East Hill Bottle Shop 29 June

Our Wines of Notes for this evening ended up both being blends. I had two big dinners coming up leading into the 4th of July so I came into this week's tastings with food that I wanted to pair wine with. Most of the time I find wine that I love to drink and then find food to match that wine. One approach is not better than the other, but I was excited to see how these two would do.The first was an impressive white blend from the Rhone region in France. The aroma came with pleasant herbs, and as soon as I tried it I knew that this blend of Grenache, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Viognier, and Roussanne would be outstanding with some Red Snapper that I just caught. This 2020 White Cotes du Rhone from Domaine de la Janasse was dry, clean, and fruity. This was one of the best wine to fish pairings yet!Our red wine of note came from northern Napa Valley and had some age. Wisdom and depth of flavor came with this 2013 Syrah Blend from School House Vineyards. Mescolanza, because of its age, had good deep fruit that flowed smoothly over the tongue, no sharp edges and a pleasing finish. I enjoyed this one at my neighbor's 50th birthday party over an amazing charcuterie spread. Several different wines were brought to that party. This one was finished first.