2008 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red

2007 Terrabianca Campaccio Toscana IGT

2007 JC Cellars Petite Sirah Eaglepoint Ranch

2006 Copain Syrah Eaglepoint Ranch

2011 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale

2008 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red – $13.29

This is a kitchen sink blend that changes every vintage. This vintage is a blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 16% Merlot, 7% Cab Franc, 3% Malbec, 3% Sangiovese, 3% Petite Verdot and 1% Carmenere from the Columbia Valley in Washington. The wine is sealed with an agglomerated cork. My eyesight may not as good as it used to be but if the alcohol percentage is on the label, I could not find it. The wine is a fairly dark ruby to maroon color. The enticing nose has blackberries, smoldering charcoal, vanilla, meat juices, dried herbs, baking spices, licorice and a bit of earthiness. This has medium body, moderate tannins, and very nice acidity. The palate has a nice mix of fruity and savory elements that play well off of each other. The finish has decent length leaning a bit more on the savory elements. This is in a very nice drinking window and is a nice change of pace from the bigger, riper California wines. This wine has not only survived some cellar time but has improved over the last few years. What more can you ask of a sub $15 bottle of wine? (90 pts)

2008 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red

2007 Terrabianca Campaccio Toscana IGT – $19.94

This wine has been a favorite Italian wine in my house for several years. This is a blend of 70% Sangiovese and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine was #36 on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list for 2011. This wine has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle us sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly dark ruby color. The deep and exotic nose has blackberries, cherries, cocoa powder, licorice, underbrush, dried herbs, minerals, cedar and well worn leather. This has a medium body with fairly solid tannins and very good acidity. On the palate the wine has loads of spicy, earthy fruit with dried herbs, and cocoa powder adding considerable depth. The finish has nice length, but a bit of oak pops out. This tastes very nice now but should be even better in another year, allowing the oak on the finish to better integrate. (92 pts)

2007 Terrabianca Campaccio Toscana IGT

2007 JC Cellars Petite Sirah Eaglepoint Ranch – $23.74

I bought a few bottles of this wine when the store brought in a few cases for an end of vintage sale. To me, this was a no brainer. I love JC Cellars and Petite Sirah, so when these were offered at about half off, several followed me home.

This has 15.0% alcohol by volume and is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color. The big and bold nose has blackberries, black pepper, dark chocolate, fresh ground espresso, underbrush, melted licorice, and wood smoke. This has a full body, solid, chewy tannins, and very good acidity. On the palate the wine has an overload of ripe, juicy berries, pepper, dark chocolate and ground espresso. The finish is fairly long and again, like the palate, is loaded with flavor. The big, mouth coating tannins really kick in on the finish but the fruit and spice still shine through. If you are not tannin adverse, this can be enjoyed now, if not, let this one sleep for a couple more years. (93 pts)

2007 JC Cellars Petite Sirah Eaglepoint Ranch

2006 Copain Syrah Eaglepoint Ranch – $35.00

I’ve been a fan of Copain’s Syrah wine for several years. The Eaglepoint Ranch wines have always been a personal favorite. The area gets warm enough the grapes get ripe but cool enough the wines show very good acidity and nice minerality. I was disappointed when the winery stopped making this wine after the 2007 vintage. I’m thankful I still have a nice stash of this wine in the cellar going back to the 2005 vintage.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color. The enticing nose has blackberries, smoked meat, crushed stone minerals, black pepper, cherries, dried violets and scorched earth. This has medium body with moderate tannins and nice acidity. Peppery berries and cherries jump out on the palate with crushed stones and nice earthiness coming on strong on the back end. The finish has good length with dried earth and a nice dried violet note entering the picture. This is in an outstanding drinking window and should hold for a year or two. (93 pts)

2006 Copain Syrah Eaglepoint Ranch

2011 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale

Several years ago this wine was a house favorite. Whether it was changes in the wine or just our palates changing, this wine fell off our radar. I decided to grab another bottle to check in on this long, lost friend.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright ruby red color. The inviting nose has cherries, dusty minerals, eucalyptus, dry earth, wild flowers, plums and a touch of licorice. This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and good acidity. On the palate sweet cherries and dusty minerals jump out first with dry earthiness coming in later. The finish has nice length with a touch of eucalyptus and a floral note entering the picture. This is on the young side but this is probably as good as it will get. This has 14.5% alcohol. (87 pts)

2011 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but always check out the sale and close out items when in a store. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.