Birthday Celebrations call for Poderi Colla Barolo and Barbaresco

Birthdays are the perfect time to celebrate popping bottles and drinking the good stuff.  Earlier this year I had received a couple of bottles of Barbaresco and Barolo from Poderi Colla and no time like the present to sample them.  Although for a Barolo and Barbaresco these wines are in their youth, they will further benefit from aging.  Luckily I got an extra bottle of each so I’ll be able to watch their progression as they age. 

The Winery ~ Poderi Colla 

The Colla family has been making wine since the 1700’s.  Pietro Colla was an important figure in the Piedmont wine industry serving as a member of the Asti Consortium newly established back in 1932.  His oldest son, Beppe, was also a prominent figure whom took over the well-known Cavaliero Prunotto estate in 1956, which was later sold over to the Antinori family in the 90’s.  Beppe was part of establishing the regulations for the Alba DOC’s and cru vineyard sites.  He was also the first in the Langhe to use cru on the Barolo labels with the 1961 Prunotto Barolo Bussia.  Unfortunately, Beppe recently passed away in January of 2019.   

Poderi Colla was founded in 1994 by Pietro’s youngest son, Tino, and Beppe’s daughter, Federica.  They merged three of their properties in creation of the winery including Cascine Drago in San Rocco Seno d’Elvio di Alba, Tenuta Roncaglia in Barbaresco and Dardi Le Rose in Bussia di Monforte d’Alba.  In 2016 they also added a fourth estate, Bricco Bompe in Madonna di Come di Alba.   

Since almost the beginning of their inception Poderi Colla has taken part in Piedmont’s agricultural environmental program that focused on limiting pesticides, using fertilizers like worm compost and focusing on producing organic wines.   

The Wine 

2016 Poderi Colla Tenuta Roncaglie Barbaresco  

This wine spends 14 months in large botti.  This Barbaresco, along with the Barolo, are grown in south to southwest facing steep hills made of calcareous marl and sand.  As with all Barolo and Barbaresco these wines are made of 100% nebbiolo.  Garnet red in color.  Delicious red fruits of raspberries and cherries.  A solid backbone of acidity showing such elegance in the glass.  I was impressed by this wine’s approachability with a 2016 vintage, but I can imagine the beauty of this wine with age.  ABV 14% SRP $65 

2015 Poderi Colla Barolo Bussia Dardi Le Rose  

This wine hails from the Bussia vineyards in Monforte d’Alba.  Spending about 12-15 days of maceration.  Aged in Slavonian oak for 2 years with an additional year in the bottle.  Garnet colored with brick hues on the rim.  Layered aromas of red and black cherries, licorice, spice and dried roses.  Juicy acidity with tight tannins that become more silky towards the finish that is lengthy.  ABV 14% SRP $75 

Life is too short, drink good wine!

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

Fall is Here! Warm up with a Merlot and Pot Roast Pairing

October is my favorite month between the season change to fall enjoying that crisp, cool air, my birthday, anniversary and one of my favorite holidays.  What’s not to love!  Pumpkins and apples are in abundance and if you’re like me your brain starts to shift to thinking of more hearty recipes to pair with red wines.  This year marks the 6th anniversary of #MerlotMe month dedicated to you guessed it, Merlot.   

Merlot is one of the world’s most popular grapes.  It’s a soft, approachable wine, deeply colored, medium to full-bodied rich in berries, plums and occasional chocolate.  Depending upon how it’s produced the wines may have additional layers of vanilla and spice from oak aging.  Climate plays a major factor in the results of these wines whether they are grown in cool or warm climates around the world. 

Last year I had received quite the array of Merlot where I suggested MerlotMe pairings, but this year I received only one and it was nice to be able to focus on the one winery, L’Ecole.  Life has been quite challenging lately so I appreciated the break.       

The Winery ~ L’Ecole 

L’Ecole is a winery located in the Walla Walla Valley of Washington state.  The winery was founded in 1983 by Jean and Baker Ferguson whom really laid the groundwork and made a name not only for themselves, but the region as well.  They were the 3rd winery in Walla Walla and the 20th commercial winery in Washington state at that time.  The name L’Ecole No 41 derives from the French word for school.  Many French-Canadians settled in the area in the early 1800’s.  The Schoolhouse building you’ll find on their labels is located in the town of Frenchtown, west of Walla Walla.  The number 41 is the district number in which it is located. 

Megan and Marty were newly married when Megan’s family started the winery.  They were living in San Francisco at the time and would travel back to take part in the harvest.  They decided to move permanently to the area in 1989 and today work fulltime at the winery with their children, the third generation.  Marty is current winemaker and co-owner.   

