California 2006 Bogle Phantom

Hi!! Well, my younger son will be turning 22 in a few days and he requested burgers for tonight. I bought some prepared burgers from Fresh Market, bacon and cheddar. First I sauteed a couple of onions nice and slow so than they were sweet and caramelized. Then I just pan fried the burgers, and laid a slice of cheddar on top to get melty before taking them up. I then deglazed the pan with a little white wine, reduced it down and stirred it into the onions. We used chiabatta for buns, toasted for a minute in the broiler. A little tomato and lettuce with the sauteed onions, and it was a great burger. Bogle Phantom is a blend of petite syrah, zinfandel, and mourvedre from California. I've had this wine before, but I didn't like it as well this time. I think it's because we've been drinking so many European wines. It seemed a little harsh to me. The fruit was big, but the tannins were a little rough and it lacks balance. Also I get a little burn from the alcohol (14.5%). It's definitely lacking in complexity. Maybe it would be better with some age? The nose is blackberry and oak, but not a big nose. On the palate I taste mostly blackberry with a little vanilla, and maybe a little chocolate and smokiness on the finish. I think it was better when we had it with a steak, but overall, there are better wines out there. At $20 from Cedar Bluff Wine and Spirits, I'm sure I could do better. Perhaps a nice bordeaux from Bob's?

California Francis Ford Coppola Rosso

Hi!! We actually went out to eat Friday night. We went to Aubrey's to have one of their fabulous salads. It's been so wicked hot the past week or so, I couldn't stand the thought of eating anything heavier. However, I was still in the mood for a red wine, so I ordered the granny smith salad with little slices of steak and balsamic vinaigrette. I ordered the Francis Ford Coppola Rosso to go with it. I knew this would be a bit of a stretch, since I had ordered this wine before. This would be great with a big burger or a steak, but would be a little big for a salad, even if it did come with steak slices. The real problem with the pairing was the salad dressing. The balsamic dressing was a little sweet and kind of clashed with the wine. So, I just ate my salad and then enjoyed sipping the wine after the meal. The salad and the wine were both delicious, just better separate than together. This wine is actually a blend of three different varietals. It was very fruity, even jammy, with a nice amount of spiciness on the nose and the finish. The spiciness definitely gave it more interest. This wine sells for $6 a glass at Aubrey's or, I believe, $30 a bottle. Not bad for wine at a restaurant, but it would be much less at a liquor store. Incidentally, the wine list at Aubrey's seemed pretty heavy on domestic wines, with quite a few well known and well priced labels. Usual restaurant markup for wine is somewhere around 3 times retail. That's why I always drink better wines at home than when I'm out (unless it's a "bring your own bottle" place, like Savelli's).

2004 French Cuvee des Aedoises des chateau Eries Fitou

Hi!! This was a night of leftovers. I grilled some steaks and we ate leftover cheesey polenta, roasted pepper salad, and a little sauteed brocoli and leeks. It was all pretty good, but I managed to overcook my own steak a little (Al didn't mind, because he likes them medium well anyway). I'm from cattle country, and it seems just wrong to eat a steak that not red and juicy in the center. Oh well, on to the wine. This particular wine is a Fitou from the Languedoc region. I honestly don't know much about it. But, it rated high on the delicious scale. It was $11 or $12 from Bob's, if I recall correctly. It had a beautiful deep rich color and was pretty aromatic on opening the bottle. On the nose ( or "sniffy sniff" if you follow Gary Vaynerchuck) it smellled of cherry and peppery spice. I could pick up aromas of oak and vanilla. Tasting started with blackberry and dark cherry. There was pleasantly firm tannins and a nice silky body, then a lingering peppery spicy finish. It paired nicely with the steak. This was a terrific wine for the price. I think we need another bottle to keep on hand.

2007 Italian Tiziano Chianti

Hi!! this is a very nice everyday wine that pairs well with many foods. I reach for this wine when I want a red that's not too heavy or "big". We had this wine with scallops fra diavolo (which was very delicious). It's also a good wine to serve to people who are not big wine drinkers. The tannins and acids are pretty soft. My notes from a previous tasting are that it is delicate and elegant with no apparent oak. It tastes and smells of cherry. It's a very pleasant,easy drinking wine that pairs well with a variety of foods. We often have it with lighter pasta dishes with fresh, bright tomato sauces. It does improve after opening for about 30 minutes or so.

