2013 Genoa Cellars Flying Colors Red Blend

I got this wine a few years ago when my girlfriends and I went to the Whidbey Island Half Marathon.  We did a wine tasting in a little wine shop in Coupeville, WA, and I fell in love with this wine.  I finally opened it, and it did not disappoint.  It is a red blend, with bold flavors of blackberry and hints of tobacco and cocoa, with medium tannins.

Genoa Cellars is located in Woodinville, Washington, and they focus on Super-Tuscan-style wines made from Sangiovese blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot.  They source their grapes from vineyards in the Wahluke Slope and Red Mountain regions in Eastern Washington.

I couldn’t find any information online for the 2013 vintage, but the Genoa Cellars 2015 Flying Colors Tuscan-style Red Blend won Double Gold in the Cascadia International Wine Competition. The blend for the 2013 vintage is 53% Sangiovese, 32% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot.

At $29, it is a bit of a splurge, but if I don’t treat myself who will? Happy Monday!

2008 Michael Florentino Miscolato

Tomorrow is Cabernet Day!  But tonight I’m not drinking a Cab.  For two reasons – Cab is not a favorite varietal of mine, and we are still working on the bottle that Jon opened last night.  It’s a red, at least, a blend, but it doesn’t even have any Cab in it.  I doubt I will drink Cabernet tomorrow either.  I’m a terrible follower of Cabernet Day, apparently…

Tonight, I’m drinking the 2008 Michael Florentino Miscolato Red Blend.  Michael Florentino is a small, boutique winery with a tasting room in the warehouse wine district in Woodinville – the first vintage was 2007.  They make wine with several grapes that are not frequently seen in this area, both as blended wines and single varietals.  Their approach is to create fruit forward wines with balanced tannins and light spice.  Right up my alley!

Michael Florentino – Their Labels Look Like This

The Miscolato is blended with two thirds Grenache and the balance a mixture of Tempranillo, Syrah and Counoise.  It is a rich Bing Cherry color, and on the nose you get heavy aromas of earth and smoke (I didn’t really pick up any fruit on this one).  When you taste it, you get the same flavors of earth, smoke and a little spice, but it is balanced with the flavor of plums and black raspberry.  This wine packs a punch at 14.6% alcohol, but you don’t feel overwhelmed by the alcohol when you are drinking it.  I had mine after dinner, and the tannins are light enough and well balanced so you can drink it without food.

This was our only bottle, purchased at the 2013 Anacortes Wine Festival, but if you find your way down to Woodinville, they are certainly worth a visit.  Although sadly, you might not find the 2008 Miscolato, as they only produced 112 cases and I think they are already sold out.  But they have a Cabernet!

The Italians make great wine!

I’m home from my conference in Yakima, and surprise, surprise, it has been raining.  The story of my life this spring.  So, this evening, I’m drinking a wine that reminds me of sunnier places – Italy.  It’s a Facelli Winery Cabernet Franc.  Facelli is located in Woodinville, Washington, and we visited the tasting room in September 2010.  It was on that trip that we picked up this particular bottle.

This Cabernet Franc has a chocolate and cherry nose, and it tastes like tart dark cherries and raspberry.  The tartness is a characteristic of the Italian wines, and is one of the things I really like about it.  One of my favorite things about the Facelli wines is that they don’t have the heavy oak that so many of Jon’s favorite wines have.

All in all, this is a wonderful light red – it would be great with a pasta dinner!