Now here’s a red wine you can sink your teeth into—without staining them red or purple. If in the mood for something with some grit and texture, something with an “I don’t give and eff” attitude, then this is the wine for you. It’s bold, bodacious, with serious backbone, yet absolutely 100% casual. Call the blend a “kitchen sink” blend if you will, but know that it’s crafted with finesse and not a drop of it will go down the gutter. Bonus points for the low price point and the fact that you can pair it with your finest steak just as well as you could a sandwich. 
Tag: red wine
Panther Creek Cellars 2015 Kalita Vineyard Pinot Noir
I came across Panther Creek when working on an article about their new Woodinville, Washington tasting room. Indeed, the Oregon-based winery with their Willamette fruit felt the need to spread the Pinot love to the cool kids in Washington who, basically, have none. Unable to visit Oregon or Washington at the moment, the Panther Creek team was kind enough to send me a few samples. Last week I featured their estate Pinot Gris — a beautiful example of how the grape variety is making major headway in the Pacific Northwest. But let’s face it, when making, tasting, or talking wine from the Willamette, it’s all about the Pinot Noir.
You can read my full article, Oregon Wine, Washington Tasting Room: Panther Creek boosts business, bringing Willamette Valley Wine to Woodinville, Wash.
Flora Springs 2015 Merlot
Here’s the thing about Flora Springs — they are utterly reliable. Whether you’re looking for something big and bold (say hello to the Trilogy blend) or something light and crips (you must taste their Sauvignon Blanc) or something right in the middle (I’ve got a Chardonnay that’s right up that alley — review to come) — they’ve got something suited to every flavor profile and they do it well. I’d have to say that having tasted much of their portfolio, producing bold reds that are approachable now but can also age for decades is kind of their “thing.” Case and point, this 100% Merlot harvested from their very own estate vineyards along Napa’s valley floor.
J. Cage Cellars 2016 Hallberg Vineyard Pinot Noir
After experiencing the van der Kamp Pinot Noir I was excited to try J. Cage’s expression of the same varietal from a different vineyard. In conversing with proprietor Roger Beery, he said, “Single vineyards should be the lead singer..not the winemaker.” True, very true. A good winemaker lets the vineyard tell the story. And it’s amazing tasting the two so close together how one can taste, not a winemaking style, but the disparate style of two different pieces of Sonoma. “Let these outstanding vineyards and winegrowers have a voice,” Beery said. And so they do.
J. Cage Cellars 2016 van der Kamp Vineyards Pinot Noir
I knew this wine was going to be high class the moment I read the vineyard name. As J.Cage Cellars proprietor Roger Beery says, van der Kamp Vineyards is a coveted piece of land amongst winemakers. Sitting at 1,400 feet of elevation along the north-facing, eastern slope of the Sonoma Mountains, the Pinot Noir that grows here enjoys ample sunshine, but cool temperatures. That, along with the loam and volcanic soils, give the grapes a unique vivaciousness, the wines intense in aromas and flavors. The van der Kamps farm their vines biodynamically. And if you’re of two minds about what that means in regards to tasting, I can say from experience that when biodynamics are in place, wines speak of place.