2007 Alamos Viognier from Argentina

Hi!! We actually had this wine a couple of nights ago. It was pretty good. We had it with grilled chicken salads, and the pairing was good, but not outstanding. The viognier was very fresh and clean on the nose with aromas of jasmine and lemon peel. On the palate it was very acidic, bright and juicy, and tasted of grapefruit and a little lime with nice minerality. This was a pleasant summer sipping wine and at $8 or $9 at Ashes, a very good buy.

2005 Pio Cesare Barolo

Hi!! We tried a barolo a few days ago and I'm still trying to decide whether I liked it or not. We had it with home-made tortellini stuffed with ricotta and served with a very meaty tomato sauce. Thad Cox, at Ashes, recommended that if we wanted to drink it now, we should decant for at least 4 hours. Well, it was opened and decanted 2-3 hours before dinner. It was still very tight. In fact, I now know exactly what people mean by this. It was extremely rough when first opened, with harsh tannins and strong acid. It did soften a bit, but really it just never finished opening, even after about 6 hours. It seemed pretty well balanced to me, with firm tannins, bright acid, and dark cherry with a little licorice on the finish. It was quite pricey at $69 a bottle at Ashes. Really, I'd like to get another bottle and set it aside for 5-10 years.

Barolo is supposed to be an iconic wine from Italy, one that collectors take quite seriously. It's definitely a "big red" and is best served with meat ro meaty dishes. As you may know from previous blogs, this wine is definitely out of my usual price range. But, it was on the Matt Kramer list of Italian wines as a "don't die without trying it". It has quite a reputation as one of those eye opening wines that turn people on to drinking wine. I can't say that this Barolo had that kind of effect on me. But, it did make me realize how important aging is for some wines. I suspect that my impression of this wine would be very different if it aged 5-10 years or more. Some say these wines age well for 30 years or more. Really, I feel it's unfair for me to evaluate this wine. It's just too young. But, after drinking it, I now know just what that means.

2007 Pio Cesare Cortese di Gavi

Hi!! I'm very excited about this new wine. I've been sipping it now for about an hour and it just keeps getting better and better. I was really excited about trying this wine because the producer has such a good reputation. We had salmon with Romesco sauce, a salad, and a little bit of chibatta. The wine has a great lemon-gold color. The nose is pleasant with light citrus, melon, and apple. The palate was much the same with a nice minerality, bright, juicy acid, good body and a silky, lingering finish. I love this wine! It's crisp but with good body. It was great with dinner and even better for after dinner sipping. I was just sorry when we got to the end of the bottle. This wine is regularly priced at $24 and is now at Ashes for $10!!! I bought 3 bottles and I should get some more! It was good with the salmon, but I think would be even better with shellfish. There are some great recipes for pasta with shellfish and calamari. This wine would be really good with it!

Wine Dinner at Naples

Hi!! I had a big time tonight! Naples and Ashes host a monthly wine dinner, which we go to when we're able. The food is always fabulous and the pairings are quite good. Ashes often showcases wines that are new to them, so it's a little preview of up and coming wines. There's always a distributor present and they give a little information on the wines. There were five courses, with the wine presented first. I find this helpful because the aroma from the food can interfere with assessing the aroma and flavor of the wine. So, wine is poured first, then a little talk about the wine, then that course is presented. Then plates are cleared and the next wine is poured. Seating is in tables of eight. It's a very pleasant way to spend an evening,

The first wine was a 2009 Marques de Caceres white riojas. It was paired with a goat cheese and pancetta tartlet with roasted almonds. Delicious!! The wine was very dry with a fairly delicate nose of apricots and light floral tones. The taste was crisp with notes of lemon, melon, apple and citrus. It was fairly full bodied for a white wine. Heavier than a pinot grigio. The pairing with the goat cheese was terrific. This wine sells for $10 a bottle at Ashes.

The second wine was a 2008 Perrin Cotes du Rhone Blanc. It was paired with calamari with tangerine and mango relish. The food was very good, a little spicy, but I like that. Spicy, (hot spicy) is a difficult flavor to pair with wine. The wine was a little "funky". The nose was very nice with strong scent of peach and other more subtle fruit scents. The flavors were similar but there was an odd taste on the finish that I thought was a little unpleasant. This seemed to disappear when sipped with the food, but the spiciness of the food would cover many flavors. Perrin is supposed to be a very well regarded label, but I really didn't care for this particular wine. It runs $11 a bottle at Ashes.

