Monthly Archives: October 2013

Hitched on Bridlewood wines

Wine Reviews, , , , , ,

I’ve been enjoying Bridlewood wines for years, so it’s always exciting to open a new vintage. Adding to the excitement of drinking Bridlewood wines is the fact that I once dined with the winemaker at Harvest Restaurant in Cambridge.

Browsing through a wine list at a restaurant, it’s a thrill to identify the wine with its winemaker, and when a new vintage is released, the excitement is re-lived. I recently shared four new releases with friends, and here’s what we noted:

#1 – Bridlewood 2011 Central Coast Blend 175 ($15)
This is one of my all-time favorites of Bridlewood, mainly because I enjoy a good blend of reds. This one has syrah, cabernet sauvignon, viognier and petite syrah grapes picked from the Central Coast, California. The process of the winemaking for this blend is intricate, racking off of gross lees and again at six months to allow the rich fruit flavors to open fully – you may not understand the process, but you’ll appreciate the end result. Dark, jammy fruit flavors with a touch of oak and a nice smooth finish.

#2 – Bridlewood 2011 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon ($15)
There is nothing quite like a good glass of cab, and for this one, the feedback was comprehensive: Very dark purple, very long legs, smells insanely delicious, like plums, prunes, dark purple fruits – with a vanilla scent. Very light on first sip, but then … the finish was long, smooth, satiny on the palate – tasty and sweet. Suggestions from this sipper on pairing: a contrasting dish of garlic-base and sautéed spinach – maybe with a nice herbaceous steak (black pepper, garlic). In the meantime, this wine was enjoyed on a cool afternoon watching the boats on the harbor and listening to nearby musicians playing soft music at the yacht club. Life is good.

#3 – Bridlewood 2011 Monterey County Chardonnay ($15)
Monterey County’s Pacific breezes and sunshine set the stage for this tropical fruit flavored wine mixed with oaky notes of vanilla and spice. If left for a year or two, this wine will open up with caramel aromas and add more complexities to its taste. Great pairing with chicken, fish, cheeses…

#4 – Bridlewood 2011 Monterey County Pinot Noir ($18)
Now for my favorite of the four 2011 releases. Perhaps it’s knowing that the pinot noir grape is so delicate, and harvesting these grapes is an art form in a sense. The end result is worth the effort, as the freshness of the fruity grapes and the perfectly oaked notes of vanilla and caramel give this wine a good standing with intense, rich flavors. But wait, there’s more! The pinot noir grapes did not stand alone in this wine. A small percentage of zinfandel grapes were added to enhance the mouth feel and add more structure. So that’s how they did it…

For more information, visit www.BridlewoodWinery.com.Image

Related articles

In the company of good friends on a chilly Sunday afternoon, the tables on my deck were filled with plates of cheeses, tomato drizzled with olive oil, mozzarella and basil leaves, and dip and chips to munch on, as well as three wine glasses filled with Mirassou 2011 California Merlot. The oaky flavors and smoky aroma felt right in keeping with the cool weather. One guest went so far as to rate it “85” points, which I can only assume referred to Parker points. Flavors from this merlot are red cherry, raspberry and vanilla.

Made with grapes from the Central and North Coast of California, it’s no surprise this young wine offered such deep, wonderful concentrated flavors. Two glasses were saved for dinner of charcuterie and red sauce over pappardelle pasta — it worked.

Next, I opened a bottle of Mirassou 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine, my deck friends stated, had “impressive legs” and a fruity, hearty bouquet. It was a smooth wine with a full-body and perfect finish. The grapes of this wine hail from California’s Central Coast, Lodi and several North Coast regions. The longer growing season results in the more expressive flavors.

Now for the Mirassou California 2011 Pinot Noir, made by David Mirassou, sixth-generation winemaker whose great-great-great grandparents, Pierre and Henrietta Pellier traveled from France to California to find gold — and in a way they did — but in the form of vineyard potential. From France, they preserved their pinot noir cuttings in potatoes they purchased on-board the ship, and due to this creative thinking, the first pinot noir grapes entered California. The process in growing and harvesting pinot noir grapes is delicate and intricate, so this is a wine to be appreciated if not for its fruit-driven flavor profile of cherries, strawberries and red currant, but by the process to create such a wonderful wine.

Follow Mirassou on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mirassouwinery or visit www.mirassou.com for more information.

Each of these three wines retails for approximately $12 a bottle.Image