwide feature on the Merlot grape for the event sponsored #MerlotMe and I’m always happy to be a part of sampling such a variation of Merlot from around the world.  Over the years I have sampled Merlot from the same producers with different vintages and this year I had the fortune of trying 4 new wineries.  I had been traveling this past week so a few were delivered while I was gone so I will add them over the next week so make sure to come back and revisit.  We’re going to dig right into the wines highlighting each bottle of Merlot and the winery.   

The Wines 

The 2018 Rombauer Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot was my pick of the tasting.  Family owned since 1980 originally purchased by Koerner and Joan Rombauer the vineyards span both Napa Valley, Sonoma, Lake County and the Sierra Foothills.  The winery practices a number of sustainable initiatives and their main aim is to produce “distinctive, fruit-driven wines”.     

Made from 83% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4$ Petit Verdot this wine spends 15 months in 40% new French oak.  The color was a beautiful ruby, rather translucent in the glass.  Lush, ripe raspberries with aromas of vanilla.  Velvety on the palate with supple tannin showing juicy berries, raspberry and black cherries with vanilla notes.  ABV 14.5% SRP $48 

The 2019 Oberon Napa Valley Merlot is part of the Michael Mondavi Family.  Their focus is on Napa Valley Bordeaux varieties.  Owner and winemaker, Tony Coltrin, is a Napa Valley resident born in St. Helena and has been part of wine harvesting for over 45 years.  The majority of the blend is Merlot with 89.4% coming from Oakville vineyards and 8.6% Syrah from Dry Creek with 2% Zinfandel from Middletown.  The wine spends extended maceration with a long malolactic fermentation spent in 45% new French oak.   

Translucent ruby in color with raspberries, plums and blackberries on the nose.  I picked up a hint of green pepper in the beginning, but this wine needed to aerate as the tannins were quite tight in the beginning.  Rich with blackberries and currants with great acidity.  ABV 13.9% SRP $23 

 
The 2020 Ironstone Vineyards Merlot is from Lodi, CA.  Owner, John Kautz, started off as a grape supplier covering over 7,000 acres across the Sierra foothills and Lodi.  He was one of the top 10 grape growers of California.  In 1988 he started producing his own wines under Kautz Wines and then brought in Steve Millier as the winemaker when it became Ironstone Vineyards.  In 1989 the family built the new winery on his wife’s family’s ranch in Murphy, California.   

Translucent ruby in the glass with notes of dark cherries, blackberries and toasty vanilla.  Rich, lush fruit and smooth on the palette with supple tannin and good acidity.  I’m surprised this wine was only $14.99 a bottle.  ABV 14.5%  

This is my 3rd vintage trying the wines from L’Ecole, but the first year I was able to do a side-by-side of their Columbia Valley Merlot and Walla Walla Valley Estate Merlot. 

The 2018 L’Ecole Columbia Valley Merlot is their black labeled bottle where the grapes are sourced from a variety of vineyards including Dionysus (old vines), Candy Mountain, Ferguson, Seven Hills, Klipsun and Pepper Bridge vineyards.  The wine is made of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot.  They produce about 5,300 cases and are typically found more in distribution.  The winemaker, Marcus Rafanelli, stated that the biggest difference between these 2 Merlot is that the Columbia Valley shows more of the varietal expression where the Walla Walla Valley is more terroir driven.  

The Columbia Valley Merlot was aged 30% in small new oak barrels for 18 months.  This wine was ruby in color with a tingle of purple.  Expressive fruit on the nose and palate showing cherries and black cherry.  The fruit shines on this wine and is an approachable, bright with moderate tannin.  ABV 14.5% SRP $25 

The 2018 L’Ecole Walla Walla Valley Estate Merlot is sourced equally from 2 very different certified sustainable estate vineyards, Fergus and Seven Hills.  The Ferguson vineyards sit on a 15 million year old salt lava flow and the vines grow in soil that is comprised of basalt with is very mineral rich in iron.  These grapes are made from lower yields and are richer in structure.   Those from Seven Hills are in a warmer climate with wine blown, mineral rich loess soil.  The red grapes here are the first harvested and these grapes lend more of an elegance to the tannin. 

