Triple D Winery Tasting – Part 2

Hopefully you enjoyed Part 1 of the tasting. If you missed it – you can find it here. It was all about the whites and rosé wines. This is all about the reds.

Grande ‘Finale’ 21

Paris kicked off the red tasting with the Grande ‘Finale’ 21 – which is made from Carménère grapes. It had a it of a balsamic vinegar scent to it – with a touch of poached pear. It was a yeasty smell, yet smelled like you were lying on a forest floor (don’t ask). It went well with the raspberries on the charcuterie board. My husband liked it with the sausage and cheese from the board. He also said the initial smell “scared” him, which I can understand given that vinegar and he do not get along. However, this is a perfect wine for a Wednesday night with my best friend’s smoked pork loin.

2020 Malbec

While the Grande ‘Finale’ 21 would have made a good mulled wine with help, the Malbec needs very little to get the mulled wine scent. It smells of berry and cinnamon and is very fragrant. It can be a bit astringent and flat (I tried it multiple times over the weekend). However, when tasted with the Bacon Jam and cream cheese it got the astringency (dryness) of an Argentinian Malbec. This is a solid Wednesday wine that’s perfect with pork loin, a NY Strip or a filet covered in a blackberry reduction.

The notes I have on this wine from last year said to try it with the pimento cheese – and yes it pairs nicely with that too!

2016 Texas Red Blend – Wilmeth-Hart

This is an excellent table wine. I know when some people call a blend a table wine – it’s an insult – but I don’t mean it that way. This is an easy to drink red blend, that I can’t imagine won’t pair with whatever you put with it. It’s bourbon barrel aged, which gives it a nice depth. We decided this was a great wine for Sunday Dinner (with both sides of the family – those that appreciate wine and those that just drink it) or a good Party Wine for our friends who are like family.

2021 Cabernet

I think this was the 2021 vintage – my notes are a bit squiggly at this point. I noted that this wine is from a 7-year old vine and spent two years in the barrel. (Though I did not note which type.) It had a Bell Pepper scent to it and was VERY (yes notes have all caps) drinkable. It also goes well with horseradish. This is your perfect Saturday night, just the two of you, a couple of good steaks on the grill and a light breeze on the patio. Pair with horseradish baked potatoes and broccolini grilled with the steaks and its the perfect date night in.

Section 42

This is a cabernet, though the bottle says ‘red blend.’ I was told it would pair well with red meats, but I’d rather put it with Italian food – a nice pepperoni pizza or even a slice of by best friend’s lasagna. It’s super juicy and I can see how it would go with a steak – but I think it needs a bit more spice in it’s life, so if you do steak, add a chimichurri sauce or do as I suggest and enjoy it on a Monday night with a pepperoni pizza. (Because you deserve it, and it’s going to be a long week – might as well start it off right.)

2017 Estate Primativo – Wilmeth- Hart

This wine is grown in Yoakim County, Texas and while it had an acidic scent – I couldn’t stop drinking it. By this point in the evening, Ty and Mary Wilmeth (the owners of Triple D) had joined us at the table and we were discussing growing grapes on the Texas High Plains and the challenges. I just kept drinking the wine while talking and didn’t realize I’d finished the glass until Paris asked if she could pour the next wine. I guess that makes this a Thursday or Friday – but I could really drink it any night.

2017 Dolcetto

The are almost out of the 2017 Dolcetto, so a bottle came home with me. It’s very sweet with an oaky/smoky scent and taste. It went really well with the chocolate caramel from the board. I’m not sure when I’m going to serve this – but it will be for a special occasion.

2020 Dolcetto

This has a deeper flavor and scent than the 2017 – and yet there is something about the 2017 that makes it special. We talked about how weather and growing conditions impact the vines and thus the wine – but neither Mary or Ty could point to one specific thing that caused the change. This also went well with the chocolate caramel from the board, along with the cranberry covered cream cheese. Not something I would have expected to go with this wine.

The Estate Tempranillo

Let me just jump to the the end of my notes on this one – “Think Mushrooms.” It smells sweet, but has a sharp taste – and since it’s grown in Tokio – I’m going to say it tastes like Tokio. It’s a good earthy tempranillo with the scent of sugar. So a bit deceptive to the nose. This would be perfect with chicken marsala, beef stroganoff, or grilled portobella with goat cheese. It’s a solid Wednesday night wine since it’s so versatile. But would make a great Friday night wine when you’re going meatless and are having vegetable lasagna.

Dolce Bella

This is Mary’s sweet cabernet. It’s picked at 30 Brix, so it’s a naturally sweet red. Mary noted its great with snacks (spicy nuts) but I really want to put it with Randy’s Jack Daniel’s bread pudding. I can see it going well with cardamon buns (though having wine might be a bit early during Fika). I thought this was a great wine to end with….

Touriga Nacional – Wilmeth-Hart

Paris snuck in one more wine – the Touriga Nacional which went really well with the white chocolate pretzels. I don’t actually have many notes on this one because I was so absorbed in the conversation on dicamba (herbicide) that I didn’t make any. [I know, those who know me are thinking – you’re absorbed in a conversation about what???]

Final Thoughts