On this nice pre-Spring day, the bees are already out and the birds are chirping. Before the sun sets and to relieve this stress that has me knots, a 2012 Josh (Josh Cellars) Pinot Noir is calling …
Category: red wine
Josh and AVO – A Magnificent Pair
On this nice pre-Spring day, the bees are already out and the birds are chirping. Before the sun sets and to relieve this stress that has me knots, a 2012 Josh (Josh Cellars) Pinot Noir is calling my name.
Josh has vibrant ruby color and its bright cherry aroma is welcoming me. “Well, Hello Josh!” “Mmmm Josh, you are YUMMY! Your fruit-forward cherry and raisin flavors are delicious.” Second sip, I am reminded of berry flavored natural dried fruit snacks; not the fruit roll-up kids love. This is an excellent treat!
Time to see if AVO Uvezian Heritage and Josh Pinot Noir can play along nicely.
I have always been a fan of AVO cigars. Around 2008/09, I had the great pleasure of personally meeting AVO at Famous Smoke Cigar Expo and gifted with two of those beautiful AVO ashtrays displayed the below picture, which was a hot item at the event.
Did you know AVO Uvezian is a jazz pianist? Yes. In a NY Times article, dated December 27, 2015, by Jacob Langston, it is reported that AVO Uvezian wrote the melody to Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night”. Unfortunately, Mr. Uvezian did not receive any credit. Following is a link of Mr. Uvezian playing his melody:
youtube video: AVO Uvezian Jazz Pianist Playing
To learn more about AVO Uvezian visit avo.com. and video on the history of AVO Uvezian cigars at History of AVO Uvezian Cigars .
This early evening, I’m having a AVO Heritage short robusto. The draw is tight and rolling between my fingers is not loosening the cigar. I am dire need a cigar poker; time to get creative. A metal skewer will do just fine. Hey! this cigar is too good to discard because the draw is tight. OH YES, much better!
AVO Heritage is a smooth medium-full bodied cigar with hint of cocoa. The Heritage is Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper with Dominican binder and fillers. AVO Heritage is a VERY NICE SMOKE! So happy we are getting acquainted. 🙂
The 2012 Josh Pinot Noir has introduced some herbal notes to AVO that was not previously noticeable. In addition, the Pinot Noir is enhancing the cocoa flavor on finish. Josh pairs magnificently with AVO Heritage; GREAT COMBINATION!
Until…
The damp Spring-like air and the AVO are producing aromas of manure GAROSS! Ok, it’s not the cigar. A neighbor must be mulching their yard-MANURE IS IN THE AIR. The smell is affecting my smoking experience. It’s the same displeasure when you are enjoying a cigar and you get a whiff of sweet aromas. You immediately find yourself searching the room for the culprit. I don’t know about you, but the scent of sweet aromas causes a few moments of disruption. By the way, I do not have anything against flavored cigar; I too enjoy a Java Maduro. I digress…
Josh and AVO, you are a perfect end to a stressful week!
Salute! Sante’!
Part Two: 6 for $60 Challenge, the Quest for Goodness”
If you have not read Part One of “Harris Teeter Six for Sixty (6 for $60) Challenge, the Quest for Goodness”. Here’s a recap:
While grocery shopping online at Harris Teeter, they had a BIG WINE SALE and many of the wines were under $10.00. Curiosity got the best of me and I wondered if the wines were any good. So, I developed the challenge.
Rules:
* The wine must be $10 or less before taxes;
* It must be a wine that I’ve never tasted. By the way, there are certain wines that I refuse to place upon my lips. For instance, Yellow Tail, Menage Trios, Cupcake and Barefoot, to name a few;
* Must be different varieties and
* Two wines can not be from the same vineyard.
The wines chosen for the challenge are:
* Rex-Goliath Shiraz
* HandCraft Petit Syrah
* Redwood Creek Malbec
* Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon
* Naked Grape Pinot Noir
* Jacob Creek Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon
To prevent the blog from becoming a short story, I’m posting my results into three parts. In Part One, we tasted 2013 HANDCRAFT Petit Syrah and
2013 Jacob Creek Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon blend, both were TASTY.
PART TWO
Following are the third and fourth wines in the “Six for Sixty, the Quest for Goodness”:
Wine #3 – 2014 Dark Horse, Cabernet Sauvignon
We are having a Valentine’s day sip and cigar. We are pairing the Dark Horse with a Perdomo Factory Tour Blend cigar. First the wine,
Sniff – Shoot! No distinguished aromas; not surprise when you are
subjected to sipping out of a cup. Yes, you read correctly (don’t ask). I dig in deeper, inhaling, eyes are closed, concentrating; there are slight hint of prunes and plums aromas. This tasting is going to be a struggle.
Taste – medium-full bodied with a slight spicy finish and firm tannins. It’s OK. Even though, my current drinking vessel (Yes, I surprised myself referring to the cup as a vessel; reading too much of Amoxes short stories. Another project on the way :)) is not prime and based upon past experience of consuming wine in a cup, which did not hinder aromas or flavors, I have to give Dark Horse an overall rating of BORING.
CIGAR PARING:
We have the pleasure of seeing how well Dark Horse pairs with a cigar. This evening we have selected a Perdomo Factory Tour Blend cigar.
The wrapper has chocolate aromas. The beginning taste: medium-bodied with lingering walnut flavors. Half-way through my husband picks up grassy flavors and three-quarters into my cigar the nutty flavors continues. Paired with the Dark Horse, the Perdomo Factory Tour Blend cigar has a slight sweet aroma and taste.
Next in the “6 for $60 Challenge is Naked Grape (fingers crossed) I’m getting tired of drinking mediocre wine.
Wine #4 – The Naked Grape, Pinot Noir
Before I begin the tasting, I want to give a quick lesson on foil cutting. Please do not butcher the foil. The knife on the corkscrew is not there to pick the foil into little pieces until the cork is exposed. It’s really simple. Run the knife around the top of the bottle (mouth/opening) in a circular motion and WA-LA! The foil cap is evenly removed, exposing the cork. If your corkscrew does not have a knife, use the tip of the screw and run it around the top of bottle neck. In addition, there is not a need to remove ALL the foil from the bottle. 🙂
Naked Grape‘s texture is thin, bold spicy aromas and fruity flavors that taste like “grapey water” (not sure “grapey” is a word but it describes the wine perfectly). I actually taste water. Long tannins rest on the back of my palate.
Second sip, I’m not able to appreciate this wine, watery. No fruit flavors but posses a long tannic finish.
Third sip, twenty minutes later…. no change. Naked Grape is a light-bodied red wine. I’m not going to say it is good for a novice red wine drinker. I do not want Naked Grape, Pinot Noir representing red wine for beginners.
AMATEURISH. It makes me wonder about the winemaker’s experience. I imagined if I produced wine (having no experience) this is what my wine would taste like as a beginner.
The winning question:
Me: “How does it pair with pizza?”
Husband: “It does not make much difference; it literally doesn’t change”.
Overall: Naked Grape has the perfect name, “Naked from possessing any flavors or complexity”. NEXT!
DISCLAIMER: Please remember the reviews on my blog/website are my personal opinion. I encourage you challenge yourself and taste wines outside of your comfort zone. Any dislikes are no reflection of the winery/vineyard. Merely, I’m may not able to appreciate a wine at the time of the tasting. SEE Main DISCLAIMER NOTICE on HOME and TREEVINO pages.
Salute! Sante’!
T-A Passions 
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