The wine is made from 84% Merlot with 12% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Between the two wines this was the beefier, more structured wine.  Ruby in color with a pretty nose violets, wet rock and red fruits.  The fruit wasn’t as purely shown in this wine and had some gripping tannin up front that seemed to smooth on the finish.  Would definitely pair this with a lamb or steak.  ABV 14.5% SRP $37 

Due to lack of time I didn’t have the opportunity to sample a multitude of dishes in time for my blog this week, but since I used a Coravin I plan on experimenting with these wines throughout the month.  Keep an eye on my social media.  I chose to pair these wines with a chicken-based dish simmered in a mushroom white wine sauce seasoned with thyme.  I think the baby bella mushrooms were the perfect complement to these Merlot and made the pairing.   

Join my fellow Merlot wine and food lovers as they share their delish pairings.  Catch us live on Twitter this Saturday @ 11am EST at #WinePW as we chat more about Merlot.  

• 2012 Ridge Estate Merlot + Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• Bonterra and Creamy Lasagna Soup by Our Good Life
• California Dreamin’ for #MerlotMe Month, Part I by My Full Wine Glass
• Celebrate #MerlotMe with a Wine that Hits the Mark by Supporting Veterans by Exploring the Wine Glass
• Experiments with Salmon and Merlot by Somm's Table
• Ground Beef and Kale Recipe with #MerlotMe Wine by Cooking Chat
• I Melt for Merlot and Chocolate by What's in That Bottle?
• Kicking off #MerlotMe with 2 Rutherford Hill Merlots and Decadent Burgers with Chocolate! by Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Merguez Sausages and a Debut #MerlotMe Wine from Gürbüz by The Quirky Cork
• #MerlotMe and Meaty Asian Sandwich by Chinese Food & Wine Pairings
• Mushroom Madness Paired with Merlot by Always Ravenous
• October Means #MerlotMe Paired With Instant Pot Bacon Mushroom Merlot Chicken by Wine Predator........Gwendolyn Alley
• One of the Oldest Foods on Earth + 2019 Bonterra Organic Merlot by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Tri-Tip Steak and Duckhorn, a #MerlotMe Classic by Food Wine Click!
• Won't You Please #MerlotMe? by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe

*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.

Washington Wine Month Featuring L'Ecole and Luke Wines

The months of March and August annually are Washington wine months so I enjoy the opportunity to taste through some more wines from the state.  Washington state features 1,000 wineries located across 19 AVA’s.  I tasted through some different wines from Washington over the past week and am featuring some from L’Ecole Winery and Luke Wines. 

The Wineries 

Luke Wines are new to me so I enjoyed tasting through a few of their many selections.  Luke Wines are located in the Columbia Valley AVA in a sub-appellation AVA called Wahluke Slope created in 2006.  The Columbia Valley is located in the southeastern part of Washington state and the Wahluke Slope is one of the dry and warmest microclimates in the AVA.   You can find the Wahluke Slope located between the Columbia River in the south and west along with the Saddle Mountains to the north.  It produces about 20% of the Washington’s wine production and about 9,000 acres are planted to vines over 80,000 acres.  Primarily the grapes are red based and are grown in more gravelly, rocky soils.  

Luke Wines was started in 2012 by a husband and wife team, Thomas and Kristin Vogele.  The name is pulled from the name Wahluke, which is derived from the Native American word meaning “watering place”.  The Wanapum were original settles of the land.  From what I read this area seems to remind folks of the wild west and would be my assumption as to why the labels are depicted that way.  Their aim is to produce ripe, fuller bodied wines from distinct vineyards and I can attest that these wines were indeed full bodied, more fruit forward and jammy.   

