I'm Blind! Sort of...

Tonight I decided it was time to give Michigan another shot at red wine. We haven't done so well so far in the reds area, even though the Rieslings are fantastic. So I had a 2005 St. Julian Merlot and a 2005 Beaulieu Vineyards Merlot, both of which are in the < $10 category, neither of which are known for being show stoppers, so I figured it'd be a fair fight. I tasted them semi-blind; I have a horrible memory and while I did the labeling of "A" and "B" for the bottles and the glasses they were going into, by the time I finished making dinner and got around to tasting them, I'd completely forgotten which was which.

Wine A: 2005 St. Julian Merlot
Wine B: 2005 Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal Estates Merlot
Meal: Salmon Foccacia

Tasting notes on the wine:
Wine A:
Color: 4/5
Palish rusty... I can see my fingers through it. Good clarity, but paler than I expected.

Nose: 5/15
Lacking. Not really getting anything from it. Really have to dig my nose in there and breathe deeply to get anything, and what I'm getting is kind of like rusty iron with just the barest hints of some kind of indistinct fruit on it.

Flavor: 5/10
Mild flavor, again difficult to really pull anything out of it. Not unpleasant, but nothing remarkable about it. Toasty, with soft tannins and some plum.

Finish: 5/10
Finally something distinct on it, but not exactly what I think of for merlot. There was definitely a pink bubble gum taste, layered with twigs.

Aging: 2/5
Maybe needs more bottle time, or maybe this is as "good" as it gets. Don't think it'll last more than another year or two, but I'd drink it sooner rather than later, if at all.

Overall: 2/5
Not impressed. Drinkable, but just barely, and there's absolutely nothing special about it.

Total: 70pts

Wine B:
Color: 5/5
Darker, much more in line with what it should be. Plum in color. Good saturation and clarity.

Nose: 6/15
Floral, but still lacking, and still very difficult to discern anything out of it. Some fruit, but nothing distinctive.

Taste: 6/10
A little hot. Soft tannins. Plum and cherry predominant, a little tart. Pleasant though, and the heat blows off in time.

Finish: 4/10
Dry. Very dry and short. There's just nothing to it. It's there for a moment, then gone.

Aging: 2/5
There's not really a backbone on this to age. Drink it if you've got it, probably won't hold up more than 2 or 3 more years.

Overall: 2/5
Like the previous, it's very forgettable. Not impressed. It's drinkable, and is the wine I have chosen to have with dinner.

Total: 75pts

No big shocker there. Mediocre wines, one just slightly better than the other, but the BV did work well with dinner, and all in all turned out to be a pleasant enough wine with food.

Want to make this meal?
I purchased a pre-made veggie foccacia from my local grocery store - freshly baked today and topped with onion, red & green pepper, cheese... really great stuff. I popped open a can of salmon and spread it on top, then sprinkled a healthy dose of shredded mozzarella on top and sprinkled some parsley over it. Baked at 350 for 20 minutes, then cut it up and served like pizza.

Enjoy!

Veal Stuffed Peppers and Merlot

Merlot has been snubbed a little too often lately as being just one of those all-too-common wines. But this varietal has a lot of flavor that shouldn't be passed on. It's truly versatile, and pairs well with a wide array of meats. So for tonight I chose a meat that is considered white but eats like a red - veal!

Wine: 2004 Reininger Merlot Helix
Meal: Veal Stuffed Peppers

Tasting notes on the wine:

Color: 5/5
Inky, dark purple, almost black. The color runs just about to the glass. The liquid is clear, but opaque. Absolutely beautiful.

Nose: 14/15
Unlike the previous post, this is definitely one of those sit-and-sniff-all-day wines. Black cherries, blackberries, plum, leather, vanilla, woodsmoke... just wow. Very complex nose. Just beautiful.

Flavor: 7/10
Not as impressed with the taste of this. It's still really good, and drinks pretty well straight out of the bottle, but after a nose like this one had, the flavor is a bit of a let down. Jammy and tannic, some hints of cocoa come out. Fairly smooth, and after about 20 minutes in the glass, all the heat blows off. Oaky, dark fruits dominate the palate. Pleasant and easy to drink, but not as complex as I was anticipating.

Finish: 8/10
Smooth finish, lasts about 30 seconds. More oak, and once the wine opens up, you get vanilla and plum as well. Nothing special, but it's clean and enjoyable.

Aging: 3/5
It's truly a New World style, and I think there's enough tannic action and fruits going on that this will continue to develop for a few more years. Definitely ready to go now, but will probably drink well for at least another 6-8 years.

Overall: 4/5
A nice daily drinker. Easy to drink, and I can see this one holding up well to stronger meats, as well as being subtle enough for the more delicate cuts. Maybe a little overpowering for poultry and pasta, but pork and veal are just fine, as would be filet or strip.

Total: 91pts

Want to make this meal?

Veal Stuffed Peppers
3/4 lb ground veal
1/4 c white rice
2 large bell peppers
1 Tbsp butter
1 rib celery, diced
1/4 small red onion, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
pinch Kosher salt
1/4 cup dried shitake mushrooms
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried sage
1/4 cup panko

Reconstitute the mushrooms in warm water. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, triple wash the rice and put in a small pot with 1/2 cup of water on high heat. When water begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cover, allowing to simmer for 15 minutes.

Slice the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds and stem. Dice up the tops, leaving the bottoms intact as a bowl. In a medium skillet, melt the butter, and add the diced peppers, celery, onion, and tomato, and sprinkle salt on top. Cook down until onions are translucent and veggies are tender-crisp.

Strain off the mushrooms, reserving the water, then dice the mushrooms. Pour 1/4 cup of the mushroom water into the veggies and allow to simmer uncovered for approximately 5 minutes. Strain the veggie mixture and reserve the liquid.

In a medium bowl, combine cooked rice, mushrooms, lamb, rosemary and sage. Mix in veggies until well combined. Add 1/8 cup cheese and panko, and mix well. Spoon into pepper bowls and place in a loaf pan with about a cup of water on the bottom. Sprinkle a little more panko on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour reserved liquid into saucepan over medium heat and stir in remaining cheese, and reduce by half. Remove from heat until peppers are done.

Once peppers are done, plate peppers, and pour the liquid from the loaf pan (along with any solids) in with the reduced juice. Return to medium heat and reduce again by half. Spoon sauce over top of the peppers and serve.

Enjoy!