The third wine was a 2007 Peregrine Central Ortago Pinot Noir from New Zealand. It was paired with salmon and grilled corn and wild rice cake, served with avocado butter. The salmon and the rice cakes were terrific! The pinot, I thought was very good. Someone at our table commented that it was pretty light bodied for a red. It was a light red, but many pinots are. It seems that pinot noir varies quite a lot from one terroir to another and from one winemaker to another. This pinot reminded me of the burgundy I had recently, and the distributor remarked that it was made in more of an old world style. I thought it was good with the salmon, but maybe dominated it just a bit. The nose was pomegranate, blueberry, and light smokiness. Similar on the palate, with a nice balance of acid and tannin and a lingering finish of fruit and licorice. Al liked it with the salmon more than I did. Some people thought this was the best pairing of the night. At $36 a bottle, I thought it was a little steep, but it's a little harder to find great bargains among pinot noirs.

The fourth wine was a 2008 Spice Route Chakalaka from South Africa. It was paired with beef short ribs with tomato, potato and eggplant lasagna. Delicious!! This wine was extremely fruity with big cherry nose and flavor. It also had tones of spice (especially cloves) and smoke. It's tempting to call it a fruit bomb, but it was so delicious, who cares? At $21 a bottle it's too good to pass up. This would be great with barbeque, steaks, burgers, sausage, etc.

The fifth and last wine was a 2001 Borgo Scopeto Vin Santo from Italy. This was paired with blueberries and pomegranate zabaglione. What a great ending to the evening! The wine was sweet smelling with aromas of vanilla, cherry, and figs. It tasted of raisins, figs, vanilla, and spice. It was sweet and alcoholic and very smooth. $42 for a half bottle, but it would be perfect with that holiday dinner dessert, and each person only needs a little bit.

Overall, a very fun (and filling) evening. I thought the best pairing of the night was the goat cheese tart with the white Riojas, but my favorite wine was the Vin Santo. It brought back memories or big Italian dinners with Al's family. It was just a great wine. I also really liked the Chakalaka. It may find a spot in the winerack alongside Al's favorite zinfandel.

Winers get together last weekend, wines too numerus to count

Hi!! So, as I said before I've been busy cooking, etc. The wine group I'm involved with met last weekend. There are about 8 couples, all interested in wine. We meet once a month and everyone brings something to share. There should be a list of wines and food served, but I'm afraid I'm usually focused on the event itself. We keep discussing the need to write down all the wines and their food pairings, but so far it's been pretty hit and miss.

We started with sparkling domestic wine, Chandon. Very nice. I believe it was labeled as brut, but it didn't seem unpleasantly dry to me. I'm not a big champagne drinker, so I usually stick to sweeter sparklers, but this was very nice, and about $18 a bottle.
Then we had a torrontes (the Don Manuel Villafine I blogged about before) with scallops wrapped with prosciutto and topped with romesco sauce. Then we had a central coast California Pinot Noir (sorry I don't know the label) with stuffed portabella mushrooms. After that things get a little fuzzy. There were three more bigger reds served with smaked turkey, a beef and noodle dish, and a roast beef dish that was truly tender and delicious.

Sorry the descriptions are so sketchy. I never take notes at these things, instead savoring the experience. Everyone had a really good time at this little get-together. If I get better notes/information on the wines, I'll add it to this blog.

2006 Cantele Salice Salentino

Hi!!

I haaven't posted in a while. I've been busy cooking, drinking wine, reading about wine, and of course working. Also it's been wicked hot. The heat makes me want to reach for lighter food and white wines. However, don't think for a minute that I'm tiring of reds.

Last Friday night, date night for Al and myself, we went to Savelli's for pizza. We brought a 2006 Cantele Salice Salentino with us. It's a favorite. We've had it several times, and it never disappoints. I picked up a replacement bottle at Ashes yesterday for about $12 or $13. It's very cherry on the nose, with a little oakiness. On the palate it's again very cherry with soft tannins and acidity and a smooth velvety mouth feel. Very nice on the mid-palate and a pleasant lingering finish. It's very nicely balanced and very good with food. Honestly, the wine was way better than the pizza. A better pairing might have been something a little meatier. Matt Kramer recommends serving it with ribs.

We had this wine again when we had some friends over. We served ribs slow cooked in Italian spaghetti gravy, polenta, roasted pepper salad, and zucchini. This wine was a very nice pairing. It had enough body to hold up to the food well, but with the delicious cherry taste, the velvety body, and the friendly tannins and acids, it was a nice wine to serve with dinner for guests who do not drink a lot of wine. A hit!!