The Washington wine AVA's ~ Copyright of Washingtonwine.org

Also, if you've been following along this year I've been an ambassador in 2021, along with a variety of other wine writers, to the L'Ecole Winery and have been enjoying quite the array of wines.  Although the year isn't complete, I feel the 2018 Syrah I tasted this week is my favorite red of theirs so far. You can read more about L'Ecole in my previous blog posts, "Summer is here with these Refreshing Pleasures from L'Ecole" and "Warm up with a Merlot and Pot Roast Pairing".

The Wines 

My top favorites were the 2018 L’Ecole Syrah Columbia Valley and the 2018 Luke Cabernet Sauvignon Wahluke Slope Columbia Valley with the 2018 Luke Merlot taking 3rd place.   

Syrah is the 3rd most planted grape in Washington state and as Marcus Rafanelli, winemaker at L’Ecole states, the 2018 vintage was a “unicorn vintage” with a great growing season.  The 2018 L’Ecole Syrah Columbia Valley is made from 80% Syrah along with 18% Grenache and 2% Mourvedre from four different vineyards, Stone Tree, Candy Mountain, Seven Hills and Summit View.  

This wine showed big dark fruits on the nose.  Big, juicy acidity on the palate up front combined with rich dark fruits, mostly blackberries, with a spicy note.  Rather complex with tannins becoming silky on the lengthy finish.  SRP $25, ABV 15%  Marcus highly recommend bacon with Syrah along with garlic, thyme, oregano, rosemary rub.  Luckily I just had some homemade cheddar bacon cheeseburgers made by chef cousin this past weekend that couldn’t have been a better compliment to these wines along with BBQ ribs and panko crusted zucchini from the garden.

The 2018 Luke Cabernet Sauvignon is made of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot grown in multiple vineyards as well: Weinbau, Obelisco, Southwine, Seven Hills and Ravenscliff.  The Luke wines I picked up a lot of black cherry including this wine along with some ripe raspberries, vanilla and herbal notes with a hint of chocolate.  Deep flavors of ripe fruits on the palate, fruit forward with tannins showing on the persistent finish.  SRP $25, ABV 14.4% 

 I also enjoyed their 2018 Luke Merlot with ripe raspberries, black cherry and some spice on the nose.  A well balanced wine full of ripe fruit and good acidity with a lingering finish.  The grapes come from the Stone Tree, Weinbau, Southwine, King Fuji and Ravenscliff vineyards.  SRP $25, ABV 14.7% 

I’ve yet to visit the state of Washington, but I’d love to hear from my readers on some of your favorite wines from Washington state.  Leave a comment.

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe

*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.

Summer Is Here With These Refreshing Pleasures from L'Ecole

This year I have had a privileged opportunity to be part of an Ambassador team getting to know L’Ecole No. 41 located in the Walla Walla Valley on Washington state.  This is a 3^rd generation family run winery founded in 1983 when there were only 20 wineries in the state (now over 1,000) and this being the 3^rd winery at the time in the Walla Walla Valley.  The winery takes great pride in making 100% of their own wines and have been leaders in developing the Walla Walla wine region.  They are located in the Frenchtown District just west of Walla Walla.  The area was initially inhabited by French Canadians in the early 1800’s and is located in the 41^st district hence L’Ecole paying homage to the historial dwellings of the area.

Copyright of L'Ecole

These suggestons today were some of my recent favorites at great price points that I have been enjoying.  Both of these wines today are part of L’Ecole’s Heritage Collection marked by the black label that are branded to be consistent representations of the terroir and quality expressions of the grapes themselves. 

2020 L’Ecole No 41 Chenin Blanc Old Vines: L’Ecole has been producing this old vine 100% Chenin Blanc since 1987.  The founder, Jean Ferguson, was found of making this Chenin Blanc in a Vouvray style.  The grapes are grown from 3 separate vineyards: Willard Farms, Phil Church and Upland Vineyard, all planted in 1979 in the cool climate upper Yakima Valley AVA.  This Chenin Blanc is L’Ecole’s first white wine released every year.  Winemaker, Marcus Rafanelli, takes great pride in making aromatic whites like this Chenin.  One third of this wine goes through malolactic fermentation to calm its bracing acidity and give the wine some weight. 

