2007 Joseph Phelps Insignia

     Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to enjoy some special Napa Valley wines. I will be posting my tasting notes for each one separately. My absolute favorite was the 2007 Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley Estate Grown Red Wine. This was brought by one of our guests for a dinner party my husband and I hosted. This wine is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot.
     It was a deep purple in the glass and it had pronounced black fruit aromas with violet floral notes and a slight bit of dried herbs. Smooth was my first thought upon tasting it. It was full bodied with high acidity and silky tannins which were perfectly balanced by the rich flavors of blackberry, creme de cassis and dark chocolate. It had a long, dark fruit finish.
     Absolutely outstanding++! At approximately $180 a bottle, it is not your everyday drinker but it is definitely a truly fantastic wine.

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Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

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The Salta Tour 2012

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