Bad Bordeaux

Well, tonight I fixed and ate what may be the best burger I've ever had. It was made with one pound of ground bison and one sweet Italian sausage, plus an egg, 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a couple of cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 a teaspoon of dried thyme, and some ground pepper. We had them on buns with all the fixin's. We also had sweet potato slices with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. The wine was the $6 Bordeaux I mentioned a few days ago. It was pretty bad. It was a 2007 Mouton Cadet from Baron Phillippe de Rothschild. The color was pretty light for a Bordeaux. The nose was not memorable. The tannins were rough, and the wine seemed unbalanced. I hoped it would improve as it opened, but it didn't. Frankly, I've had better boxed wines. Would it improve with age? Maybe, but I doubt it. The tannins would probably soften, but with the fruit flavor so weak and the pale color, I don't really think it would improve. Rothschild is supposed to make some very good wines, this just isn't one of them. Even at $6, it's a pass.

2008 M. Chapoutier Cotes-du-Rhone

So last night was pork chops and peppers, and garlic mashed potatoes, and a green salad. It was all very good. The wine was a 2008 M. Chapoutier Cotes-du-Rhone available at both Ashes and Bob's for under $15 a bottle. Garnet in color with a nose of violets and black cherry. Nice balance of acid and tannins. The tannins soften as it opens and it develops a silky mouth feel. Very fruity with cherry, black raspberry, and a little chocolate on the finish. This is listed in the Robert Parker Best Wine Bargains. I really like it. Not a big red, more medium bodied, very good with food and also a nice wine to sip after dinner. One of my favorite "house reds".

2009 Don Manuel Villafane Torrontes

So, the plan was Torrontes with chicken roll ups made with boursin cheese and asparagus, and rice with veggies (sauteed onion, zucchini, and spinach). Also I wanted to try making some new appetizers that would go with the torrontes. The appetizers were made from sauteed red and yellow sweet peppers, onion, garlic, and chicken breast. I added a little mojo sauce for flavor. I put some of this mix on toasted chibbata (brushed with olive oil and toasted in a 400 degree oven), and some of it I put on rounds of puff pastry. I put a little mexican grated cheese on top and toasted them in the oven. It was very good with the torrontes, but was actually a little too sweet for the wine. So... when this one goes to the Winers club , I'll add a little mushroom to make it more savory. The torrontes was very good with the chicken roll-ups.

The torrontes was a new one for us $13 at Ashes (we usually drink Legado torrontes from Argentina, very tasty and about $9 a bottle at Ashes). This was Don Manuel Villafane 2009, also from Argentina. It had a very nice nose, very fruity (citrus and melon) with a honeysuckle scent. it had nice balance with good acidity, and a full silky mouth feel. The taste was similar to the nose, with melon and lime. Very nice, easy to drink. This is a good wine to sip on the patio, and should be good with mildly spicey dishes

I also made an appetizer from figs. You cut the figs in fourths and marinade them for at least 30 min in a balsamic vinagrette. Then they are arranged in the center of a dish, and surrounded with little slices of fresh mozzarella, and a little spinach for color. Sprinkle with a little lemon zest and a little bit of mint leaves, and ta-da! a very nice appetizer. It's pretty sweet though, so it might be difficult to match to a wine (terrible with the torrontes). We had a little of the sauternes from the other night. It was delicious with the figs!!

Bordeaux: 2007 Chateau Crox-Mouton

Date night!! Dinner was sauteed lamb chops, potato slices tossed with olive oil and seasoning and baked in the oven, and roasted vegetables with olives. The wine was another Bordeaux. Delicious! This wine was very nice with the strong, savory flavors of this meal. When first opened the wine smelled of blackberry and smoke with a little tar and a little of the mulch/forrest aroma I've tried to describe before. It tasted much like it smelled. The acidity and tannins were fairly soft. As the wine opened up over the next hour or so, it developed some cherry flavor, and the smokey/tar flavor mellowed a bit. The tannins were a little more apparent and it developed this wonderful silky mouth feel. Very nice lingering finish. Overall I really liked this wine and this pairing, but I think I prefer the L'estang we had the other night. It was a bit more complex than this wine. This wine would be better than the L'estang with something like barbeque. Both were very good. This wine was about $18 at Bob's, which was actually $3 or $4 more than the L'estang, so... Still, I think the take home message is that there are some good Bordeaux's at affordable prices out there, you just have to be willing to try a few. Both these wines are listed in Robert Parker's Wine Bargains book. Interestingly, he doesn't give numerical ratings to wines in this book, he just describes the wines. I guess if it's listed, that's recommendation enough. I also picked up a Cadet Mouton Bordeaux at bob's for $6!! I guess I'll have to get around to trying that before too long.