You will find that their Estate Seven Hills Vineyard and Estate Ferguson vineyards are certified sustainable.  L’Ecole has received countless awards including being named Top Winery of the Year fifteen times by the Wine and Spirits Magazine.   

The Wine  

The 2017 L’Ecole No 41 Columbia Valley Merlot is a blend of Merlot grapes from a number of their older vineyard sites.  Their Columbia Valley line of wines are dependable quality showing the typicity of the region’s wines.   The Columbia Valley is the largest appellation in Eastern Washington.  The grapes are hand harvested and racked to small oak barrels (30% new oak) with 4 rackings aged over 18 months.  The wine is made of 81% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. A full-bodied, structured and layered Merlot with lush black raspberries and plums with a touch of baking spice.  ABV 14.5% SRP $25 

The Pairing ~ Pot Roast 

With so much stewed meat from a local farm we purchased I thought it would be great to try pairing this Merlot with pot roast.    Being on vacation this week at our vacation home in the Great North Woods of New Hampshire we took day trips with the kids so I definitely pulled out the crockpot for this meal.  Trying to balance a bunch of things all the time I have no shame in using one when needed, especially when the result was this tasty dish.   With this Merlot being rather hearty it stood up well to the flavors in this dish.  Beef in a variety of preparations has always proven to pair well with Merlot. 

What are your thoughts on Merlot?  Love it or hate it?  

Plenty more Merlot coming your way with my fellow food and wine lovers.  Join us live on Twitter this Saturday at 11am EST at #WinePW.  We look forward to seeing you there! 

• Andrea at The Quirky Cork shares “MerlotMe with Three Turkish Merlots“
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Merlot: A Varietal That Plays Well with Others“
• Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “Sip Memorable Merlot with Classic Vegetarian Favorites“
• Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen shares “Fall Vegan Menu Paired with 2016 Napa Merlots“
• David at Cooking Chat shares “Merlot Food Pairing: Tips and Favorites“
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “Meatloaf and #MerlotMe with Sonoma’s Selby and Columbia Valley’s L’Ecole No. 41“
• Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Merlot Pairing: Baked Pasta with Sausage Ragù“
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “A Tale of Two Merlots at the Grill“
• Jill at L’Occasion shares “What’s So Special About Merlot?“
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish shares “October is #MerlotMe Month: Here’s What I’ve Been Sipping“
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Kicking off #MerlotMe in the Pacific time zone”
• Liz at What’s in that Bottle? shares “Make Room for Merlot!“
• Lori at Exploring the Wine Glass shares “Leaves on the Ground and #MerlotMe in my Glass“
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares “Next Gen Merlot From Where It All Started“
• Martin at Enofylz shares “A Meatless #MerlotMe Redux“
• Nicole at Somms Table shares “5 #MerlotMe Nights“
• Payal at Keep the Peas shares “Kicking Off Autumn With #Merlotme”
• Pinny at Chinese Wine & Food Pairings shares “#MerlotMe with Markham and L’Ecole No. 41 Merlots and Army Ramen”
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Merlot from elegant to badass. Time to #Merlotme.”
• Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “#MerlotMe – Best Food Pairings For Merlot”
• Susannah at Avvinare shares “Brazilian Merlot Is Always Welcome At My Table”
• Terri at Our Good Life shares “Merlot Me with Noodless Lasagne“
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Woohoooooooo….It is #MerlotMe month“

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are my own.

Eye Openers to the Wines of Moldova #WorldWineTravel

I recently tried my first wines from Moldova back in July of this year.  I was excited to get a second opportunity to taste more when our newly established group of familiar faces at #WorldWineTravel will be venturing off to explore wine from all over the world.  I have a feeling there will many more firsts to come for myself and I look forward to taking you with me on this journey.  

If you're like I was a couple months ago you may have been scratching your head wondering where exactly Moldova is.  It is after all the smallest country in Europe so it's no surprise that you probably can't pinpoint it's location.  It's landlocked in South Eastern Europe between Romania and the Ukraine with close proximity to the Black Sea.

It's a wonder many of us aren't familiar with wines from Moldova as their wine history dates as far back as 3000 B.C. The Republic of Moldova actually has the highest density of vineyards in the world.  Seventy three percent of the wine produced in Moldova are from international grapes like the Bordeaux blend I'm sharing below from Purcari, but they do produce about 10% of their own indigenous grapes that you will see later like Viorico and Feteasca Alba.  

