Girls Night

Saturday, August 6, 2011 –

Manda’s birthday… what better reason to drink wine?  With only a days notice, the girls were able to clear their schedules to head down to our favorite local wine bar – DaVine.  Manda and I are good at celebrating birthdays at DaVine.  We had a great bottle of Owen Rowe’s Sharecropper’s Cabernet Sauvignon back in May for my birthday celebration.  It was an easy choice this time around and I was anxious to remember it well, knowing I was about to start this blog.

Owen Rowe Sharecropper’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

The grapes of this wine come from our beloved Columbia Valley in Washington, including Horse Heaven Hills, Walla Walla and Yakima Valley.  As a side note, 2009 was an extraordinary year for Washington wines as it was one of the hottest summers on record.  Fortunately for wine growers, temperatures backed off considerably in September so the fruit was able to stay on the vine a bit longer.  Still, however, it was one of the earliest harvests in decades, which ultimately became a blessing in disguise.  An unexpected frost on October 11^th was damaging to those grapes that hadn’t yet made it off the vine.

Back to Sharecropper’s – a decent priced wine if you were to purchase it online (around $17/bottle).  At the wine bar it was a bit more but still reasonable.  The nose is sheer fruit – although I wish I could say I spent more time on the nose and admit that I was caught up in conversation. (I will get better at this – I promise.)  Plum and cranberry are what hit my tongue first followed by a lengthy finish – not something easily found in a cab this price.  Tasting notes online include anise and tobacco, which I personally did not taste much.  Fortunate considering licorice and tobacco are not my favorite flavors.

The group as a whole enjoyed it – so much so that we ordered a second bottle.  While the tannins aren’t overwhelming in this wine, it certainly does benefit from time in the glass.  (Don’t they all?)

DaVine was great but darkness and an increasing chill in the air sent our party packing for Purple Girl’s backyard where we enjoyed a bonfire made by Mr. Purple himself.  There we opened two good old standby’s found often in Purple Girl’s cellar. (In case you are wondering, I use the term cellar loosely to really mean wine fridge.)

Next up…

14 Hands Hot to Trot Red Blend

Another great red for the price, just $7.99 at Costco.  Hot to Trot is a red blend – predominantly merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah and petit verdot.  Not overly complex but hints of blackberries upon first drink.  Bottom line: it is a great, smooth and easy to drink wine for the money. 

In all fairness to the evening, we did also drink CMS from Hedges… but a couple of bottles in and hours past my bedtime, I’ll admit that I was no longer “tasting” at my finest.  Since I drink CMS so often, I’ll save my review for a later post.

Cheers!