What's in your glass tonight?

[winemaker81]

This one is 21 months old. It's good, but it needs another year in the bottle. In contrast the Meritage Plus (Merlot + Zinfandel + other Bordeaux grapes) is totally drinkable now. This works for me, as I have something I really like to drink while the Meritage is aging.

 

[geek]

 

[geek]

Last night

 

[geek]

 

[ibglowin]

This was flat out amazing for $15. 2nd label project for Rasa Vineyards which makes nothing but top shelf wines from grapes grown at some of the finest vineyards in WA State. The exact vineyard breakdown year to year isn’t released, but in the past it has included some of Washington’s best: Kiona, Wallula Gap, Weinbau, Dionysus, Bacchus, XL… plus more that contractually can’t even be mentioned. In 2018, the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Grenache, and Petit Verdot. About 80% of the grapes were fermented with native yeast, with a total of 20% whole cluster to provide structure to this fruit-forward blend. The grapes were all fermented separately, including free run and pressed versions, and then blended together. The final blend spent 17 months in French oak (15% new) and has 14.7% listed alcohol.


Love the name as well as the wine!

 

[David Violante]

Wow that sounds really good~

 

[ibglowin]

Rasa Vineyards in Walla Walla has an interesting back story.

https://www.rasavineyards.com/the-story/
The wines all have interesting names and backstory's as well.

https://www.rasavineyards.com/rhone-blends/occams-razor/

 

[winemaker81]

My brother conducted a bourbon tasting for my son & me. From left to right, the bottles are: Johnny Walker Blue, Four Roses, Eagle Rare, Sazerac Rye, Old Ezra 7, Old Forester 1910, Bluegrass, Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace.

He threw in a Sazerac Rye as a ringer, and we tasted Johnny Walker Blue afterward, as it's not in the same class as bourbon.

The results were surprising. Old Ezra 7 and Old Forester 1910 were highly rated in several articles, and we all disliked them.

Bluegrass as next -- it's claim to fame is it's made from blue corn. It smelled and tasted like tortilla chips. Ugh!

I've had Eagle Rare before, and was not impressed, and we all agreed it was #4 from the bottom.

Four Roses was my brother's go-to bourbon, but it's been replaced.

The last 2 (Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace) were the tough ones. My brother prefers Buffalo Trace, my son prefers Woodford, and I went back-n-forth, with no clear winner.

 

[ibglowin]

SIL out in CA is quite the bourbon aficionado. I think his latest favorite is Basil Hayden

My brother conducted a bourbon tasting for my son & me. From left to right, the bottles are: Johnny Walker Blue, Four Roses, Eagle Rare, Sazerac Rye, Old Ezra 7, Old Forester 1910, Bluegrass, Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace.

He threw in a Sazerac Rye as a ringer, and we tasted Johnny Walker Blue afterward, as it's not in the same class as bourbon.

The results were surprising. Old Ezra 7 and Old Forester 1910 were highly rated in several articles, and we all disliked them.

Bluegrass as next -- it's claim to fame is it's made from blue corn. It smelled and tasted like tortilla chips. Ugh!

I've had Eagle Rare before, and was not impressed, and we all agreed it was #4 from the bottom.

Four Roses was my brother's go-to bourbon, but it's been replaced.

The last 2 (Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace) were the tough ones. My brother prefers Buffalo Trace, my son prefers Woodford, and I went back-n-forth, with no clear winner.

View attachment 91226

 

[winemaker81]

Basil Hayden looked good, so I bought one. I like it!




Last week were were near Syracuse NY, visiting family. Wednesday was a winery tour, and Thursday we enjoyed a few bottles of wine.

 

[ibglowin]

Tonights pairing with the Ahi Tuna. Amazing juice to say the least!

 

[geek]

 

[winemaker81]

I stopped buying margaritas out as they are ridiculously expensive and most places use sour mix in lieu of fresh lime juice. Today was a long day, and a blue margarita (blue Curaçao instead of Triple Sec) brightened my day!

 

[Boatboy24]

I stopped buying margaritas out as they are ridiculously expensive and most places use sour mix in lieu of fresh lime juice. Today was a long day, and a blue margarita (blue Curaçao instead of Triple Sec) brightened my day!

View attachment 91561

A simple margarita with tequila, fresh lime juice, simple syrup and a little something extra (Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, Blue Curacao) is pretty hard to beat.

 

[ceeaton]

My wife opened this one up by accident. My last bottle (I think) of a blend I made from Chilean grapes back in the spring of 2015. A Merlot bucket with a lug of grapes of Malbec, Cab Sauv and Merlot. First time I think I used a brute trash can to do a ferment. First thing I noticed when I unfinished corking it for her (she only got it part way out) was that it was a cheapy cork I used to use that was rated for 2 years max. Well at 7 years it actually held together completely, was amazed, no cork left in the bottle.

Taste is exactly like the last tasting I remembered, which was probably 3 years ago. I was thinking I'd see much more of an oxidized orange tinge where the wine met the glass, but there wasn't any (sorry, bad background now that I think of it). Incredibly smooth, still very aromatic, wish I had more!

 

[geek]

 

[ibglowin]

 

[ratflinger]

I stopped buying margaritas out as they are ridiculously expensive and most places use sour mix in lieu of fresh lime juice. Today was a long day, and a blue margarita (blue Curaçao instead of Triple Sec) brightened my day!

View attachment 91561

I'm sorry, but in Texas you can be legally shot for margaritas that aren't green.

 

[winemaker81]

 

[Boatboy24]