A crisp, refreshing white with vibrant acidity bursting with citrus, grapefruit and stone fruit.  Good structure and fulfilling mouthfeel.  This wine was suggested to be ageworthy for 10-15 years if one can wait that long.  ABV 13.5% SRP $17

2020 L’Ecole No 41 Grenache Rose’: This wine is grown in the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.  The Alder Ridge Vineyard is situated high on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River with a rather warm climate.  L’Ecole has been producing rose’ since 2009.  This wine is made in a Provence style made from 100% Grenache.  The wine is produced using the maceration method where the red grapes are harvested early for acidity and spend about 3-4 hours on the skins for their pale salmon color.  ABV 13.5% 

With 1,000 cases produced unfortunately this wine is sold out at only $16.  This is one of the perks of being a club member to get early access to these wines without missing out.  Marcus recommended a mouthwatering suggestion of pairing this wine with prosciutto and melon or a charcuterie plate.  I tried these wines out with vegetarian stuffed peppers stuffed with farro, pinto beans and tomatoes baked with cheese on top.

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe

*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.

Italian Grapes of the Yakima Valley with Sleeping Dog Wines

This month our Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) friends partnered with the Yakima Valley in Washington state to showcase a variety of wines grown throughout the region and some suggested pairings.  

The Region ~ Yakima Valley

Yakima Valley is a land rich in agriculture known for it’s abundance of fruits and wine grapes. Vines have been in existence in the Yakima Valley since 1869, originally planted by French winemaker Charles Schanno.  The vines originated from the Hudson’s Bay Trading Company.  Modern winemaking in the Yakima really took off though in the early 20^th century by an attorney of Seattle, William Bridgman, when he planted his own cuttings in 1917 that are still in existence today!  Along with Bridgman, many other families during the earlier decades including Upland Vineyards, Kiona Vineyards, Red Willow Vineyards and others are what helped lay the groundwork for what exists today.

Copyright of Yakima Valley Wine country

The Yakima Valley boomed in the 80’s with new wineries and vineyards popping up throughout the region.  The Yakima Valley appellation (AVA) established in 1983 grows the largest variety of grapes in Washington state covering over 17,000 acres of vines.  Today there exists over 150 wineries that make up over half of Washington state’s wine production.  Through hard work, persistence and collaboration with Washington State University’s Irrigated Agricultural Research and Extension Center, the wineries of Yakima Valley have made quite a name for themselves in not only Washington state’s wine industry, but the wine industry as a whole.

The Winery ~ Sleeping Dog Wines

Sleeping Dog Wines is located in Benton City, Washington in the lower Yakima Valley.  It’s a small production winery averaging about 300 cases annually.   Larry Oates, owner and winemaker, started his hobby in winemaking in 1992 and has been commercially producing since 2002 starting with Merlot, Syrah and Malbec with his wife Joyce and their “sleeping dog” Jett.  Larry’s approach is to allow the grapes to express themselves.  He holds onto the bottles for about 6-10 years before release as he feels this shows the best expression of the grapes, hence the name of the vineyards as he believes to “let the sleeping dogs lie”.  

Jett the dog of Sleeping Dog wines ~ Courtesy of Sleeping Dog Wines

 

Courtesy of Sleeping Dog Wines ~ Larry and Joyce Oates with Stari Grad in Croatia

The Wines

Due to the limited production of these wines I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with Larry Oates and sample a few of his wines made from Italian grapes plus a Carmenere.  Larry sources the grapes from his neighbor Bob Buoy at Buoy Vineyards with south facing slopes over the Yakima River.  Sleeping Dog’s signature style are robust wines showing intense berries and I couldn’t agree more, especially with the Montepulciano and Carmenere.      

