Red Wines with Meats from the Grill
I start off
my late summer red-wine-and-meat fest with delectable Grenache and blends –
better known to wine lovers as Southern Rhone blends. These wines feature
mostly Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and Cinsault in the mix and are fragrant,
medium bodied and lip-smacking slurps to serve with your pork, lamb or beef.
They can be elegant wines for indoor white tablecloth dining as well.
If you are
looking for some late summer wine touring information, tune your browser to
WinesNorthwest.com for maps, features and much more.
Southern
Rhone Blends
Rotie
Cellars 2017 Southern Blend - $48
This wine
was the runaway winner of my first tasting featuring plum and berry fruit with
complex baking spice, earthy mineral and hints of floral perfume. Sean Boyd
makes his wines in the Old World style and has a lot to teach wine drinkers who
look for uber intense, oak heavy wines. Sean’s wines are the best in Washington
for paying homage to the Rhone model. Look for Rotie Cellars at the Walla Walla
winery, their tasting room in SODO or at the website: rotiecellars.com
Delille Cellars 2015 Metier, Columbia Valley - $38
The founders
of DeLille Cellars held French wines as a model to follow for their complexity,
pure fruit and food friendliness. Metier is a French term for person’s
profession or a calling for which they are well suited. This Southern Rhone
blend of Grenache (39%), Mourvedre (39%), Syrah (19%) and Cinsault (3%). This
delicious medium-bodied red celebrates raspberry, cherry and herbs with veins
of minerals, smoky meats and dried fruits. Delillecellars.comL’Ecole No 41 2017 GSM, Walla Walla Valley – $36
This wine
hails from Walla Walla’s Seven Hills Vineyard, an estate property for L’Ecole
No 41 that was originally planted in 1980. The wine is a blend of one third
each of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre and was aged in small oak barrels, mostly
two years and older. Look for aromas and flavors of blackberry and dark fruits
with notes of lavender, graphite and spicy pepper. Lecole.com
Domaine Ogier 2017 Cotes du Rhone Villages, Plan de Dieu - $17
This winery
has been based in Chateauneuf-du-Pape for over 150 years and this southern
Rhone blend is just one of their wines from the regional appellation. My tasters
found dried cherry and raspberry with notes of black olive, eucalyptus and
mineral. Tripadvisor also laudes the property as an excellent place to visit if
your travels take you to the Southern Rhone. Ogier.fr/en
Three of Cups 2015 GSM Le Jugement, Yakima Valley - $25
Mike Metheny
and Lisa Swei established their Three of Cups Winery with solid winemaking, a
good business plan and a friendly approach to their wine tasting fans. The new
vintage of their GSM blend is full of juicy, dried berry and black fruits with
hints of caramel, vanilla, spicy oak with a finish of juicy plum. Visit their winery in Woodinville on weekends
or visit the website at Threeofcups.com
Tablas Creek Vineyards 2017 Cotes de Tablas - $35
Robert Haas,
the late American wine luminary gained fame for his pioneering import company
Vineyard Brands and his partnership with the Perrin family of Chateau de
Beaucastel in the Rhone that led to the founding of Tablas Creek Vineyard near
Paso Robles in the Adelaida District. His youngest son Jason Haas is general
manager for Tablas Creek and crafts the wines. The medium-bodied Cotes de
Tablas offers notes of blackcurrant, cherry and strawberry with notes of celery
salt, anise and mineral. Tablascreek.com
Tablas Creek
Vineyard 2018 Dianthus Rosé, Paso Robles - $30
As many
gardeners know, the flower genus Dianthus is better known as carnations or
“pinks.” Evocative of bright pink color and a spicy aroma, this name was chosen
for Tablas Creek’s rosé wine. A blend of Mourvedre, Grenache and Counoise, it
leads with a brilliant rose pink hue then impresses with aromas and flavors of
watermelon, strawberry, herbs and spice – refreshing and classic.
Varietal Grenache
Sometimes
the Grenache variety takes quite a beating from winemakers who mistake it for
Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel. This rather delicate grape wants to be a
fragrant, complex wine, not one that is harvested extra ripe and further
insulted by extended barrel aging, often with ample new oak.
Abacela 2016 Grenache, Umpqua Valley - $30
This
Southern Oregon winery was conceived with the production of Spanish varietals
in mind, follows the Iberian model of the Grenache variety – bright, fruity and
refreshing. This wine is a favorite every year with bright aromas and flavors
of strawberry and melon and complex notes of flinty mineral, cranberry and
spice. Abacela.com
Whidbey Island Winery 2016 Grenache, Horse Heaven Hills - $25
Winemaker
Greg Osenbach is using Horse Heaven Hills fruit for some of his wines these
days, specifically Alder Ridge Vineyard (for this wine) and Coyote Canyon
Vineyard (for Primitivo and others). Look for red cherry, blueberry and baking
spice with ample toasty oak and earthy mineral. Whidbeyislandwinery.com
Novelty Hill 2016 Grenache, Washington State - $28
This wine
hails from Novelty Hill’s estate Stillwater Creek Vineyard located on the Royal
Slope in Washington State. Winemaker Mike Januik aged the wine in French oak
(40% new) yet retained the rich, fruity character of the Grenache variety
showing strawberry, cherry and spice with hints of vanilla and toast.
Noveltyhilljanuik.com
Griffin Creek 2015 Grenache, Rogue Valley - $45
The Griffin
Creek brand from Willamette Valley Vineyards offers wines from Southern Oregon
fruit including Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah,
Viognier and a blend named Griffin. This Grenache shows the robust treatment of
the variety with dark cherry, cranberry and baking spice with notes of toasty
oak and hints of lavender and cherry candy. WVV.com
Season Cellars 2015 Grenache, Southern Oregon - $38
This
appealing Grenache bottling is part of a Limited Edition Series from Scott IV
and Jennifer Henry. It offers the raspberry candy side of the variety, showing
aromas and flavors of cherry drops, marshmallow, mocha and cherry cola. A hit
of Syrah in the blend adds backbone and extends the food pairing options to
include smoked meats and hearty red sauces. Seasoncellars.comCanoe Ridge Vineyard 2014 Grenache, Horse Heaven Hills - $38
This limited
edition Grenache came from select vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA
including Alder Ridge, Canoe Ridge and Wallula. Aged in French oak (33% new),
the wine leads with aromas of strawberry, blackberry and citrus and fills with
flavors of lighter fruits, brambly spicy oak and hints of lavender and violets. Canoeridgevineyard.com
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