Weekly Wine-Down July 24-31: All About New World Reds

Now that I've finally created my own Wine Concubine Facebook page, I'm starting a new segment to help drum up some more likes, called the Weekly Wine-Down. Special thanks to Li at the Wining Hour on Twitter for unknowingly helping me with the name!. Each week I will post mini versions of tasting notes based on the wines I tasted, and recommend for your drinking pleasure.

Saturday night was a mini family reunion with my Aunt, Uncle & cousins who live 3 hours north of me. My uncle is also a winelover, who lives by the adage "Life is too short to drink bad wine". After a quick trip to the local farmer's market, we sat down and tasted some impressive red wines from the Okanagan, as well as a Zinfandel from Lodi. Here are the standouts:

1. Burrowing Owl Meritage 2012, Oliver, BC: A pronounced nose of ripe raspberries and dusty earth lead into a body of mouthwatering acidity and fine-grained, well integrated tannins along with notes of juicy blackberries, stewed green bell peppers & forest floor. The finish is long and sultry, with a marked flavour of dried currant. Decant for 1.5-2 hours to allow the complex flavour profile to open up!

2. Blasted Church 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Blend, Okanagan, BC: Known for their eye-catching labels, all of Blasted Church's wines are great choices for quality, and this one is no exception! A beautiful deep purple colour in the glass with aromas of black fruit and black pepper. The body is well rounded with fresh acidity, ripe tannins and a long, juicy finish. For those of you who prefer red wine over whites, I recommend this for sipping on the patio with a sirloin steak, or grilled Italian sausage!

3. Earthquake Zinfandel 2014, Lodi AVA, California: Aromas of raspberry preserves and a hint of flint will invite you in to taste an intriguing flavour profile of red fruit, black licorice and cocoa powder. The licorice essence lasts well into the long, smooth finish. Fresh acidity and focused tannins round out the body. Due to it's 15% abv alcohol content, this wine is best with grilled red meat, hard cheeses like cheddar, and even dark chocolate! We decanted for 30-45 minutes as well.

Special thanks to my Aunt & Uncle for their amazing hospitality, enjoyment of this blog and for all the love and support they've given me throughout my wine journey. 

This Tuesday is an upcoming wine day featuring a varietal called Albarino. Click here to learn a little more about it (at the 2:00 mark), and stay tuned for tasting notes on Spanish wine next week!

Cheers!

The Wines of Freemark Abbey

I'm not much of a fan of California Cabernet Sauvignon.

Maybe this is because I'm used to drinking lower priced Cabs, but it's probably because I can't afford the high prices the majority of Napa County demands. Earlier this Spring, I sampled a few Cabernet Sauvignons from neighbouring Sonoma County's Alexander Valley, but was left largely disappointed.

Then I tried Freemark Abbey's 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, and I was proven wrong.

Established in 1886, a widow named Josephine Tychson became the first recorded female winemaker in Napa Valley when she built the original cellar building and cleared the surrounding land to plant vines. In 1939, three businessmen changed the name of the estate from Lombarda Cellars by melding their names Freeman, Marquand Foster and Albert Ahern. This is when the name Freemark Abbey was born. Fun fact: Freemark Abbey was one of the 12 wineries that entered, and defeated French wines in the "Judgement of Paris" blind tasting in 1976!

The 2011 growing season was harsh on winemakers throughout Napa Valley. Consistent rain into harvest made rot an issue in many of the vineyards, generating extremely low yields. These conditions made the vinification process a real challenge, but rumour has it that some expressive, age-worthy wines were on the market. Freemark Abbey proved this to be true with their 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon.

A bouquet of dried red currant and ripe red cherries leads into a complex flavour profile that includes stewed green bell peppers and a hint of fennel on the finish. Silky tannins and bright acidity add finesse and body. This wine would be an excellent pairing with steak and roast beef, but I recommend using a higher end grade and cut to really blow your mind!

