Russian River Vineyards Estate Merlot 2009

When we were wine tasting in Sonoma last year, I had a coupon for a free tasting at Russian River Vineyards. It was down the road from another we wanted to go to, but I didn't know anything about it before going there. It turned out that they were basically pinot noir specialists, with several very good ones, but they were a little above our price range. Then they also had this merlot that surprised us with both how good it was, and how inexpensive (at least compared to their other wines), I think it was around $25.

We often find merlot kind of boring. Not really anything wrong with it, just sort of cabernet sauvignon's less interesting sibling. But this one is pretty good. A nice nose with berries, leather, vanilla, and something that just makes me think "warmth".  The first taste is a blast of sweet strawberries, but then that fades to a spicy orangy taste. It's a little acidic in the back.  It felt a little tamer as we worked our way through the bottle.

This sort of wine is one that really illustrates to me that you don't know if you'll like something until you try it, and if you go to wineries for tastings, get as many things as you can (don't be afraid to pour out the rest of your glass, especially if you don't care for something) so you are more likely to find one that suits your taste and your wallet. Sonoma isn't really known for merlot (or even cabernet) but I'm happy to drink ones I like from wherever they may come.

Speakeasy Black Hand Milk Stout

Sorry for the long stretch without a new post. We spent the last 2 weeks in Spain on vacation, and then spent the 2 weeks after that drying out.  I'll post something later about our drinking adventures on vacation. For now, I want to talk about my first drink in 2 weeks (and when was the last time I went that long without a drink?  I think it was probably in 2009 when I was preparing for a martial arts test). I broke my fast with a Speakeasy Black Hand, a milk chocolate stout I picked up at Costco for $4 last weekend.

It pours a very dark, opaque black with just a touch of red at the bottom of the glass. Thin head, just about 1 finger and it disappeared quickly. The nose is dark chocolate with some hard to guess spices in the background. It doesn't really smell like beer. Then the taste is super dark chocolatey. It's pretty good, very smooth. The finish is like a bittersweet chocolate bar. It's a little thinner than I expected with the mouthfeel.

I like sweeter stouts better than dryer ones, but I'm not sure this is an example that really floats my boat. Last year we went to the Speakeasy tap room and tried all 15 beers they had on tap in a sample size, and this was one of them. I think it must be a seasonal release. Speakeasy Prohibition red ale, and Big Daddy and Double Daddy IPAs are easy to find (at least in the Bay Area), and their seasonal Scarlett red rye is one of my husband's favorite beers of all time. They're a great local brewery to visit if you get a chance.