Cindi Stampf and Janie Farnsworth with the winning wine.
Janie Farnsworth
The Tuesday Tasters were celebrated at the beautiful new home of Tom and Vickie Moses on November 15. Tom and Vickie chose to host with American Wines from the West Coast.
Five wines were represented as we munched on delicious appetizers. Our fifth place wine was a Josh Red Blend Family Reserve brought by Sue and Mike Miloser. It is from the North Coast of California. This fruit forward red blend is bursting with refined flavors of blackberry, plum and vanilla, accented by fine tannins and excellent length. Its full body complements everything from filet mignon to grilled vegetables.
Our fourth place wine was Angels and Cowboy 2012 Proprietary Red brought by Bill and Joyce Marshall with lots of chocolate, black cherry and blackcurrant fruit. It’s a dark ruby/plum color, medium to full body. This wine is from Sonoma County.
The third place wine was Ménage a Trois California Red brought by John and Jane Thompson. This 2014 wine has fresh, ripe, jam like fruit that is the calling card of California wine. Forward, silky and soft, this delicious dalliance makes the perfect accompaniment for grilled meats and chicken. Always a favorite and additionally you may want to try Ménage a Trois Silk. Again, a great wine to serve or bring.
The second-place wine was a Tortoise Creek 2012 Zinfandel brought by Richard and Darlene Lamb. This Chelonian Zin is from Lodi, California. It has a lovely spicy, cherry like bouquet and is bursting with sweet, berry flavors. There are also delicious overtones of blackcurrant and plums, with a welcoming finish of vanilla and cinnamon toast. The wine is also very elegant and would be perfect with any spicy foods, game or beef. As a personal observation, Lodi wines have improved greatly over the years, at least since I lived there in 1975.
The winning wine was actually picked out by Cindi Stampf, but we always share in that duty. It was one I had never tried; however, I certainly will pick this one up again. It was an Apothic Dark 2011 Red Blend. This wine is bold and enchanting, as it captures the dark fruit characteristics of Syrah and Zinfandel. These jammy flavors blend well with the elegant blackberry and black cherry characteristics of the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The wine is further enhanced by undertones of mocha and vanilla. As I went to research the winery and where they were located, I found an extremely interesting website. Their wines appear to be only available through a distributor such as Total Wine. I recommend you visit their website at apothic.com only because it was not one I had ever experienced.