What amazes me most about this wine is the price point. Although Freemark Abbey still fetches a higher price for the 2011 Cab Sauv, their's is low compared to other Napa Valley wineries. The retail price in Canadian dollars is $54. I was so impressed that I decided to taste 2 more wines in their portfolio!

Freemark Abbey's 2011 Merlot shows a smoky side with notes of flint accompanying a palate of fresh cherries and herbs. The red fruit flavours last right into the long, rich finish, reflecting a more fresh style than the Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, I really enjoyed this wine on it's own!

Finally, the 2013 Chardonnay offers intoxicating aromas of ripe bananas with a hint of vanilla to reflect aging in oak. Lush in style, with a body that includes stewed pineapple and an intriguing tinge of guava. A creamy mouthfeel and soft, focused tannins round out the palate. This wine is incredibly food friendly and would marry well with poached salmon, or chicken in a mustard cream sauce. 

Sometimes the splurge on wine is worth it, and sometimes it can let you down. In this case, I wasn't disappointed once. I know the quality will be there if I bring a Freemark Abbey bottle to a dinner or gift it to a fellow winelover. So if you haven't tasted this gem in Napa Valley, make sure you do-you won't be disappointed either.

Cheers!

To Cellar, or Not To Cellar in Uncertain Times

Our senses have been bombarded lately with all the news hype surrounding Brexit, President Trump, and the plethora of natural disasters plaguing the globe. And don't forget the media trend of apocalyptic TV series like The Walking Dead to add to the atmosphere of doom and gloom. If you are like me, you've chosen to "turn off" in a digital sense and focus your energy on reading, studying, or hobbies. A lot of my wine studies this year have drawn me to issues related to wine cellaring.

I currently own a 100 bottle cellar with wines ranging in value from $35 through to over $1,000. Granted, my cellar is only composed of 3 wooden racks that hold 75 bottles each enclosed in a concrete room; nothing fancy like what you see in Wine Spectator every month. However, the cellar means more to me than just bottles in a concrete room. Many of the bottles enclosed have memories attached to them. The Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas wines were purchased on our trip to France in 2011. My Krug Clos du Mesnil Champagne tells the story of my oldest daughter's birth and my triumph over those crazy, foggy first weeks of motherhood. The problem lies in when to consume these wines-and in today's tumultuous times, should I even bother with a cellar?

My wine cellar. It's not pretty, but it's functional-and doesn't allow for aliens or zombies to get in easily!

Many factors come into play when maintaining a wine cellar. Questions to ask yourself include:

"How many bottles can I manage?"
"Am I cellaring bottles for financial gain, or for personal pleasure?"
"What methods and resources do I use to track their development?"
"Am I comfortable with the risk associated with my bottles' values?"

What about a contingency plan? Zombie-apocalypses and President Trump's initiatives aside, other risk factors include household fires, floods, and other acts of God. Are you prepared to forego tasting your viticultural treasures if any of the above happen, even if you insure your bottles?

In the event of a slower catastrophe like Zombies or a plague, my contingency plan is to lock myself in the cellar, drink as many of the wines as I can from most treasured to least, and let nature take it's toll. I'm still working on a plan for the quicker-moving events.

Many wine blogs and publications discuss drinking those treasured bottles now, foregoing special events to ensure you get to enjoy them now. It's an interesting concept; on one hand, you will definitely enjoy them and the risk of the wine going past it's prime is reduced. On the other hand, how much will you enjoy that phenomenal bottle on a weeknight, or another time where you might be more rushed? In my opinion it's worth exploring, especially when sampling a wine where more of the same bottles exist in the cellar; however, I still prefer a special occasion to crack open those one-off bottles so I can really indulge in the experience.

Even though none of us know what's going to happen next, I do know that I want to enjoy these bottles while I can and relive the joy and memories these wines have brought me. No matter what your wine cellar goals are, may yours bring you joy now, and in the time to come.

Cheers!