White Bordeaux with appetizers

I haven't mentioned this yet, but Al and myself are part of a little informal group that gets together once a month to try different wines. Each couple takes a turn at hosting, and every couple brings something to eat and a wine. Sometimes there's a theme, and lately it's been pairings. Each couple takes a wine and a food that pairs well with that wine. Well, that means every month I have to come up with a new food to take and a wine to go with it. So, this weekend is a four day weekend for myself and Al. My work schedule is a little unusual in that I work quite a few Saturdays, a Sunday a month, and then sometimes I get these long weekends. Anyway, since we didn't go out of town, I thought it would be the perfect weekend to try out some appetizer recipes. After all, the next wine group get together is next weekend. Plus, I'm working next Saturday, so I need something I can either do ahead or make quickly.

So, yesterday i made little appetizers out of cibatta from Fresh Market. I cut the bread into little pieces suitable for finger food, brushed them with olive oil, and toasted them in the oven broiler. Then I topped the toasted bread with roasted vegetables and some grated parmesan. It was actually quite tasty! We had saved back a little of the white bordeaux to try with this. It was pretty good. Not a wow pairing, but tasty. Maybe this wine would be even better with something a little less sweet. The roasted peppers and onions gave the appetizer quite a bit of sweetness.

White Bordeaux, 2007 Tour de Monestier

Friday night so fish for dinner? We had rainbow trout, which has recently been available at Fresh Market. This time I just sauteed it with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. we also had some leftover barley with sweet peppers and roasted veggies. The wine was a French white bordeaux 2007 Tour de Montestier from Chateau Monestier La Tour. I'm not a big white wine person, but this was really good. The nose was fresh and hinted at a little sweetness. It smelled of cut grass, a little vegetal smell (maybe of green peas?), some pear and apricot and a little citrus. Tasting was not sweet, but dry with pleasant acidity and a strong minerality, especially on the finish. It had a very nice body, coating the mouth nicely. The taste was citric, light grapefruit, and a little green apple and the mineral, chalky flavor. Along with the chalkiness I also got a little bit of a walnut taste on the finish. Overall, a very well balanced and fairly complex wine. Very nice with the fish, but even better with the parmesan cheese which we nibbled on later. I think it would be a good choice with any creamy white sauce, especially one with sharp flavors. This wine was $12 at Bob's. It was rated 88 by Wine Spectator.

Lately I've been seeking out some dry whites with a little more character. I feel that so many of the white wines on the market now are similar in style. Many are somewhat sweet and very fruity. This makes a pleasant sipping wine, but not necessarily a good food wine. My goal is a winerack that contains something for almost any menu. Actually, this reminded me of the vino verde we had a week or so back, but his wine had much more body and could hold up to heavier sauces and foods.

I forgot to mention that white Bordeaux is typically a blend of sauvignon blanc, semillion, and muscadelle grapes. This explains the mix of flavors and smells i was picking up in this wine.

Pinot Noir

Not an exciting wine tonight. We had dinner after work at Silver Spoon. I had the sirloin and bleu salad and Al had the cobb salad. We both had the Mirrasou pinot noir. My advice? Don't bother. The wine would be very good for someone who's not a wine drinker. It's not at all offensive. In fact it's not at all much of anything. Not much nose. Invisible on the mid-palate. Grape and cherry on the attack. A weak finish. Am I being a little too harsh? Perhaps. Actually the review could be written differently: A delicate wine, reminiscent of beaujoulais noveau with a light but pleasant nose. There was strawberry, a light touch of floral and earthy aromas. The flavor was similar: strawberry, floral, and earthliness. There was delicate acidity with light tannins. A very easy drinking wine. Actually, it was a nice entry wine. It's all about perspective. You might keep that in mind when you're reading those tasting notes that are posted in liquor stores. Personally, I don't care for beaujoulais. They are too light, thin, no body. But to someone who likes them they are delicate and light with subtle flavors and light tannins. So, sample around and get to know your own taste, your own palate.