Moldova continues to invest in its wine industry so it will be interesting to continue to watch them develop.  In 2018 they received a large investment of $20 million to put towards vineyard plantings, modernizing their wineries and for market development.  Let's see what the future holds for Moldova, but so far the wines have been eye opening for myself.

The Wines

2015 Chateau Purcari Rosu de Purcari - A Bordeaux blend made of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 15% Malbec.  This winery has a long history established in 1827.  Their wines have been served to the Royal Courts of Europe for 150+ years.  The grapes are hand harvested and this wine spends 18 months in French oak.  Deep ruby in color with garnet hues.  The nose is rich in prunes and blueberries with vanilla nuances.  A full-bodied wine with good acidity, juicy blackberries and blueberries with a velvety finish.  ABV 13.5% SRP $40

I paired the Chateau Purcari Rosu de Purcari with beef pot pie.  I had actually never prepared a pot pie with beef and had always used chicken.  This was a nice change with some added diced up celery and carrots.   During the height of the COVID pandemic we bought a 1/4 of a cow from a local farm and had lots of stewed meat so it was the perfect choice for this wine.  The Radacini I had tried in July and you can read from my previous post.

2018 Castel Mimi Feteasca Alba - Feteasca Alba is an indigenous grape to Moldova.  This wine is from the Codru appellation.  Pale straw colored in the glass with mostly citrus notes on the nose.  This wine is light, crisp and refreshing with mostly citrus and a hint of peach.  ABV 13% SRP $19

2018 Suvorov Viorica -  Suvorov was established in 1998 and the winery is named after a historical monument, the hill of Suvorov, from the Russo Turkish War.  This wine is made of 100% Viorica in the Stefan Voda appellation.  Viorica is a popular female name.  These grapes are also hand harvested.  Pale straw in color with a very aromatic nose, florally with notes of peach and a little grassiness.  Very light in body with a refreshing acidity and peach lingering on the palette.  ABV 13% SRP $18    

I paired both of these indigenous whites of Moldova with lobster ravioli with some added shrimp.  Both served as a nice compliment to the dish and I kept the sauce simple with garlic, extra virgin olive oil and butter.  

Join my fellow food and wine lovers as they deepen your discovery into the wines of Moldova.  We will be chatting live this Sunday at 11am EST on Twitter at #WorldWineTravel.  Please join in!  This weekend Moldova is also hosting their 18th National Wine Day October 3rd and 4thth at their capital in Chisinau.  It's an opportunity to taste wines from over 60 producers and learn more about the culture and traditions of Moldova.  Although many of us are still not traveling it may be something to keep in mind for future years, but they are also hosting virtual events if you can't make it in person. 

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Two Indigenous Moldovan Grapes – Fetească Albă and Fetească Neagră – Paired With Colțunași Harnici (Hard-Working Dumplings)” 
• Wendy from A Day In The Life On The Farm is “Celebrating the Food and Wine of Moldova” 
• David from CookingChat has “Food Pairings for Moldavan Wines” 
• Lori from Exploring the Wine Glass shares “Sitting Down with Master of Wine Caroline Gilby to Discuss Moldovan Wine” 
• Terri from Our Good Life shares “Moldova Wine Day Celebration!” 
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass is “Celebrating ‘My Wine Day’ and the little country that could” 
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Moldovan Wine – moving forward while not losing track of the authentic grapes of their past” #WorldWineTravel 
• Susannah from Avvinare writes “You say Feteasca and I’ll Say Moldova” 
• Melanie from Wining With Mel is “Exploring new territory with Moldovan wines” 
• Jeff from foodwineclick asks the question “Are Local Grapes the Future of Moldovan Wines?” 
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares “Moldovan Native Wine Grape Discoveries” #WorldWineTravel 
• Jill from L’Occasion discusses “Wines of Moldova: Worth the Adventure” 
• Payal from Keep the Peas pairs “Kashmiri Yakhni Pulao and Moldovan Wine” 
• Nicole from Somms Table is “Celebrating Moldova National Wine Day with More Food and Wine Explorations” 
• Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “Celebrate Moldova National Wine Day – Exploring Native Varieties” 
•  Liz Barrett from What’s In That Bottle shares “Moldova National Wine Day is Here!” 
• Pinny from Chinese Food And Wine Pairings tells us about “Celebrating Moldova National Wine Day with Chinese Food” 
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator shares "Meet Moldova: 2018 Purcari 1827 Rara Negra de Purcari Vin Sec Rosu Paired with Pizza #WorldWineTravel " 
• Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen tells us about "Meatless Moldovan Food and Wine" #WorldWineTravel

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