Tasting - Reserve Grand Veneur with Parmesan and Salame

I'm finally getting around to doing a little blogging.

I tried the 2013 Reserve Grand Veneur. It's a red wine from the Cote du Rhone region.

When I just opened it, it smelled generally fruity. I haven't gotten to where I can pick out specific flavors, but I'm working on it! I tasted it right away and it was a little spicy, acidic, tart, and tannic with a heavy body.

After letting it breathe for two hours, I tried it again. It smelled more strongly of fruit with the same flavor profile, but more pronounced.

I tried it with parmesan cheese and it tasted a little smoother. Still same flavor profile though. I think the cheese did help mellow out the tannins a little, but I still haven't gotten to where I can discern minor differences.

I also tried it with a few slices of really good salame. They definitely tasted good together, but I didn't noticed much difference in the flavor of the wine. I can say that I definitely enjoyed eating the salame with this wine.