Catching up on a bunch of great random stuff....finally......

One of the things that gets lost in the shuffle of our great wine trips, theme nights, and various other wine-drinking events, is the stuff we drink on Tuesday. And Wednesday. And.....you get the picture.

The random stuff we open with dinner on a regular night. We don't have wine every single night, but it's more likely than not we will crack open a bottle or two on any given night.

So, let's get to reviews of some of those bottles that I've never previously reviewed!

Church & State 2014 Signature Series Cabernet Franc ($34.90 direct from winery)

Aromas of blackberry and tea. Blackberry and blueberry flavors, with a slightly tart cherry on the mid-palate. Touches of cigar box and leather on the finish.

Signorello 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon ($143.99 from BC Liquor Stores)

Lovely aromas of cedar, mushroom, earth, black fruit, mint, cola and baking spice. Black fruit, blueberry, earth and mushroom on the palate. Finish is intense, long, and lovely. A treat and one that will likely improve for many more years. Given that the winery was totally destroyed in the Napa fires of 2017, I was pleased that this was so good and am looking forward to more from this winery once they have rebuilt.

In case you missed it when I posted the link originally, here is a fantastic article (not mine) about good Canadian boy Ray Signorello, Jr., and his vision for starting over after the tragedy.

Crown + Thieves 2016 Doc Gewurztraminer ($29.99 direct from The Hatch)

Lovely aromas of white flowers, lychee and stone fruit. Unctuous. Viscous. Thick and almost syrupy. Stone fruit flavors dominate with just a tiny hint of spice on the finish. Unlike most BC examples of this varietal. I'd be interested to see what this becomes in 7-8 years.

Hartford Family Winery 2013 Three Jacks Vineyard Chardonnay ($65.00 USD direct from winery)

Sourced from a small vineyard in the heart of the Green Valley in the Russian River Valley. Aromas of sweet hazelnut, caramel, baked apple and orange marmalade. Medium to full-bodied. Terrific fruit flavors on the palate, featuring tangerine, pear, pineapple, citrus and notes of butterscotch. These guys have no idea how to make a bad wine. This is, like, their 104th best Chardonnay and it's still spectacular.

Robert Mondavi 2014 Changement Pinot Noir ($55.00 USD direct from winery)

Vanilla cherry cola aromas dominate, followed by a hint of cigar box. Bright bing cherry flavors are all over the place, with a touch of spice showing up at the end. Medium finish. Improved a lot with food.

Painted Rock 2014 Merlot ($39.99 from BC Liquor Stores)

Cassis, blackberry, graphite and smoke on the nose. At 15.3% alcohol, the fruit gets slightly overwhelmed. Flavors of black fruit, blueberry and cherry. Lacks the finesse of the 2013 and needs more time to fully develop. If you have one, keep it in your cellar for a few more years. We decanted ours for almost 4 hours and it was still a little hot.

Tinhorn Creek 2016 Gewurztraminer ($16.99 from BC Liquor Stores)

Lychee and banana aromas jump from the glass, but get your nose right in there and white flowers and tropical fruit lurk in the background. The tropical fruit sticks around on the palate, where it is joined by a hint of banana, honey and candied citrus. Just delicious year after year. I'm enjoying this bottle as I'm typing up this update.


That's it for today, I will have another catch up entry soon, hopefully, as well as a report on our Portugal theme night from last month, and this weekend is my turn to cook and serve the wine again, as we go back to France to attack a different region, this time it's BURGUNDY! If you are fans of Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir, you aren't going to want to miss this one. Spoiler: it will feature the oldest Pinot Noir I have ever tasted.

Thanks for reading!