2012 Sleeping Dog Wines Dolcetto: Made of 94% Dolcetto and 3% Montepulciano and Merlot respectively, these grapes are grown in the neighboring vineyard, Buoy Vineyard.  Another client of Buoy Vineyards was going to purchase the grapes from this small block, but it didn’t pan out so Larry decided to work with the grapes.  American oak chips are used during the primary fermentation.  The wine is aged in stainless steel with French and Hungarian oak staves.  The Montepulciano and Merlot grapes were blended in 1 month prior to bottling.  Garnet in color this wine shows aromas of red cherry in addition to showing up on the palette.  Dry, medium bodied with good acidity and smooth tannin, the wine is balanced showing a hint of vanilla.  Only 51 cases are produced.  ABV 14.1% ABV SRP $28

2014 Sleeping Dog Wines Montepulciano: According to Larry this was the first Montepulciano planted in Washington.  The vines were planted in 2006.  Made from 100% Montepulciano also grown in the Buoy Vineyard.  American oak beans were used during primary fermentation.  This wine was also aged in stainless steel with French and Hungarian oak staves.  Dark ruby red in color.  An intense nose of dark fruits.  Blackberry, black cherry and plums on the palette.  A hearty wine with high acidity.  Only 106 cases produced.  Luckily I received 2 bottles of this wine so I’d like to see how this wine does with time in the bottle as it seems to have aging potential.  ABV 14.4% SRP $34

2015 Sleeping Dog Wines Carmenere: These vines were planted in 2006 along with the Montepulciano.  Made from 100% Carmenere.  Similar to the Montepulciano, American oak beans were used during primary fermentation and it was aged in stainless steel with French and Hungarian oak staves.  Dark ruby with a hint of purple.  Green bell pepper and white pepper on the nose.  A full-bodied wine with good acidity with moderate tannin.  Full of flavor with a lengthy finish.  Only 81 cases produced.  ABV 13.9% SRP $35

The pairing: Life has been a little crazy as of late so I did take the lazy route this week, but who doesn’t love pizza and wine?  To be honest it was a fun weekday night sampling these wines with some delicious sausage and ricotta pizza.  My pairing of the three was the Dolcetto. 

Join my fellow food and wines lovers as they share some great pairings highlighting these wines of the Yakima Valley.  Catch us live on Twitter at #WinePW this Saturday @ 11am EST.

Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Cam shares “Yakima Valley’s Sin Banderas Rhone Roses Compliment Dishes with Asian Flair” and “Mediterranean-Inspired Dishes Paired with Yakima Valley Wines from Dineen Vineyards”

Linda at My Full Wine Glass invites us to “Meet Kerry Shiels: A Yakima Valley winemaker with Vision”

Terri of Our Good Life shares 2 posts “Fortuity…Taking Advantage of Life’s Great Wines!”, and “Two Mountain Rose and Fennel Wild Mushroom Tarts”

Payal at Keep The Peas shares “Yakima Valley Wines FTW!”

Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is cooking up “Smoked Beef Brisket with Canvasback Cabernet”

Rupal the Syrah Queen gives us "Yakima Valley - Red Willow Vineyards Producing Some of Washington's Finest Syrahs"

Jane of Always Ravenous makes our mouths water with “Filet Mignon paired with Washington Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon”

Martin with ENOFYLZ WineBlog is giving us “a Taste of Washington State’s Yakima Valley”

David at Cooking Chat has 2 posts for us also “Lamb Ragu Pasta with Red Wine from Dineen Vineyards” and “Sin Banderas Rosé with Corned Beef & More Yakima Valley Wine Pairings”

Nicole of Somm’s Table shares "Big, Beautiful Reds from Yakima Valley and Tasty, Meaty Fare"

Gwendolyn the Wine Predator explores “Washington Syrah: Hedges, L’Ecole, VanArnam with Lamb Stew”

Susannah at Avvinare gives us “Malbec from VanArnam Vineyard in Yakima Valley”

Lori at Exploring the Wine Glass shares “Tasting the Soul of Wine in the Heart of Yakima Valley”

Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles with "Yakima Valley AVA – Blends of friendship and history with wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co."

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe  

*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.